Global Health Lesson 3: Solving a Design Problem using SCAMPER (Middle School)

In this lesson students will be introduced to SCAMPER as a process that engineers use to solve a design problem. The goal of this lesson is to allow students to practice and use SCAMPER as a creative technique to evaluate and improve existing product and define solutions to a design problem. Using this information, students will work in small groups to brainstorm solutions to a design problem.
SCAMPER is an acronym used by many engineers to help them think differently about a problem. The students will learn the meaning of each letter in the acronym SCAMPER. They will use this process to look for ways of improving an everyday item. The students will then be asked to apply SCAMPER to solve a problem using the engineering design process.
Activity Time: Two 50 minutes periods: One period for discussions and brain writing .
List of Materials
  1. A sample Brita water filter and a container for demonstration and enough for each group to modify
  2. MESA student “Engineering Design and Scientific Inquiry Handbook pages 12-15.
  3. Copy Student Handout pages from handbook (1 per group). Student should staple pages in their lab books if students do not have handbooks
  4. Video: “Clean Water for Haiti” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPAWuws7qMM (5:38 sec)
  5. Teacher Guide to SCAMPER [PDF]
  6. Student SCAMPER practice page
SummaryLessonEssential Question
  • How can I use SCAMPER to design a better water filter?
Vocabulary
  • Filtration
  • SCAMPER
  • Design efficiency
Lesson ObjectivesStudents Will Know How To…
  • Use SCAMPER to evaluate the design of an everyday product and suggest improvements
  • Use SCAMPER to evaluate and define solution to a specific design problem
  • Brainstorm ideas to solve a user’s problem.
Learning TargetsI can……
  • Use SCAMPER to redesign a water filter
  • Design a water filtration system for a client given a particular situation.
  • Learn about the specific user in designing an invention.
Using SCAMPER Activity to Practice Design SolutionsProcedures
  1. Have students read SCAMPER handout as a group.
  2. Ask students to go through the different letters of SCAMPER to redesign their water filter based on the needs of the users following the steps in the engineering design process in their MESA student handbook.
Use pgs. 14-15 in MESA Design Engineering Handbook to walk students through the process of using scamper to brainstorm a design solution, in small groups have students complete the activity sheet on p. 15
  1. Give each student group A Design Brief handout p. 20 in MESA Engineering Handbook (MEH).
  2. Refer to the video “clean water for Haiti” and tell students they will be designing a water filter system for a family of three or six people in Haiti.
  3. Have students work in teams to redesign this water filter using their design brief as a guide.
  4. Instruct students to use the blank copies of the pages provided in their MEH to draw a sketch of their redesigned water filtering system before they begin the build portion of this lesson.
Extension Opportunity
  1. If time allows students can build models of what their modified design would look like and share their model design explaining how it meets their specific client needs.
Assessment opportunity
  • Have students present and explain their team’s redesign to the class for comments.