Unit 1 — Lab Safety/What is Engineering?
Description
This introductory unit establishes safe laboratory practices and introduces students to engineering as a discipline. Students learn proper and safe use of hand and power tools in the lab setting, including specific instruction on equipment like glue guns. The unit defines engineering and explains how it fits within STEM education. Students research historical engineering achievements across the eight main engineering disciplines and examine how engineers have contributed to major technological developments. Civil engineering receives emphasis as the branch of focus for the course. Students also explore simple machines and their everyday applications.
Essential Questions
- What safety precautions are critical to follow in an engineering lab?
- What is the function and use of tools in the lab?
- What is engineering and how does it fit into STEM education?
- What are the different disciplines of engineering and how have they positively impacted society?
Learning Objectives
- Identify and apply safe practices as required in the world of work
- Demonstrate proper and safe use of hand and power tools used in the lab
- Explain the meaning of engineering and how it fits into STEM/STEAM education
- Explain how engineers have contributed to the development of a major technology
- Explain the importance of differing engineering disciplines and their positive impact on society
- Describe civil engineering and the types of prototypes and designs involved in this specialty
- Understand simple machines and identify examples in everyday life
Supplemental Resources
- Chart paper for group discussions on engineering disciplines
- Printed images or photographs of engineering achievements and structures
- Rulers for demonstrating tool use and measurement basics
- Index cards for note-taking during research activities
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Engineering Design
Ethics and Culture
Interaction of Technology and Humans
Standards for Mathematical Practice
Students engage in collaborative discussions with diverse partners to share engineering ideas and present findings on design challenges and engineering achievements. Students prepare and deliver presentations on topics related to engineering disciplines and design solutions.
Students follow multistep procedures when carrying out design tasks and technical work. Students define design problems, generate and compare solutions, and plan fair tests to identify aspects of prototypes that can be improved through the engineering design process.
Formative Assessments
- Class discussion on engineering and engineering as a profession
- Internet research on historical engineering achievements in eight engineering disciplines
- EdPuzzles on engineering safety and engineering ethics
- Observation of proper tool handling and safety compliance during lab activities
Summative Assessment
Google Slides presentation on engineers who made major engineering developments in history, including identification of the engineering discipline, why it is important, and its necessity in modern society
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding of lab safety and engineering disciplines through a teacher-led checklist review where they identify safe practices orally and match engineering achievements to disciplines using provided images or word cards. Visual safety posters and labeled tool diagrams may be used as reference supports.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students with IEPs may benefit from visual supports such as safety procedure charts, labeled diagrams of tools, and step-by-step illustrated guides displayed in the lab to reinforce safe practices. For research and presentation tasks, consider allowing students to demonstrate understanding through oral explanation, recorded responses, or a simplified slide format with fewer required components rather than a full written presentation. Directions for lab procedures and research tasks should be broken into small, numbered steps, with frequent check-ins to monitor progress and provide corrective feedback. When watching EdPuzzle videos, provide a printed outline or partially completed notes page so students can focus on key engineering concepts rather than managing open-ended note-taking.
Section 504
Students with 504 plans should be provided extended time for the research process and the summative presentation, particularly when navigating multiple online sources and organizing findings. Preferential seating near demonstration areas during tool safety instruction will support focus and clear sightlines. Printed or digitally accessible copies of any lab safety rules or directions displayed on the board should be made available so students can reference them independently during hands-on activities.
ELL / MLL
Multilingual learners should be supported with a visual word wall or illustrated glossary of key engineering and safety vocabulary — such as terms for tool names, engineering disciplines, and safety rules — introduced before instruction begins and kept accessible throughout the unit. Visual demonstrations of proper tool use and lab safety procedures, rather than reliance on verbal explanation alone, will help make expectations clear regardless of English proficiency level. When conducting internet research, students may be encouraged to begin with sources available in their home language before transitioning to English-language materials, and simple sentence frames can scaffold the presentation of their findings.
At Risk (RTI)
Students who need additional support should be connected to prior knowledge about familiar technologies and tools in their daily lives as an accessible entry point into engineering concepts. Research tasks can be structured with a provided graphic organizer that guides students toward key information — such as identifying the engineering discipline, the achievement, and its relevance today — reducing the open-ended nature of the research without lowering the conceptual expectation. Pairing these students with a supportive peer during lab safety demonstrations and tool practice can build confidence, and allowing them to rehearse their presentation content orally before constructing slides helps separate the thinking from the technical production task.
Gifted & Talented
Gifted students should be encouraged to move beyond surface-level research and explore the intersection of multiple engineering disciplines — for example, examining how civil engineering has historically depended on advances in materials or mechanical engineering. For the summative presentation, these students can be challenged to analyze not just what an engineer achieved, but the societal conditions that made the achievement necessary and the ethical implications of that development. Extension opportunities might include researching a lesser-known or underrepresented engineer and arguing for that individual's inclusion in a broader conversation about historical engineering impact.