Competition plus engineering equals fun! That’s the idea behind PBS’s engineering reality competition series DESIGN SQUAD, geared toward students in grades 4-7.
DESIGN SQUAD pits two teams of high school kids against each other to design, construct, and test engineering projects using their problem-solving skills…and gets kids and teens thinking like engineers and shows them that engineering is fun, creative, exciting, and something they can do themselves. DESIGN SQUAD airs Tuesdays from 5:00-6:00 a.m. through February 4, 2010.
Now the series has a new teacher’s guide…and it’s FREE! Check it out! Developed for middle school science and technology teachers, DESIGN SQUAD’s latest guide blends hands-on engineering challenges with three core science concepts:
- Force: students build their own blimps
- Electricity: students design electronic games
- Sound: students make and play instruments
The challenges illustrated in the teacher’s guide use low cost, readily available materials, and are linked to national science and technology standards. The series is also correlated to Virginia’s SOL – Science: 5.2, 5.4, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, PS.1, PS.6, PS.10, PS.11, PH.1, PH.2, PH.3, PH.4, PH.5, PH.8, PH.13.
Order your free copy of the DESIGN SQUAD teacher’s guide here. Teacher resources, including activities, are available online.
Additional classroom resources from DESIGN SQUAD can be found at Teachers’ Domain.
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