Smithsonian Institution
Be a Food Detective
What are packaged food products really made of? This lesson will prompt your learners to consider and investigate the source of ingredients in their food. They begin by breaking into groups and analyzing food labels by identifying...
Lawrence Hall of Science
Photolithography
Examine the use of photolithography in the fabrication of circuit boards and other components. An advanced activity teaches pupils a process for transferring a pattern onto a surface. Using UV light and a light reactive substance,...
University of Northern Iowa
Clothing
As part of an investigation of the folk traditions of their area, class members research the articles of clothing worn at earlier times, the fibers and materials, and the machinery used to produce these items. In addition, class members...
Lincoln Public Schools
Cereal Box Project
Challenge your class with this fun and engaging engineering design project. The goal, to create a brand new cereal complete with a list of ingredients, a name and logo, and a box to hold it in. Starting with a survey to determine the...
University of Wisconsin
Why Did the Triangle Fire Occur?
An investigation of the 1911 New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire leads class members to examine primary and secondary source materials related to the event and apply what they learn about the working conditions at the time to...
Teach Engineering
Design Step 5: Construct a Prototype
Enough with the talking, let's build something! In the fifth step in the engineering design process, young engineers build a prototype to test their ideas. The lesson walks them through the process of evaluating it step-by-step....
Curated OER
Materials and Manufacturing
Students explore materials used in manufacturing. In this science lesson, students investigate the suitability of building materials. Students read The Three Little Pigs and discuss the building materials used in the story.
Curated OER
Manufacture of Cheese
Pupils examine the steps and safety procedures in the cheese making process. They make and taste a variety of cheeses comparing their properties.
Curated OER
Manufacture of Ground Beef
Young scholars study the proper temperature and technique to cook ground meat safely. They examine the critical control points when ground beef is being processed.
Kenan Fellows
Assembly Required and the Design Process Too!
An engineering design lesson plan contains connected activities as a capstone engineering project. The activities revolve around the principle of improving an existing object and designing the manufacturing process in order to do so. The...
Virginia Department of Education
Soap, Slime, and Creative Chromatography
Do you think chromatography paper suffers from separation anxiety? Young chemists make soap, slime, silly putty, and experiment with chromatography in this lesson plan. The material includes clear instructions for each experiment along...
Discovery Education
Design a Shoe
If the shoe doesn't fit, design a new one. Discovery Education challenges pupils to put the engineering process in action by designing a shoe. Groups design and build a shoe prototype based upon the client constraints outlined in the...
Beyond Benign
Water Bottle Unit
How much plastic do manufacturers use to create water bottles each year? The class explores the number of water bottles used throughout the years to determine how many consumers will use in the future. Class members compare different...
Curated OER
Saving Humpty Dumpty;Recycling, Environmental Science, Math, Ecology, Athletic Shoes
Students describe how shoe design, manufacturing, retailing, consumer use, and disposal impact environments and societies. They discuss ways to reduce, reuse, or recycle resources in the life-cycle for a shoe product.
Curated OER
Manufacturing in Northern Ireland
In this manufacturing instructional activity, students match words from a word bank to one of two pictures showing work environments, categorize jobs under the categories of primary, secondary, and tertiary, then write short descriptions...
Curated OER
How They Get Building Materials Out of the Ground
Learners experience a virtual quarry. In this science musical lesson plan, students understand how materials are quarried and manufactured from rocks, musically interpret a quarrying sequence with untuned musical instruments, and...
Curated OER
Chemistry of Iron and Charcoal Manufacturing in PA
Students examine the historical purpose of the forests in Pennsylvania and investigate how the iron manufacturing process works. In this chemistry lesson plan students write the chemical formula for making charcoal.
Curated OER
"A Material World" - Properties of Material
Students study the relationship between and objects function, the choice of materials and the origin of the materials. In this material properties lesson students research the Internet, then create a presentation based on their research.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Conveyor Engineering
Moving along the line. Class members research how a conveyor belt works in order to gain background information. Groups then design a conveyor belt that will carry a piece of candy four feet and along a 90-degree turn. The groups build...
Curated OER
Chocolate Asphalt Cookies
Students make no-bake cookies to learn basic engineering principles, road construction and material science. They experience properties and changes in matter.
Curated OER
The Properties of Clay
Sixth graders determine the physical properties of clay by examining ceramic works of art. They evaluate local soil samples for suitability for sculpting and compare clay taken from soil to manufactured clay.
Cornell University
Fibers, Dyes, and the Environment
Nanofibers can be made through electrospinning or force spinning in order to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Pupils study the role of fibers and dye on the environment through a series of five hands-on activities. Then,...
Curated OER
Solar Electricity ~ The Colour Sensitivity of a Photovoltaic Cell
Teacher's notes, a materials list, detailed procedure, tips, and extension ideas are all included to make teaching this lesson on photovoltaic cells a sunny spot in your day! After some brief background reading, physical science...
Curated OER
Make Your Own Temperature Scale
Differentiate between temperature and thermal energy. Your class will build a thermometer using simple materials and develop their own scale for measuring temperature. Discuss with your class and consider why engineers need to understand...