Today’s guest blogger is Kate Sokol, a curriculum designer for EiE.

As a curriculum writer for Engineering is Elementary, I’m always thinking about developing activities that promote engineering habits of mind. Many habits of mind; like “collaboration,” “communication,” and “creativity”; naturally integrate with the type of hands-on engineering activities that we develop, and are often used to describe the work of engineers. Other habits, like the call for “ethical considerations,” require deliberate reflection to fully integrate into the K-8 classroom. The idea of ethics in engineering may seem like a daunting topic to navigate with students, but the power of critical thinking and the opportunity for students to consider the impact of their decisions has never been more important.

If you’re interested in learning more about crosscurricular integration, we have a plethora of resources available on our website and in our blog. Here are a few resources to help you integrate engineering into other subject areas.

At EiE, we know that kids who develop engineering habits of mind see themselves as engineers. One of the most powerful ways you can help kids envision themselves as engineers is to present them with role models that they can identify with. It’s why our storybooks feature diverse characters from all over the globe. We believe that incorporating historical and cultural connections into engineering is a great way to make lessons relevant to kids in the classroom. If you’re an educator trying to help kids see themselves as engineers, consider taking some time this February, Black History Month, to introduce your kids to a few prominent black engineers who made important contributions to the field.

Did you know that each EiE unit was designed to support English Language Arts (ELA) instruction? Our curricula use a diverse
range of fiction and nonfiction video and print media as tools for setting the context for engineering challenges. This crosscurricular approach does more than help kids find meaningful real-world connections—it enhances learning across all subject areas. Join the EiE PD team on Tuesday, January 31st at 6:30 PM EST (3:30 PM PST) as they share their insights about ELA integration in the 60-minute interactive online PD session, “Integrating English Language Arts & Engineering in the Elementary Classroom.”

The students in Jean Facchiano's fourth-grade class have spent the morning engineering their own models of permeable membranes, using ordinary kitchen supplies like sponges, coffee filters, and perforated aluminum foil. The goal is to design a system that lets water drip into a frog habitat, keeping the container slightly damp, not dry or flooded.

Each group of students has come up with their own unique system for controlling water flow into the habitat. Now, in the video below, the students present their results. It's not just a show-and-tell; it's a concise demonstration of elementary students starting to apply their systems-thinking skills.