# Little Engineers Curriculum Enhancement Guide (Lessons 1–10)

*Organized by Teacher-Facing vs. Student-Facing Adjustments*

> **Teacher-facing** = instructional moves, demonstrations, developmental notes, prompts, troubleshooting/intervention scripts, checkpoints, and prep the teacher uses.
> **Student-facing** = materials, slides, and visuals students directly see, touch, or use.

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# Part 1: Teacher-Facing Adjustments

## Lessons 1–5

### Lesson 1: A Friend for Rosie

- **After Piece Identification:** Supports for identifying pieces, vocabulary gestures, I Do–We Do–You Do.
- **After Gear Meshing:** Troubleshooting checklist for gears not moving.

### Lesson 2: Cheers for Gears

- **After Mini-Lesson:** Use students as gears to model direction changes.
- **Before Guided Build:** Intervention small group with completed and half-built models.
- **During Guided Build:** Build checkpoints after each step.

### Lesson 3: Seesaws

- **After Mini-Lesson:** Concrete fulcrum demonstration using ruler and block.

### Lesson 4: Light and Heavy

- **After Mini-Lesson:** Demonstrate bigger does not always mean heavier.
- **During Partner Weighing:** Tier 1, 2, and 3 supports.

### Lesson 5: Slides are Inclined Planes

- **During Building:** Teacher conferencing questions.

### Applies to All 5 Lessons

- Developmental notes for Ages 3–4, 4–5, and 5–6 after every Mini-Lesson.
- Teacher Reflection Box before Closing Circle.
- **Day-Before Teacher Prep:** completed build, half-built build, slides, vocabulary cards, picture supports, assessment checklist, challenge cards.

## Lessons 6–10

### Lesson 6: Getting From Here to There

**After Slide 4 — Developmental Note**

- **PreK 3:** May confuse brick and plate. May need to physically touch pieces while naming them.
- **PreK 4:** Can identify pieces with visual supports.
- **Kindergarten:** Should independently identify most pieces.

*Teacher Support — if students cannot identify pieces:* use a piece-matching mat; limit to 2 pieces at a time.

**After Slide 7 — Teacher Prompt** *(if students cannot generate ideas, ask):*

- How do you get to school?
- Have you ridden a bus?
- What moves on water?
- What flies?

### Lesson 7: Cars and Ramps

**After Slide 3 — Developmental Note**

- **PreK 3:** May struggle inserting axles through holes.
- **PreK 4:** Can insert axle with teacher support.
- **Kindergarten:** Should complete most axle assembly independently.

*Intervention Support — if axle will not fit:* highlight hole with colored sticker; demonstrate slowly; provide partially assembled example.

**After Slide 8 — Hypothesis Activity:** Many students will not understand "hypothesis." Replace with "A smart guess."

### Lesson 8: Boats, Buoyancy, and Balance

**After Slide 3 — Developmental Note**

- **PreK 3:** Understand "same" and "different."
- **PreK 4:** Can compare sides visually.
- **Kindergarten:** Can intentionally balance structures.

*Intervention — if boat tips, teacher asks:* Which side has more pieces? Can we make them match? Use color-coded sides.

**After Slide 8 — Teacher Checkpoint (STOP). Before testing, ask:**

- ☐ Are both sides equal?
- ☐ Is mast centered?
- ☐ Is boat sitting flat?

### Lesson 9: Bridges

**After Slide 3 — Developmental Note**

- **PreK 3:** Focus on over/under.
- **PreK 4:** Understand connecting structures.
- **Kindergarten:** Understand support systems.

*Intervention — if bridge collapses, teacher models one step at a time:* build support; build second support; add deck.

**After Slide 8 — Small Group Support:** Students struggling count bricks aloud (1 brick, 2 bricks, 3 bricks), then compare.

### Lesson 10: Cranes

**After Slide 3 — Developmental Note**

- **PreK 3:** Focus on observing movement.
- **PreK 4:** Understand turning causes movement.
- **Kindergarten:** Explain how worm gear helps lift.

*Intervention — if students do not understand worm gear:* compare to a screw, spiral slide, or twisting motion; use real objects.

**After Slide 6 — Teacher Checkpoint:** STOP after Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3; teacher checks before students continue.

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# Part 2: Student-Facing Adjustments

## Lessons 1–5

### Lesson 1: A Friend for Rosie

- **Before Building:** Step-by-step build slides (materials, axle, gears, eyes, finished model).

### Lesson 3: Seesaws

- **Before Guided Build:** Step-by-step support slides.
- **After Fulcrum Mini-Lesson 2:** Prediction sheet extension.

### Lesson 4: Light and Heavy

- **Before Sequencing:** Visual sequencing mats.

### Lesson 5: Slides are Inclined Planes

- **After Mini-Lesson:** Ramp vs. slide anchor chart.
- **Before Rosie's Problem:** Prediction support.

### Applies to All 5 Lessons (student materials prepared day-before)

- Vocabulary cards
- Picture supports
- Challenge cards

## Lessons 6–10

### Lesson 6: Getting From Here to There

- **Piece-matching mat** for identifying pieces (limit to 2 pieces at a time).

### Lesson 7: Cars and Ramps

- **Colored sticker** to highlight the axle hole.
- **"Smart guess" visual** (replaces hypothesis):
  - 🤔 Guess
  - 🧪 Test
  - 📢 Tell what happened

### Lesson 8: Boats, Buoyancy, and Balance

- **Color-coded boat sides** to help students match pieces.

### Lesson 9: Bridges

- **Counting bricks visual** for matching heights (1 brick, 2 bricks, 3 bricks).