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🤝 Weeks 7-9: Engineering for Others

Unit Overview
Grade Level Grades 1-2
Duration 3 sessions (30 min each)
STREAM Focus S (Science), E (Engineering), R (Religion)

Weeks 7-9: Engineering for Others

🎯 Learning Objectives

STEM Objectives

Students will be able to: 1. Follow the engineering design process 2. Design solutions that meet specific needs 3. Test and improve their designs 4. Present their design thinking

Faith Integration Objectives

Students will be able to: 1. Connect engineering to serving others 2. Understand Catholic Social Teaching on caring for others 3. Practice empathy when designing for someone's needs

Weeks 7-9: Engineering for Others

🙏 Faith-Reason Integration

Catholic Teaching Connection

Catholic Social Teaching: Care for Others — We are called to serve those in need. Engineers and inventors can create things that help people. Using our minds to help others is a way of serving God.

Scripture Connection

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others." — 1 Peter 4:10

Saint Connection

St. Giuseppe Moscati — A Catholic doctor and scientist who used his knowledge to help sick people, especially the poor. He showed that we can use science to serve others.

📚 Materials Needed

  • Design challenge scenarios

  • Drawing paper and crayons

  • Building materials: paper, cardboard, tape, craft sticks

  • Scissors (teacher-assisted)

  • Testing materials specific to challenge

Session 1: Meet the Challenge

📝 Lesson Procedure (30 minutes)

Opening Prayer & Introduction (4 min)

Prayer: "Loving God, You gave us minds to think and hands to create. Show us how to use our gifts to help others. Amen."

Discuss: "What problems do people have? How can inventors help solve them?"

Service Challenge Introduction (8 min)

Present the scenario: "A friend in a wheelchair can't reach items on high shelves. How can we design something to help?"

Empathy discussion:

  • "How would it feel to not reach things you need?"

  • "What would help?"

  • "What would a good helper tool need to do?"

Design Thinking: Brainstorm (12 min)

Individual sketching (5 min): Draw 2-3 ideas for solutions.

Partner share (4 min): Share ideas with a partner. What do you like about each other's ideas?

Whole group (3 min): Share some ideas. List possibilities.

Closing Planning (6 min)

Choose your design: Each student/pair selects one idea to build.

Planning questions:

  • What materials will you need?

  • How big should it be?

  • How will you test if it works?

Faith Connection: "Thinking about what others need is called empathy. Jesus wants us to put ourselves in others' shoes!"

Session 2: Build & Test

📝 Lesson Procedure (30 minutes)

Opening Prayer & Review (3 min)

Prayer: "Jesus, help us build with love and care for others. Guide our hands and our hearts. Amen."

Review plans: "What are you building today? What materials do you need?"

Building Time (20 min)

Students build their designs using available materials.

Teacher circulates:

  • "Tell me about your design."

  • "How does this part help?"

  • "What are you going to try next?"

Problem-solving support:

  • Encourage iteration: "What if you tried..."

  • Focus on function: "Will this help reach high things?"

Initial Testing (7 min)

Test designs with a high shelf scenario.

Testing questions:

  • "Does it reach?"

  • "Is it easy to use?"

  • "What would make it better?"

Note: Designs don't need to be perfect! Learning from what doesn't work is part of engineering.

Transition: "Engineers always test and improve. Next time, we'll make our designs even better!"

Session 3: Improve & Present

📝 Lesson Procedure (30 minutes)

Opening Prayer & Review (3 min)

Prayer: "Creator God, thank You for helping us serve others through our ideas. Help us make our designs even better. Amen."

Recall testing: "What worked well? What needs improvement?"

Improvement Time (12 min)

Students improve their designs based on testing.

Prompts:

  • "How can you make it reach farther?"

  • "How can you make it stronger?"

  • "How can you make it easier to use?"

Final Testing (5 min)

Test improved designs. Celebrate successes!

Design Presentations (7 min)

Students share designs with class:

  • "This is my helping tool."

  • "It helps by..."

  • "I improved it by..."

Closing Celebration (3 min)

Faith Connection: "You used your minds and hearts to help others! That's exactly what God calls us to do — to love our neighbors and use our gifts to serve."

Closing Prayer: "Thank you, God, for creative minds. Help us always use our gifts to help others and build Your kingdom of love. Amen."

✅ Assessment

  • Completed design sketch

  • Built a functional prototype

  • Tested and improved design

  • Explained how design helps others

📎 Home Connection

"We were engineers for service! Your child designed something to help others. Ask them: 'Who were you trying to help?' 'How does your invention work?' 'What did you improve?' Talk about ways your family can help others with your skills and talents."

Unit Version: 1.0 | Last Updated: 2025-12-05