Unit Overview
In A Stick in the Mud: Evaluating a Landscape, students explore landforms and erosion in the context of geotechnical engineering. The unit begins with the storybook Suman Crosses the Karnali River, in which a boy named Suman living in Nepal explores the field of Geotechnical Engineering in order to convince his father to build a TarPul suspension bridge in the best possible location. Over the course of the unit students build model earthquake-proof structures, analyze soil types, and use evidence to argue for their plan. Like Suman, students then follow the steps of the Engineering Design Process to imagine, plan, create, and improve their own model TarPul and to propose where to place it.
Core Program Unit Components
We recommend one Educator Guide per teacher, one Storybook per student, and one Materials Kit per 30 learners. Together, these components create a high-quality, hands-on STEM learning experience.
Program Components
Print + Digital:
- Printed copy of the Educator Guide containing instructions to facilitate the unit
- One (1) copy of the printed accompanying Storybook
- Digital access to the Educator Guide via yes.mos.org/curricula
- Digital PDF of the Storybook
Additional Program Components
- Storybook
- Available in print and digital for individual purchase to accommodate any class size
- Materials Kit
- Includes materials to support 30 learners
- Refill Kit
- Replenishes the consumable items from the Materials Kit
Ten Resources for Diverse Learners
As a set of high-impact resources, the Resources for Diverse Learners are designed to help remove distractions and decrease literacy demands so that all students can succeed in engineering and problem solving. They contain built-in vocabulary support, suggestions for objects to create context and background, multiple points of entry for different learning styles, and multiple ways for learners to express understanding meet the needs of today’s diverse classroom.
| Resource for Diverse Learners | Included in the Teacher Guide | Packaged with the Teacher Guide | Included in Digital Unit |
| Student Discussion Support | * | * | * |
| Teacher Discussion Support | * | * | * |
| English Learner Strategies | * | * | * |
| Differentiation Duplication Masters | * | * | * |
| Flip book StorybookEnglish and Spanish1 | * | * | |
| Character Cards1 | * | * | |
| Visual Vocabulary Cards1 | * | * | |
| Illustrated Engineering Design Poster - English | 8.5x11in. included (available for sale in 20x30 in.) |
* | |
| Illustrated Engineering Design Poster - Spanish | 8.5x11in. included (available for sale in 20x30 in.) |
* | |
| Materials Reference Sheet1 | * | * | |
| Alternative Lesson Progression | * |
1 Spanish version available in the Digital Unit only.
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