Like our "Whole Numbers, Fractions, and Decimals" activity, this fully realized lesson was created on a request from a middle school teacher. Taking advantage of constant feedback from teachers in the field, we produced a lesson that accomplishes the teachers' goals and conforms to national and state curriculum standards.

The lesson focuses on the steps in the engineering design process. From an initial problem—a hypothetical skateboard design contest—the lesson guides users through prototyping, testing, and redesign before finally arriving at a potential solution. An activity at the end of the lesson allows users to test their knowledge of the engineering design process.