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Teacher Review for Backyard Engineers

Think like an Engineer using Simple Machines

Denis K.
 District 75 Special Education Science Instructional Coach
NYC Department Of Education
New York, NY
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My Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
My Subjects Math, Science
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My Rating
Learning Scores
Engagement
Pedagogy
Support
I Would Recommend It Yes
Setup Time Less than 5 minutes
Great for Creation
Further application
Individual
Great with ELL
General
Special needs
How I Use It
Students learn the basic principles of force and motion through the creation of simple machines to solve puzzles. This tool can be used to figure out how to use the least amount of resources to construct an object that has a specific purpose as a challenge activity in the classroom. A deeper understanding and projection of science concepts is needed to really make this game stand out.
My Take
Not sure if engineers think this way when it comes to solving puzzles, but it's an engaging activity for students who have trouble conceptualizing and creating things. This game allows them to do just that and even test their machines before letting them work.