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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Dispenser Designs

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
After reading about the history of tape dispensers, learners compare and contrast different dispenser designs. Next, teams work within budgetary and time constraints to design a better dispenser. When finished, each engineer reflects on...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Popsicle Bridge

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Using popsicle sticks and glue, groups must work together to design and build a bridge that can support weight and is aesthetically pleasing. The lesson begins by learners reading about different features of bridge architecture, followed...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Assembly Line

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Working under specific constraints and with designated criteria, groups work together to create a product using an assembly line process. In addition, they work through the entire engineering design process with an excellent graphic to...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Interactive Gumball Machine

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Sure, you may be able to build a better mousetrap, but what about a gum dispenser? In a fun engineering challenge, teams must design and build a working interactive gumball machine with specific constraints and criteria.
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Statue Display Tower

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Sometimes engineering problems that seem easy prove to be more challenging than imagined. Present your class with the challenge to build a functional display tower to support a statue using only the supplies available in class while...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Water Tower Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Providing clean water to a town is quite a feat... is your class up for the challenge? After a short reading about water towers, groups work together to design a working water delivery system. The water flow must be adjustable (able to...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Toxic Popcorn Design Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Engineering enthusiasts are sure to explode in understanding as they practice the engineering design process (EDP). A container of "toxic popcorn" is placed in the classroom. Teams must work together to devise a method for removing it...
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Lesson Plan
Trash For Teaching

The Light-House Project

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Groups work together to design a lighthouse, from designing and drawing the wiring diagram, to creating prototypes of the switch and circuit, to envisioning and building a scale model along with a blueprint. By including different...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Engineer a Dam

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
To begin the learning about dams, learners read (or are read to, depending on the age group) a passage about how dams work. Next, they work in groups to use the materials provided to build a small scale working dam. After the experience,...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Working with Wind Energy

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
After reading about how wind turbines work to collect clean energy, groups brainstorm and design their own windmill. Within the provided financial and physical constraints, groups must build a working windmill using only the materials...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Engineering Design Process

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Design your own video game, engineer accident-proof highways, or even develop a new phone app! The Engineering Design Model can be used with all ages and in all subject areas to create a product, system or service. The resource explains...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Don't Crack Humpty

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students investigate the engineering design process and the relationship between distance, time, and speed. Using a generic car base, small groups design a device that will protect an egg on or in the car as it is rolled down a ramp at...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tower Investigation and the Egg

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students build three types of towers, engineering them to hold an egg one foot high for 15 seconds. They discover that engineering designs are subject to constraints such as time, money and size specifications. In this activity students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wind Chimes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students construct wind chimes using physics. In small groups they design and create wind chimes using a specific weights, number of notes, and keeping the cost under ten dollars.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using the Engineering Design Process to Dress for the Weather

For Teachers K
Students study weather and define the appropriate dress for various weather patterns. For this weather and clothing lesson, students discuss wearing appropriate clothes for specific weather. Students use the weather board to determine...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invent a Backscratcher from Everyday Materials

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore the design process. They discuss why new products are made, examine backscratchers brought in from home and discuss why it is a useful device, and working with a partner draw and construct a backscratcher.
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Interactive
Concord Consortium

Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Building a Zip Line

For Students 3rd - 5th
For this interactive, students plan, create, and test a zip line that will transport a hard-boiled egg without breaking it. They will make improvements on their design based on data about its performance. A motion sensor is required in...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Launch It (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to design an air-powered rocket to take you to the moon that can hit a distant target. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, test, evaluate, and redesign it if necessary. Activity focuses...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Watercraft (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to build an unsinkable boat out of straws and plastic wrap that can hold twenty five pennies. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to build, test, evaluate, and redesign it if necessary. Also, includes...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Zip Line (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to design and build a ping-pong ball carrier that can go from the top of a zip line string to the bottom in four seconds or less. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, test, and redesign...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Touchdown (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to build a shock-absorbing system that will protect astronauts when they land on the moon. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, test, evaluate, and redesign it if necessary. Activity...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Roving on the Moon (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to build a rubber band-powered cardboard car (rover) that can scramble across the room. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to build, test, evaluate, and redesign the car if necessary. Activity focuses on...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Heavy Lifting (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to build a cardboard crane for a moon mission and see how heavy a load it can lift. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to build, test, evaluate, and redesign it if necessary. Activity focuses on the...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: On Target (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to modify a paper cup so it can zip down a line and launch a marble on a target. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, test, evaluate, and redesign it if necessary. Activity focuses on the...