EiE: Designing Alarm Circuits Set 3 Check Availability

Unit Overview


All of the Engineering is Elementary Curriculum is available for FREE from Youth Engineering Solutions at yes.mos.org.  

  • 4 lessons (plus an introductory lesson)
  • 8–10 hours of instructional time
  • Grades 1-5

How do electrical circuits work? The lessons in this unit will get students thinking like electrical engineers, starting with the storybook A Reminder for Emily, about a girl living in the Australian outback who needs an alarm to remind her when it’s time for chores around the ranch. The hands-on activities in this unit reinforce science concepts including conductors and insulators, schematic diagrams, and circuits. For the final engineering design challenge, students plan, create, and improve their own alarm circuit. 

Engineering is Elementary Unit Components

Engineering is Elementary units consist of three components: teacher guides, storybooks, and materials kits. Teacher guides include four detailed lesson plans, one context-setting storybook, background content, teacher tips, suggestions for English Learner differentiation and grade level adaptation, and duplication masters for student handouts and assessments. Find additional unit-specific resources below to enhance student learning with Spanish translations, content area connections, standards alignment, extension lessons, classroom videos, and more!