Unit 1 — Introduction to STEM
Description
Students begin their STEM experience by learning foundational concepts through hands-on challenges. The unit opens with a pre-assessment of student skills and interests. Students engage in the tin foil boat challenge, testing buoyancy and load capacity, then apply their understanding to an oil spill cleanup simulation. These introductory experiences teach students the basic engineering design process and how to record and present data.
Essential Questions
- What makes a good design solution?
- How do we test if our design works?
- What does it mean to engineer a solution to a problem?
Learning Objectives
- Identify and define a design problem
- Brainstorm and test multiple solutions
- Measure and record data systematically
- Communicate findings through presentations
- Understand basic properties of materials that affect buoyancy and structure
Supplemental Resources
- Markers for labeling designs for testing on water
- Index cards for recording observations during testing
- Chart paper for displaying class data from boat challenge
- Clipboards for holding data sheets during water tank experiments
Algorithms and Programming
Data and Analysis
Engineering Design
Nature of Technology
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Counting and Cardinality
Digital Literacy
Measurement
Standards for Mathematical Practice
Students write and share observations in science notebooks, create digital stories about plant growth using pictures and words, and communicate engineering design ideas through drawings and descriptions.
Students count objects, create and interpret bar graphs to represent data, measure plant heights with rulers, compare quantities, and use data to analyze engineering design test results.
Formative Assessments
- Pre-assessment bar graph of design predictions
- Observation of boat design and testing process
- Word processing documentation of design changes
- Discussion of results and what improved designs
Summative Assessment
Tin foil boat challenge with written or oral explanation of design choices and test results
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through hands-on participation in the boat challenge with teacher guidance, using picture cards or objects to show their design choices instead of written or oral explanations. Visual supports such as photo sequences of the engineering steps and simplified data recording sheets with pictures may be provided.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During hands-on challenges like boat building and the oil spill simulation, provide visual step-by-step cues and physical models to support understanding of the engineering design process. Allow students to demonstrate their design thinking through oral explanation, drawing, or dictation rather than requiring independent written documentation. Offer graphic organizers with picture prompts to help students record observations and data in a structured, low-print format. Break the design-test-revise cycle into clearly named steps, using verbal check-ins and frequent feedback to help students stay on track.
Section 504
Provide preferential seating during whole-group instruction and demonstrations to minimize distraction and support focus during the testing phases of hands-on challenges. Allow extended time during design and recording tasks, and offer a reduced-distraction workspace when students are documenting observations or completing the pre-assessment bar graph activity.
ELL / MLL
Use visual supports such as labeled diagrams, picture-word charts, and physical demonstrations to build vocabulary connected to materials, forces, and the design process before and during challenges. Provide simplified oral directions with visual modeling, and allow students to respond by pointing, drawing, or speaking in their home language when describing their design choices and observations. Pairing MLL students with supportive partners during testing phases can reinforce both language and concept development.
At Risk (RTI)
Connect hands-on challenges to students' everyday experiences with water and materials to activate prior knowledge and build confidence before formal problem-solving begins. Provide entry-level roles within the engineering design process — such as testing materials or observing results — so all students can participate meaningfully without being overwhelmed by the full design cycle at once. Use picture-supported recording tools and oral sharing options to ensure that students can communicate findings without barriers related to early literacy skills.
Gifted & Talented
Invite students to go beyond the initial design challenge by exploring variables independently, such as investigating how changing the shape or distribution of material affects how much load a structure can hold. Encourage them to develop and articulate a hypothesis before testing and to reflect on patterns in their data across multiple trials, using more precise observational language when communicating results. Students may also be supported in making connections between the engineering design process and real-world environmental problem-solving, deepening their understanding of why systematic testing and revision matter.