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Day 3: Pest Patrol — Drone Sketch + Labels

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Sketch a labeled drone design that meets the constraints from Day 2; explain how each technical feature solves a problem from the field notes
TEKS d(1)(C)
Deliverable Labeled drone sketch with at least 6 annotated parts + design rationale paragraph
Materials H&L Workbook Ch 2, p. 33; plain paper for sketches; rulers, pencils, colored pencils/markers; constraints list from Day 2; projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Look at your constraints list from yesterday. What is the ONE most important feature your drone needs to have in order to be useful? Why?

Take 3-4 student responses. The point is to surface the prioritization step real engineers do: you can't add every cool feature, so you pick the ones that solve the biggest problems.

Activity 1: Drone Design Tutorial (10 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 2, p. 33, "Step 3: Plan and Design Your Drone"

Project the workbook prompt on the screen. Read aloud the design considerations from the workbook (p. 33):

  • Technical Features: What types of technology will your drone have? (cameras, thermal sensors, related app for farmers to analyze data)
  • Flight Time: How long will the drone need to fly to cover the field?
  • Weight and Balance: Is your drone light enough to fly but strong enough to carry the equipment?
  • How It Will Fly: Will it hover or fly in a straight line?
  • Environment: How will Texas weather (heat, wind) affect your drone?

Quickly model on the board: draw a basic drone shape with 4 propellers, a central body, a camera, and a label. Show students that engineering sketches don't need to be artistic. They need to be clear and labeled.

Facilitation Tip

Some students will get stuck on "I can't draw." Reassure them: this is engineering, not art class. Stick figures, simple shapes, and clear labels are exactly what real engineers use. The label is more important than the drawing quality.

Activity 2: Sketch the Drone (25 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 2, p. 33, Drone sketch and labeling

Each student designs and sketches their drone on paper. The sketch must include AT LEAST 6 labeled parts. Students are required to include:

  • A camera or imaging system (high-resolution, multispectral, or thermal)
  • A way to fly (propellers, fixed wings, or both)
  • A way to handle wind (e.g., heavier base, tilt sensors, larger propellers)
  • A way to send data to the farmer (wireless transmitter, app, mapping system)
  • A power source (battery, solar panel)
  • One creative feature of your choice (e.g., targeted spray nozzle, plant ID software, GPS auto-pilot)

Each label should include:

  • The name of the part
  • A 1-sentence description of what it does
  • Which field-note constraint it solves (e.g., "Solves the wind problem from Set 3")

Walk around with a checkpoint clipboard. In 25 minutes across 24 students you cannot check every desk carefully, aim for 10–12 students, prioritizing those who look stuck or are rushing past the label step. For each check:

  • Are there at least 6 labels?
  • Does each label say what the part does?
  • Is the constraint connection clear?

Students you do not reach today will get a second check during Day 4 peer feedback, partners flag missing labels for you.

DOK 4: What information from the field notes can you use to defend your claim that this specific design will help the farmer detect pests faster?

Activity 3: Design Rationale Paragraph (8 min)

After the sketch, students write a 3-sentence design rationale paragraph below or beside their drone. The rationale is NOT a re-description of the labels (the labels already name each part and its job): it surfaces the trade-off reasoning an engineer does:

  • Sentence 1: "My drone is designed to help [specific problem from field notes] because _____."
  • Sentence 2: "If I had to cut one feature to save weight or cost, it would be _, because ___ matters more for pest detection."
  • Sentence 3: "One part of my design I am not yet sure about is _, because ___."

Sentence 2 (trade-off) and Sentence 3 (self-critique) are what move the rationale from DOK 2 recall into DOK 3-4 engineering reasoning.

Exit Ticket (2 min)

EXIT TICKET (Short Constructed Response) · Printable PDF:

  1. The feature on my drone that solves the BIGGEST problem from the field notes: _____

  2. The SPECIFIC problem from the field notes this feature solves (cite which set — Plant Scientist / Farmer / Engineer): _____

  3. If I had to CUT one feature from my drone to save cost or weight, it would be _____ because _____________.

  4. ONE Agricultural Engineer or Drone Operator task this drone makes FASTER or EASIER than doing it by hand:

(d(1)(C))

Submit your drone sketch + rationale with this ticket.

Differentiation

  • Support: Provide a pre-printed drone outline with arrow lines pointing to label spots. Students fill in the part names and descriptions rather than sketching the drone shape from scratch.
  • Extension: Add a "Drone v2.0" sketch on the back of the page with one big improvement (e.g., longer battery life, larger field coverage, autonomous flight).
  • ELL: Pre-teach: Sketch = Boceto, Label = Etiqueta, Feature = Característica, Wing = Ala, Battery = Batería. Labels can be in English, Spanish, or bilingual.