Resources for Teachers
K-6 Engineering Units
Standards aligned curriculum units designed by teachers to help incorporate integrated STEM lessons into elementary classrooms.
This professional development opportunity was funded by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
Engineering Units by Grade Level
Kindergarten
How does the Sun affect the Earth?
Problem: The sun makes the surface very hot when no shade is provided. Students will design and build a shelter prototype to protect an item from the sun.
Objectives: Students will be able to explain the effects of the sun (hot, helpful, harmful, etc.) and how we can find protection from the sun.
Links & Resources: Unit Outline (pdf) & Editable (doc)
First Grade
Sound Matters
Problem: After exploring sound and vibration students will design and build an instrument prototype using various materials that can create sound.
Objectives: Students will be able to understand the relationship between sound and vibrations and explain what causes sound.
Links & Resources: Unit Outline (pdf) & Editable (doc)
Second Grade
Wind Erosion Solutions
Problem: Design and build a prototype solution that prevents wind from damaging the land and structures built on it.
Objectives: Students will be able to explain erosion and use structural design to prevent erosion and deposition.
Links & Resources: Unit Outline (pdf) & Editable (doc)
Wind Power
Problem: The power of the wind can change the land but can also be utilized as a resource. Students will design and build a prototype that can harness the wind to move an object.
Objective: Students will apply key vocabulary to lessons and designs, determine how the wind changes the earth, identify the tools we use to prevent wind damage and use structural design to harness the power of the wind.
Links & Resources: Unit Outline (pdf) & Editable (doc)
Third Grade
Vroom! Magnets!
Problem: Explore the effects of magnets to design and build a car prototype to find if magnets can help us stay safe in a car collision.
Objectives: Students will brainstorm and develop ideas for preventing car collisions and explore cause-and-effect relationships among magnets.
Links & Resources: Unit Outline (pdf) & Editable (doc)
How does Location Affect our Dwellings?
Problem: Students will design and build a structural dwelling prototype that can withstand extreme weather such as high winds and heavy precipitation.
Objectives: Students will gain a deeper understanding of how climate affects weather and in turn, the structures we live in through investigating weather patterns and engineering design principles
Links & Resources: Unit Outline (pdf) & Editable (doc)
Fourth Grade
Engineering a Town with Low Environmental Impact
Problem: Design and build a town structure prototype utilizing essential features that allow the structure to withstand natural disasters while considering its environmental impact.
Objectives: Students will identify where energy comes from and how deriving it affects the environment. Students will select an energy source that creates the least environmental impact to power a town and construct a building that reduces impacts on natural Earth processes.
Link & Resources: Unit Outline (pdf) & Editable (doc)
Fifth Grade
Rocket Launch
Problem: Design and build a rocket prototype that can transport people and goods around the world and operate according to the given criteria.
Goals: Students will design a prototype rocket that will launch using air and collect data for revisions as needed. Students will be able to interpret and apply Newton’s Laws of gravity to their prototype rocket.
Link & Resources: Unit Outline (pdf) & Editable (doc)
Hydrosphere Filter
Problem: Design and build a water filter prototype to clean simulated wastewater. Identify which filter mediums are needed to remove large and small particles from wastewater samples.
Goals: Students will identify Earth’s spheres and how they interact. A focus on the hydrosphere will allow students to explore how water cycles through Earth, analyze the components of salt water vs fresh water, and develop a water filter to clean wastewater.
