+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Better By Design

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
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...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Clay Boats

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Clay itself sinks, but clay boats float. Why? Young engineers build clay boats to learn about buoyancy. They test the weight the boats can hold using washers and then tweak their designs to make improvements, following the engineering...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Determining Densities

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Don't be dense—use a robust resource. The second installment of a five-part Floaters and Sinkers unit has learners determine the densities of several objects. As part of the activity, they learn the displacement method for finding...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Egg-cellent Landing

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The classic egg-drop experiment gets a new bounce with an activity that asks pairs to design a lander similar to one used to land a rover on Mars within a fixed budget. The activity provides a great introduction to the idea of terminal...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

What a Drag!

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Stop and drop what is in your hand! Pupils investigate how form effects drag in the 12th part of a 22-part unit on aviation. Groups create equally weighted objects and determine which one falls the fastest by collecting data.
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Windy Tunnel

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Lift—it is about the wing's attack. Using a virtual wind tunnel, pupils investigate wing shape and angle of attack. Learners use worksheets to record their observations and to convert verbal relationships into mathematical equations in...
+
Activity
Teach Engineering

Watt Meters to Measure Energy Consumption

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It used watt amount of energy? This resource investigates the power usage of small household appliances. Using a watt meter, groups measure the actual wattage used by an appliance and then calculate the energy used daily. 
+
Activity
Teach Engineering

Efficiency of a Water Heating System

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Tired of waiting for hot water? Groups of three determine the efficiency of an electric water-heating device. They calculate the amount of energy it takes to heat the water and the theoretical amount of energy required to heat the water....
+
Activity
Teach Engineering

Household Energy Audit

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Do you have an energy hog in your home? Individuals pick at least one room at home to determine the amount of energy the appliances consume. Using that information, pupils fill out a worksheet to determine the cost of running each...
+
Activity
Teach Engineering

Energy Forms and States Demonstrations

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Does a tennis ball have energy? What about a bowling ball? Demonstrate concepts of different forms of energy forms and states with a variety of objects. Using the equations for potential and kinetic energy, learners determine the amount...
+
Activity
Teach Engineering

Light vs. Heat Bulbs

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Careful, that light bulb is hot! Compare heat and light energy using a simple light bulb. The exercise addresses energy conservation and presents actual calculations to determine the most cost-effective light bulb.
+
Activity
Teach Engineering

Energy Systems

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Is electricity created in the outlet? Using posters of several energy systems, collaborative groups identify and describe the parts of their systems. The groups also look at the environmental impacts of the systems and present their...
+
Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Working Together to Live Together

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Whose home is it anyway? Design teams plan a housing development in which they must also protect a native species. The teams consist of a project manager, civil engineer, environmental engineer, and graphic designer. Teams present their...
+
Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

Clutter Cutter

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Challenge young learners to cut the clutter with this fun engineering project. As employees of a home and office supply company, young engineers are asked to develop devices that organize everyday items. After participating in a...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Gumdrop Atoms

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
There's nothing sticky about the resource, unless you count the gumdrops! Scholars create a model of a lithium atom, complete with protons, neutrons, and electrons. It's just that these models are made with gumdrops and toothpicks.
+
Activity
Teach Engineering

Package Those Foods!

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Designing the right package — it's more than a pretty picture. Challenge small groups to design a food package. They must consider the type of food they are packaging and the package's ability to control the physical and chemical changes...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Weather Alert

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Every time a bell rings ... there is lightning in the area. The activity provides directions to build a model of a lightning detection system. Similar to a system designed by Benjamin Franklin, the system uses static electricity to...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Edible Rovers (High School)

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Design and build a rover ... then eat it? This activity has groups of two design and build Mars rovers. The teams determine what instruments they want to include with their rover and plan a budget. They calculate the cost of the body of...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

A Simple Solution for the Circus

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Class members are challenged to design a device that will move a circus elephant into a train car. Groups brainstorm ideas that use simple machines to load the elephant. They then choose one of their ideas, sketch a plan, and present it...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Machines and Tools (Part 2)

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Which pulley system will give us a whale of a good time? Teams compare the theoretical and actual mechanical advantages of different pulley systems. They then form a recommendation for how to move a whale from an aquarium back to the ocean.
+
Activity
2
2
Teach Engineering

The Magician's Catapult

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
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.
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Start Networking!

For Students 7th - 10th Standards
Class members create their own social networks by collecting signatures before graphing the interactions with their fellow classmates. The degree distribution of the simulated social network is determined by calculating the degree of...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Energy Skate Park

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Skate through a simulation on energy with an a activity that uses a computer simulation of a skater to reinforce the concept of conservation of energy. The resource guides pupils through scenarios using the computer simulation to see the...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Energy on a Roller Coaster

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Roll with your class into the idea of conservation of energy. Pupils use a roller coaster track to collect data to reinforce the concept of conservation of energy and the influence of friction. Class members then create a graph from...

Other popular searches