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ERIC Number: EJ1114891
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Mar
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8148
EISSN: N/A
Engineering Encounters: The Cat in the Hat Builds Satellites. A Unit Promoting Scientific Literacy and the Engineering Design Process
Rehmat, Abeera P.; Owens, Marissa C.
Science and Children, v53 n7 p81-86 Mar 2016
This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month's issue shares information about a unit promoting scientific literacy and the engineering design process. The integration of engineering with scientific practices in K-12 education can promote creativity, hands-on learning, and an improvement in students' problem-solving skills. These practices can be enhanced if aligned with mathematics and English language arts standards. Combining math, literacy, and engineering makes learning more inclusive, exposing students to real-world problems while supporting learning through the engineering design process (EDP). The integration of children's literature can model and scaffold engineering practices, which allows teachers to reframe the practices and problems and help students understand real-world issues. The unit presented in this article incorporates five children's books that model and scaffold the EDP for students in grades 3-5: (1) The Cat in the Hat; (2) Harold and the Purple Crayon; (3) What! Cried Granny; (4) Papa's Mechanical Fish; and (5) The Ten Birds. By providing students with real-world problems that pique their interest while they learn, these books can provide teachers with a way to connect abstract science concepts to everyday ideas.
National Science Teachers Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: membership@nsta.org; Web site: http://www.nsta.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive; Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A