Lessons

Bridges

Want to get students excited about civil engineering? Introduce them to some of the field’s most spectacular and imaginative creations—bridges!

Dams

Encourage students to explore, think like engineers, and have fun!

Sustainablilty

Help students gain a broader understanding of the many ways we make our communities more liveable.

Hands-On Civil Engineering Activities

100+ recommended civil engineering activities, organized by type of activity, then alphabetically by grade level. Some activities appear under more than one category.

STEM Education Content Standards: All activities are aligned to the National Science Education Standards and the ITEA Technological Standards of Literacy. They also correlate with much of what is being covered in the forthcoming Next Generation Science Standards.

Bridges

Buildings and Towers

Dams

Domes

Environment

Structures

Challenges

Transportation

Tunnels

Works of Art

STEM Education Content Standards:

National Science Education Standards, K-4 (ages 4-9)

• Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
  Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
  Understanding about scientific inquiry
  
  
• Content Standard B: Physical Science
  Properties of objects and materials
  
  
• Content Standard E: Science and Technology
  Abilities of technological design
  Abilities to distinguish between natural objects and objects made by humans
  
  
• Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science
  Science as a human endeavor
  

Science Education Standards Grades 5-8 (ages 10-14)

• Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
  Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
  Understandings about scientific inquiry
  
  
• Content Standard B: Physical Science
  Motions and forces
  
  
• Content Standard E: Science and Technology
  Abilities of technological design
  Understandings about science and technology
  
  
• Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
  Science and technology in society
  
  
• Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science
  Science as a human endeavor
  History of science

ITEA for Technological Literacy, All Ages

• Nature of Technology
  Standard 1: Students will develop an understanding of the characteristics and scope of technology.
  
  
• Technology and Society
  Standard 5: Students will develop an understanding of the effects of technology on the environment.
  Standard 6: Students will develop an understanding of the role of society in the development and use of technology.
  
  
• Design
  Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design.
  Standard 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving.
  
  
• Abilities for a Technological World
  Standard 11: Students will develop abilities to apply the design process.
  
  
• The Designed World
  Standard 20: Students will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use construction technologies.