MS-ETS1-1
The standard
Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Next Generation Science Standards
What this standard means
Students need to turn a messy problem into a clear design brief. They identify the goal, decide what counts as success, and name limits like cost, materials, time, safety, science ideas, and environmental effects.
Mastery looks like a student saying, “Our solution must hold 500 grams, cost under $2, use recyclable materials, and not block water flow.” Students often get stuck making vague goals, ignoring tradeoffs, or choosing a solution before defining the problem.
Ways to teach it
- Give teams paper, tape, and straws to build a phone stand after writing three criteria and three constraints first.
- Ask students to write: What would make this design successful, and who or what could be affected by it?
- Show a design scenario and have students sort ten cards into criteria, constraints, scientific principles, and impacts.
- Analyze a school lunch waste problem, then list limits a compost bin design would need to meet.
Plan a lesson for MS-ETS1-1
Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.
Related standards
- MS-ETS1-2
Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- 3-5-ETS1-1
Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
- HS-ETS1-1
Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- 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...