About this resource
In December 1903, the famous scientist Samuel Langley’s flying machine — built with $50,000 from the U.S. War Department and a powerful engine — crashed into the Potomac River for the second time. Nine days later, two bicycle-shop owners from Dayton, Ohio, made the first airplane flights. How did the Wright brothers win the race to fly? No design wins every test — so engineers study the data, keep the best part of each, and test again. In this one-week, 5-level Analyze Design Test Data unit for middle school science (NGSS MS-ETS1-3), students investigate a real mystery, then use their evidence to crack the case.
Best of Each is part of Science Unlocked, a series of mystery-driven lesson sets. Every set opens with a real, surprising phenomenon, builds the science one level at a time, and ends with students solving the mystery in a claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) write-up.
Topics: engineering design process, claim evidence reasoning (CER), science phenomenon, review games.
What's included
- Teacher Deck (84 slides, PowerPoint). Answers are highlighted on the slides. Speaker notes tell you what to say and do, what to watch for, and how to support students or push GT students further. Prep slides and answer keys are hidden, so they skip during a slideshow.
- Interactive Student Deck (50 slides, PowerPoint + PDF). Students type in boxes, drag cards and check marks, and rate their confidence. Assign one copy per student in Google Classroom or your LMS.
- Google Slides versions of both decks. Click a button in the Google Slides Links PDF to make your own copy in Google Drive.
- Teacher Guide (26-page PDF). The standard, a week at a glance, a materials list, misconceptions to watch for, a run-of-show for every level, answer keys and sources.
- Student Printable (15-page PDF + a low-ink greyscale copy). The same tasks on paper in 12 pt type, for students without devices, sub days, or anyone who learns better with a pencil. Slide numbers match the Student Deck.
- Self-grading digital activity. SCORM 2004 and SCORM 1.2 packages for an LMS that accepts SCORM uploads, a web package, and a single HTML file that opens in any browser. Notes, sorts, matches, tables and multiple-choice items grade themselves, and students get a copy-and-paste backup of their work. A 2-page teacher quick start is included.
- Two whole-class review games that open in any browser: a Jeopardy-style game (6 categories, 30 clues) and Trashketball, where teams answer on whiteboards and then shoot for points.
- Kahoot! and Blooket import files. 48 review questions, one file per level plus an all-levels file, with a printable answer key.
- Start Here guide, HTML & SCORM how-to guide and Terms of Use, so you know which file to open first.
The 5 levels (about one 45–50 minute class each)
- The Race to Fly. Several solutions, criteria, test data vs. opinion. Key activities: Wright vs. Langley mystery, data-or-opinion sort.
- Read the Data. Trials, means, best-in-each-test, similarities & differences. Key activities: Wright data story, kite data means, 1901 vs. 1902 glider table.
- Glider Showdown Lab. Test several designs: distance, time aloft, off the line. Key activities: 3-design glider lab (3 trials each), Lab Conclusion CER.
- Combine the Best. Best characteristics of each leads to hybrid leads to retest. Key activities: How the Wrights combined, graph analysis, hybrid build, retest.
- Crack the Case. Stretch HS-ETS1-2: break a big problem into smaller ones. Key activities: Wings, power, control, Stretch CER, final case CER.
Built for real classrooms
- Every level follows the same routine: "I can" targets with a confidence check, a warm-up, copy-it notes with a word bank, hands-on practice, a checkpoint students must pass to unlock the next step, and an exit ticket. A 10-item Mini Quiz wraps up the week.
- Level 1 opens with a Power-Up on the earlier-grade ideas this standard builds on (3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3).
- The last level includes a high school Stretch (HS-ETS1-2) that every student tries and advanced students can take further.
- Hands-on lab (Glider Showdown: The Investigation). Student materials list: 5 sheets of copy paper per student, up to 2 paper clips per glider; Masking tape (launch line, center line); Tape measure or meter sticks, stopwatch; Safety goggles, data table (next slides). Safety notes are on the slides and in the Teacher Guide.
- Support is built in: word banks, sentence starters and support notes on the slides, plus GT extensions.
Standards
- NGSS MS-ETS1-3: Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
- SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data · DCI: ETS1.B, ETS1.C · CCC: NGSS lists no crosscutting concept for MS-ETS1-3. Lens used here: Structure and Function
- Stretch: HS-ETS1-2
- CCSS connections: 6.SP.B.5, MP.2, RST.6-8.7
Try the digital activity first
- Not sure the self-grading activity will work in your LMS? Download the FREE HTML & SCORM Sample and test it with your students before you buy.
Save with a bundle
- Engineering Design (MS) (4 sets)
- Middle School Physical Science + Engineering (23 sets)
- Science Unlocked Mega Bundle (all 89 sets)
Teach next
- Just Cold Enough (MS-ETS1-1)
- The Scariest Plan Won (MS-ETS1-2)
- Five Layers of Cool (MS-ETS1-4)
More from Mystery Lab Learning
- See every Science Unlocked set, and follow to hear when new ones are added, at Mystery Lab Learning.
Good to know
- The illustrations in this resource were created with AI image tools, and AI tools helped draft the lesson text. Every slide, answer key and lab step was then fact-checked against the sources listed in the Teacher Guide and proofread.
- Kahoot!, Blooket, Jeopardy!, Google Slides and PowerPoint are trademarks of their owners. This resource is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
- License: one teacher, for use with their own students. Please buy an additional license for each colleague who uses it.
