Is That Design Worth It?
A 55-minute Grade 3 lesson on making a claim about the merit of a design that reduces the impact of a weather hazard.
Is That Design Worth It? is a free 55-minute Grade 3 science lesson plan for Common Core standard 3-ESS3-1 — judge a design meant to reduce the damage from a weather hazard. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 3
- Length:
- 55 minutes
- Standard:
- 3-ESS3-1
Grade 3 · Earth and Space Science
3-ESS3-1
Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.
Objective
Students will be able to judge a hazard design using evidence of what it reduced and what it cost.
Students are successful when they can
- Names the hazard and the damage it does.
- Says what the design reduced, with evidence.
- Names the cost or the limit of the design.
What you need
- The storm damage survey of the school grounds
- Photographs of windbreaks, flood barriers and lightning rods
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up
5 min- Read the storm survey: three fence panels down, but the sheltered fence stood.
- Ask what the sheltered side had that the other did not.
Teach — evidence, then merit
14 min- Name the hazard: a gale gusting to 70 mph.
- Name the damage: panels down, a branch broken, bins across the yard.
- Point at the natural experiment: the sheltered corner lost nothing.
- Propose a windbreak and say what evidence supports it.
- Now the merit question: what would it cost, and what would it not stop?
- Say what a claim about merit contains: what it reduces, and what it costs.
“What is your evidence, and what does the design not fix?”
Investigate — judge two designs
19 min- Groups take two hazard designs for the same site.
- They list what each reduces, with evidence from the survey.
- They list what each costs and what it cannot stop.
- They write a claim about which has more merit.
Independent practice
14 min- Students complete the 'Is That Design Worth It?' page.
- Check answers weigh reduction against cost.
Close
3 min- Agree the design the class would recommend to the school.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Judges a design by whether it looks strong.
Why: Strength is visible.
Fix: Point at the survey. Evidence beats appearance.
Claims a design removes the hazard.
Why: It worked in the last storm.
Fix: Weather can be worse than any design allows for. Say at what point it fails.
Ignores what the design costs.
Why: It works.
Fix: Merit weighs both. A design nobody can afford is not chosen.
If they are not there yet
- One design with the evidence supplied.
- A claim frame with the cost line prompted.
If they finish early
- Judge a design that protects one place and worsens another.
- Say what evidence would settle between two designs.
- Design a test for a windbreak using the school grounds.
Exit ticket
The sheltered bins did not move in the gale. What design does that support, and what would it cost?
What to look for: A windbreak round the bin area, with a cost such as money, space or blocked light. A claim with no cost means the merit step is missing.
Printable practice for 3-ESS3-1
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Is That Design Worth It?Read the survey, then answer.
Questions about Is That Design Worth It?
How long does the Is That Design Worth It? lesson take?
55 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 14 min, investigate 19 min, independent practice 14 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Is That Design Worth It? teach?
3-ESS3-1 — 3-ESS3-1, Earth and Space Science for Grade 3: “Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.” In plain terms, judge a design meant to reduce the damage from a weather hazard.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The storm damage survey of the school grounds, photographs of windbreaks, flood barriers and lightning rods and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: judges a design by whether it looks strong; claims a design removes the hazard and ignores what the design costs. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “The sheltered bins did not move in the gale. What design does that support, and what would it cost?.” A windbreak round the bin area, with a cost such as money, space or blocked light. A claim with no cost means the merit step is missing. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Is That Design Worth It??
Yes — 1 printable 3-ESS3-1 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Is That Design Worth It? free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 8 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-08. Aligned to 3-ESS3-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.