The essential question for this unit was,“How do engineers make choices about problems, solutions, and materials?”

This guiding question allows students to think about what engineers consider when making their decisions around problem solving. This question requires students to think about what is most important to consider and what is not as well as what is feasible within the constraints given. By tying in hands-on and experimental aspects, students can discover their learning and problem solve for themselves in real time. Collaboration around a common goal is another skill that engineers must internalize and my students can practice how to decide upon group decisions. Students will connect back to this essential question throughout all the lessons while following the Engineering Design Process and can build an idea around how engineers make critical and intentional decisions to solve problems in teams. 

How does this unit develop content understanding of key concepts and ideas?

The following learning goals focus on connecting students with content standards through meaningful and intentional application of collaborative skills, social emotional skills, and metacognitive skills. 

• • Students will be able to elaborate on the steps of the Engineering Design Process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve, Reflect). 
  • Students will be able to apply the EDP to the bridge building project.
  • Students will be able to illustrate and label designs.
  • Students will be able to create models that follow their designs.
  • Students will be able to test different materials and determine suitability for different tasks.
  • Students will be able to practice recording data in a chart.
  • Students will be able to improve upon prior designs and ideas in order to be more successful.
  • Students will be able to self-reflect on their cooperation and collaboration efforts.
  • Students will be able to connect to Project Lead the Way “structure and function” lessons with the project.

How does this unit enable students to experience the power of their minds and their capacities as learners and doers?

Students will experience the power of their minds by persevering through a long, complex, cooperative project. Perseverance is a life-long skill and is applied in school by the ability to keep trying and working through complicated problems without giving up or getting discouraged. On the anchor chart with the Engineering Design Process, I also included some statements about what engineers do such as “When we act like engineers we try again and again.” and “When we act like engineers we work as a team and respect each other.” These statements reflect the collaboration skills and perseverance needed to be successful in this project. Students are powerful learners when they embody the engineering principles in this way while having the freedom to explore materials, test out ideas, and take risks without judgement. 

How does this unit develop intellectual and academic habits of mind, work, and discourse within the discipline?

Students act as engineers through collaboration. This is shown when they work with their partner for every lesson. They must use each other as resources to complete the written work, the designing process, the construction and testing of their models. There is even a reflection on collaboration skills at the conclusion of the unit. Students practice this skill needed to work in any team or group in school and in their careers.

Additionally, students act as engineers when they persevere. By seeking out improvements, redesigning, and rethinking ideas over and over, students practice being resilient. They must keep trying creative and different ideas until something works. Lastly, students must also be creative and flexible. They must be able to take in new ideas and change their minds. There is ample opportunity for creativity and deviance. Students must be able to communicate their ideas and be flexible to changing their minds about what may be the best decision for their bridge. By the end of the unit, students will have changed their designs and choice of materials multiple times. They will be free to choose a final material and style of fold any way they wish for their final test. This unit requires collaboration, perseverance, and flexibility, all needed in science as a discipline. 

How does this unit support literacy development?

Literacy is incorporated into this unit in numerous ways. First, we have done some pre-reading prior to the official start of the unit. We read Rosie Revere Engineer, Iggy Peck Architect, and Ada Twist Scientist books by Andrea Beaty which the students love dearly. I also included reading, writing, speaking, and listening to every lesson. Students must communicate clearly with their partners to make decisions and construct models and designs. Students are also required to reflect and write briefly throughout the Engineering Design Process in their packets. Students practice these skills in an approachable way where failure is celebrated as a chance to try again, doing something new, through collaboration and trust, with their partners and class as a whole. 

How does this unit develop trust and classroom community?

This unit can be extremely impactful for building upon a classroom community. Students have to engage with each other in partners for every step of the process. Collaboration was a guiding principle in this unit, and has traces in every lesson plan. Students work in strategic partnerships to build upon trust and collaboration within the class. Students will have a chance to work with new students they may not have had much of a chance to yet this year. Through successes and failures, students will have to rely on their partner’s for success. It is crucial that students collaborate and work together in this project. Also, the competitive classroom will help us build a community of active and intentional learning. Although competition can sometimes be destructive and harmful, it can also be fun and engaging if done carefully. Students are not explicitly competing against other groups but the race to success is motivational. This project can bring us together as a diverse community which we need to collaborate with to enrich our collective experiences including our learning. 

How does this unit position and empower students to “read the world” and act in it in support of equity and social justice?

This unit empowers my students to see themselves as engineers. My class consists of 16 students of color. As mentioned above, these lessons empower my students to own their identities and see themselves as successful in STEM. They will learn the skills necessary to solve problems, be creative, collaborate, and find solutions. These skills are all transferable to the real world. These skills allow my students to see themselves as agents capable of making change. If they can persevere and solve problems creatively, they can make the world a better place.

How did I, as the instructor, take into account any differences in my socioeconomic, cultural, or racial background, gender, personality, approach to learning, or view of the world and what assumptions did I make about why my plan will connect to my Main South students? 

I am assuming that my students have some prior experiences acting as engineers and ideas around engineering from previous grades, from STEM special, and from other experiences. I recognize that girls and women often feel inadequate and become uninterested in STEM. I made sure to carefully plan my groupings to allow all my students, especially those whose identities are not usually reflected in STEM and engineering to be honored. Students have read books about characters who look like them studying to be engineers and scientists. They all received a copy of the book Hidden Figures recently as well to reinforce this message. 

As far as the different personalities and learning styles in my room, I am assuming all my students will mostly enjoy a hands-on project which is different than most independent book work and writing we do. Students will have to practice collaboration skills which can be difficult and uncomfortable if students don’t get along or cannot find common ground on ideas. Nevertheless, this project is good practice for developing those skills. Also, I have incorporated hands-on, kinesthetic learning, writing, drawing for visual learners, and other aspects of learning through technology and listening/speaking.