Engineering Design Process

Students will learn of the iterative Engineering Design Process (EDP) that they will utilize for all of their projects. Students will practice the EDP in a series of mini class projects. 

Lesson Notes

Lesson Activities 

Below are sample activities for students to practice the EDP during class. Use the EDP worksheet for the students to document their process and they can attach it to their notebooks. Suggest to group the students in groups of 2-3. 

Paper Tower

Build the tallest paper tower using 3 sheets of paper and 24" of tape. 

Paper Column 

Build the strongest paper column to withstand textbooks using 3 sheets of paper and 24" of tape. 

Marshmallow and Spaghetti Tower 

Using a handful of marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti, build the tallest tower. 

Engineering Mystery Bag Challenge 

Fill paper bags with random items like popsicle sticks, feathers, cups, pipe cleaners, toilet paper rolls, cardboard, etc.. 

Give each group a paper bag and assign each group to create a specific object from the list: 

• Catapult

• Windmill

• Boat

• Marble rollercoaster

• Bridge 

• And more! 

Lesson notes and Worksheet based off the Engineering Design Process from The Works Museum 

https://theworks.org/educators-and-groups/elementary-engineering-resources/engineering-design-process/ 

*Teachers may choose to use a different iterative engineering design process