From Egg Drops To Gumdrops: Teaching Fourth Grade Students About Engineering

Students remember 80% of what they do and 20% of what they hear. With this premise in mind, the author developed an active approach to educating a classroom of fourth grade students in multiple areas of engineering. The intent is minimally, to increase interest in math and science in the young students. Optimally, the students will pursue engineering as a career. Hands-on activities were used to demonstrate six different areas of engineering over an academic year, such as launching rockets (Aerospace Engineering) and building bridges (Civil Engineering). A typical classroom session was comprised of a 10-15 minute introduction of the topic, 60 minutes of students constructing and testing a project, and 10-15 minutes discussing the results. The approach was applied to a fourth grade class of twenty students in Brighton, Michigan and was judged a success by faculty and students.