Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
In this unit, students explore the science phenomena of animal behaviors of parents and offspring that help the offspring survive. This page is a high-level extract of lesson two in which students mimic the beaver’s behavior of building dams to design their own dams that solve the problem of flooding.
In this unit, students explore the science phenomena of different processes that change Earth’s surface over time. Once students have investigated how wind and water change the shape of the land, they use their scientific knowledge to engineer a solution that prevents rainwater from washing away a sandy hillside. This page showcases key components of this lesson.
In the last unit, students observed butterflies moving through their life cycle, explored how butterflies are pollinators, and then designed a hand pollinator. In this unit, students explore the science phenomena of how shelters help animals survive in their environment and then design a prototype burrow-like structure to keep a burrowing owl cool in hot temperatures.
In this unit, students explore the science phenomena of Earth systems by studying aquifers, comparing the ability of different Earth materials to hold water. In this lesson, they build on that knowledge to engineer permeable pavement that can solve the problems of urban flooding and water pollution. This page showcases key components of this lesson.
In this unit, students discover how the sun provides light and heat to Earth and how the water cycle influences weather and climate. Students analyze weather patterns in specific regions during a particular season. They then use that knowledge to study the effects of extreme weather on humans, evaluating solutions to protect against those effects.
In this unit, students explore the science phenomena of how energy is transferred in a circuit to do work. In this lesson, students figure out the phenomena affecting the left and right movement of an electric car. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson.
In the last unit, students explore how objects can be seen when they are illuminated by a source of light and how light passes through opaque, transparent, and translucent materials differently. In this unit, students apply what they have learned about light and sound to design a solution that can be used to communicate over a distance.
In this unit, students build on what they know about the science phenomena of energy transfer to focus on information transfer and how different technologies use patterns of sound, light, or numbers to transmit information. This page showcases key components of this lesson.
In this first unit, students learn to differentiate between the practices of a scientist and those of an engineer. Students ask questions, make observations, and collect data as they explore weather patterns on Earth and investigate how different Earth materials are heated by the sun. During this final lesson of the unit, students act as engineers by designing a prototype that can reduce the warming effects of the sun.
In this unit, students discover that pushes and pulls are forces that change the motion of an object. They begin by exploring how objects move in different directions when they are pushed or pulled, and then investigate how changing the strength of a force changes the distance an object moves. They then use a model to see how friction affects the distance and speed with which an object moves over a surface.
In this unit, students analyze the science phenomena of different forces that can act on all structures. They begin by exploring how forces act on different materials and shapes. They then use what they know about forces to design a skyscraper prototype in this lesson, evaluating how their design relates to the ability of the skyscraper to withstand the weight of the structure and the people on it, as well as the force of wind.
