Every Thursday on the EiE Blog we provide teaching tips and resources for your engineering classroom.
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| Reading the storybook? Download the illustrations! |
When Brittney Armstrong taught her first Engineering is Elementary unit to second graders at Slaughter Elementary in Louisville, KY, she was concerned. "It took us two entire class periods to complete the storybook and discuss it," she says. "That was too long for second graders."
When she shared her concern with another EiE teacher, Brittney got a helpful tip: You can download the illustrations for each of the 20 EiE storybooks from the project website!
Show While You Tell
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| If you project the illustrations, everyone can see them. |
Says Brittney, "This is something I will definitely take advantage of during the next unit I teach!" It only takes a moment to download a PDF with all of the illustrations in the EiE storybook for the unit you're teaching. You can use them . . .
- when working with younger students. Instead of reading the storybook word-for-word, summarize the key plot points. Project the illustrations and use them as a visual prompt.
- when reading the story aloud. Instead of holding up the storybook and hoping kids in the back row can see, show the illustrations with a projector (or on a SmartBoard).
- to support ELA instruction. You can use the illustrations in a variety of ways: as writing prompts, for vocabulary development, to help students understand the concepts of plot and sequence, and more. Find full details in this EiE blog post.
Quick Links: Get Your Illustrations Today
Click the storybook you teach to download the illustrations.
| EiE Unit | EiE Storybook |
| An Alarming Idea: Designing Alarm Circuits | A Reminder for Emily |
| Solid as a Rock: Replicating an Artifact | Galya and Natasha's Rocky Adventure |
| To Get to the Other Side: Designing Bridges | Javier Builds a Bridge |
| The Best of Bugs: Designing Hand Pollinators | Mariana Becomes a Butterfly |
| No Bones About It: Designing Knee Braces | Erik's Unexpected Twist |
| A Stick in the Mud: Evaluating a Landscape | Suman Crosses the Karnali River |
| Lighten Up: Designing Lighting Systems | Omar's Time to Shine |
| The Attraction is Obvious: Designing Maglev Systems | Hikaru's Toy Troubles |
| Just Passing Through: Designing Model Membranes | Juan Daniel's Fútbol Frog |
| A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill | Tehya's Pollution Solution |
| A Long Way Down: Designing Parachutes | Paulo's Parachute Mission |
| Thinking Inside the Box: Designing Plant Packages | A Gift from Fadil |
| A Work in Process: Improving a Play Dough Process | Michelle's MVP Award |
| Marvelous Machines: Making Work Easier | Aisha Makes Work Easier |
| Now You're Cooking: Designing Solar Ovens | Lerato Cooks Up a Plan |
| Sounds Like Fun: Seeing Animal Sounds | Kwame's Sound |
| Taking the Plunge: Designing Submersibles | Despina Makes a Splash |
| A Sticky Situation: Designing Walls | Yi Min's Great Wall |
| Water, Water Everywhere: Designing Water Filters | Saving Salila's Turtle |
| Catching the Wind: Designing Windmills | Leif Catches the Wind |
You can also access all of these storybook illustrations through the EiE Resources page. It's as easy as that!
Do you have a tip for using the EiE storybook illustrations? Share it! If we use your tip on the blog, we'll thank you with the EiE Teacher Guide of your choice.
Engineering is Elementary is a project of the National Center for Technological Literacy® at the Museum of Science, Boston.
