Page 154 - Standards for K-12 Engineering Education

Standards for K-12 Engineering Education?

APPENDIX B 139

make decisions about which solutions are best in light of uncertain or partial data. Good engineering
design is distinguished by the ability to make the best possible decision in light of real-world
uncertainties. The use of a Pugh chart is a helpful analytic tool for comparing various solutions
against criteria and constraints. High school students should also be more sophisticated than middle
school students in their ability to build and test prototypes or simulate technological systems to come
up with the best possible solution.
5. Using tools and materials involves the selection, testing, and use of appropriate tools and materials to
solve a problem or meet a human need.
Grades K–5: In early years, students develop simple skills using tools and materials, such as how to
measure, cut, connect, switch, turn on and off, pour, hold, tie, and hook. Beginning with simple
instruments, students can use rulers to measure the length, height, and depth of objects and materials;
thermometers to measure temperature; watches to measure time; beam balances and spring scales to
measure weight and force; magnifiers to observe objects and organisms; and microscopes to observe
the finer details of plants, animals, rocks, and other materials. Children should also develop skills in
selecting among different materials to choose those most useful for a given purpose.

Grades 5–8: Middle school students should have a broad view of Earth materials such as solid rocks
and soils, water in the forms liquid and ice, and the gases in the atmosphere. These varied materials
have different physical and chemical properties, which make them useful in different ways, for
example, as building materials, as sources of fuel, or for growing the plants we use as food. The
choice of materials for a job depends on their properties and on how they interact with other
materials. Similarly, the usefulness of some manufactured parts of an object depends on how well the
parts fit together. Middle school students should also exhibit capabilities in the use of computers and
calculators for solving problems.
Grades 9–12: In addition to the above experiences with tools and materials, high school students
should have opportunities to illustrate their ideas through engineering drawings and computer aided
design (CAD) systems, if possible. They should also have opportunities to use a variety of tools and
materials to construct prototypes of their own design and to test the design concept by observing its
function in representative situations so that it can be redesigned for manufacturing.

6. Mathematical reasoning involves using fundamental mathematical skills to solve problems or build
prototypes.
Grades K–5: Young children should develop the capability of making measurements to answer
questions about objects such as “How tall is it?” “How much does it hold?” “How big is it?” They
should also encounter situations in which they need to use simple arithmetic operations to solve
problems related to a design challenge.
Grades 5–8: At the middle school level students can make more varied and precise measurements as
well as more challenging estimates. They are also capable of understanding more abstract
measurement concepts, such as the idea of a “measurement unit,” the conversion of units from one
system to another, and the limitations of measurements made with different instruments. Negative
numbers, fractions, and decimals can now be used in the service of solving problems. Students
should demonstrate their capability not only to carry out operations accurately, but also to choose the
appropriate operation and/or level of estimation or precision of measurement for a given situation.
Grades 9–12: While high school students can be expected to bring additional skills (algebra,
geometry, trigonometry and possibly elementary calculus) to the engineering design process, the
major focus should be on determining whether or not students have developed advanced skills in
determining the most appropriate operations to address various steps of the process—defining
problems quantitatively, creating engineering drawings with scale factors, using tools to accurately

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