6.1: STEAM Discomfort- Erin Connolly by Erin Connolly

"E" in an Elementary Classroom

erinkconnolly — 2025-08-06 04:11:12 UTC

Engineering in my elementary classroom means students are building or creating something concrete with a set of given materials. The purpose of building or creating said object is for an intended purpose to deeper understand material being taught within the classroom and support instruction for all types of learners.

Discomfort with "E"

erinkconnolly — 2025-08-06 04:22:18 UTC

The concept of engineering in my elementary world typically means time-consuming projects. Though I love the concept of basing my instruction on project-based learning opportunities, here is a few reasons why I stray away from them:

Resources are not always readily available for me or my students to utilize. They usually take time to collect or are expensive to purchase all at once. Also, sometimes softwares are not compatible with Clever / Google accounts or are outdated.
Engineering projects take time for me to prepare. I have always taught a different grade and tried to "master my craft" before wanting to take risks and implement engineering projects. I prioritize mastering my ability to teach the material before I challenge myself to implement complex activities.
It can be difficult to assess engineering projects, as it is more open-ended and process-focused, making it subjective or difficult to base a rubric on.
Engineering is not always explicitly included in state or district standards, which makes it difficult to find the time or curricular support to meaningfully integrate it.

Engineering Idea #1

erinkconnolly — 2025-08-06 04:26:22 UTC

For the past two years, I have had my students create towers using "Dots" candy and toothpicks in honor of International Dot Day.

Engineering Idea #2

erinkconnolly — 2025-08-06 04:31:37 UTC

I tried this engineering activity to discuss forces with my students. They engineered the shooter themselves with some support and tracked how far their marshmallow traveled.

Engineering Idea #3

erinkconnolly — 2025-08-06 04:33:42 UTC

My first year of teaching, I did this activity with my students as a first week of school ice breaker while emphasizing on the importance of teamwork and collaboration.

Other Classrooms Engineering #1

erinkconnolly — 2025-08-06 04:41:11 UTC

This class is using Makedo as their engineering tool. They read the story "Blizzard", watched a news clip about a blizzard that occurred in 1978 in Rhode Island, and the students were challenged to make their own snow shoes. To make them correctly, the students had to research how they work. Then, they used Makedo tools and cardboard to create their snowshoes.

Resource #1

erinkconnolly — 2025-08-06 05:33:38 UTC

NGSS Standards-aligned lessons for K-12

Other Classrooms Engineering #2

erinkconnolly — 2025-08-06 05:40:13 UTC

This teacher uses engineering as a team building activity, but demonstrates how to differentiate the same activity for a variety of students. As he says, it is not a race as there is always another challenge for students to complete.

Resource #2

erinkconnolly — 2025-08-06 05:41:38 UTC

Engineering basics for implementation into an elementary classroom.