Hands-on engineering
Engineering Challenges
Students define problems, then design, build, test, and improve real solutions while arguing from evidence the ADI way. Built for grades 3 to 8 and aligned to NGSS and Texas TEKS.
NGSS & TEKS alignedHands-on build kitsGrades 3-8
How a challenge works
The seven ADI stages
Every ADI engineering challenge runs through the same seven stages, so students design, build, and argue from evidence the same way across grades 3 to 8.
1
Task
Define the problem
Meet the design challenge and guiding question, and sketch an initial idea.
2
Ideas
Gather key ideas
Read short texts on the science, concepts, and practices behind the build.
3
Plan
Plan the design
Tool talk, then teams plan their solution and get peer feedback on it.
4
Do
Build and test
Build a prototype, test it, collect data, and form a tentative solution.
5
Share
Argue from evidence
Draft an argument for the design, defend it in a session, and revise.
6
Reflect
Reflect as a class
Discuss the core science, recurring concepts, and practices together.
7
Report
Write and review
Write it up, peer review with the ADI rubric, then revise and submit.
What's in every challenge
Everything you need to run the challenge, start to finish.
Design Challenge Kit
Pre-packed build materials, organized by class size and ready to use.
Browse kits →
Teacher Guide
Setup, timing, and facilitation support for the whole challenge.
Browse teacher guides →
Student Handouts
Workbook pages that guide students through each step of the process.
Browse workbooks →
Learning Hub
Slides, rubrics, and digital tools for every challenge.
Explore the Learning Hub →