Engineering - cdn.sesamestreet.org · the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation. ... » Engineering is the process of planning, building, or constructing

EngineeringWELCOME, EDUCATOR!

You and the children you work with are about to embark on an engaging multimedia experience exploring concepts in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Sesame Street Little Discoverers: Big Fun with Science, Math, and More is a resource to help you discover exciting new ways to build on children’s natural fascination with STEM concepts.

In this topic, children will learn about engineering.

HELP CHILDREN TALK ABOUT ENGINEERING:

» Engineering is the process of planning, building, or constructing something for a particular purpose or to find a solution to a problem. For example, “How can we build a bridge to get people across the river?”

» Engineers create a plan or design before they begin building.

» Engineers also think about the properties of the materials they use. For example, “What will be a strong material for our bridge?”

» Engineers test their designs and redesign, or modify along the way.

KEY VOCABULARY

analyzing: considering information gathered during an experiment

building/constructing: making or forming something by putting parts together

design: to think of a plan for something to build

engineering: planning and building something to solve a problem

investigating: gathering information by observing or testing

observing: using our senses to gather information

planning: figuring out a way to do something before actually doing it

problem: a question that needs to be answered or solved

purpose: the reason why something is done

redesign: to change a plan based on what has been learned

reflecting: considering observations about the experiment

reporting: telling others about the experiment

solution: the answer to a problem

For more fun ideas, videos, and games, check out sesamestreet.org/STEM on your computer or mobile device.

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Major support provided by CA Technologies. Generous support provided by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation.

ENGINEERING

Designing a BridgeGOAL

Explore how shape affects the strength of a structure.

QUESTION

Which shape makes the strongest bridge: a cylinder, a triangular tube, or a rectangular tube?

TIME

20–30 minutes

MATERIALS

For each small group of children:

» 9 sheets of construction paper

» 2 large rectangular blocks or 2 stacks of books

» tape

» paper or plastic cup

» several items to add weight to the bridges, such as counting bears, small toy cars, or large washers

» View and Do chart

» crayons

WATCH “MURRAY EXPERIMENT: BRIDGES”

In the video, Murray and his friends want to create bridges that can hold weight. They fold pieces of paper to create different bridge designs. Then they test each design to see how much weight it will hold. They discover that some shapes make stronger bridges.

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

After you watch the video together, ask some questions to prompt a discussion.

» “How did Murray and the children use materials to build a bridge?”

» “Why is it important for a bridge to hold a lot of weight?”

» “Which bridge design held the most weight?”

LET'S DO AN ACTIVITY:

1. Introduce the activity: “We are going to be engineers and design three different bridges. Let’s see which bridge is the strongest.”

2. Roll two pieces of construction paper into two long cylinders, and use tape to keep them from unrolling.

3. Have children place the cylinders next to each other on top of the blocks or stacks of books to form a bridge. You may need to tape the cylinders together so they don’t roll off. Place another sheet of construction paper flat on top of the cylinders as a “roadway” to complete your bridge.

4. Have a child put the cup on top of the construction-paper roadway.

5. Say, “Let’s test our bridge design to see how strong it is.” Have children carefully place items one by one into the cup while you count together how many items it takes before the bridge collapses or falls apart.

6. Help each group record the number of items on the View and Do Chart.

7. Repeat the experiment with the triangular tubes and again for the rectangular tubes.



ENGINEERING

Designing a BridgeHave children draw or list the number of items each bridge design held before it collapsed.

Bridge Design Number of Items it Held



ENGINEERING

Building TowersIn this activity, children will investigate how using different materials can affect what they build.

STEPS

1. Pose the problem, “Some engineers are building a tower. They are deciding whether to use cylinders or cups. Engineers make smaller models to test their designs. We need to make a small model with the paper towel tubes and cups to see which material will help us make the tallest tower.”

2. Give children a few minutes to observe and describe the paper towel tube and the plastic cup. They might notice that the paper towel tube is taller, and therefore it might make a taller tower. Or they might notice that a cup stands well on its own and a paper towel tube falls over more easily, and therefore the cup might make a taller tower.

3. Provide each group with the paper towel tubes and some strips of masking tape. Give them 5 minutes to build the tallest tower they can.

4. Have children draw the tower on the Activity Chart. Help them measure the tower with a ruler, and have them write the height of the tower on the chart.

5. Repeat the activity using the cups instead of the paper towel tubes.

6. After the charts are filled out, discuss your data as a group. “Which worked better to engineer a tall tower—paper towel tubes or cups?” "Why do you think so?" “Can you think of a different material that might make an even taller tower?” Remember, there is no “correct” answer. What's important is that engineers test their designs through models before they build them.

TUBE EXPLORATION

Challenge children to engineer or design and create something out of a cardboard tube. For example, they may decide to engineer a car that they can play with. Help them think about other materials they may need: spools for wheels, clothes pins and feathers for decoration.

GOAL

Engage in the engineering process of building models to test which materials will be best for a job.

QUESTION

How does a tower made from paper towel tubes compare to a tower made from plastic cups?

TIME

20–30 minutes

MATERIALS

For the whole group:

» 5–10 paper towel tubes (note: if you don’t have paper towel tubes, try using blocks or empty cereal boxes)

» 5–10 plastic cups

» tape

» Activity Chart (one per child)

» crayons

For the teacher:

» rulers



ENGINEERING

Building TowersHave children draw their towers and help them label the materials they used.

Paper towel tube tower Cup tower

Height Height

inches tall

inches tall



EngineeringSesame Street Little Discoverers: Big Fun with Science, Math, and More is a resource to help you and your child explore STEM.

Remember, it's okay to not know the answers to all of her questions. Model a sense of curiosity by saying something like, "That's a great question! I don't know the answer but let's find out together."

HELLO, FAMIL I ES !

Your child is full of curiosity. She is always observing, questioning, testing her thinking, and collecting information. These are important critical thinking and problem solving skills that help set her up for success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

HELP YOUR CHILD TALK ABOUT ENGINEERING

» Engineering is the process of planning, building, or constructing something.

» Engineers plan, build, or construct for a particular purpose or to find a solution to a problem (How can we build a bridge to get people across the river?).

» Engineers create a plan or design before they begin a project.

» Engineers also think about the properties of the materials they use (What will be a strong material for our bridge?).

» Engineers test their design and then they redesign, or make changes, along the way.

TRY THIS AT HOME

Pick and choose the activities that work best for you and your child.

Let’s Talk. Use engineering words as many times as you can this week! Say things like, “Can you engineer that block tower to be taller than the chair?” or “I wonder if blankets and boxes will be good materials to use to build a fort that you can crawl into.” Give a high-five anytime someone in the family uses engineering words.

Design a Fort. Help set up a problem to solve by asking, “What materials in our house could we use to build a fort we can crawl inside?” Encourage your child to design and build an indoor fort using pillows, chairs, and blankets.

Build a City. Collect all kinds of materials from your house, like empty plastic bottles, egg cartons, popsicle sticks, and empty cereal boxes to engineer a “city” on top of a flattened cardboard box. Draw on the box to make roads, and glue or tape the materials on to create buildings, houses, and parks.




ENGINEERING

Time to Engineer!TUBE EXPLORATION

Encourage your child to engineer a structure using paper towel tubes to solve a problem. For example, a bridge that small toy animals can use to cross over an imaginary puddle. Challenge her to think of different ways to design the bridge. Will she need more than one tube? Will she need to change the shape of the tube (squashing it so that it is flat)?

WATCH "BUILDING A DOGHOUSE"

In the video, a girl and her father decide to make a doghouse so their dog will have a place to sleep. First they create a design, and then they build the house together. Engineers build something to solve a problem, and you and your child can be engineers too!

ACTIVITY

Help your child engineer a structure for a special object such as stuffed animal or toy car.

MATERIALS

» blocks » Activity Chart

» crayons » stuffed animal or toy car

STEPS

1. With your child, pick an object that he would like to build a structure for, such as a favorite stuffed animal.

2. Together talk about what kind of structure he could build, such as a house. Then, think of any special characteristics to keep in mind when designing the structure. For instance, how tall or wide the structure should be so that the stuffed animal can fit inside.

3. Help your child draw a picture of his plan using the Activity Chart, and talk about his design, such as what size blocks he needs to build his structure.

4. Build the structure and see what happens!

5. After you have built your structure, talk to your child about it. What shape is the structure? How did he build the foundation? How many blocks were used? Then, look at the drawing and see if it matches his plan. Would he make any changes?




ENGINEERING

Time to Engineer!Have your child draw her design in the box below.



Documents

Engineering - cdn.sesamestreet.org · the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation. ... » Engineering is the process of planning, building, or constructing