ORBITAL REFLECTOR| DESIGN LESSONGRADE: 3-5
STANDARDS:
ART: VA:Cr1.1.4a. Brainstorm multiple approaches to acreative art or design problem.
SCIENCE: 3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple
possible solutions to a problem based on how welleach is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of theproblem.
OBJECTIVE:
Students will be able to plan, design, and compare
sculptural creations in order to determine which one is
the most reflective.
VOCABULARY:
Reflection: Reflection occurs when light bounces offobjects. How much reflection depends upon how eventhe surface is. If the surface is rough, the lightscatters. If the surface is smooth and flat, the lightbouncing off it will be more visible.
Sculpture: creating figures or designs in three
dimensions, a three-dimensional work of art.
TIME: 2 Class Periods
MATERIALS:••••

Student Journal or Notebooks
Various reflective materials (cd’s, foil, shiny
paper or fabric, metal with sanded edges, etc.)
Cardboard, glue, tape, scissors, string
Flashlights

LESSON:ENGAGEMENT:Show students two different images of Orbital
Reflector, the original design and the final design. Askthem to compare and contrast the two images. Havethem record and discuss their answers.
Pose the following question to students: Why did thedesign of Orbital Reflector change?
Give students ample time to consider their answers
and record them in a journal or notebook.
Have students discuss their answers as a class.
Discuss the following information with the students:
One of the criteria of the satellite was to be as brightand visible as possible, for people to be able to see thesatellite from the surface of earth with the naked eye.
During the process of engineering and designing thesatellite, our team of engineers determined that thediamond shape would be more reflective than thesphere.
Introduce the term Reflection.
EXPLORATION:
Ask students about the Design and Engineering
process. How do engineers work? How do we decide
what the best design is? Discuss as a class.
Show students the Design + Engineering timeline on
the Educator Page of the Orbital Reflector website(orbitalreflector.com). Discuss the steps as a class,encourage students to record the design andengineering steps in their journal or notebook.
Ask student to identify the design criteria or goal of thesatellite. Discuss answers as a class.

This lesson plan was created to celebrate the launch of Orbital Reflector, for more information visit orbitalreflector.com

EXPLANATION:
Challenge students to design their own Orbital
Reflector sculpture.
Introduce and discuss the term Sculpture.
How will they design the most reflective object? Have
students sketch and record their initial designs in theirjournal or notebook. Give them a few minutes to work
alone or in small teams to a create a design they thinkis reflective.
Ask students how they will measure how reflective theirdesign is. How will they know if one design is morereflective than another? This may be challenging forstudents; the point is for them to define their own
parameters. It may be as simple as comparing two
different design and using our eyes to determine which
one we think looks brighter or more reflective. There
are also free light meter apps you can download if you
want to involve an element of measurement, datacollection, and instrumentation.

and allow students to begin testing the reflectivenessof their sculpture.
Encourage them to make some changes ormodifications to their design in order to make theirsculpture more reflective.
Have them record and changes they make in theirjournal or notebook. Have them record their final
design in their journal or notebook as well.
EVALUATION:
When the students are finished, ask the students how
they will test the reflection of each sculpture. Allow thestudents to conduct these tests, record and share theirresults.
Ask students to present their final sculpture and theirdata on how reflective their sculpture is. Encourage
students to discuss which sculpture were the most or
least reflective and why.

ELABORATION:

EXTENSION:

Present students with abundant supplies and materials
to build their satellites. Encourage them to use
cardboard or cardstock to build the underlying form
and then cover it with reflective materials of theirchoice.

Hang the sculptures throughout the room or turn theminto mobiles. Post photographs of completed projects
to the Museum’s social media!

Make sure every design has a string attached in orderto hang their sculpture for testing and display.
Give the students ample time to explore the materials
and work on their sculpture. When students arenearing completion, introduce flashlights to the room

@NevadaArt#OrbitalReflector

LINKS AND RESOURCES:
https://www.orbitalreflector.com/educators/

This lesson plan was created to celebrate the launch of Orbital Reflector, for more information visit orbitalreflector.com

Figure 1: Orbital Reflector Original Design

This lesson plan was created to celebrate the launch of Orbital Reflector, for more information visit orbitalreflector.com

Figure 2: Orbital Reflector Final Design

This lesson plan was created to celebrate the launch of Orbital Reflector, for more information visit orbitalreflector.com