Students study skyscrapers and how they were constructed.  In this tallest building lesson plan students construct a model of the tallest building in the world. 

Students consider alternative designs for a tall building and choose one of their designs to build. As a final step, they design and construct a model of a skyscraper.

Students view a video clip on skyscrapers. They discover how columns support different size loads. They participate in activities and discuss their results.

Students design and construct a tower out of newspaper using a limited supply of newspaper, tape, and scissors. After completing their designs, they identify which designs can withstand the self-weight of the newspaper tower as well as...

Young scholars define the word colossal, then read a news article about an enormous squid caught off Antarctica. In this animal studies and current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with dictionary and...

Learners design an amusement park attraction based on a fantastic journey from literature, film, or their own imaginations. Each design team must submit a formal proposal. The proposal should include: a two- or three-dimensional visual...

Class members are challenged to design a device that will move a circus elephant into a train car. Groups brainstorm ideas that use simple machines to load the elephant. They then choose one of their ideas, sketch a plan, and present it...

Students inquire into how the center of mass is the key factor in designing cars. They construct an oddly shaped object and determine its center of mass. They find that engineers are able to predict how objects will behave while they are...

Learners discover the types of stress that materials undergo. They examine how bridges and skyscrapers are built to withhold the tension. They create their own structure out of marshmallows and spaghetti.

Pupils participate in a mock investigation in which they must interview and record data given by 3 people ("witnesses") in an effort to triangulate the location of a meteorite.

Pupils explore through experimentation how choice of materials affects structures.

Students create a pyramid design based on the 6 simple machines that they are introduced to. In this simple machines lesson plan, students are introduced to the wedge, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and pulley.

Learners work together to discover the concepts of stability and equilibrium. They examine how equilibrium is related to an item's center of mass. They create their own action scene in a literacy activity.

Students explore how pendulums work and why they are useful in everyday applications. In a hands-on activity, they experiment with string length, pendulum weight and angle of release.

Students research shelters and places of refuge for animals and humans. In this shelters lesson, students read paragraphs about animal and human shelters. Students complete an activity about beavers and shelters. Students then complete a...

Fourth graders participate in activities to examine how simple machines help build things. They identify the six types of simple machines. They discover how simple machines where use historically to build pyramids and how they are still...

Students apply the mechanical advantages and problem-solving capabilities of six types of simple machines (wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, pulley) as they discuss modern structures in the spirit of the engineers and...

In this mineral worksheet, students use an on line source to answer questions about minerals, about resources and their uses, about fireworks and about birthstones.

Students build three types of towers, engineering them to hold an egg one foot high for 15 seconds. They discover that engineering designs are subject to constraints such as time, money and size specifications. In this activity students...

Students distinguish between a rural community and a city community by observing the architecture in each one. They observe and discuss pictures of buildings. Students write a paragraph explaining the purpose of a particular building....

Students measure and predict the behavior of a fractal.  In this investigative lesson students divide into groups, and participate in an activity that includes drawing triangles and coloring vertices. 

In this mineral activity, students visit http://sciencespot.net and answer 90 questions about mineral uses, mineral groups, fireworks, and minerals found around the home.

Students explore structural engineering through three design challenges. They examine information about some architectural features that work and those that don't during an earthquake. Students build and test their structure and record...

Students recognize that compression and tension forces are important considerations in building structures. They construct their own building structure using marshmellows and spaghetti to see which structure can hold the most weight.