Lesson Plans: Engineering Disciplines and their Role in Society

Topic B Engineering in Society
(detailed objectives) (available resources)
Goal: Discover various engineering disciplines and their contributions to society.
[standards: NS.5-12.5, NS.5-12.7, NL-ENG.K-12.8]

(please license the curriculum if you wish to view Enrichment Module PowerPoint presentations)
Summary
Engineers and the technologies they have designed impact every aspect of our lives. Those fields with the highest employment opportunity projections are introduced including Aerospace, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering. Opportunities are given for class discussion and individual presentations regarding famous technologies and the engineers that contributed to them.

Background
Representative pictures have been provided for various engineering discipline to inspire class discussions. Additionally, basic statistics have been listed for examples of ancient and modern technological achievements. However, it is generally up to the teacher and the class to research the suggested Internet links and identify information that will engage the class in discussions.

Teacher Preparation

Prepare images or video to exibit a select group of engineering disciplines.
Define various research topics relating to engineering and its impact on society.
Prepare images or video to exibit various engineering accomplishments.

Classroom Activities
Begin class with dramatic (and hopefully inspiring) images that relate to various engineering disciplines. Use the images to direct class discussion about the role that each disciplines has in society. Use images of engineering accomplishments to direct class discussion about the impact that various engineers have had on society. Allow students to individually research various related topics and then present their findings to the class.

Objectives B.1 Engineers and the Challenges They Address Comprehend the basic role of an engineer Recognize top engineering career opportunities Recognize specific roles that various engineering disciplines play in society	Activities Individually read about various engineering disciplines. Engage students with teacher presentation.
B.2 Independent Research Comprehend the role of engineering in society	Individual research online or in the library.
B.3 Engineers and the Challenges They Address Recognize top engineering career opportunities Recognize specific roles that various engineering disciplines play in society	Individually read about various engineering disciplines. Engage students with teacher presentation.
B.4 Engineering Wonders Recognize significant engineering accomplishments in the ancient world Recognize significant engineering accomplishments in the modern world Comprehend the scope of some significant engineering accomplishments	Engage students with teacher presentation. Class discussion about engineering wonders.
B.5 Student Presentations Practice public speaking Evaluate content and fluency of a presentation	Individuals make presentations while peers evaluate the content and fluency.
Additional resources available to licensed users: In addition to 43 animated PowerPoint customizable slides...
Student Resources B-intro to engineering careers (pdf) B-engineering careers (pdf) B-7 wonders of ancient world (pdf) B-modern wonders (pdf) Supplemental reading materials (printable or web linked)	Practice and Assessment Templates Students submit written reports B-Research Engineers.ppt B-practice.doc Template for assessing learning objectives