Curiosity: Designing a Space Rover

Lesson Summary: 2nd Grade students listen to the story; Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket and reflect how they would create and design a space lander/rover. We watch the video; Curiosity; Mars Rover and table talk about the properties of a space rover. Using the Engineering Design Process Ss then design a rover of their own in pairs. Included are slides and a EDP rubric.
Materials: Rover slides, Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket text or you can use an audiobook; and the EDP reflection/Rubric.
Begin with the Mars Rover video; as anticipatory set then moving into the story; discuss space exploration.
Either of these two activities can be interchanged however both will cause excitement!
Have students share their knowledge of space as a group or pair/share
Share out the Rover slides
Instruct students to go through the slides together to get an idea of what they are being asked to do; the constraints and limitations.
Using our Lego We-do kits (or any materials you have on hand/recyclables or building materials) students go through the EDP imagining, planning and designing their rovers. Once completed students will share out using the app Padlet; it's free and District approved. Assessment will come at the end when students reflect/improve their design; complete the EDP google form and T's can use the EDP rubric.