Building an Engineering Mindset

Webpage: What is Engineering Design: This website shares basic information about the engineering design process: it is made up of a series of steps, it's goal is to solve problems, and anyone can use it.
Article: Engineering Encounters: How to Develop an Engineering Design Task: This article from Science and Children provides background information on engineering design and provides step-by-step advice on how teachers can develop high quality engineering challenges for their students.
Posters: The Engineering Design Process: These posters include the seven steps of the engineering process on a chalkboard background. Each poster describes the step in kid friendly language.

Webpage: Materials: This short webpage provides a brief and clear explanation of the importance of knowledge of material properties in engineering.
Blog: Investigating Materials Properties is an Engineering Habit of Mind: This blog describes and showcases video examples of students exploring properties of materials. By investigating materials, students make more informed decisions in their engineering design.
Video: Primary Science Lesson Idea: Properties of Materials: This video from Twig Education provides a quick review of materials properties such as hard, flexible, transparent, waterproof and absorbent. The information is presented in the context of why certain materials are used to make everyday objects.
Posters: Properties of Materials: These posters are a visual aid for children as they learn about the different properties of materials. Along with common properties, this set also includes definitions and pictures of properties like dull, squishy, bumpy and brittle.

Article: The Search for Real-World STEM Problems: This article describes the importance of providing real-world STEM challenges to students and explains that through real-world problems, students develop empathy. It outlines criteria for selecting authentic problems and provides tips for how to engage students in the process of developing their own challenges.
Article: STEM Projects That Tackle Real-World Problems: This article describes how the solving of authentic engineering challenges helps students see the genuine impact of their learning.The article also gives examples of nine real-world problems, such as cleaning up an oil spill or improving the lives of people with disabilities, that have been been shown to engage and challenge students from elementary through high school.
Article: Engineers: problem-Solving in Society: This article by Dena McMartin describes how she, as a young woman, chose to study environmental engineering based on her interests in biology and her desire to make a difference in people's lives and the natural environment.