Designing a Sustainable Neighborhood: An Interdisciplinary Project-Based Energy and Engineering Unit in the Seventh-Grade Classroom

Journal Article | August 2017

Learn to design homes that are both energy efficient and affordable.

Are You Dressed for a Spacewalk? Harnessing Student Interest in Space Exploration to Engage Them in Energy and Engineering

Journal Article | February 2017

Challenge students to design a spacesuit that can maintain a safe temperature for astronauts who are working in space.

Building on Students' Knowledge of Solar Cells: Integrating Mathematics and Science to Support Engineering Design Tasks

Journal Article | January 2013

Explore this weeklong unit on solar energy that supports math and science learning.

Lunch-Trash Solar Stills: Learning About the Engineering Design Process Through Earth Science

Journal Article | January 2013

Create a water-purification systems with recyclables.

Animatronic Lions, and Tigers, and Bears Oh! My!

Journal Article | March 2019

This column describes creating a classroom culture for engineering. This issue shares information about computational thinking and 3D printing.

Who Engineers?

Lesson Plan | August 2020

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about engineers. The probe is designed to reveal how students think about who is an engineer and the kind of work engineers do.

Is Engineering Creative?

Lesson Plan | August 2020

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about creativity in engineering. The probe is designed to determine the extent to which students think that creativity is an important part of…

Is Engineering Experimental?

Lesson Plan | August 2020

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about using experimentation to solve a problem. The probe is designed to see if students recognize that (1) solving a problem in baking is considered…

Engineers’ Models

Lesson Plan | August 2020

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about different types of models commonly developed by engineers. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that just like scientists,…

Engineering and Nature

Lesson Plan | August 2020

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about how engineers use designs from nature. The probe is designed to see if students recognize that designs from nature provide creative ideas for…

Cookie Jar Alarms

Journal Article | September 2019

This column describes creating a classroom culture for engineering.

Scientific and Engineering Practices in K–12 Classrooms: Understanding <i>A Framework for K–12 Science Education</i>.

Journal Article | November 2011

The author presents the science and engineering practices from the recently released A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas.