Discovery Education
Wind Power
How do engineers turn something that is readily available, like wind, into energy? Scholars create a prototype of a wind turbine and attach it to a motor. They test out their prototypes and decide on their effectiveness. They also...
Cornell University
Beam Focusing Using Lenses
Explore optics using an inquiry-based experimental approach! Young scholars use a set of materials to design and build a unit capable of focusing a beam of light. They experiment with different lenses to determine the best approach to...
Curated OER
An Arm and A Leg
Young scholars examine how the movements of bones are dependent on the interaction of pairs of muscles. They design and construct a prototype of an artificial limb using a syringe system, and determine whether water or air makes the...
Perkins School for the Blind
Safety Crash Testing
Everyone knows that cars have safety features, but wouldn't it be fun to design your own? Learners with visual impairments build a ramp and then attempt to use the material provided to design a safety system to protect a raw egg from a...
Teach Engineering
Clay Boats
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...
Teach Engineering
All About Linear Programming
Class members connect engineering with an understanding of linear programming using a technical resource. Scholars learn about linear programming (linear optimization) and how it applies to engineering design in the first of two modules....
Curated OER
Inventors of New England
Students examine the ways that technology effects our daily lives. Students also identify the processes involved in designing new technology.
Teach Engineering
Tippy Tap Plus Piping
Getting water to a tap requires an understanding the fundamentals of fluid flow. Groups design, build, and test a piping system to get water from the source — a five gallon bucket — to a tippy tap. The objective is to be able to...
Curated OER
Express Yourself Lesson Seed 15: Theme
Build understanding of theme with an activity designed for The Cay and the Common Core. Small groups or pairs use graphic organizers to determine themes, find and record related details from the text, and formulate theme statements. In...
Curated OER
Building a Better Mousetrap
Eighth graders are introduced to the "Design Process" for technological development by constructing a prototype of a humane mousetrap. Students must record the steps their design groups go through while designing their prototypes and...
Curated OER
Making Kites
Learners engage in the study of kites and focus upon the evaluation and designs invovled. They conduct research into the different types of designs and use the information in order to create unique project designs. The drawings are...
Curated OER
Toy Inventors Workshop
Eleventh graders investigate the technology of designing toys by conducting interviews with preschool age children. Ideas are obtained for making new types of toys. They design the toys and then use computer technology to share the...
Curated OER
Invent a Backscratcher from Everyday Materials
Students explore the design process. They discuss why new products are made, examine backscratchers brought in from home and discuss why it is a useful device, and working with a partner draw and construct a backscratcher.
Curated OER
Sit on It!
Students design and create a chair. Students look at current stool design and come up with a prototype from donated materials. Students then test their chair in various settings.
Curated OER
Historic Earth Science Innovations
Students research the demands or limitations on Earth scientists. In groups, they design and build a model that would be useful to them in the lab or field. They share their model and their ideas behind it to the class and answer any...
Curated OER
Apply Technological Design and Scientific Habits of Mind
Young scholars are introduced to the principles involved with technological design. In groups, they use the Internet to research an important historical innovation and how it changed the world. They discover the barriers that were...
Curated OER
Apply Technological Design and Scientific Habits of Mind
Students are introduced to the concepts involved in technological designs. In groups, they design and build a technology related item using research to backup why they have chosen that specific design. They experiment by varying...
Curated OER
Design an Egyptian Playground
Students are broken up into four groups. Each group will use their knowledge about Egypt to originate a playground for Egyptian children. This will involve brainstorming ideas on paper, building a prototype with Legos or other material,...
Education World
Monster Mash
Students brainstorm ideas for an original product with the same name, "Monster Mash" and find a unique way to market their invention. They create a prototype of the package in which their product could be sold and focus on marketing...
Curated OER
A Monument Please, For the Big Cheese
Students research a President from the United States. In this United States history instructional activity, students read about their selected President and record interesting facts. Students design a monument for the President they...
Curated OER
Functional Homes
Students observe and reflect on habitats built and used by various life forms. They discover the benefits of the "homes" to the creature and its life and apply the natural designs to human uses.
Curated OER
Balsa Towers
Students build their own tower using concepts from previous lessons. They are given a set of materials to use and general guidelines. They share what they have created with their classmates.
Curated OER
Prototype Production
Learners create a product out of concrete. In this concrete lesson plan, students also demonstrate safety when using the tools provided.
Discovery Education
Hurricane Force
It's important to make sure houses can withstand winds. A hands-on activity has learners create a structure out of household materials. They use a fan to simulate hurricane-force winds to see if their structures can withstand the...