Vocabulary Lesson
Engineering Towers
Grades: 4-5
Time: 20 minutes
Overview
Learn about towers and structural engineering.
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Computer or other device with internet + speakers.
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- Learn about different types of towers;
- Learn about structural engineering;
- Learn about towers used in ancient Hawaiʻi;
- Learn some history about why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans.
- Define tower, structural engineers, and lananuʻu mamas;
- Name different towers in world and compare their heights;
- Make observations about the structure of towers;
- Read about structural engineers;
- Learn about what lananuʻu mamao towers were used for;
- See examples of structural engineering; and
- Identify issues and solutions with the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s structure.
ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems
Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account.
ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution
Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints.
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People’s needs and wants change over time, as do their demands for new and improved technologies.
3-5-ETS1-2
Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to increase their benefits, decrease known risks, and meet societal demands.
Hawaiian Cultural Lesson
Learn about towers in ancient Hawaiian history.
Video
Learn more about structural engineers.
Lesson
Learn about how structural engineers dealt with this world-famous structural problem.