Curated OER
How Machines Help Us Stay Healthy
Students visit different departments at a local hospital to see how machines help peoples such as the CAT scan machine. They build a model of such a machine that shows how patients are moved in and out of the machine.
Curated OER
My Crazy Contraption
Fourth graders design a contraption, which contains five different examples of simple machines and works without intervention. They sketch designs and label its parts. They present their creations to the class and relate them to Rube...
Curated OER
TRIANGULATEERS IN THE REAL WORLD
Students explore about triangles and the simple machines that are made from those triangles. They are able to identify the kinds of triangles in the machines, tell how the triangular shapes make the machines function, and build a simple...
Curated OER
Interactivate: Introduction to Functions
This interactive website provides a variety of lesson plans according to which standards you are applying and which textbook you use. Introduce functions to your class by having them construct single operation machines and create...
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It's So Simple
Students use basic materials to create four simple machines. In this introduction to simple machines lesson, students are given four different scenarios that require a simple machine in order to solve. The students use devices such as a...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Choosing a Pyramid Site
Learners determine how engineers decide on choices for final designs and sites for construction. They look at a surveyor's report while they evaluate sites where a pyramid could be build. They consider the distance the pyramid would be...
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TE Activity: Pulley'ing Your Own Weight
Students experiment with common objects such as spools, string and soap to determine how pulleys make it easier to move large objects. They look at the difference between fixed and movable pulleys. They examine the many uses engineers...
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Inverse (Indirect) Machines
Students observe relationships between quantities. Students complete activities for three different classes of levers. In groups, students build each type of lever. Students identify levers in their daily surroundings. Students observe...
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Measuring Work
Students explore what work is, measure work done in moving an object, and tell how energy is related to work in both machines and the human body. For this measuring work lesson plan, students walk up a flight of stairs, measure the...
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20 Questions: Can You Stump the Machine?
Students use technology to help them think critically. They collect data related to the tool, which asks 20 questions. They discuss how the technology in the machine makes it work.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Clipper Creations
Young scholars create their own model of a nail clipper. They practice using engineering design and model building. They also identify different kinds of small levers.
Curated OER
A Tour of the Solar System
Students construct a spacecraft out of Lego blocks and other materials. They work on their models in small groups while building. They become familar with the planets while working cooperatively.
Curated OER
Catch a Dream
Young scholars apply the concepts of air pressure, the Bernoulli Effect, and angle of attack to build their own model planes out of paper, plastic, wooden rods, and drinking straws.
Curated OER
Making Connections
Eighth graders investigate the input/output model for building function tables. From the data, 8th graders connect tables, graphs, function rules, and equations in one variable. They work backwards to determine function rules for given...
Curated OER
Watch It Slide!
Students work together to examine inclined planes. They create a plan to raise rocks to build pyramids. They discover the changes that occur when the angle is increased or decreased.
Curated OER
The Sum of the Parts
Second graders observe some everyday common objects in order to attempt to learn about simple systems and how they fit together. They observe small details in order to identify the parts of a whole design.
Curated OER
Designing a Safe City Like a Civil Engineer
Students study civil engineering, safety apparatuses in their city, and design their own city. For this civil engineering lesson, students discuss their towns safety apparatuses and define civil engineers. Students then design their own...
Curated OER
Investigation: Crazy Caterpillars
First graders explore biology patterns by creating a model insect. In this patterns lesson, 1st graders utilize snap cubes and pattern blocks to recreate their own version of a centipede or caterpillar. Students create their caterpillars...