The document describes an engineering design challenge for students to incorporate into their social studies curriculum on Virginia's regions. Students will work in groups to design and create a mystery box containing clues that identify a specific Virginia region. The box must include at least 14 clues across various categories related to the region's products, industries, landforms, water features, animals, and renewable and non-renewable resources. It must also include a QR code on the outside that reveals the name of the region when scanned. Materials like Legos, playdough, and other items are provided for the students to include clues in their designed boxes.

1. Incorporating Children’s Engineering
Across All Subject Areas
Tina Coffey
Roanoke County Schools

2. Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I
remember. Involve
me and I learn.
– Benjamin Franklin

3. Children’s Engineering
Activities

6. Background Background:
This year in Social Studies
you will study Virginia, its
resources and its
geographical regions.
Prepared to be amazed
as you discover the vast
resources that provide
Virginians with the
opportunity to work, play,
and produce!

7. DesignChallenge
Design Challenge:
You will work together as
a group to design and
create a mystery box that
contains clues that
enable others to identify
your region. Include
products, industries, water
features, animals,
landforms, non-renewable
and renewable resources.
You must create a QR
code that reveals the
name of your region to go
on the outside of the box.

8. Criteria
Criteria:
Your box :
• may only contain one written
word
• must contain at least four 3D
objects
• must have a minimum of 14 clues
• must have at least one clue for
each of the following categories:
products, industries, water
features, animals, landforms, non-
renewable and renewable
resources. You may have more
than one clue.
• all the clues must fit inside the box
together
• QR code that reveals the name of
your region

9. Materials
Materials:
● box
● 10 Legos
● playdough
● pipe cleaners
● Q-tips
● colored paper
● cotton balls
● straws
● yarn
● buttons
● pom-poms

10. Materials

11. Tools
Tools:
● Scissors
● Tape
● Markers
● Glue
● Computer
● Printer
● QR Code Generator
● iPad/iPod with QR
Code Reader
● Books
● Research Sites

12. Tools

13. Planning
Brainstorm solutions:
Draw or describe some
possible solutions

14. Reflect Think, Pair, Share
Writing
Blogging
Video
Diagramming
Presenting

16. Rubric

17. Process
NOT
Product

18. What’s
the
Problem
Brainstorm
Solutions
Create a
Solution
Test Your
Solution
Evaluate
Your
Solution

19. FocusedStudent

20. Lecture

22. reativity
ollaboration
ritical thinking
ommunication

24. Model “Soft Skills”

28. “The best way
to start is
simply to start.”
-Emily Pilloton
Educator & Designer

29. How?

30. Standards

31. “It will be interesting to see
how you figure that out!”

32. When you do something
for yourself, the thing
that changes most
profoundly is you.
-Mark Frauenfelder
editor-in-chief MAKE magazine

33. Less Us.
More Them.

35. Don’t
underestimate

37. Social Skills Group

40. “My point is a simple one:
Your expectations can be
a bigger obstacle to
success than your
students’ disabilities.”
-John Franklin Stephens
Special Olympics Athlete & Global Messenger

41. The world no longer cares what you know. The world cares
about what you can do with what you know.
– Tony Wagner

42. Contact Info: