Bringing Engineering to Life in Elementary School

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Bringing Engineering to Life in Elementary SchoolAn online tutorial for elementary classroom teachers

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1. Why Teach Engineering?2. Engineering Myths and Truths3. The EDP (Engineering Design

Process)4. Classroom Connections5. Engineering SuggestionsSECTIONS

OF THIS TUTORIAL

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WHY TEACH ENGINEERING?

You be a better teacher Your students be better learners

ENGINEERING CAN HELP

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The engineering mindset comes naturally to children. Their curiosity is activated as they investigate a phenomenon, build, design, or approach a challenge.

WHY TEACHENGINEERING?


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Engineering takes advantage of children’s interest in how things work.

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Engineering is a platform for building scientific knowledge and putting math into practice.


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Engineering “clarifies the relevance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to everyday life.”

Source: Next Generation Science Standards


http://www.nextgenscience.org/

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The E in STEM pulls it all together.


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Engineers are guys in hard hats who do math problems all day.

MYTH

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Engineers are diverse and come to the profession with a passion to solve real-world problems.

TRUTH

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There are many stereotypes about engineering.

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Engineering Myths and Truths

Engineering is basically the same thing as science, and you’re already teaching science.

MYTH

ENGINEERING MYTHS AND TRUTHS

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They are different and complementary Science answers questions through

experimentation. Engineering solves problems through

design.

TRUTH


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Science is familiar and you know how to teach it, but engineering is foreign territory.


MYTH

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They overlap and both involve… Using rulers, thermometers, and

other instruments Collecting data Making careful observations Listening to classmates’ ideas and

solutions

TRUTH

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Engineering is dry and pragmatic, focused on facts and numbers. It’s not imaginative or artistic.


MYTH

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TRUTH Engineers use their creativity and analytical skills to invent, design, and build things that matter. By finding imaginative and practical solutions, engineers are changing the world all the time.

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Only certain kinds of kids are going to become engineers, and there aren’t that many of them.


MYTH

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Exposing children to engineering gives them confidence to pursue it as a career, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomics.

TRUTH

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You need a professional degree in math, technology, or physics in order to understand or teach engineering.


MYTH

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TRUTH

No particular professional degree required—just curiosity from you and your students to explore how things work.

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You also need to understand the Engineering Design Process, which you are about to learn.


TRUTH

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THE EDP

All engineers use the

engineering design process (EDP).

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THE EDP

This next example illustrates what the EDP looks like in an elementary classroom.

EGG-CITING RIDE ACTIVITY Your ChallengeDesign a bungee jump for a raw egg.

Materials Include• Ruler• Nylons• Rubber bands• Balloons• Yarn• Sandwich bags• Pennies

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THE EDPThe ProblemMake a bungee jump for a raw egg so that it won’t hit the floor when it’s dropped.

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THE EDPThe Specs• The materials provided• The height of the drop (5')• How far from the floor the

egg needs to stop (2")

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THE EDPBrainstorm• Play with materials• Talk about different ideas

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THE EDPBuild• Designs will evolve• It’s a messy, loud stage• It’s worth it…it makes

engineering come to life!

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THE EDP

• Set up testing zone• Record results • Redesign to improve• Add requirements for kids

who need more of a challenge

Test, Improve, Redesign

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THE EDPShare It!• Students present their

solutions• Discuss what worked, what

didn’t • Say what they liked about

each other’s designs

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Engineers move back and forth among these steps. They might share results at any point, for example, and use feedback to go back to brainstorming.

THE EDP

THE PROCESS

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Students will try to skip steps, like design, and go right to build. When planning, decide how much time students will spend on each step. You’ll also notice some activities emphasize certain steps more than others.

TIP

THE EDP

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Engineering design process

Scientific inquiry

Project-based learning

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS

Three Teaching Methods

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Creativity Communication Critical Thinking Collaboration

Share Key Characteristics

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In all three approaches, the teacher becomes a guide and trouble shooter, rather than main conveyor of information.


STUDENTS LEARN BY DOING

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The second part of the formula iscombining the messages with a

hands–on activityLearning by doing helps students understand why failure is such an important part of the process.

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How do you turn engineering into something you can do in an elementary classroom, on a tight schedule?

YOU’VE SEEN THE BENEFITS . . .


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Life in the Middle Ages UnitDesign a Catapult Activity

DESIGN A CAPAPULT ACTIVITY Your ChallengeDesign and build a small-scale catapult to launch a projectile and hit a target.

Materials Include• Projectiles• Craft sticks• Rubber bands• Bottle caps

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The best angle for launching the projectile

The properties of levers, like: o Forceo Tensiono Mechanical advantage

How history is shaped by engineering

CATAPULTS SHOWCASE


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Reveal underlying technology Reinforce science and math concepts Motivate students: they’re fun!

ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES


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Find activities at: DiscoverE.org

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Idea 1: Invite engineers to your classroom to talk to your students.

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ENGINEERING SUGGESTIONS

Local university Local chapters of engineering

societies Local engineering companies

FIND GUEST ENGINEERS

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Turn explorations into design challenges. For example, a lesson about how plants absorb nutrients includes, “what’s a way to keep a plant from drying out if you can’t be there to water it?”


IDEA 2

A CLEVER WAY TO WATER ACTIVITY Your ChallengeKeep a potted plant watered for a week with nobody around to do it.

Materials Include• Plastic containers• Small plants• Cotton string• Scissors• Newspaper• Water

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Ask your students to illustrate their own engineering design process posters. Post a few on the wall and swap them out for other students’ work every week.


IDEA 3

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Idea 4: Invite students to imagine something to make the world a better place and speculate about how an engineer would make it happen.

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When you do an engineering activity, talk about the EDP and refer to the posters to make the connection explicit.


IDEA 5

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In your professional learning community or grade-level team, see where engineering could be incorporated.


IDEA 6

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Idea 7: Ask students to watch, listen, or read a news article about a problem in their community

that engineers are solving..

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Display photos of common tools and machines we use every day and ask which ones engineers invented (all of them). Then ask, “What would you do if this thing hadn’t been invented?” ENGINEERING

SUGGESTIONS

IDEA 8

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That’s it! You’re ready to bring engineering alive for your students.

How are you going to begin?

Funding for this training was provided by:

Education

Bringing Engineering to Life in Elementary School