Use test results to decide if the design worked as intended. - Kindergarten Science

SECTION 1

Why Do We Test Things?

People have always built things. They wanted to know: Does it work?

Long ago, people built bridges. They had to test them to stay safe!

Let's look at how people learned to test their ideas over time.

Long Ago • First Builders

People stacked rocks to make walls. If a wall fell down, they tried again!

Old Days • Wheels and Carts

People made wheels. They tested if wheels could roll on bumpy roads.

Not Long Ago • Cars and Planes

Engineers tested cars and planes many times before people could ride in them.

Today • You Are a Tester!

You can test things you build, just like real engineers do!

Every time we build something, we need to ask: Did it do what I wanted? That is what testing is all about!

SECTION 2

Big Ideas About Testing

When we build something, we follow a plan. Then we test it. That means we try it out to see what happens.

Here are the big ideas about testing a design.

Know Your Goal

Before you test, know what you want it to do. Ask: What is my design supposed to do?

Try It Out

Test your design. Watch closely. Use your eyes and ears to see what happens.

Look at Results

Results — that means what happened when you tested it. Did it work? Did it not work?

Decide and Improve

Use what you learned to decide. You can keep your design or change it to make it better!

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KEY TAKEAWAY

Testing is like tasting soup you are cooking. You taste it. Is it yummy? If not, you add something. You taste again. You keep going until it is just right! Testing your design works the same way.

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See the Test Steps

Here is a picture that shows the steps we follow. First we build, then we test, then we decide!

Follow the arrows! First you build. Then you test. Then you look at what happened. Then you decide if it worked. If not, change it and test again!

See the loop? If it did not work, we go back and try again. That is how real engineers think!

SECTION 4

How Pushes and Pulls Help Us Test

A push moves something away from you. A pull brings something toward you. That means pushes and pulls are forces — that means things that make objects move or stop.

When we test a design, we often use pushes or pulls. We watch what the push or pull does.

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Anchoring Phenomenon

Imagine you build a ramp out of blocks. You want a toy car to roll down the ramp and knock over a cup. You push the car. It rolls! But it misses the cup. The ramp needs to be changed. You test again!

When you push a toy car, a bigger push makes it go faster. A smaller push makes it go slower. We can watch how far it goes. That is our test result!

We look at the test result. Then we decide: did the car knock over the cup? If yes, the design worked. If no, we change something and try again.

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Testing a Ramp: A Closer Look

Let's look more closely at our ramp test. We can change different parts and see what happens.

Test 1 shows a low ramp. The car stopped before the cup. Test 2 shows a tall ramp. The car went farther and knocked the cup over! The tall ramp design worked.

What We Tested	What Happened	Did It Work?
Low ramp	Car stopped too soon	No ✗
Tall ramp	Car knocked over the cup	Yes ✓

Ramp Test Results

The test results told us which ramp worked. We used what we saw to decide!

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Worked Example: The Ball Slide

Let's walk through a test together! Maya builds a slide for a ball. She wants the ball to land in a basket.

Did Maya's Ball Slide Work?

1
Step 1 — Know the Goal

Maya wants the ball to slide down and land inside the basket.

Goal: Ball lands in the basket.
2
Step 2 — Build and Test

Maya sets up a cardboard slide. She lets the ball go at the top. She watches carefully.

The ball rolls off the slide and lands on the floor, not in the basket.
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Step 3 — Look at the Results

Maya saw the ball missed the basket. The ball flew too far to the right.

Result: The ball missed. The design did NOT work.
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Step 4 — Decide and Change

Maya moves the basket to the right. She tests again. This time the ball lands in the basket!

It works now! Maya used her test results to fix her design!

Maya watched what happened. She used her test results to make a change. Then she tested again. Great job, Maya!

SECTION 7

What Works and What Doesn't

Sometimes a design works on the first try. Sometimes it does not. Both are okay! Let's compare.

When It Works ✓	When It Doesn't ✗
It did what you wanted!	It did not do what you wanted.
You can keep the design.	You can change something.
You still learned from testing!	You still learned from testing!

Works vs. Doesn't Work

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KEY TAKEAWAY

When a design does not work, that is NOT a mistake. It is learning! Think about learning to ride a bike. You might wobble or fall at first. Each try teaches you something. You get better every time. Testing a design is just like that!

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Growing as Young Engineers

You are already learning to think like an engineer! That means someone who designs and builds things to solve problems.

What You Do Now	What Comes Next
Test one design	Compare two designs side by side
Say if it worked or not	Explain why it worked or not
Change one thing	Change different things and compare

Now vs. Next

As you grow, you will learn to test even more! You will compare different designs. You will use numbers to measure. For now, keep watching, testing, and having fun!

SECTION 9

Practice Problems

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New Scenario: The Paper Boat

Kai made a paper boat. He wants it to float across a tub of water when he blows on it. He blows on the boat and watches what happens.

Question 1: CONCEPTUAL

What is Kai's goal for his paper boat? A) The boat should sink. B) The boat should float across the tub. C) The boat should fly in the air.

Show answer

B) The boat should float across the tub. Before we test, we need to know the goal. Kai's goal is for the boat to float across the water when he blows on it. Knowing the goal helps us decide if the test worked.

Question 2: BASIC OBSERVATION

Kai blows on the boat. It tips over and fills with water. What is the test result? A) The boat floated across the tub. B) The boat tipped over and got wet. C) The boat flew away.

Show answer

B) The boat tipped over and got wet. The test result is what actually happened. Kai watched carefully and saw the boat tip over. This is what he observed during his test.

Question 3: INTERMEDIATE

The boat tipped over. Did Kai's design work as intended? A) Yes, it worked perfectly. B) No, it did not do what he wanted. C) We cannot tell.

Show answer

B) No, it did not do what he wanted. Kai wanted the boat to float across. Instead it tipped over. We compare the test result to the goal. They do not match. So the design did not work as intended.

Question 4: APPLIED

Kai wants to fix his boat. What should he do next? A) Give up and throw it away. B) Change the boat and test again. C) Never test anything again.

Show answer

B) Change the boat and test again. When a design does not work, we change something and try again. Kai could make the boat wider so it does not tip. Then he blows on it again to see if the change helped. That is what engineers do!

Question 5: CRITICAL THINKING

Think and share: Kai's friend Mia also makes a boat. Hers floats across without tipping. What can Kai learn from looking at Mia's boat? Tell a friend or a grown-up your idea.

Show answer

Kai can look at Mia's boat and compare it to his own. Maybe her boat is wider or has taller sides. By looking at a design that worked, Kai gets ideas for how to improve his own design. Comparing results from different designs helps us learn what works best. This is a big part of thinking like an engineer!

SUMMARY

What We Learned

Summary

When we build something, we test it to see what happens. We look at the test results — that means what we see during the test. Then we decide if the design did what we wanted. We compare what happened to our goal.

If the design did not work, that is okay! We change something and test again. Pushes and pulls are forces that help us move things in our tests. Every test teaches us something new. You are thinking like an engineer!