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Engineering a Lighthouse

Target Grade or Age

Grade Level: 4th - 9th

Our talented team of Museum educators are committed to providing an engaging experience that brings SOL-related content to life for your students. We bring passion and energy to each program to ensure the highest level of impact and retention. To learn more about this program, click on one of the format options listed below.

Choose your experience:

Duration: 75 minutes

Lighthouses are found along coastlines throughout the world and have been for more than 2,000 years. They help protect ships from dangers in the water and on the coast, serve as navigational beacons to welcome sailors home and guide them along their journey, and provide an important link between maritime history and the ever-evolving technology of ocean navigation. During this project-based program, students become civil and electrical engineers as they consider environmental conditions and work collaboratively to design, build, and test their own working lighthouse model.

Duration: 75 minutes

Duration: 75 minutes

Lighthouses are found along coastlines throughout the world and have been for more than 2,000 years. They help protect ships from dangers in the water and on the coast, serve as navigational beacons to welcome sailors home and guide them along their journey, and provide an important link between maritime history and the ever-evolving technology of ocean navigation. During this project-based program, students become civil and electrical engineers as they consider environmental conditions and work collaboratively to design, build, and test their own working lighthouse model.

Learning Objectives

Students will gain a better understanding of: 

  • Learn the history of lighthouses and their role in maritime navigation,
  • Understand the basics of lighthouse design and civil engineering, and, 
  • Better comprehend the effects of coastal erosion on local waterways.

Science (VDOE 2018):

  • Elementary: 4.1 (a-f), 4.4 (a), 4.7 (b); 5.1 (a-f), 5.4 (b,d), 5.6 (b), 5.8 (d)
  • Middle: 6.1 (a-f), 6.6 (d-e); LS.1 (a-f); PS.1 (a-f), PS.5 (c), PS.9 (a, c, e-f)

Math (VDOE 2016):

  • Elementary: 4.8 (a), 4.8 (d), 4.11, 5.8 (a), 5.9 (a, b)
  • Middle: 6.7 (c), 7.4 (a, b), 8.6 (a, b), 8.8

Next Generation Science Standards:

  • Elementary: 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-4, 4-ESS2-1, 4-ESS3-2, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-3
  • Middle: MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-4, MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-3

Pricing:

Payment can be made before the program, or we can invoice following your program.

  • Programs at the Museum are $4.50 per student.
    All adults accompanying a field trip are free.
  • Programs at your location are $4.50 per student.
  • Virtual education programs are $125 per program.

Reservations are required for all programs and are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. Programs fill quickly in the fall and spring, so make your reservations a minimum of two weeks in advance.

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