Engineering Design

This article gives detailed instructions for a classroom activity in which students design and test a windmill that pulls up a cup. While learning about science concepts such as friction, f... See More

This article gives detailed instructions for a classroom activity in which students design and test a windmill that pulls up a cup. While learning about science concepts such as friction, force, and kinetic energy; students are also experiencing engineering design. Engineering activities have been around the science classroom since the beginning of science instruction. It just wasn't called "engineering design". With STEM coming to the forefront, engineering is heard more in classrooms.

Engineering for All

Although, this article was written using information gathered from a third grade classroom, it can be used with modifications at any grade level. The first thing it points out is a national ... See More

Although, this article was written using information gathered from a third grade classroom, it can be used with modifications at any grade level. The first thing it points out is a national program, Engineering is Elementary (EiE), that has created elementary-level engineering units that link to the national science education standards. Using one of the units, "Catching the Wind: Designing Windmills", the article models a five step engineering design process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, & Improve). Each step of the process was described and a chart with the steps and descriptions is included in the article. This article is an extremely good article to use as a template when planning a STEM activity. I recommend this article to K-8 teachers.

STEM ideas... pertinent for today's elem class

I enjoyed reading this article. The students were engaging in an actvity of making windmill blades. The use of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics were quite evident in the e... See More

I enjoyed reading this article. The students were engaging in an actvity of making windmill blades. The use of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics were quite evident in the experiment. Students of all ability levels were able to complete the task and learn from their experiences. Use this to improve your classroom science through the use of STEM. Love it!

Engineering in the Elementary Classroom

Engineering design is not a difficult process but for teachers and students who have not embraced this technique it can be initially challenging. This technique is essential for a true STEM... See More

Engineering design is not a difficult process but for teachers and students who have not embraced this technique it can be initially challenging. This technique is essential for a true STEM curriculum. These authors provide and explain through a chart and with example the five steps of the EiE (Engineering is Elementary) national program. The steps include the following: ask, imagine, plan, create, and improve. This is a great article and a great website.

Engeineering is Inclusive!

I really enjoyed this article and found it very informative. I plan to do this lesson in my classroom. I am a special education teacher for 4th and 5th graders so it was very inspiring to he... See More

I really enjoyed this article and found it very informative. I plan to do this lesson in my classroom. I am a special education teacher for 4th and 5th graders so it was very inspiring to hear from other teachers that support engineering as being a great area for inclusiveness in the classroom. I know from my own experience with students with special needs that doing activities that allow them to use their hands to build something is very engaging and really helps them gain undrstanding. I also liked how the teachers in the article did not get stuck on making students read or write but allowed them to be successful even if they may lack some of those basic skills. Engineering is going to be a big part of my instruction this year because it is so engaging for my students and brings their learning to life!

Engineering for All

I liked that the article went into each part of the Engineering Design Process, I think will be very useful when I am in my own classroom and start to teach this. I thought that Figure 1 in ... See More

I liked that the article went into each part of the Engineering Design Process, I think will be very useful when I am in my own classroom and start to teach this. I thought that Figure 1 in the article was very helpful and liked that it summarized the different Engineering Design Process Steps and brought them into smaller pieces because reading a long paragraph of a description can be overwhelming. Another thing that I thought was helpful was the two warnings that they put at the end. I thought that it was a nice way to end and helps you visualize how students might react to the lesson.

Design Process

This article is great for understanding each stage or step of the engineering design process and what happens during the stage/step. Very easy to read and understand. This is a great resource

Building A "Stem-ified" Classroom

Building a "stem-ified" school is not an easy process; however, in the article, Engineering for All, teachers are able to walk their students through the process. As an educator, the idea o... See More

Building a "stem-ified" school is not an easy process; however, in the article, Engineering for All, teachers are able to walk their students through the process. As an educator, the idea of (STEM) can feel like one more added tasks to our do list. But, the authors believe that all learners can participate in "engineering" as a part of the learning process. STEM is often defined by people as a project and/or career. Yet, it is the process that we go through shifts our mindset. These processes include ask, imagine, plan, create, and revise. These skills are essential for student to grasp the ideas engineering. More than that, engineering is a skill that all students can participate in. Historically, cool projects and tasks were reserved for "gifted" and on grade-level students. So, I enjoyed reading how these teachers incorporated engineering (STEM process) in the class where all students could participate. Great Read!!!