Perkins School for the Blind
Identifying and Using Tools
How can you teach a person about technology and engineering if he has never been exposed to the tools and devices used to create and construct? Learners with visual impairments examine a number of common tools, such as hammers, wrenches,...
Teach Engineering
Tools and Equipment (Part 1)
Looking for the best inclined plane for the job? Groups calculate the theoretical mechanical advantage for four different inclined planes. They determine the actual mechanical advantage by measuring the amount of force needed for the...
Curated OER
Construct And Test Roofs for Different Climates
Students investigate what types of roofs are appropriate for various types of climates and environments. They discuss and observe different types of roofs and housing, listen to the book "Houses and Homes," select a region, and design...
Perkins School for the Blind
Casting with Plaster
What a fun lesson! Your class can experience the design and construction process by creating a mold and a duplicate for an engraved image. The lesson is specifically written for learners with visual impairments and allows them to create...
Colorado Unit Writing Project
Simple Machines
Planning an elementary science unit has never been simpler! These twelve lessons guide young scientists through an exploration of simple machines and their many uses in the real world before asking them to apply their learning...
Curated OER
Construction Worker Book
Students examine simple tools that are used in everyday life. In this construction worker tools lesson, students decide which tools should be used to solve the construction worker's problems in a manner that demonstrates the Simple...
Curated OER
The Ultimate Classroom: R & D
Redecorate a classroom on a budget. Middle schoolers rebuild a classroom after a disaster. They conduct Internet research to determine construction supplies needed and the most cost effective way to reach the predetermined results. They...
NASA
Water Rocket Launcher
How can you launch an object that isn't propelled by air? The resource provides directions to build a launcher to launch rockets made of two-liter bottles. The launcher, built mainly from materials found at the local hardware...
Discovery Education
Ahead of the Game
According to the movie Wildcats, "It's the sport of kings, better than diamond rings, football!" It is also, however, the sport of severe concussions and ongoing blows to the head. In order to keep our Seahawks soaring and Broncos...
Purdue University
Design of an Earthen Dam for a Lafayette Neighborhood
How do dams support bodies of water? Scholars engage in a hands-on STEM activity where they design, build, and test dams to learn about bodies of water and how humans use natural resources. They learn how criteria and constraints affect...
Curated OER
Gopher It! Exploring German Cyberspace
Students are introduced to the Gopher research tools. In groups, they compare and contrast English and German services on the gopher servers. They create their own dictionary of computer related terms and spend time downloading picture...
Chicago Children's Museum
Simple Machines: Force and Motion
Get things moving with this elementary science unit on simple machines. Through a series of nine lessons including teacher demonstrations, hands-on activities, and science experiments, young scientists learn about forces, motion,...
Discovery Education
Through the Looking Glass
Turning white light into colors only takes a little scientific know how! Young scholars create their own spectroscope in a hands-on activity exploring the properties of light. Using a diffraction grating, they discover how white light...
Curated OER
Peer Review and Collaboration Using Chat Tools and /or Voice Recorders
Students use audio devices to record a text and have a peer edit it. For this peer review and collaboration lesson, students write a short text on a topic provided by the teacher. After recording their text the message is...
Curated OER
Exploring Perimeter
Students explore perimeter. In this geometry and measurement lesson, students create squares and rectangles using given perimeters. Students construct four sided shapes with given perimeters using the computer program "Math Keys:...
Curated OER
Interactive Fractions
Learners determine the common denominator of two unlike fractions. They practice adding fractions and finding equivalent fractions of numbers. They compare and contrast different types of equations involving fractions and construct...
Code.org
One-way Functions – The WiFi Hotspot Problem
Pupils attempt to solve the Wireless Hotspot Problem and learn why it is considered a computationally hard problem in the ninth instructional activity of the series on 12. They also learn about one-way functions and how the Wireless...
Teach Engineering
The Magician's Catapult
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.
IMAX
Hubble
Explore what it takes to service the Hubble telescope. In the set of three activities, groups investigate several aspects of the Hubble telescope, including robotic arms used during repairs, spacesuits, and extravehicular activity (EVA)...
Curated OER
Mercalli Scale Illustrated
Young scholars study the Mercalli Scale and analyze how it is used to rate earthquakes. They construct a booklet with drawings that represent each rating of the scale. They study why engineers develop rating scales for earthquakes.
Curated OER
Build and Test
Young scholars display what they have learned about bridges as they construct their bridge. They present their projects to the rest of the class. They compare and contrast the construction of the bridges.
Teach Engineering
Exploring Energy: What Is Energy?
...Then the water heater exploded like a bomb. Using a video of an exploding water heater, the resource presents the definitions of energy, potential energy, and kinetic energy to be used in later lessons of the unit.
Teach Engineering
Maker Challenge: Adding Helpful Carrier Devices to Crutches
Make breaking a leg a less troublesome experience. Groups brainstorm designs for crutches that have devices that help carry items. They build prototypes of their devices to test out their designs.
Teach Engineering
Better By Design
Which modification is the best? Using the scientific method, pairs determine the effects of each control surface on the distance of a glider's flight. The activity, section 16 in a 22-part unit on aviation, allows pupils to gain a better...