What Does an Engineer Do?

Like other books in the “Engineering Everywhere” subgroup of the “Full STEAM Ahead” series, What Does an Engineer Do? is packed with colourful photos and limited text. What Does an Engineer Do? presents engaging examples of the connections between Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math.

The format of the book is very visually appealing. Photos show males and females of a variety of ages, ethnicities, and abilities demonstrating engineers in action. What Does an Engineer Do? describes some of the types of jobs that engineers do in space, on the farm, in health care, in sports, and elsewhere.

Questions about how to solve everyday problems, such as a backpack that is too heavy, a closet that is too full, and an ice-cream cone that fell to the ground, help students see themselves as problem-solvers.

Each book in “Engineering Everywhere” includes a Table of Contents, Words to Know, an Index and “STEAM Notes for Educators”. The notes outline activities intended to guide teachers and parents/caregivers to extend the ideas in the book. Worksheets to support the activities in What Does an Engineer Do? are found at www.crabtreebooks.com/resources/printables. These worksheets help student build a growth mindset. The link to www.crabtreeplus.com/fullsteamahead is not working at the time of this review.

The other three titles in “Engineering Everywhere” are Engineering in My Community, Mistakes Help Us Learn, and How Engineers Solve Problems. All of the books in the series are well-suited to primary students. The basic information in the set of four books is consistent but presented with a slightly different focus. It is worth purchasing the entire set if possible.