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Day 2: Machine Breakdown Mystery + Hat Research

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Complete the H&L "Machine Breakdown Mystery" troubleshooting activity using the 5-step Technician Checklist; complete a Hat Research worksheet for one Manufacturing career
TEKS d(1)(C), d(2)(A)
Deliverable Completed Machine Breakdown Mystery checklist (Ch 14, p. 233) + Hat Research worksheet (Ch 14, p. 239)
Materials H&L Workbook Ch 14 (pp. 232-233, 239), Chromebooks, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Think about the last time something you owned broke (a phone, a bike, a video game controller). What was the FIRST thing you did to figure out what was wrong?

Listen for "I tried turning it off and on" or "I looked for damage." Bridge: "That is troubleshooting. Today you become the technician at a fruit factory who has to use the EXACT same skill, but in a high-stakes situation where production is stopped."

Activity 1: H&L "Machine Breakdown Mystery" Activity (25 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 14, pp. 232-233, "Machine Breakdown Mystery" (Career Climb activity)

Open the workbook to page 232. Read the scenario together: students are technicians at a pre-packaged fruit factory. The label-application machine has stopped working. Without it, the entire production line is at a standstill. It is their job to figure out why and fix it.

Walk through the Technician Checklist (Ch 14, p. 232), a 5-step procedure that real technicians use:

  1. Identify the Problem: Find out as much information as possible. Which part isn't working? What was the machine doing right before it stopped?
  2. Analyze Possible Causes: Mechanical failure (worn-out blade, jammed gears)? Electrical issue (faulty wiring, sensor malfunction)? Operator error (incorrect settings)? Something else?
  3. Implement a Solution: Decide the best repair based on your analysis.
  4. Test and Observe: Run the machine and confirm it works. If not, restart the checklist.
  5. Prevent Future Breakdowns: What can be done to keep this from happening again? Operator training? More frequent maintenance?

Read the scenario clues together (Ch 14, p. 232-233):

  • The machine made a clicking noise before it stopped working.
  • There is no visible smoke, sparks, or leaks.
  • Other machines on the production line are still running fine.
  • The sticker roll seems to be in place, but the labels aren't coming out.
  • The operator mentioned the machine was running smoothly until a new roll of labels was installed.

Student task: Working individually, students fill out the Technician Checklist in their workbook (p. 233). For each of the 5 steps, they write notes about what they would do as the technician.

After 12-15 minutes, lead a class discussion using the workbook prompts (Ch 14, p. 233):

  • How do your ideas differ from a partner's? What are the similarities?
  • If you had to do this again, would you change your approach based on what you heard from classmates?
  • What would be the most challenging part of being a technician where you work on many different types of machines?

Facilitation Tip

The biggest clue students miss is "the new roll of labels was installed right before it broke." That points to a label-roll problem (wrong size, wrong type, jammed feed mechanism). If students focus on electrical or mechanical without spotting this, prompt them: "What changed right before the problem started?"

DOK 3: What conclusions can you draw about why the order of the Technician Checklist matters? Why is "Identify the Problem" the first step instead of "Implement a Solution"?

Activity 2: Hat Research — One Manufacturing Career (15 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 14, p. 239, Hat Research template

Open the workbook to page 239. The Hat Research template has six fields. Students choose ONE Hat from the Manufacturing cluster and complete the template using the H&L app:

  • Name of Career
  • What Interests You?
  • Brief Job Description
  • Education / Training Needed
  • Average Salary
  • What Tools, Equipment, or Skills are Needed for This Career?

[H&L PLATFORM] The workbook (Ch 14, p. 239) directs students: "Go to the Hats & Ladders app and click on the Hat Finder. Explore Hats in the 'Manufacturing' career cluster. Choose one Hat and fill out the information below." Students use the Hat Finder to find a Manufacturing Hat that caught their attention on Day 1, then pull each field directly from the H&L app's career profile.

Walk the room. Confirm every student has a chosen Hat before they start writing. Stop students who pick the same Hat as their neighbor and challenge them to pick something different to broaden the class's exposure.

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET (Mini-Case / Scenario Application) · Printable PDF:

Scenario: Jamie is in 10th grade in Irving ISD. Jamie wants a Manufacturing job right after graduation (not a 4-year college). Jamie just read your Hat Research worksheet.

  1. Which Manufacturing career from your Hat Research would you recommend to Jamie? _____

  2. What are TWO specific training or certification steps Jamie must complete to reach that career? Use your Hat Research worksheet.

  3. Step 1: _______

  4. Step 2: _______

  5. About how long will BOTH steps take together (weeks, months, or years)? __________

(d(1)(C), d(2)(A))

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-print the 5 Technician Checklist steps with the first one ("Identify the Problem") filled in as an example. Students complete steps 2-5. For Hat Research, pre-print the field labels in Spanish/English and provide a Welder example as a model.
  • Extension: Students design their own Machine Breakdown Mystery for a different machine (a 3D printer, a school cafeteria conveyor belt, a gas pump) using the same 5-step checklist format.
  • ELL: Bilingual technician vocabulary card: Mechanical = Mecánico, Electrical = Eléctrico, Sensor = Sensor, Maintenance = Mantenimiento, Operator = Operador. Allow students to write checklist notes in Spanish if that lowers the cognitive load.