In second grade students will learn to compare different versions of the Gingerbread story. They focus on how the story elements change with each story, but the basic theme stays the same. Then  in writing students are tasked with creating their own gingerbread rendition. In doing so, students often get lost in the middle of the story where the gingerbread character passes other characters and repeats the refrain. This project will help students use temporal words to provide sequence to their story as they define the places and people that are passed. Students must clearly describe 3 -4 places in a sequence (first, next, then, finally), as well as, provide an ending to their story. Once they have completed their story students are allowed to take a previously made gingerbread character and tape it to a small Dixie cup. Then the cup is placed over a mini-sphero. Students use premade landmarks that say first, next, then, finally  to navigate their character through their own sequence of events! This is a highly motivational and fun way to celebrate their hard work in creating a story and making it come to life!

Part 1 - History of Rocketry: Students will explore the history of rocketry, starting with early Chinese gunpowder and progressing through the manned space programs of the 20th century. Following the initial lecture, students are divided into groups of 2 or 3 to research one of the United States manned space programs. Students will then present these programs to the class.Part 2 - Rocket Science: Students will be exposed to the foundational physical principles involved in rocket flight. Newton’s laws will be reinforced. After the initial lecture, students will be divided into groups of 2 or 3 to build a model rocket. Rockets are then launched as a class, students will calculate the maximum height of the flight using trigonometry

Students will use everyday craft items to build a simple angle based bridge ( swing set design ) Once bridges are built they will test their strength by placing weighted objects most likely gram weights or something that is a uniform weight on the bridge until it fails.  Or they could test by levels of weight.  10grams, 20 grams etc. 

Students will work individually to design and build an instrument out of provided materials to make the loudest instrument they can. Students will need to work out what materials will cause vibrations in order to make sound. Students will be allowed to touch and plan before design as well as have time to fix and rebuild. The students will need at least an introduction to instruments and how their sound is created.

Students will research lighthouses of North Carolina using print and digital resources and create a digital presentation on the NC lighthouse of their choice. After studying basic electric circuits, students will use cardboard and Makedo tools to design and build a model of this lighthouse and wire it to light using a kit of electronic supplies. Students will showcase their final products with friends and family using digital photography, Google Presentations and a screencast video on Flipgrid or another platform of the teacher’s choosing. Students will submit a Seesaw documenting their experience with the Design and Engineering Process while building their lighthouse.

Students can work in groups from 1-5 in order to design a race car using stick magnets as the energy source. Students are using their knowledge of magnetic energy to design a race car that can be pushed or pulled through a race course seeking the fastest time. Students will design their race car out of a set group of engineering/building supplies. Math can be incorporated as well in the design process.

In this unit, students will research insects and dive into writing juicy paragraphs with main ideas and supporting details. They will create their insect out of various materials to get ready for the gallery opening.

Learners will design a combined machine to eliminate one chore they may dislike. Once learners work through the engineering design process, they will share their prototype locally.

Can you create a free standing castle using the given materials that will withstand the dragon’s fire?

Students will design and build a paper roller coaster using cardstock paper and clear scotch tape that will perform 4 loops and 8 turns/curves.  7th Grade will have to complete 8 loops and more curves/turns. Students will use the engineering design process while completing this project.

Students will be grouped into teams. Then each team will create a pathway for their Hexbug to travel. The Hexbug path should be 5 feet from beginning to end and must include two curves, a hill, one bridge and one tunnel. The Hexbug must travel from the beginning to the end without any assistance. Each team will have a timer and will have 20 minutes to design the quickest path they can for their Hexbug.  After the first race teams will have 5 minutes to talk about changes they can make and 5 minutes to make the changes. There will be one final race to see if a different team is able to win.

Students can work collaboratively in small groups of 3-4 students for this engineering design unit that integrates literacy to explore forces and motion (pushes or pulls).  Students will design a way to safely keep bunnies out of a garden.

Students will work or in learning teams to design and build a cardboard ship bow using Makedo tools to transform their desk or a copy paper box into a pirate ship for the classroom museum. Students will research historic North Carolina pirates including Blackbeard using multiple print and digital texts to prepare a written entry for their exhibit.Family and other classes will be invited to view the museum.  Students will share their experience with the Design and Engineering Process through class discussion and by publishing a digital record of the DEP on Seesaw.

Students work in teams to follow criteria and constraints to design their own container that holds pompoms (popcorn). When this is completed they need to test and record how many pom-poms their container will hold. Students find that counting and organizing groups of ten is the best way to do this. They record their information on a data analysis sheet and the following day they compare their numbers and amounts.

Students can work in pairs or solo, if you want to let them take them home afterwards, to design/make a birdhouse from recycled materials. The students will use their knowledge of what animals need for survival as well as information regarding recycling and helping the environment

Students will work in groups of 2 to create a hand drawn floor plan and simple 3D model of a residential home. Groups will be assigned fictitious clients who have specific demands for their dream homes. Using hand drafting techniques, students must design a simple 2D floor plan of the home. Once the initial floor plan is finished, they must receive approval from the client (teacher) to move forward with a 3D rendering. The 3D model will be created in Minecraft Education Edition, within a secure server hosted by the teacher. Finally, the students will conduct a “client walkthrough” by presenting their design to the teacher and class.

Students are divided into teams that will collaborate to decide a theme for a machine, determine a task for the machine to complete, create a machine, and are given three trials for the machine to run meeting the specifications outlined on the rubric.

Students will work in groups (2-4 students per group) to translate the genetic code they receive in the form of a color coded message through various formats ending in their group finding the correct “puzzle piece.” If each group chooses the correct piece when they add together their pieces it will create the protein, Insulin.

Students will work individually to design and create a doghouse that will help their pet during 1 of the 4 seasons. After completion students will present their pet houses to the class to present what elements of their design help their pet survive during their season.