INTEGRATING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) INTO THE HOME ENVIRONMENT

Storytelling as a Young Engineer

ENGINEERING TASK

MATERIALS IN KITS

  • 10 craft sticks
  • 15 pipe cleaners
  • 10 wooden blocks
  • 5 balloons
  • 10 straws
  • 12 inches of yarn
  • 3 markers
  • Masking tape

We also encourage you to use recyclable materials (e.g., egg cartons), items from outside (e.g., pine cones), and materials from your “junk drawer” in the creation of the prototype.

ENGINEERING TASK

Your engineering task is to create and record a story to help characters solve a problem.

WHAT IS STORYTELLING?

Watch this video about storytelling. The person in the video said that her family was famous for telling fish stories. What is something that you would want to tell a story about?

AND DO ENGINEERS TELL STORIES?

Absolutely! Everyone tells stories! Check out the website below for different stories told by engineers.

https://www.storytellingengineers.com/stories

 

What are the elements of my story? We are glad you asked.

SETTING

ROLL THE DIE:
If you rolled a 1, find your setting HERE.
If you rolled a 2, find your setting HERE.
If you rolled a 3, find your setting HERE.
If you rolled a 4, find your setting HERE.
If you rolled a 5, find your setting HERE.
If you rolled a 6, find your setting HERE.

CHARACTERS

ROLL THE DIE TWICE::
If you rolled a 1, find your character HERE.
If you rolled a 2, find your character HERE.
If you rolled a 3, find your character HERE.
If you rolled a 4, find your character HERE.
If you rolled a 5, find your character HERE.
If you rolled a 6, find your character HERE.

 

PROPS

ROLL THE DIE:
If you rolled a 1, find your prop HERE.
If you rolled a 2, find your prop HERE.
If you rolled a 3, find your prop HERE.
If you rolled a 4, find your prop HERE.
If you rolled a 5, find your prop HERE.
If you rolled a 6, find your prop HERE.

 

PROBLEM

ROLL THE DIE:
If you rolled a 1, find your characters’ problem HERE.
If you rolled a 2, find your characters’ problem HERE.
If you rolled a 3, find your characters’ problem HERE.
If you rolled a 4, find your characters’ problem HERE.
If you rolled a 5, find your characters’ problem HERE.
If you rolled a 6, find your characters’ problem HERE.

PLAN

Discuss and brainstorm these questions together as a family. Someone may want to take notes!

  1. What do you know about the setting? What can be tricky about your setting? What can be helpful? (Feel free to do research on your setting.)
  2. What do your character look like? What do they like and dislike? How would you describe their personality? (You may want to sketch an image of your characters.)
  3. What do you know about the prop? How is it typically used?
  4. Sketch 2-3 solutions to solve the characters’ problem.

TEST & IMPROVE

What were other people’s reactions towards your story? Were their responses what you expected them to be? Why or why not?

What changes can you make to the story based on what you learned from your audience?

SHARE THE FUN AND PASS IT ON!

Thank you for participating.

When you are done with this project, gift the book and the directions to your friend to make the storytelling of engineering be heard.

 

STORYTELLING – OPTIONAL QUESTIONS

After watching one of the engineering videos, ask the following questions:

  • Who were the characters? What do you know about them?
  • Where are they?
  • What is their problem?
  • How did they solve the problem?
  • What was your favorite part of the story?

CREATE – OPTIONAL QUESTIONS

  • How might we represent our setting?
  • How will you introduce your characters? Are they friends?
  • Explain to me how we will show your characters’ personality. How would we show a character that is friendly? Quiet? Adventurous? Leader?
  • May I provide a suggestion?
  • What color should we make the prop in our story?
  • Remind me how the characters are going to solve their problem?