Block 11: Final Defenses Day 1
Defense day. Read your slide 5 (the double-budget trade-off) once, slowly.
Task: One Field Notebook sentence: "The trade-off I most expect to be questioned on is ___."
Answer in your Field Notebook, dated.
I can deliver my 5-minute defense and answer panel questions with evidence from my iterations and my case studies.
I can defend a claim under questioning, cite my evidence, and revise when someone shows me better reasoning.
"Engaging in Argument from Evidence"
Where this runs:
- U0 B6: Dossier Work Day 3 + Defense Rehearsal
- U0 B7: Defenses + Unit Close
- U3 B10: Defense Rehearsal + Optional Final Iteration
- U3 B11: Final Defenses Day 1 ← you are here
- U3 B12: Final Defenses Day 2 + Unit Reflection
- U4 B11: Climate Brief Final Drafting + Panel Rehearsal
- U4 B12: Briefs Submitted + Policy Panel Q&A
Assessed:
Every defense (C strand): U0 Block 7 onward
On track looks like:
In Q&A you use the five moves, and 'I don't know, here's what would settle it' when true.
I can judge a design by weighing its trade-offs: cost, safety, who it protects, who it leaves out.
"Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts."
Where this runs:
- U3 B9: Iteration
- U3 B10: Defense Rehearsal + Optional Final Iteration
- U3 B11: Final Defenses Day 1 ← you are here
- U4 B9: Adaptation vs. Mitigation: What Chennai Can Actually Do
Assessed:
Final Defense (C + T/T)
On track looks like:
Your defense names what your design sacrifices, not just what it achieves.
This block is a Phase 6 stub
Full content lands when Unit 3 is built out further.
Block 11 is the full first day of final defenses: approximately 10–12 student defenses at 5-min pitch + 2-min Q&A. Audience holds the rubric and gives one-line feedback per defense. See the Engineering Portfolio handout for the defense slide structure.