⚙️ IE 1.1 What Is Engineering?Complete STEM / CTE Engineering LessonEngineering Design & Real-World Problem SolvingNGSS • CTE • TEKS • CAS • CCSS | Grades 7–10Help Students Discover What Engineers Do and Why Engineering Matters

Launch your engineering course with this engaging, classroom-tested, bell-to-bell STEM engineering lesson designed to help students discover:

What engineering is, how engineers solve problems, and why engineering matters in everyday life.

This premium engineering lesson introduces students to the foundations of engineering through:

⚙️ Engineering Design

🧠 Problem Solving

🚀 Innovation

🏗 Systems Thinking

Students explore how engineers:

⚙️ solve meaningful problems

📏 work within criteria and constraints

🧠 improve systems and products

🏗 design solutions for real-world needs

🚀 innovate to improve people’s lives

Students discover:

Engineering exists to solve meaningful problems and improve the world around us.

Rather than simply memorizing engineering vocabulary, students actively begin thinking like:

Engineers • Designers • Problem Solvers • Innovators

through authentic problem solving, teamwork, real-world engineering investigations, and hands-on design challenges.

Students begin thinking:

“I can think like an engineer.”

🚀 What Teachers Receive

This is more than a worksheet or introductory STEM activity.

It is a complete:

Bell-to-Bell Engineering Lesson System

intentionally designed to support:

✔ authentic student engagement

✔ meaningful engineering thinking

✔ easy classroom implementation

✔ real-world problem solving

✔ engineering design skill development

📚 Included in This Resource

✅ Complete Bell-to-Bell Lesson Plan (55 Minutes)

✅ Teacher Notes & Lesson Overview

✅ Learning Targets & Success Criteria

✅ Essential Question

✅ Know / Show Learning Chart

✅ Entry Ticket / Bellringer Hook

✅ 4 High-Engagement Student Activities

✅ Hands-On Engineering Design Challenge

✅ Engineering Notebook Integration

✅ Teacher Prompts & Checks for Understanding (CFUs)

✅ BrainMeter-Ready Questions

✅ Exit Ticket & Reflection

✅ Career Exploration Connections

✅ Technology Integration

✅ Optional 90-Minute Block Extension

🧠 Included Student ActivitiesWhat Would an Engineer Do?

Students investigate:

How do engineers solve meaningful real-world problems?

Students explore engineering challenges involving:

🌉 Unsafe Bridges

🚰 Clean Water Systems

📱 Product Improvement

🚗 Transportation Safety

🌍 Environmental Challenges

Students identify:

✔ the problem

✔ possible engineering solutions

✔ real-world constraints

Students discover:

Engineering begins with solving problems that matter.

⚖️ Science vs. Engineering Challenge

Students compare:

SCIENCE vs. ENGINEERING

Students learn:

Scientists study the world. Engineers solve problems in the world.

Through engaging examples, students explain:

✔ observation vs. design

✔ discovery vs. problem solving

✔ investigation vs. innovation

Students begin understanding:

Engineering uses science to improve the human experience.

🏗 Tallest Structure Engineering Challenge

Students participate in a:

Hands-On Engineering Design Challenge

Using limited materials, engineering teams must:

✔ design

✔ build

✔ test

✔ redesign

while working within:

✔ criteria

✔ constraints

✔ time limits

✔ material limitations

Students experience:

Authentic engineering thinking through hands-on problem solving.

🌎 Real-World Engineering Reflection

Students apply engineering thinking to problems in:

🏫 Schools

🏘 Communities

🌍 Society

while exploring:

How engineering improves everyday life.

🧠 Skills Students Build

Students strengthen authentic STEM and career-ready skills including:

✔ critical thinking

✔ problem solving

✔ engineering design thinking

✔ collaboration

✔ communication

✔ creativity & innovation

✔ reflection & improvement

✔ systems thinking

🌎 Real-World Engineering Connections

Students explore how engineers impact:

🌉 Infrastructure & Bridges

🚰 Clean Water Systems

📱 Technology & Product Design

⚡ Energy & Sustainability

🏥 Medical Technologies

🚗 Transportation & Safety

Students begin understanding:

Engineering exists to solve meaningful problems and improve people’s lives.

🎯 Standards AlignmentNGSS Engineering Design Standards

Students engage in authentic engineering practices including:

✔ defining problems

✔ identifying criteria and constraints

✔ brainstorming solutions

✔ testing and improving ideas

✔ communicating engineering thinking

Supported NGSS Standards

✔ MS-ETS1-1 — Define criteria and constraints of engineering problems

✔ MS-ETS1-2 — Evaluate competing solutions

✔ HS-ETS1-1 — Analyze real-world engineering challenges

Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS)

✔ SCIENCE.PHY.1.A — Analyze and critique explanations using evidence and engineering reasoning

✔ SCIENCE.PHY.1.B — Communicate scientific and engineering information from investigations and models

✔ SCIENCE.PHY.1.G — Develop and use models to represent engineering systems

✔ SCIENCE.PHY.4.C — Investigate technological systems and engineering design

✔ SCIENCE.PHY.4.D — Investigate testing, troubleshooting, and redesign

Colorado Academic Standards (CAS)

Aligned to:

✔ Science & Engineering Practices

✔ Systems Thinking

✔ Problem Solving & Design Thinking

✔ Cause & Effect Relationships

✔ Evidence-Based Reasoning

Career & Technical Education (CTE) Alignment

Supports foundational Engineering, STEM, and Career Readiness pathways through:

✔ engineering design thinking

✔ technical problem solving

✔ collaboration & communication

✔ workplace readiness skills

✔ career exploration

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

Supports:

✔ evidence-based writing

✔ technical communication

✔ collaborative discussions

✔ speaking & listening skills

📚 Perfect For

✅ Intro to Engineering Courses

✅ STEM Classrooms

✅ CTE Pathways

✅ Engineering Foundations Programs

✅ First Week of School

✅ Beginning Engineering Programs

✅ Homeschool STEM Learning

✅ PLTW-Aligned Support

🚀 Why Teachers Love This Lesson

Unlike disconnected STEM worksheets or quick classroom activities, this lesson helps students:

✔ think like engineers

✔ solve meaningful problems

✔ collaborate with teammates

✔ communicate technical thinking

✔ experience authentic engineering design

The Result

High Engagement + Strong Engineering Foundations + Classroom-Ready STEM Instruction

Students do not simply learn what engineering is —

They begin thinking like engineers.

Mastering the Classroom™
Engineering Curriculum Designed for Real Classrooms

Created by Gregory Reichmuth, Ed.S., MBA
MasteringTheClassroom.com