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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Peak Performance

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students design and build a car that is capable of traveling across the floor quickly, and also up a steep ramp.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build a Snowplow

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students design and build a snowplow using LEGO materials. They compete in an Engineer's Challenge to clear a path through Styrofoam peanuts.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Egyptians as Engineers

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Student design and build Lego vehicles that drag given amount of weight up an incline. They show how this demonstrates Egyptian methods of pyramid construction.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Gears Go Round!

For Students 3rd - 8th
Music boxes, bicycles, and clocks all have one thing in common: GEARS. You might say that gears make the world turn, since they are in so many mechanical instruments. How do they work and how do you know which gears to use? Find out in...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Jack and Jill Went Up a Hill and Came Biking Down After

For Students 9th - 10th
Are you a budding Lance Armstrong or Greg LeMond? Are you into cycling and speed? Then this is the science fair project for you. In this science fair project, you will determine the best gear ratio for your bike, to get the highest speed...
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Wide World of Gears

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In an interactive and game-like manner, students learn about the mechanical advantage that is offered by gears. By virtue of the activity's mechatronics presentation, students learn to study a mechanical system as a dynamic system under...
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Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Robot Design Challenges

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Through the two lessons and five activities in this unit, students' knowledge of sensors and motors is integrated with programming logic as they perform complex tasks using LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots and software.
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Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Poetry 180: Machines

For Students 9th - 10th
This poem describes the characteristics of an effective machine.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Hey Gear Heads! The Physics of Bicycle Gear Ratios

For Students 9th - 10th
Here's an abstract of a project from Science Buddies that asks you to experiment with bicycle gears and the circumference of the wheel to determine revolutions per minute.
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Website
The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute: Clocks Teaching Time

For Students 1st - 5th Standards
This site from The Franklin Institute presents a number of activities, games, exhibits, scavenger hunts, resources, links related to clocks and telling time.
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Article
Other

Focus Physical Review: Friction of Molecules

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an article published by the American Physical Society on friction in microscopic gears that results from the adhesion of molecules. A great exploration of this new obstacle in science.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Language Guide: El Coche

For Students Pre-K - 1st
these vocabulary words pertain to cars and everything to do with cars. Move your mouse over each colorful picture to hear the Spanish pronunciation for each word. Keep in mind that these vocabulary are specific to Spain.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Science Kids: Science Images: Gears

For Students 9th - 10th
This image shows a large gear and a small gear from two different angles. Understanding how gears work is important when learning about mechanical advantage and simple machines.