Curated OER
Communication
Using a unique approach, learners practice communication skills. Placed in groups of two, one person creates a structure using Legos or Knex, and then gives his/her partner instructions for creating a duplicate without allowing them to...
Curated OER
Make a Spaceship
Students create a spaceship, satellite, or space station. In this space lesson, students consider design elements for buildings and objects in space. Students use K'Nex, Legos, or other household materials for their creation. Students...
Curated OER
Optical Illusion Machine
Students explore optical illusions. Using Legos, they construct and motorize a machine that has an axle that's geared up and geared down, complete a worksheet, and answer discussion questions.
Curated OER
Peak Performance
Students design and build a car that is capable of traveling across the floor quickly, and also up a steep ramp.
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Structures
Students choose which building material to use to create their structure and which animal to house. After being read a story, they examine and identify the differnet types of homes mentioned. They take pictures of their structures...
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Roll with the Punches: Depression Era Machinery
Students construct models of simple and complicated machines with Legos. Then they design an experiment using the scientific method. ESE modifications included.
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Keep on Standing!!
Students construct an earthquake simulator and create building models to test. For this earthquake lesson, students use the Internet and a slinky to demonstrate P and S waves. They construct an earthquake simulator as a class and use it...
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Ball-Launcher Design
Third graders use a simple design process to solve the problem of launching a ping pong ball the farthest distance. They discuss the design process, and in small groups, design, build, and test a launching device that adheres a variety...
Curated OER
Introduction To Orbital Mechanics
Students use NASA drawings to build a model satellite for a specific mission. They design a set of drawings for their satellite showing its subsystems as well.
NOAA
Oceans of Energy
Are the earth's oceans really just giant batteries, waiting for their energy to be harnessed? Middle school mechanical engineers will be shocked by the amazing amount of energy that forms around them after diving into part four of a...
Rochester Institute of Technology
Biomechanical Hand
In 1993, five biomedical engineers in Edinburgh, Scotland, created the first functional bionic arm. In the activity, learners explore the world of bioengineering through discussion and hands-on exploration. In groups, participants...
Discovery Education
Clutter Cutter
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...
Curated OER
A Tour of the Solar System
Students construct a spacecraft out of Lego blocks and other materials. They work on their models in small groups while building. They become familar with the planets while working cooperatively.
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Tomb Explorer/Temple Explorer
Fourth graders build an explorer vehicle which they program through an obstacle course to enter the tomb or temple to discover artifacts.
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students discover what simple machines are and identify a gear, a pulley, and a lever. In teams, they build at least two models each of simple machines and challenge them with specific instruction cards. Finally, students present and...
Curated OER
What's The Matter
Learners identify and describe the different stages of matter. In groups, the use lego pieces to represent the moving parts of matter. They use the internet to research the meanings of nano, micro and macro sizes. They also use the...
Curated OER
Junkyard Wars: Mechanical Monsters
Students examine slope and build a Lego car that can take a steep slope. In this mechanics instructional activity students build a car and demonstrate them in class and describe what they did.
Curated OER
The Home Stretch
Students read the novel Stone Fox by John Reynold Gardiner. Using Lego RCX units, students build and program sleds to re-enact the "home stretch" of the National Dog Sled Race.
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Earthquake Activity
Pupils design and build a vehicle using Lego. In this earth science lesson, students analyze the factors they need to consider when building their vehicles. They present their finished project in class.
Curated OER
Many Kinds of Bridges
Pupils examine how there are many elements that need to be considered before building a bridge. Groups are given materials and they are to make a structure that can hold an object in suspension.
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Fractions
Fifth graders, after inventorying, add up the numerators of their fractions to see if it is the same number as the denominator. If it is, then they are ready to build whatever they wish, but using only what is in their individual inventory.
Curated OER
Levers: Catapults
Students construct a catapult that shoots a cotton ball at least two meters using Legos, rubber bands, and plastic spoons. They discuss how the catapult works, and identify any problems they had with their experiment.
Curated OER
The Little Blue Engine
Learners listen to a read aloud of Shel Silverstein's, The Little Blue Engine. They design and build a Lego train that climbs a three foot incline, one foot at a time. They draw and write about their design.
Curated OER
Calibrating a Roverbot
Young scholars build and program a Lego Mindstorms Roverbot to travel for a given amount of time. They gather data on time versus distance traveled to determine a calibration constant for their robot, which relates time to distance.