The Best Books to Teach Engineering to Lower Elementary
The following is a guest post from Dr. Jacie Maslyk.
If your motto is, “so many books, so little time”, then this post is for you! With lots of great children’s literature to choose from, it’s hard to pick the best books to support engineering in the lower elementary grades.
Implementing the engineering design process in your classroom is a great way to engage students in hands-on learning and creativity. This post will share 9 great books that support engineering and design in grades K, 1, and 2.
Not a Stick
by Antoinette Portis
This simple picture book shows our character imagining all the creative things a stick could be… a sword, a paintbrush, or even a fishing pole. This book allows students to use their imaginations and think about the possibilities of simple objects.
STEM Starters:
Give each student one pipe cleaner. This is their “stick”. They can redesign or reimagine it as something new, sharing the new use with their class.
Go on a real stick hunt. Bring the sticks back to the classroom and find ways to use them in a construction project.
Count on Me
by Miguel Tanco
Everyone in the family has a passion--for art, science, and music. As the main character searches for her passion, she tries dancing, cooking, tennis, and karate. She can’t find the activity that is just right for her until it is time for math. She realizes that her special passion is finding math everywhere she goes.
STEM Starters:
Build a piece of playground equipment using only geometric shapes.
Look for fractals (a never-ending pattern) in nature. Draw or build what you find.
Dreaming Up
by Christy Hale
This book celebrates diverse buildings all over the world. It inspires learners to use different materials to build in a similar style. From tall towers to mud-made buildings, there are so many types of structures. Students will also hear about the people who have designed these amazing buildings and where they are located.
STEM Starters:
Construct a building made of sticks, stones, snow, or something else.
Research other interesting buildings and find where they are located on a globe.
A Box Can Be Many Things
by Dana Meachen Rau
This story explores all of the different things a box can become. Entire boxes can turn into caves, cars, or houses. Once deconstructed, the box can become a hat, a flag, and a sword. Students can use their imaginations with large or small pieces of cardboard.
STEM Starters:
Start with a shoebox and encourage students to redesign what it might be.
For more box ideas, check out other inspiring stories and activities.
If I Built a House
Chris Van Dusen
Author Chris Van Dusen encourages creativity and imagination as Jack shares an interesting design house of his dreams. From a robotic-run kitchen to a ball pit in the living room, Jack comes up with unique ideas. His room is even in a tower with a slide down to the art room, flying room, and racetrack.
STEM Starters:
Create a blueprint for a house that you would design including all of your imaginative ideas.
Build a model for your own unique room using some of the design resources here.
Marshall Mellow
by JJ Landis
Marshall is a marshmallow who lives in the cupboard with other snacks. When Marshall falls off of his shelf, he goes out into the world. He is sad and scared, just wanting to get back home. With a little help from his new friends, Marshall is launched back to his home on the shelf.
STEM Starters:
Build a simple machine (pulley, lever, ramp) to get Marshall back to his shelf.
Design a catapult or other type of launcher to help Marshall.
Frank the Seven-Legged Spider
by Michaele Razi
Frank likes to run, jump, and scurry around until he loses one of his legs. He tries to search for his leg, but he doesn’t find it. He even worries that maybe he’s not a spider anymore. Frank soon realizes that he can still move around and make webs even though he only has seven legs.
STEM Starters:
Construct your own model of a spider web using yarn or other flexible material.
Design a new leg for Frank using recyclable materials.
Izzy Gizmo
by Pip Jones
Izzy is an inventor. She likes to fix her inventions whenever they go wrong--and she has invented some pretty interesting things! When she finds an injured crow, she is determined to help him. Izzy uses her invention skills to create a new wing for the bird.
STEM Starters:
Use the planning guide and inventors journal to help prepare for this design challenge.
Design a new wing for the crow so that he can fly again.
The Great Paper Caper
by Oliver Jeffers
In this mystery by Oliver Jeffers, the forest animals are trying to figure out why the trees are missing branches and some are being cut down. They soon realize that it is Bear who is responsible. He is using the trees to make paper as he practices for the annual paper airplane competition.
STEM Starters:
Try some paper crafts like origami. Create an origami forest animal to look like one of the characters from the story.
Airplanes aren’t the only flying machines. Design and build a hang-glider, parachute, or hot air balloon. Check out more resources here.
Books to Teach Engineering
So many books can be used to inspire STEM learners to become designers, inventors, and engineers. These nine books are a great start for any classroom library. Try one of these STEM starters or create your own. Looking for even more books to support engineering in the classroom? Here’s another post with ten more to try!
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