North Carolina State University
Construction
Engineering design projects serve as great opportunities for collaborative problem solving. In this case, students work in small groups designing, building, and eventually testing a structure that meets a teacher-specified objective. It...
Curated OER
Escape! Because Accidents Happen-Fire
Students view a video clip about fire safety. They work together to research fire safety strategies in public and private buildings. They create a prototype of a building using safety measures.
Curated OER
TE Activity: Survive That Tsunami!
Students examine the causes of tsunamis and observe a table top wave making machine. They make model houses while working in groups so that the can see how different construction types work. They discuss how engineers can design and...
Curated OER
Playground Safety at School
Students evaluate their playground for safety. They work in groups to identify any equipment that needs fixing or adapting and illustrate dream playgrounds that promote safe play.
Curated OER
Build a Tesla Coil
Students explore tesla coil through various experiments. In this physics lesson, students build their own tesla coils based on a given procedure. They discuss its real world applications.
Cornell University
Making a Battery
Don't be shocked when your class has a blast making their own batteries! Science scholars examine a dry cell battery, then design and construct a wet cell battery. The activity guides them through the parts of a battery, the variables...
Curated OER
Principles of Flight: Flying Paper Airplanes
Learners investigate ways to enhance an object's flying ability. In this model construction lesson, students construct two paper airplanes, one of which is twice as big as the first. Learners compare and contrast the two separate...
Teach Engineering
Battle of the Beams
Make the strongest beam possible using taffy? Groups mold a taffy-water mixture into a beam and a reinforcing material of their choice. To finish the final installment of a two-part series, participants test its strength by adding...
Curated OER
Concept Structures in Architecture
Students develop a creative building design. In this technology lesson, students create a model of their building using a computer software. They present their final product in class.
Curated OER
Aerospace Engineering
Twelfth graders examine the physics of rocket flight. They build and launch model rockets to measure their performances.
Curated OER
Strong as the Weakest Link
Learners 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.
Cornell University
The Physics of Bridges
Stability is key when building a bridge. Scholars explore the forces acting upon bridges through an analysis of Newton's Laws and Hooke's Law. The activity asks individuals to apply their learning by building a bridge of their own.
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #6: Solar-Powered Battery Charger
In a previous activity, learners build an ammeter. That ammeter, or a pre-made one, is required in order to carry out this activity. The objective is for lab groups to design a way to connect solar cells that can recharge a battery....
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Synthesis of Nickel Nanowires
It's all about the scale—they're not just wires, they're nanowires! The second lesson plan of the series builds on the oxidation-reduction experiment in the first lesson plan. Scholars synthesize a sample of nanowires using electrolysis....
NASA
Cleaning Water
From their sweat to the water vapor in their breath, astronauts recycle every possible drop of water while in space. After watching a short video describing the different ways materials are recycled and reused in space shuttles, young...
Curated OER
Designing and Building Catapults
Seventh graders complete a challenge to create a catapult that projects a marble or other projectile at least one meter. While experimenting they apply the Four Question Strategy to answer the question, " How can I make one modification...
Curated OER
Build Your Own Sling Psychrometer
Students construct a sling psychrometer and they measure the relative amount of humidity in the air. They create their own experiment on how to construct a sling psychrometer and how they are going to measure the relative humidity in the...
Curated OER
Rockets on a Shoestring Budget
Learners, operating under simulated budget constraints, build pop-rockets and launch them. Working in pairs, they complete budget worksheets and use their "Blast Off Bucks" to pay for the construction. They then redesign their rockets...
Curated OER
"Girls Only" Science Workshop
Young scholars design sleds. In this engineering lesson, students collaborate to engineer and build a real working sleds from the materials provided. This lesson was originally designed to be taught to a group of female young scholars.
Curated OER
School Lighting Audit
Students identify the data included in an energy audit. They perform an audit on the lighting in their school building. They complete a worksheet and discuss lighting issues with school staff.
Curated OER
Full of Hot Air
Students investigate technology and its many designs to make our lives easy. In this science lesson, students build a hot air balloon and answer specific questions about weight and rides in the hot air balloon. They analyze their data...
Curated OER
Liquid Conductors
Students identify liquids as conductors. In this circuits lesson, students build a circuit, then use various liquids to complete the circuit, and determine which liquids successfully conduct electricity.
Curated OER
Oscillations
Students construct and compare the actions of various pendulums. In this pendulum motion lesson, students build and test different types of pendulums. They conduct experiments with the length of the swing arm and apply mathematical...
Curated OER
Paper Dart Airplane
Students create a paper dart airplane and measure its flight pattern. In this flight lesson, students follow the included directions to build their own paper airplane. The students change the aileron configurations to see how it affects...