Students imagine they are stranded on an island and must create the brightest light possible with the meager supplies they have on hand in order to gain the attention of a rescue airplane.

Together with the video, Powers of Ten, this activity provides a quick lesson on using scientific notation as a tool to simplify some of the massive and minuscule numbers you'll encounter when looking at things on the extreme ends of a...

Learn how blade design affects the power output of a wind turbine. This is a short description but links to extensive information, a PowerPoint, and a lesson on designing your own turbine blades.

Students learn about the mechanical advantage offered by pulleys in an interactive and game-like manner. By virtue of the activity's mechatronic presentation, they learn to study a mechanical system not as a static image, but rather as a...

A transcript of many of the proceedings in the House of Representatives in 1941 leading the U.S. into World War II. Also includes declarations of war by the Axis powers.

A collection of links to projects and information on how to make different types of windmills, and a wave powered electricity generator.

Using a case study of the Cape Wind Project in Nantucket Sound, students examine the various points of view of stakeholders, and hold a debate to argue about the pros and cons of this wind energy project. Includes handouts for...

Hands-on challenge to design and build a paddle boat that moves across water using a rubber band as its power source. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, test, and redesign it if necessary. Activity...

After studying wind energy, student teams design and test a windmill that has to meet specific criteria. Afterwards, they evaluate the success of their design and how they could improve it.

Student teams measure voltage and current in order to determine the power output of a photovoltaic (PV) panel. They vary the resistance in a simple circuit connected to the panel to demonstrate the effects on voltage, current, and power...

Students research an animal or other living creature and create a life-span diary similar to the one they read about in the book Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin. PowerPoint presentations are made for students to use while sharing their...

The OYEZ Project is a vast multimedia relational database on the U.S. Supreme Court that contains abstracts for all leading constitutional decisions of the Court, authoritative oral arguments in streamed media format, and a 360-degree...

Students learn how engineers harness the energy of the wind to produce power by following the engineering design process as they prototype two types of wind turbines and test to see which works best. Students also learn how engineers...

Students are introduced to the concepts of torque, power, friction and gear ratios. Teams modify two robotic LEGO vehicles by changing their gear ratios, wheel sizes, weight and engine power, while staying within a limit of points to...

Hands-on challenge to design an air-powered rocket to take you to the moon that can hit a distant target. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, test, evaluate, and redesign it if necessary. Activity focuses...

This lesson allows students to identify the critical components of a story while developing expertise in creating and presenting multimedia presentations.

This resource describes the first phase of a Grade 6 teacher's lesson where students develop a plan for working on a research project and then collect information. Each student has chosen a topic relating to how the economic systems of...

Students learn about nuclear technologies in the 20th century. Some topics explored are splitting the atom, the Manhattan Project, and power plants. The resource includes historical information, a timeline, and a personal essay by a key...

A collection of inquiry-based and hands-on activities to introduce students to wind energy. Includes PowerPoints, labs, and videos.

In this activity, students must design and build a solar-powered car that can complete a 20-meter racetrack (66 ft.) in the shortest amount of time over flat terrain. They learn about solar energy and car designs, and test their...

Students create a concept design of their very own net-zero energy classroom by pasting renewable energy and energy-efficiency items into and around a pretend classroom on a sheet of paper. They learn how these items (such as solar...

This lesson introduces electricity, batteries and motors using a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot. The associated activity guides students to build a simple LEGO NXT set-up and see the practical implementation of the concepts discussed. Before...

UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina's GIRL Power! is shining a light on girls of ALL ages who lead, mentor, inspire and impact those around them by tapping into their unique strengths. Support materials are provided. This Collection...

This activity provides you with an opportunity to start thinking about the impact that farming can have on the way humans live and relate to each other. It will also allow you to think about the kinds of questions archaeologists and...