From: Conceptual connections between science and engineering in elementary teachers’ unit plans
Engineering activities in unit | Science ideas required by engineering | Rating and justification |
---|---|---|
Students are given a limited set of materials and tasked with planning and building a tower that is as tall as possible. | None | 1—The engineering component has no relationship to the science unit at hand |
Students prevent a model beach from eroding by building a wall to stop the waves from hitting the shore. They are given a set of synthetic building materials (i.e., cardboard, pipe cleaners, aluminum foil), then tasked with planning, building, and testing their wall. | Properties of materials; do not need an understanding of erosion to construct a wall from synthetic materials that will block waves | 2—The engineering component shares the topic of the science unit (weathering and erosion), but no science ideas from the related science unit are needed to complete the challenge |
Students are tasked with finding a way to slow the erosion of a beach by adding materials to the shoreline. They can add rocks and boulders or strategically place vegetation. They create a plan, build a model, and test the model. | Certain combinations of materials are more likely to erode than others | 3—Knowing what sorts of materials are likely to erode would be helpful for this activity, but students can also find a successful solution through trial and error |
Students must determine which sites along a river are the most ideal for constructing the endpoints of a bridge. They get soil samples from different sites to test their suitability and discuss how and where soils erode differently. They then produce a written recommendation that argues for their choice of construction site. | Soil properties that contribute to greater erosion, and which locations on a river are more likely to erode | 4—Students cannot complete this engineering activity without utilizing multiple science ideas that are targeted by the unit |