Lesson 10: Final Assessment – CER Capstone Project

Which structural material is most suitable for a specific structure and its intended environment?

How do factors like climate, budget, and purpose influence material justification?

What logical reasoning connects a material's internal properties to its real-world macro-performance?

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER): A framework for making and supporting scientific arguments.

Dead Load: The weight of the permanent building components.

Live Load: The weight of people, furniture, and temporary items within a structure.

Sustainability: The capacity for a material or process to be maintained over time with minimal environmental impact.

HS-ETS1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics.

Evidence-based technical writing and logical reasoning; students must evaluate and rank evidence to justify effectiveness in specific engineering scenarios.

Description: Students choose three out of five types of structures to analyze: a Two-Floor House, a Five-Floor Apartment, a Medium-Sized School, a Large Industrial Factory, or an Athletic Stadium. They research properties such as compressive strength, cost, and environmental impact to formulate a one-sentence claim for each building. For every claim, students must present at least three pieces of evidence (data, facts, or IRL examples) and explain the reasoning that connects their evidence to the structural needs. Finally, they must compare alternatives, explaining why they rejected other viable options.

Purpose: To synthesize 30 days of scientific learning into a professional-level justification of material selection, safety, and project feasibility.

DOK Level: 4 (Extended Thinking and Creating).

Real-World: Preparing for careers in urban planning, civil engineering, or residential construction where material choices directly impact public safety and durability.

Culturally Relevant Connections: Students may choose to apply their justification to a "Dream Home" or a "Sustainable Community Center," allowing them to advocate for choices that align with their personal values and local environmental needs.

Students often believe there is only one "right" material for a building; the comparison stage clarifies that every choice involves trade-offs between factors like cost, strength, and aesthetics.

Graphic Organizers: Provide a CER template with sentence starters for students who need assistance with technical writing structure.

Project Choice: Students may submit their findings as a typed report, a digital presentation, or a physical model with a brief written CER component.

Advanced Learners: Assign an additional requirement to include a cost-benefit analysis or to calculate anticipated dead and live loads.

Summative: The final CER report is graded based on the clarity of the claim, the quality of evidence, the strength of reasoning, and the fairness of the comparison of alternatives.

Document: "1.3-CER-Structural Material Choice" (Assignment Prompt).

Document: "Choosing Materials for a Dream Home".

Slides: "1.3-Comparing different types of material".

External Resource: Engineering Toolbox for material property data.