Curated OER
Invention: Computer Technology
Middle schoolers comprehend that inventions can change the way we live. They comprehend that many inventions start out with design flaws and are refined later by subsequent inventors and designers. Students are explained that the...
Curated OER
Bridging History and Technology
Students study the history and importance of the Triborough Bridge in New York City, and then research different bridges and prepare presentations about them. They, in groups, research a bridge and prepare a poster about it.
Curated OER
How Clean is the Water?
Learners read about and discuss water and how it is used as a resource and how engineers use technology to preserve it. In this water lesson plan, students look at a picture of water treatment and tell what is wrong with the picture.
Curated OER
Cement and Concrete Engineering
Students explain the components of the engineering design process. In groups, they identify the materials that make concrete and practice curing cement using the various methods available. They develop a graph showing the amount of...
Science 4 Inquiry
Levitation Engineers: Exploring Forces
Levitation tricks have been documented from the early 1900s, so how do they do it? Scholars learn about the force of magnetism in an attractive resource. They watch videos and design experiments to understand the strength and...
Curated OER
Biomedical Engineering and Quality of Life Improvements
Students complete an observational or natural science experiment. They do systematic and experimental work using experiments that have been done by others. They research their hypothesis and gather information from several sources. They...
Curated OER
Using the Engineering Design Process to Dress for the Weather
Students study weather and define the appropriate dress for various weather patterns. In this weather and clothing activity, students discuss wearing appropriate clothes for specific weather. Students use the weather board to determine...
Curated OER
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Eighth graders explore mathematics by conducting a series of investigations using a colorimeter. In this math lesson, 8th graders explain the purpose of food irradiation. They collect data and graph them.
Curated OER
Design Engineer Problem
Students design a flower-pot and saucer. In this math lesson, students incorporate the use of technology to correctly build and shape a flower pot. They calculate the necessary mass of the red clay used to make the pot.
Teach Engineering
Incoming Asteroid! What's the Problem?
Oh, no! An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth!. Class members must rise to the challenge of designing a shelter that will protect people from the impact and permit them to live in this shelter for one year. In this first lesson...
Teach Engineering
Rocks, Rocks, Rocks: Test, Identify Properties and Classify
Time is growing short. Teams work together to identify physical properties of rocks in order to determine the properties that would best suit their cavern shelter design.
Teach Engineering
Ranking the Rocks for Desired Properties
Math rocks! Cavern design teams determine the rankings of rock types based upon desirability points. The points are connected to the properties of the rocks and their usefulness in building a cavern.
Teach Engineering
Just Plane Simple
It is plane to see that simple machines help reduce the force needed to perform a task. This resource introduces three of the simple machines--the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw, and the formulas in order to be able...
Teach Engineering
Clean it Up!
Harness the power of bacteria. Scholars see how using organisms that exist in nature can help solve human problems in the process known as bioremediation. They research and discuss several successful examples, such as using oil-eating...
Teach Engineering
Flow Rates of Faucets and Rivers
Go with the flow and use a helpful resource. A set of two activities has learners investigate flow rates. They first determine the flow rate of a faucet by measuring how long it takes to fill a bucket. Using the results, they make a...
Curated OER
Choosing A Search Site
Computer savvy kids construct a lift-the-flap poster to aid them in selecting appropriate search sites for research and information gathering. Through online observations, they record and compare the features of four children's search...
Curated OER
Where in the World is the Wide Web?
Sixth graders investigate how the web works and how to search effectively. In this Internet use lesson, 6th graders brainstorm positive and negative experiences they have had while on the Internet. Students view two web sites to learn...
Curated OER
All About Our Town
Pupils explore brochure writing. They work in groups to brainstorm and categorize important places in their community. In addition, they gather information from the Internet, take pictures using a digital camera, and create a community...
Teach Engineering
Aerogels in Action
Model an oil spill cleanup. An engaging engineering lesson has groups using aerogels to simulate an oil spill cleanup (vegetable oil in water). Along the way, they learn about nanotechnology and hydrophilia/hydrophobia.
Curated OER
The Hatfield and McCoy Feud
Learners explore West Virginia history with regard to Mountain and Appalachian Culture. They compare and contrast life now with life 100-150 years ago. They write and illustrate a short story about the life of children 100-150 years ago....
Skyscraper Museum
Building a Skyscraper
Creating buildings that reach hundreds of feet into the sky is no easy task. The third instructional activity in this series begins with four activities that engage young architects in exploring the major challenges that are faced when...
TryEngineering
Exploring at the Nanoscale
Discover a world too small to see. In the lesson plan, young scientists learn about nanotechnology and brainstorm ideas for new applications of it. They perform an activity to determine how surface area changes when objects are made...
Kenan Fellows
Assembly Required and the Design Process Too!
An engineering design lesson plan contains connected activities as a capstone engineering project. The activities revolve around the principle of improving an existing object and designing the manufacturing process in order to do so. The...
Skyscraper Museum
Building a Skyscraper
The construction of skyscrapers is no simple undertaking, involving the careful coordination and planning of many different people. The third lesson in this series explores this detailed process by first teaching children about the main...