Raft Rescue -A technology and laboratory infused, inquiry-based Webquest on Experimental Design

Task:

I hope someone can hear me; we saved several items from the plane before it became completely submerged.  We don�t want to experiment with these items because we�re afraid we�ll ruin them while we are experimenting.  Please find a way to use some or all of these items to build a raft that will carry all 15 of us.

We have�..

1-   16'x 16' Piece of flat, thick, but moldable metal     

12-  13' Logs                   

3-   18' Tubes of metal         

3-   10' PVC pipes

60 feet of twine

1 - 10' x10' Piece of fabric   

6 feet of duct tape 

1 � Tape measurer

1- Saw

Our radio battery is running low, so we will turn the radio on and try again for contact in exactly two weeks for 10 minutes.

Identify the Problem-

In two weeks� time, you and your friends must have designed a blueprint and have written a procedure to build a raft. You have to be able to communicate these plans to the survivors in less than 10 minutes.

This will require you to construct and test prototype rafts for success before the final blueprint design and procedure can be given to the survivors.