Second graders explore different engineering careers. In this math lesson, 2nd graders create a winning cooking recipe. They role play a mock cookie sale during the culminating event.

Learners design and construct a tower out of newspaper using a limited supply of newspaper, tape, and scissors. After completing their designs, they identify which designs can withstand the self-weight of the newspaper tower as well as...

How do engineers determine the most efficient highway designs? Introduce young scientists to the world of topology, the branch of mathematics that examines how things are connected. Teams use model highways to create the most...

Take a load off! Introduce junior engineers to the effects of load on structural design with an easy-to-use interactive. Individuals apply one of many load options, examine its effects, then learn about the safeguards employed during...

First graders discover the contributions of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges in the Civil Rights Movement. Books and recordings are used to help students explain how important they were in the movement.

Young scholars build a model of a suspension bridge and test the amount of weight it will support. For this engineering lesson, students study types of bridges and attempt to construct a suspension bridge shown in a diagram. They use...

Students apply abstract concepts, such as stress, fulcrums, the law of gravity, and the strength of different geometric shapes. Groups of student contractors operate simulated architectural firms to create strong, economical bridges.

Learners develop and build an irrigation system in which they move water from one source to two different locations. In this water irrigation lesson, students work in small groups to determine how civil engineers have developed systems...

Pasta is great for cooking—and for making Ferris wheels. Aspiring engineers use an assortment of pasta types to create a functioning Ferris wheel. They keep track of the design process to refine their designs, if necessary. Let's hope no...

Newspapers aren't really the first material that comes to mind when building a fort. Pupils use newspaper rolls to design and build a sturdy structure. They consider how different shapes, like trusses, affect the strength of their...

Students examine the bridges of Washington State. They focus on the suspension bridge between Tacoma and Gig Harbor. They see how three different types of bridges work by rotating students through bridge stations.

The mobilization of soldiers for World War II resulted in a worker shortage in the defense industries, especially in the fields of physics and other sciences. The Engineering, Science, and Management War Training program (ESMWT) was...

There has been an earthquake! Can you listen to the description of damage given by callers in order to determine the epicenter? The 11th of 20 lessons has pupils read a script of one emergency caller. The class records the information on...

Young scholars discover what forces work together to hold up a suspension bridge. They see various bridges around the world, and learn the basic principles that enable each bridge to support itself. Groups design their own bridge,...

Students design and build their own balsa wood model bridges. The technological development of bridges, the science principles that apply to bridge building, and the construction techniques and skills necessary for creating a bridge be...

Students demonstrate tension and compression using real world examples. In this forces instructional activity, students demonstrate tension on a suspension bridge. They demonstrate compression on different roof designs.

Students apply knowledge of stresses and forces by building model structures. In this force lesson, students consider skyscrapers and bridges in the world around them and the stresses that these structures endure. They use their...

Class members work in pairs to build a catapult to launch a grape a given distance. The catapult project, a compound machine, reinforces pupils' understanding of simple machines.

Young scholars investigate slavery in America circa the American Revolution. They will examine point- of view and perspective as they research a variety of informational resources. While this is designed to be used with the PBS video...

Develop a model of a wastewater treatment center. The last activity of the unit has pupils mix a lake water sample into a tank of water containing fertilizers. Over time, the algae from the lake water grows and removes the nutrient-rich...

Meet me in the tunnels. Scholars choose a tunnel entrance and mark it on their side of the cardboard. They describe the location to their partners and see if they can guess each other's locations. Punching a hole through the cardboard...

Students investigate how engineers use different types of bridges for different places. In small groups they design and construct bridges for three different scenarios, and answer a series of investigating questions applied to the...

Students design and build an irrigation system that can move water from one place to another. In this engineering instructional activity, students test whether their system can move two cups of water to at least three feet from the...

Students make no-bake cookies to learn basic engineering principles, road construction and material science. They experience properties and changes in matter.