Eager to Engineer

Hey again! So thinking about my last post, I talked a little bit about the importance of incorporating different science disciplines across the school year, specifically engineering. Not only is this a subject that offers a TON of jobs when students are older, it’s also really fun to learn about technology! We recently read an article for class that outlined a unit where students studied and made their own parachutes. I think this would be such an engaging topic to learn about, plus it’s very hands-on and student-led, so students can feel some responsibility and choice in the matter. Overall, I feel like it’s very important to remind our students that not only are they scientists, but they’re engineers as well. Speaking of which, here’s a Venn Diagram my group created in class comparing science to engineering:

While engineering is great to incorporate into class, it’s still important to keep the lesson age-appropriate so that students can understand the material. If you have a lesson plan in mind or you’re looking for ideas, TedEd has a lot of educational videos just for that! Here’s one cool video I found about how claw machines are programmed for profit (aka they’re rigged):

https://ed.ted.com/featured/UjXOexUK

TedEd is great for a variety of lessons, but I’ve also found some fun resources for one specific unit: sound waves! Since I work at a radio station as a DJ, I’m really excited to connect that to my science classroom. Plus, my first graders would love to make lots of noise! Teachengineering.org has a lot of engineering lessons for students of all grades, but here’s a great music lesson that I found, and it even comes with a worksheet:

https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_energy2_lesson05_activity1

Note: You may need an aide in the classroom to monitor/supervise the activities. Making noise can get really hectic! If an aide isn’t available, you could do each station as a whole group, or have small groups doing the same activity. This way, you could all stay on one track without students getting confused about what to do. These activities aren’t too confusing, but they might be for younger students.

1.      Tuning Fork:

a.       Strike a tuning fork and place it next to a ping pong ball or a cup of water. Students will record their observations and make inferences about what that means for the sound’s volume, pitch, and frequency.

2.      Milk Container-Reflector:

a.       You’ll need to cut a hole in the side of a milk container, tape a small mirror to some tissue paper, and tape the tissue paper across the hole. It will probably be best if you make the milk container beforehand, but if you have extra time the students would have fun making it! One student will speak into the container’s spout while another shines a flashlight on the mirror. Now’s the time to get silly and use different voices! Students will again record their observations of the reflected light on the wall and relate it to volume, pitch, and frequency.

3.      Spatula Blade:

a.       Holding the spatula’s blade on the side of a table, students will pull its handle down and let go. They’ll observe the spatula’s movement as well as whether it made any sound. Again, observations will be connected to volume, pitch, and frequency.

4.      Rubber Bands:

a.       Tying a rubber band on a door knob, students will pull and the release the rubber band, watching its movement and hearing its sound. Have fun with it – make some music! As always, observations are connected to the new vocabulary words.

5.      Boom Box:

a.       This activity may be better whole group just because it’s the noisiest of them all! Turning on a speaker, hold a balloon in front of the speakers and observe what happens when the volume is turned up. Compare this to what happens to a paper plate with strips of paper on it. Again, compare observations to frequency, pitch, and volume.

At the end of the lesson, students will answer whether sound energy can be heard or seen. Then, they would connect what they learned to how an engineer could use this information. Specifically, what could an engineer create, knowing sound energy can be heard and seen? Engineers can actually use this information to create hearing aides for the hearing impaired, “see” what’s going on inside a human body, and discover things that are far below the ocean Earth’s surface.

Overall, this lesson is hands-on and fun! It can get students engaged in engineering activities and create critical thinkers. My TE class talked about having students think outside the box and solve problems using engineering, and I think this lesson could be an introductory to further investigations. For example, students are already thinking about the influence of frequency, volume, and pitch in these activities, now they can put that knowledge to use! One idea is to assign them the task of performing Mary Has a Little Lamb using these activities. Students would think about how to make the different sounds, and they could measure/create rubber band guitars to play the song. While this lesson is great for introducing students to sound energy, it’s important to note that engineering units are most beneficial when students are asked to problem solve. That way, they can develop critical thinking skills which they connect to the engineering content, developing a deeper understanding of the subject.

I hope you liked these engineering activities – don’t be afraid to welcome engineering into your own classroom! Feel free to comment with suggestions/ideas, I’ll see ya next time!