Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs: Building Big: Domes

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of resources about domes that includes basic facts about domes, challenges faced by dome builders, famous domes from around the world, and a lab that helps you understand different kinds of materials used to construct domes....
Lesson Plan
Science Museum of Minnesota

Thinking Fountain: Noodle: Build a Spaghetti Structure

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Design and construct a structure out of spaghetti and marshmallows. Although spaghetti doesn't seem like a strong building material, you can build surprisingly elegant and sturdy structures using it.
Interactive
Concord Consortium

Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Buildings and Earthquakes

For Students 9th - 10th
Do you think you can build a house that can withstand the shaking from an earthquake? In this activity, students design and construct model building that will be tested on a shake table with a force sensor. Activity includes questions...
Activity
Museum of Science

Museum of Science and Industry: Online Science: Build an Electric Motor

For Students 3rd - 8th
Step-by-step illustrated instructions show how to build a simple electric motor using everyday materials to make a wire coil spin. An explanation of the science involved is given at the end, as well as tips on troubleshooting any...
Article
American Institutes for Research

Center on Response to Intervention: Train the Trainer Materials

For Teachers K - 1st
These materials are intended for use by those wishing to conduct a Training of Trainers (TOT) for the RTI Implementer Series. TOT facilitators should have knowledge of the materials provided here, the Implementer Series training module...
Website
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Headspace 20: Architecture: Raw Materials

For Students 9th - 10th
Resource about the raw materials used for building: stone, wood, metal, and glass. Historic and modern uses are described. Includes interviews with architects and excerpts from literature relevant to the raw materials.
Website
archKIDecture

Arch Ki Decture: Building With Steel and Glass

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Using the John Hancock Center as an example, ArchKIDecture explains how a steel skeleton gives a building strength and permanence.
Lesson Plan
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

Iris: Buildings and Earthquakes Which Stands? Which Falls? [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This is an excellent collection of background material, resource and video links, and lesson activities on earthquakes and methods for constructing buildings that will withstand an earthquake.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Building Our Bridge to Fun!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students identify different bridge designs and construction materials used in modern day engineering. They work in construction teams to create paper bridges and spaghetti bridges based on existing bridge designs. Students progressively...
Lesson Plan
Other

Design Build: Exploring the Fundamental Requirements of Structural Design [Pdf]

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
In this activity unit from the Science Teachers' Association of Ontario (STAO), students fold paper to explore the properties and shapes of materials that give structures their stability and strength. They record their ideas as they...
Unit Plan
Other

Looking at Buildings: Home

For Students 9th - 10th
Website offers an introduction to architecture, including building types, materials, methods of construction, traditions, and history.
Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Building Towards the Future

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This curricular unit introduces students to basic Civil Engineering concepts in an exciting and interactive manner. Bridges and skyscrapers, the two most visible products of Civil Engineers, will be discussed in depth. Students will have...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Materials Properties Make a Difference

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the materials properties-such as acoustical absorptivity, light reflectivity, thermal conductivity, hardness, and water resistancea-of various materials. They use sound, light and temperature sensors to collect data...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Plastic Polymers: Building a Model

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students will use their prior knowledge about changes of matter including physical and chemical changes from the Houghton Mifflin science curriculum. Students will create a hypothesis to test the physical properties of materials such as...
Activity
Other

Lincoln Public Schools: Applied Technology & Engineering: Bridge Busters [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
In this activity, students design and build the lightest bridge to support the heaviest load. They investigate different bridge designs and building materials, learn key terminology, and test their prototypes in order to meet the...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Making "Magic" Sidewalks of Pervious Pavement

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use everyday building materials- sand, pea gravel, cement and water- to create and test pervious pavement. Groups are challenged to create their own pervious pavement mixes, experimenting with material ratios to evaluate how...
Website
Other

Hognosesam: Materials Metal, Wood and Plastic

For Students 9th - 10th
This site describes building materials, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to choose the correct material for a project.
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Cornell University: Cornell Center for Materials Research: The Physics of Bridges [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students incorporate their knowledge of civil engineering and physics principles as they design and build a bridge within certain parameters while choosing their own materials.
Activity
Maryland Science Center

Maryland Science Center: Build a Conductivity Tester [Pdf]

For Students 4th - 6th
Instructions on how to build an instrument that can be used to test which materials are conductors and which are insulators, in order to bridge a gap in an electrical circuit.
Unknown Type
Education.com

Education.com: L.3.2.g Worksheets: Consult Reference Materials to Check Spelling

For Students 3rd Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] A site with links to 15 worksheets that can be downloaded and printed for student use while building skills with standard L.3.2.G: Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Let's Build the Earth!: The Structure of the Earth's Crust and Interior

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
In this activity, students will make observations then construct a "sample" model representation of the Earth's layers. They will compare and contrast the movement and material in each layer explaining the location and what it contains.
Activity
PBS

Pbs Building Big: The Labs

For Students 3rd - 8th
An interactive series of labs describing some basic principles of Physics. The labs demonstrate different basic concepts of physics used in building and creating large structures such as bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams, and tunnels.
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Homes for Different Climates

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students learn about some of the different climate zones in China and consider what would be appropriate design, construction and materials for houses in those areas. This prepares them to conduct the associated activity(ies) in which...
Online Course
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Open Course Ware: Architecture Studio: Building in Landscapes

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Embrace nature when considering architectural design to bring the two together. Prof. Jan Wampler provides several resources including video clips.

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