Teach Engineering
Design a Flying Machine
Wrap up the unit in one final design. Pairs use their knowledge of aviation to design new flying machines and record how their designs take into consideration the forces that act upon airplanes. The pupils determine whether their designs...
Curated OER
Design Your Own Building
Students explore the use of design principles in the real world. They evaluate how problems can be solved using design principles. In groups, students design the floor plan for a building of their choice.
New York City Department of Education
Designing Euclid’s Playground
Create a geometric playground. Pupils work through a performance task to demonstrate their ability to use geometric concepts to solve everyday problems. The accompanying engineering design lessons show teachers how the assessment works...
Dick Blick
ArtStraw Architecture
While architects and engineers don't often build with plastic straws and foam board, the same principles still apply. Challenging both the creativity and critical thinking of students, this engaging design project is perfect...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Balloon Astronaut
Design protection from high-speed particles. The STEM lesson plan highlights why astronauts need protection from space debris. Pupils use the design process to design, build, and test a spacesuit that will protect a balloon from a...
Curated OER
Traveling Through Time and the Consideration of Design
Students develop a greater understanding of how societal and environmental effects existing during each period of time impacted the development of design styles. In this technology lesson plan, students develop an awareness of what those...
Curated OER
World Trade Center Design Proposals
Students explore architectural design. In this critical thinking and architecture lesson, students view a number of websites providing proposals for design plans of a new World Trade Center. Students choose and evaluate three...
Curated OER
Designing a 2-liter Pop Bottle Piece to be Used for Water Rockets
Students design and create water rockets using recycled materials. In this technology instructional activity, students measure and sketch their project design before drawing them using SolidWorks. They construct the bottle as accurately...
Curated OER
Heroes Portrait
Eighth graders investigate art appreciation and Renaissance portraits through time. They create a portrait.
Curated OER
Self Portrait using watch parts and tin - Mixed media
Students create whimsical self portraits using watch parts and tin - recycling. They demonstrate safety in using tools. They use a variety of materials to create a work of art , and demonstrate understanding of the elements and...
Curated OER
Mobile Forces
Students design and build original mobiles and consider how the forces of gravity and convection air currents affect the finished piece. They explore how an understanding of balancing forces is important in both art and engineering design.
Curated OER
Art in Engineering - Moving Art
Students study how forces are applied in the creation of art. They design mobiles and pop-up books while identifying which forces of nature act upon them. They look at air currents, gravity, and hand movement.
Curated OER
Ships 2: What Floats Your Boat?
Students design, build, and test the specifications (water displacement and load line) for a model boat. The instructional activity focuses especially on integrating design principles with inquiry-based experimental skills.
Curated OER
Double Self Portrait
Students meet an artist who overcame learning and physical disabilities and became a successful artist. They use a digital camera to imitate the style of one artist; and explore the connection between the use of technology and art.
Curated OER
Don't Forget the Three R's
Learners encourage one another in recycling. In this environment and art lesson, students create a new recycling bin that would help people in remembering to recycle.
Curated OER
The Power of Images
Students explore emotions represented in artwork. In this cross curriculum social studies and art lesson, students explain examples of political and social issues expressed in artwork by Dorthea Lang, Diego Rivera, Dan Eldon, as...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Human Body Exhibit
Explore human anatomy and physiology using models. Scholars study systems of the human body and design a display for a museum exhibit. To complete the activity, individuals create analogous models of their chosen human body systems.
Cornell University
Casting
Don't cast a great hands-on resource aside! Scholars learn about the process of casting by actually trying out an example. Plaster of Paris and cookie cutter molds help them complete the activity.
Curated OER
Composition Compositions
Students explore composition and symmetry to create their own digital media piece. In this design composition activity, students visit the online websites and examples of asymmetrical compositions and symmetry. Students sketch a...
Curated OER
Non-Objective Constructed Sculpture
Learners begin their examination of non-objective artwork. Individually, they participate in activities in which they take designs within other images and use them for their focus in their art. They create a sculpture with the new...
Curated OER
Glide Away
Students design and construct a gliding aircraft. They use the Internet as a research tool to gain background information about specific flight principles.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Transformation Creations
Learners "transform" an image into something completely different using critical thinking skills and artistic abilities. They improve skills in using digital cameras and word processors.
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—Fifth Grade
Young citizens construct an understanding of urban planning in this cross-curricular unit. Covering every aspect of city development from the political, economic, and social influences to sustainable building practices, this...
Curated OER
Composition
Ninth graders, while looking and examining a photograph provided to them, write a composition that exemplifies the photograph with at least three of the five composition rules illustrated with 100% accuracy. The composition is the start...