Primary School (K-2)
Every human-made product is designed by applying some knowledge of the natural world and is built using materials derived from the natural world.
Taking natural materials to make things impacts the environment.
Elementary School (3-5)
People's needs and wants change over time, as do their demands for new and improved technologies.
Engineers improve existing technologies.
Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to increase their benefits, to decrease known risks, and to meet societal demands.
When new technologies become available, they can bring about changes in the way people live and interact with one another.
Middle School (6-8)
All human activity draws on natural resources and has both short and long-term consequences, positive as well as negative, for the health of people and the natural environment.
The uses of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions.
Technology use varies over time and from region to region.
High School (9-12)
Modern civilization depends on major technological systems. Engineers continuously modify these technological systems by applying scientific knowledge and engineering design practices to increase benefits while decreasing costs and risks.
Engineers continuously modify these technological systems by applying scientific knowledge and engineering design practices to increase benefits while decreasing costs and risks.
New technologies can have deep impacts on society and the environment, including some that were not anticipated.
Analysis of costs and benefits is a critical aspect of decisions about technology.