iRubric: Tall Tower Challenge rubric

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Tall Tower Challenge

Lesson focuses on the growth of tall buildings and their structures. Students work in teams to develop the tallest tower they can build with limited materials that can withstand "forces from a hurricane". They develop a design on paper, build their tower, present and test their tower to the class, evaluate their results and those of their teammates, and complete reflection sheets.

Rubric Code: SXBX794

By Stacyjp

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Public Rubric

Subject: Engineering

Type: Project

Grade Levels: 6-8

Forces Acting on Structures: Popsicle Stick Bridge using 500 Popsicle sticks
	Below Standard (-10 points) 5 pts	Approaching Standard (-4 points) 10 pts	At Standard ( all 5 met = 100%) 15 pts	Above Standard (+2 points) 20 pts
Appearance	Below Standard (-10 points) Not aesthetically pleasing Work is sloppy throughout. Design is unattractive and/or plain.	Approaching Standard (-4 points) Limited aesthetics (shapes, patterns, etc.) Design and use of glue is messy at times. Some visual appeal.	At Standard ( all 5 met = 100%) Overall, an attractive bridge (shapes, patterns, etc.) Tidy work most of the time. Visually appealing.	Above Standard (+2 points) Extremely aesthetic in design (shapes, patterns, etc.) All construction is clean and attractive. Visually appealing.
Structure	Below Standard (-10 points) Tower with no real design. Does not contain any truss or support structures. Did not maximize use of materials. Tower did not reach 14 inches in height.	Approaching Standard (-4 points) Tower with limited creative design. Contains very few truss support. Limited use of materials. Tower did not reach 14 inches in height.	At Standard ( all 5 met = 100%) Tower designed with good creativity. Contains a lot of truss supports. Good use of materials. Tower did reach 14 inches in height.	Above Standard (+2 points) Tower designed with excellent creativity. Trusses are located on each wall. Excellent use of materials. Tower exceeded 14 inches.
Blueprint - sketch - pre-writing description - post building reflection	Below Standard (-10 points) Tower design does not match the design of the blueprint and changes were not explained.	Approaching Standard (-4 points) Tower design somewhat matches the design of the blueprint. If any changes were made during building, they were explained a little upon reflection.	At Standard ( all 5 met = 100%) Tower blueprint mostly matches the design of the finished product. If any changes were made during building, they were sufficiently explained upon reflection.	Above Standard (+2 points) Tower blueprint matches the design of the finished product. If any changes were made during building, they were thoroughly explained upon reflection.
Durability	Below Standard (-10 points) Truss Bridge design could not hold even a small amount of weight (rocks)	Approaching Standard (-4 points) Truss Bridge design could hold a small amount of weight (rocks)	At Standard ( all 5 met = 100%) Truss Bridge design held a lot of weight (rocks)	Above Standard (+2 points) Truss Bridge design was strong and sturdy. It held a great deal of weight (rocks)
Materials	Below Standard (-10 points) Did not use materials well, excessive waste.	Approaching Standard (-4 points) Used some materials well. Final project contained some of the supplies. Turned in ALL supplies for a new set.	At Standard ( all 5 met = 100%) Used majority of supplies without wasting any supplies. Did not turn in supplies for a new set.	Above Standard (+2 points) Was able to make a structurally sound tower using less materials than handed out.

Keywords:

Towers, structures, forces, science

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Project

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