Why be an engineer?
fifth graders explore the engineering process

In this project, my fifth grade students learned about and practiced the engineering process through a variety of tasks and challenges. We kicked off our study of engineering by completing the Marshmallow Challenge, in which students used limited materials to build a tower that could support a marshmallow. We then went on to build puff cars, egg drop parachutes, and more. Students explored engineering and literacy by doing novel engineering in groups. In this process, students worked with book club groups to identify a major problem that a character was having in their novel. They then worked to solve that problem with an engineering solution. Students planned, prototyped, built, and showcased their designs to younger students at HTe. 

Once we mastered the engineering process, we looked for a final engineering client within our school community. We discovered that our school director needed our help! The challenge? To build a beautiful gardening system for our school that wouldn't require consistent watering and upkeep. Our solution? Several beautiful hydroponic and aquaponic gardening systems! During my Spring takeover, my students and I explored plants, ecosystems, and energy flow in preparation for building our hydroponic systems. We became garden masters by learning about food webs, plant needs, photosynthesis, our local climate, and more. We looked at the impact that gardens and access to fresh produce can have on communities. We integrated math, science, literacy and movement into our study of plants. Check out the resources in drop down menu, or click the links below to learn more about our project!