Studying how everyday items are made builds concrete understanding of materials science, manufacturing, and the design cycle in middle and high school design and technology STEM. This set of 10 reading passages with questions covers speakers, microphones, pillows, tape, glue, Velcro, DVDs and CDs, soccer balls, silk clothing, and bars of soap. Students can use it to help trace steps from raw material selection to forming, assembly, bonding, testing, and quality control while growing technical vo