USING OUR TEACHER'S GUIDE

This guide is designed for teachers to lead lessons in engineering even with no experience or training in the field.

Sections in the guide follow those in Dream, Invent, Create, for 4 the engineering fields featured in the book. These sections are designed to enable teachers to make as much or as little of each section as they wish. You can provide a basic lesson about the field under discussion or an advanced one.

With the goal of encouraging students to try on a potential “career identity” as an engineer, each section includes:

  • A learning exercise, in both basic and advanced forms, to show students what the field is all about. 

  • Career reflection exercises to help students identify and assess interests and skills that might point them to a career in the field.


Teaching a basic lesson

The first two pages of each section prepare teachers to:

  • Read the text with students.

  • Review new vocabulary words.

  • Discuss the “thought questions” provided to explore with students what a field of engineering is all about and what it might be like to work in it.

Teaching an advanced lesson

After the introductory material, each section presents a full, "advanced" lesson. 

The activities prepare teachers to:

  • Summarize the activity.

  • Explain the link to the specific area of engineering.

  • Guide a warm-up discussion.

  • Lead the lesson, including:

    →  Pose questions to students.

    →  Present the topic.

    →  Show how to use materials.

    →  Review the results of students’ work.

  • Engage students, using the Career Reflection Worksheet, in activities and discussions about the field as a prospective career pathway for them.

Throughout this guide, we present information in different ways to help educators build students’ career awareness of engineering. In one way, we present background information about engineering meant to explain the field to educators. In another way, we offer text that educators can read aloud, either word for word or adapted in an age-appropriate tone for sharing with students. 

Activities include, where appropriate, a description of materials required, procedures for leading the lesson, instruction language to give students, worksheets, and supplemental activities.

We welcome feedback from anyone using or reviewing this Teacher's Guide. Email us directly or send us your comments online.

Congratulations! You are now ready to start teaching engineering.