Investigate different types of math required for specific jobs. In this math in occupations lesson, use the Internet to research  what type of math one might need to know in order to be successful in different jobs. Complete a...

Create a geometric playground. Pupils work through a performance task to demonstrate their ability to use geometric concepts to solve everyday problems. The accompanying engineering design lessons show teachers how the assessment works...

Third graders perform statistical calculations. Given a bag of Skittles, 3rd graders sort and collect data regarding the colors included in their bag. Using spreadsheet software, students create a bar graph of the information collected....

Let's see how complicated we can make this simple task. The last activity associated with a 10-part series has groups design and build a Rube Goldberg machine. Teams determine a simple task to accomplish and use the engineering design...

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...

How do computers sort data lists? Using eight unknown weights and a balance scale, groups determine the order of the weights from lightest to heaviest. A second instructional activity provides the groups with other methods to order the...

Is there such a thing as useful microbes? Get ready to perform experiments on applying microbes for wastewater treatment. The first installment of the three-part unit provides background information to prepare young engineers for two...

Students design and construct a Rube Goldberg machine that accomplishes a simple task in at least ten steps. They view and discuss various Rube Goldberg designs, identify types of simple machines, and in small groups produce a schematic...

Eighth graders discover the relationship between speed, distance, and time. They calculate speed and represent their data graphically. They, in groups, design a ramp for their matchbox car. The goal is to see who's ramp produces the...

Assemble a great lesson on assembly lines. In the first installment of a nine-part technology/engineering series, future entrepreneurs learn about the manufacturing process, specifically about the assembly line and cycle time. The lesson...

Students take digital pictures of themselves before using a stylus pen on to trace their facial features on a graphic pad. Using an Internet gallery of body drawings they complete a caricature of themselves. In two other activities, they...

Third graders discover architecture and functionality by constructing a bridge.  In this bridge engineering lesson, 3rd graders utilize cardboard, straws, towel tubes and plastic bottles to create a model bridge similar to ones seen...

Students develop a working model computer program of a recycling center addressing the material management, work schedules and business finances of running the recycling center.

Middle schoolers are shown how to create their own database using different field types. They are taugt how to design their own layout-chaning font or size and color of text, adding background color and clipart. Students interrogate...

Here is a instructional activity that offers a great hybrid of forming new skills and using current knowledge to come up with a plan. The class brainstorms information they would need to know or already know about hybrid vehicles....

Make fast food restaurants even faster. Groups consider trade-offs when maximizing efficiency in fast food restaurants. Restructuring schedules and floor plans, as well reassigning job duties, all fall under this directive.  

The second installment of a seven-part series focuses on the refraction of light and how it affects the colors we see. Learners consider how this concept connects to biosensors for cancer detection.

The potential of the energy in the class is moving. The third segment in a six-part unit on energy provides a deeper understanding of kinetic and potential energy. Learners understand the relationship between mass, speed, and energy and...

Challenge your class to use their understanding of the engineering design process to design and build a small-scale, off-road prototype for an assistive technology device. Teams select materials to build their scale models, and, using...

Scholars harness the power of microbes with an engaging activity that uses yeast to break down sugar in water. Multiple setups of the same experiment lets learners determine which temperature results in the fastest rate of...

A messy fountain is potentially an energy experiment in disguise. Groups investigate the variables in creating a fountain from soda and Mentos. The last activity in a six-part series on energy has the class observe the fountain in terms...

Help your class find the the magnetic field of a toroid, a solenoid bent into a circle with an activity that allows the class to see how a loop of wire carrying an electrical charge behaves much like a magnet. The resource provides...

Students examine the basic concepts of radio waves and magnetic fields. They study how the AM radios are built and demonstrate the concepts of amplitude and frequency.

Students design a robot that can turn 90 degrees. In this robotics lesson, students explain the applications of their invention. They present their design in class.