Week 2C: Engineering Challenge
Option 1: Hands-On Engineering:
Do a hands-on grade-appropriate engineering challenge, with at least three(3) iterations.
Take photos at each step, and reflect on your success or need for re-design.
If possible, do an engineering challenge from your unit that you will be asking your students to do.
In your write-up include:
Your names and date.
Define the problem you are trying to solve
Try 3 different possible solutions- include photos and sketches
Compare the effectiveness of the different solutions
Example: Lakeshore Learning: Design a Bridge https://youtu.be/g8mFuuyZC6A
NGSS: K-2 Engineering
Defining the problem begins in kindergarten as students learn that a situation people want to change can be thought of as a problem that can be solved. By the time they leave second grade students should be able to ask questions and make observations to gather information about the problem to they can envision an object or a tool that would solve it.
Developing possible solutions naturally flows from the problem definition phase. One of the most challenging aspects of this phase is to keep students from immediately implementing the first solution they think of and to think it through before acting. Having students sketch their ideas or make a physical model is a good way to engage them in shaping their ideas to meet the requirements of the problem.
Comparing different solutions may involve testing each one to see how well it solves a problem or achieves a goal. Consumer product testing is a good model for this capability. Although students in the primary grades should not be held accountable for designing controlled experiments, they should be able to think of ways of comparing two products to determine which is better for a given purpose.
Other possible ideas:
Lakeshore STEM Challenges:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lakeshore+learning+stem+challenge
Science Buddies
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities
Design Squad Global
https://pbskids.org/designsquad/parentseducators/resources/index.html?category=technologymaterials
Seeds of STEM- Integrated STEM Curriculum for PreK-2(WPI)