Students take on design and testing challenges drawn from real infrastructure, including filters, towers, dams, and stormwater improvements, with budgets and constraints.
19 materials written for this grade · refine by type, topic, or standard in the catalog
Grades 5–6 Lab / experiment
Teams build two column water filters in different layer orders, pour standardized muddy water through each, and compare clarity data in a fair, science-fair-ready test.
Grade 5 Math problem set
Ten grade 5 problems converting quarts and pints to gallons so a fictional town's crew can rank three leaks and assign its one long-lasting repair.
Grade 5 Lab / experiment
Teams weigh three soil cups over two days to find whether thin or thick mulch holds water better, then recommend a ring depth for a fictional orchard.
Grade 5 Project
A three-session grade 5 project where teams rule out two well sites on setback and depth rules, price the survivors, size a tank, and pitch a site.
Grade 5 Quiz & test questions
A grade 5 quiz where students review a fictional town's hydrant plan on a coordinate grid, test it against a coverage rule, and judge a proposed move.
Grade 5 Graphic organizer
A grade 5 trade-off organizer comparing three microbe-powered cleaning beds for a fictional town's small wastewater plant against four stated criteria.
Grade 5 Classroom activity
Teams pour a model of leafy creek water through three mesh screens, time each one, and choose the mesh that meets a fictional town's two intake rules at once.
Grade 5 Project
A four-session grade 5 project where teams design, model, test, and revise a mud-control plan for a fictional building site above a brook, then pitch it.
Grade 5 Math problem set
Nine grade 5 problems comparing a sealed mat and a porous pad for a fictional playground, using decimal volume work to pick the surface that meets a limit.
Grade 5 Quiz & test questions
A grade 5 quiz on two fish ladder designs for a fictional mill dam, mixing multiple choice, decimal computation, and a written design recommendation.
Grade 5 Graphic organizer
A grade 5 cause-effect chain organizer that turns a clogged model storm drain into a named failure point, a cause, two possible fixes, and a retest plan.
Grade 5 Math problem set
A grade 5 problem set where students test a sprinkler and a drip line against a school garden's water allowance, watering slot, and budget, then recommend one.
Grade 5 Lesson plan
A grade 5 engineering lesson where students use the roof-runoff formula to size a rain garden for Alder Grove Elementary and decide whether it can hold a storm's water.
Grade 5 Lesson plan
A grade 5 engineering design challenge where teams build a model dam across Wren Creek, test it for leaks, then improve one feature at a time in a fair second round.
Grade 5 Lesson plan
A grade 5 engineering lesson where students design a model water tower for Larkspur Elementary and calculate its rectangular tank storage in cubic feet and gallons.
Grade 5 Classroom activity
A grade 5 hands-on activity where teams compare still and stirred jars of muddy water to see how a settling basin lets heavy dirt sink out at a treatment plant.
Grade 5 Lab / experiment
A grade 5 fair-test lab where teams pour water through gravel, sand, and soil to find which drains fastest, then use the data to pick a base for a rain garden.
Grade 5 Classroom activity
A grade 5 hands-on activity where teams lay channels across a tilted tray to carry spring water downhill to a reservoir, then compare two gravity routes.
Grade 5 Classroom activity
A hands-on grade 5 engineering activity where teams layer filter materials to clear simulated muddy creek water, test results, and redesign for a second round.