South Dakota Science HS-ETS1-3

ScienceGrades 9–12Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

The Standard

Evaluate a solution to a complex real-word problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as social, cultural, and environmental impacts. Alignment may include HS-PS1-6; HS-PS2-3; HS-LS2-7; HS-LS4-6; HS-ESS3-2; HS-ESS3-4

South Dakota Science Standards (2024) · Engineering Design

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students compare designs for a real problem and decide which requirements matter most. They weigh cost, safety, reliability, appearance, access, local culture, and environmental effects, then defend a choice with evidence.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students rule out designs that fail a safety requirement, then rank the remaining options using a weighted chart. They defend their pick with data and explain who benefits, what the community gains or loses, and what the environmental cost might be.
Common Misconceptions: Students may pick the cheapest design without checking whether it is safe or will last. They may treat a high total score as enough, even when a design blocks wheelchair access. Some name trade-offs but never use them to explain their choice.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: A $2,000 shade sail passes wind tests but covers a neighborhood mural; a $3,000 canopy passes wind tests, keeps the mural visible, and uses more material. With a $3,200 budget, pick one and explain your top two criteria and one trade-off.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Use cardboard and string to model two bus stop shelters, then test wheelchair clearance with a paper template.
Ask students to write whether saving $1,000 justifies covering a neighborhood mural, and whose views they would seek.
Give pairs three shelter cards with costs, wind ratings, and shade coverage; have them rank the designs under a fixed budget.
Use a photo of a nearby bus stop to mark where a shelter could block access, cover artwork, or change rainwater drainage.

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