Testing and Improving Models is a Grade 6 science worksheet focused on the engineering process of evaluating and improving models. It introduces students to an important aspect of engineering design: using testing and evaluation to assess how well a model works and identify opportunities for improvement.

Exploring Engineering Design

Testing and improving models is an essential part of developing effective solutions to problems. In this topic, students encounter the relationship between model testing, evaluation and refinement. The focus is on recognising why models need to be tested and how testing can contribute to improving their effectiveness.

This Grade 6 engineering science practice provides a starting point for discussing how engineers use models as part of the design process. It connects classroom science learning with the broader idea of evaluating solutions rather than simply accepting an initial design.

What Students Explore

• Testing models as part of the engineering design process.
• Evaluating how well a model performs.
• Recognising opportunities to improve models.
• Connecting model testing with engineering problem-solving.

Classroom Use

Use this science worksheet as part of a middle school engineering design lesson or as a focused introduction to testing and improving models. It can support instruction when introducing model evaluation, provide an opportunity for additional topic practice, or serve as a review resource within a Grade 6 science unit.

Teachers can also use the topic as a starting point for classroom discussions about why engineers test models and how evaluation contributes to better design decisions.

Curriculum Reference

The resource details identify the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), 2013, and reference MS-ETS1-4. Teachers can consider this curriculum reference when planning instruction on engineering design and model evaluation.

Resource focus: Grade 6 Science | Testing and Improving Models | Engineering Design