TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Maze Challenge
As the first engineering design challenge of the unit, students are introduced to the logic for solving a maze. student groups apply that logic to program LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots to navigate through a maze, first with no sensors, and...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Hare and Snail Challenges
Students extend the ideas learned in the maze challenge in this unit with a focus more on the robot design. They learn how to design the gear train from the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT servomotor to the wheel to make the LEGO taskbot go faster...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Design Weather Instruments Using Lego Sensors
Students will design and create a LEGO structure that will house and protect a temperature sensor. They will leave the structure in a safe spot and check the temperature regularly and chart it.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Wimpy Radar Antenna
Students will reinforce an antenna tower made from foam insulation, so that it will withstand a 480 N-cm bending moment (torque) and a 280 N-cm twisting moment (torque) with minimal deflection. One class will be used to discuss the...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Robot Design Challenges
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.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Skyscrapers: Engineering Up!
Skyscrapers are one of the most glorified products of Civil Engineering and contain an interesting history of progress and development. In this lesson plan, the middle schoolers will learn about the history of the world's tallest free...
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Objects From Colonial Dutch America
The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents "Architecture, Furniture, and Silver from Colonial Dutch America". This is an on-line overview of the exhibit that features works both decorative and utilitarian objects from from Colonial Dutch...
NASA
Nasa: Jsc Home Page
NASA's Johnson Space Center is located near Houston, Texas and was constructed as "the primary center for: design, development testing of spacecraft and associated systems for human flight; selection and training of astronauts; planning...
University of St. Andrews (UK)
University of St. Andrews: John Von Neumann
The University of St. Andrews provides a biography on John von Neumann. Learn about his contributions to game theory and computer science.
Other
Arts Connect Ed Playground Make It
Eight fun on-line art activities where young artists get to create, color, and design.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Engineering: Html Tutorial
Created to teach students of the 21st century, SOPHIA is bringing the world of engineering straight to your fingertips. Become the commander of your own learning experiences as you take part in this interactive lesson regarding html.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum: Cold War Modern: Design,1945 70
Museum exhibition canvasses the design of the cold war period. The focus of the exhibition is on making the connections between artistic production of the time and the era's prevailing political and social ideas.
Other
Rube Goldberg Machine Contests
This is the home site for the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. The competition is on to see who can build the zaniest machines. Read about machine ideas, contest winners, and how to build a Rube Goldberg Machine.
Science Museum of Minnesota
Thinking Fountain: Straws: Make a Glider
Design and construct a glider that files! Compare the flights with classmates' prototypes to test the success of your design.
Other
The Art of Logo: Part 1
How form, color, fonts, and finishes combine to create logos are explained in this 1997 web design article, which takes you step-by-step through creating sample logo.
Other
Design Museum (London)
Included at this site is a large collection of links to individual architects and designers. Each link includes a lengthy biography of the artist along with a series of pictures, a timeline of their life, and a listing of bibliography...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Engineering in Reverse!
Students learn about the process of reverse engineering and how this technique is used to improve upon technology. Students analyze push-toys and draw diagrams of the predicted mechanisms inside the toys. Then, they disassemble the toys...
Science Museum of Minnesota
Thinking Fountain: Noodle: Build a Spaghetti Structure
Design and construct a structure out of spaghetti and marshmallows. Although spaghetti doesn't seem like a strong building material, you can build surprisingly elegant and sturdy structures using it.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: A Place in the Shade an Engineering Challenge
Kindergarteners can participate in the engineering and design process in this challenge in which they try to keep an ice cube from melting. Included in this activity are samples of student's structures, a video of a kindergarten class...
University of California
South Coast Science Project: Mimicking Plants and Animals Lesson Plan
In this lesson, young scholars are challenged to think about external features that animals and plants have that humans have copied. Students then apply their engineering skills to design a jacket. In addition, this activity introduces...
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad Nation: Games: Fidgit
This resource allows students to practice engineering skills while trying to win a fun interactive game.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Goody Goody Gumdrop! Building Structures Are Fun!
In this lesson, the children will be building a physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object, such as triangles, helps it function. At the end, the children will test their gumdrop structures and the class will collectively...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Toy Vehicle Design
In this instructional activity, students prepare their design plans for building their own toy vehicle from local manufacturers' discards. They start to conceptualize what may help the vehicle roll straight and far as they discuss ideas...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Thousands of Tiny Pieces Can Create Something Big!
Simon Rodia built the Watts Towers by gathering fragments of "junk" he found in the neighborhood. He put all of these small pieces together to build a spectacular tower. Students will observe that something BIG can be created from lots...