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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Build a Big Wheel

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
What does it take to prepare for a construction project? In an engineering lesson, youngsters examine how a Ferris wheel can turn and carry a load without falling apart. After reading up on big wheel designs, they create a model using...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Can You Canoe?

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
A neat handout immerses learners in the history of canoe making. After reading, small groups of mini engineers work to craft a canoe that will not be immersed! This is an ideal exercise in engineering design for your STEM curriculum or...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Water Fountain

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Thorough instructions are given to guide you through making a demonstration hydraulic pump from two plastic soda bottles. After using the resource to teach your class about Pascal's and Bernoulli's principles, turn them loose in groups...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Can You Copperplate?

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Introduce emerging engineers to the process of metal plating. This resource provides background reading on chemical engineering, plating, and corrosion. It concludes with a copper plating activity. The standards alignment list includes...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Fun with Speedboats!

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
After reading about marine engineers and naval architects, it's all hands on deck to design and test a speed boat. This lesson is designed for the Next Generation Science Standards in engineering and can be a centerpiece for a STEM...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Waterproof that Roof!

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Stop the raindrops from getting into the house! Eager engineers learn about roofing history and waterproofing by nanotechnology. They get into groups and work on designing a waterproof roof for a small model house. The accompanying...
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Activity
Perkins School for the Blind

Design and Problem Solving

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What if you had a design problem you wanted to solve, but were unable to draw because you were unable to see? Teach your learners with visual impairments that they can use Wikki Stix®, a braille ruler, Legos®, and Constructo Straws to...
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Activity
Perkins School for the Blind

Identifying and Using Tools

For Teachers 6th - 12th
How can you teach a person about technology and engineering if he has never been exposed to the tools and devices used to create and construct? Learners with visual impairments examine a number of common tools, such as hammers, wrenches,...
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Activity
Perkins School for the Blind

The Printing Process

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
The printing process was a technological innovation that revolutionized the modern world. Your learners with visual impairments can experience this process by creating a print by using letterpress printing. They use cardboard, glue, and...
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Activity
Perkins School for the Blind

Casting with Plaster

For Teachers 4th - 8th
What a fun lesson! Your class can experience the design and construction process by creating a mold and a duplicate for an engraved image. The lesson is specifically written for learners with visual impairments and allows them to create...
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Activity
Perkins School for the Blind

Testing the Strength of a Column

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Columns have been used throughout the world because they are good load-bearing structures. Learners with visual impairments conduct an experiment to work through the design process as well as to understand this engineering phenomenon....
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Activity
Perkins School for the Blind

Safety Crash Testing

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Everyone knows that cars have safety features, but wouldn't it be fun to design your own? Learners with visual impairments build a ramp and then attempt to use the material provided to design a safety system to protect a raw egg from a...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Wind Tunnel Testing

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
One of the factors that automotive engineers must consider is wind drag. The less wind drag, the more efficient the car will be. They perform many tests in wind tunnels, then refine their designs and test again. Using simple materials,...
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Lesson Plan
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education

Architecture and Construction: Stair Construction

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Within the context of the construction industry, algebra pros begin to calculate slope from the sizes of stair steps. This is a terrific lesson plan, especially for aspiring engineers. Just be aware that it might be a stretch to meet all...
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Lesson Plan
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Google

Advanced 5: Evaluating Credibility of Sources

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How do discerning readers determine bias and credibility? Ask small groups to figure it out! First, each group is provided with either articles or videos that contain bias. They examine the resources, respond to included questions, and...
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Lesson Plan
Google

Advanced 3: Narrowing a Search to Get the Best Results

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Familiarize your class with Google operators, specific symbols, or words they can use to express more clearly to the search tool what they want to find. With the resources included here, they can test their previous knowledge, view...
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Lesson Plan
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors

Marshmallow Catapaults

For Teachers 4th - 10th
After a brief lecture on levers, torque, projectiles, and the five-step engineering design cycle, young physical science learners or engineers build catapults out of craft sticks. This is an open-ended exploration of what works and what...
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Lesson Plan
Denver Art Museum

Lesson: That's Not Natural

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Any time kids engage in a design project, they are building problem-solving skills, collaborative learning skills, and creative thinking skills. Upper graders take a nature walk to observe and sketch organic shapes and lines that they...
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Lesson Plan
North Carolina State University

Pipe Cleaner Towers

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Small groups work together to create a tower out of 15 pipe cleaners under a set of imposed limitations. First, restrict team members to use only one arm, and then remove the use of spoken language. There is also a time limit. The brief...
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Lesson Plan
eGFI

Activity: Prevent Shore Erosion

For Teachers 7th - 12th
After calculating the amount of energy in a wave, future engineers plan and present to the class a design for a seawall that will minimize erosion on the shore. Not only must they consider the energy that will impact the wall, they also...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map that Habitat

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners participate in an activity that replicates the creation of sea floor bathymetry by taking a simplified form of soundings in the classroom. They discuss sea floor mapping technologies, sonar, soundings, and remote sensing,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Strong as the Weakest Link

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students recognize that compression and tension forces are important considerations in building structures. They construct their own building structure using marshmellows and spaghetti to see which structure can hold the most weight.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

AM I on the Radio?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students create a working radio by soldering circuit components supplied from an AM radio kit. They demonstrate an efficient soldering technique, identify the circuit components used to construct their radio, and explain how their radio...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Arm and A Leg

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners examine how the movements of bones are dependent on the interaction of pairs of muscles. They design and construct a prototype of an artificial limb using a syringe system, and determine whether water or air makes the appendage...