American Chemical Society
Soda Can Steam Engine
Steam engines have been around since the late 1600s, yet most pupils don't know how they work. Using an soda can, the instructor builds a simple steam engine for scholars to observe. Through a discussion, young scientists learn about the...
Curated OER
Steam Engines
Students investigate the invention of the steam engine. For this technology lesson, students investigate the advancement of technology over time. They relate science and technology together.
Curated OER
Where's the Energy
Students research energy conversions. For this energy lesson, students describe the basic operation of a steam engine. They explain the energy conversions in the steam engine's operation.
National Energy Education Development Project
Exploring Transportation
Did you know horsepower is actually based on the power of a horse? 60 horse power is the equivalent of being pulled by a team of 60 horses! Viewers will learn other interesting facts like this from a presentation that begins with the...
Curated OER
All Steamed Up
Learners examine the energy conversions and simple machines are involved in the operation of a steam engine. They make a replica of a small steam engine.
Curated OER
How Do Car Engines Work?
High schoolers perform an experiment which simulates what happens inside an internal combustion engine. They explain how the chemical reaction they witnessed is similar to what happens inside the car engine.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises
Read Across America
Celebrate the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss on Read Across America Day with a collection of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics activities, each linked to a popular Dr. Seuss story.
Curated OER
Machines: Designing Form and Function
Students design a boat model with simplified steam engine. In this ecology lesson, students compare renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. They determine the efficiency of their boat model.
Curated OER
Hybrid Vehicles: Cut Pollution and Save Money
Math and science meet in this instructional activity on hybrid electric automobiles. This 24-page resource provides everything you need for teaching a instructional activity that compares the use of internal combustion engines to hybrid...
Curated OER
Poetry Through Digital Storytelling
Bring digital storytelling to your language arts class! To begin, learners select their own topic, such as a poem that reflects a life experience they had or a historical figure who interests them. Then they work to create a storyboard...
Curated OER
Car Engines
Young scholars create piston systems and explore the conversion of linear to rotary motion that propels a car. In this motion lesson, students build and test a model piston/crankshift system and discover why there is a maximum limit to...
Carnegie Mellon University
How Power Plants Work 2
For this second of three lessons on power plants, future engineers find out how we generate electricity and how coal-powered plants operate. They work in small groups to make electromagnet generators to light LED bulbs. A set of...
Curated OER
Space Shuttle
One slide details the features of Space Shuttle Discovery in graphic form. Another shows a faulty hydrogen fuel sensor. The final slide is a picture of the explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger and the ill-fated crew. If you wanted to...
Curated OER
Inventor's Challenge Review
In this science learning exercise, students match each invention or device to its inventor listed on the right. There are 32 inventors listed and some may be used twice. Then they order the items in each group from oldest to newest and...
Curated OER
"Finding" Horsepower
Students investigate horsepower as a unit of power. They examine history and discover that scientists and engineers of high achievement are considered to be among the most valued contributors to their culture.
Curated OER
Applied Science- Built environment Lab (Trains)
Students examine transportation. In this train design lesson, students study how trains work and how to efficiently design a track by working with an electric train set. As a class they compare various types of trains and work...
California Department of Education
Possible Careers
Is a STEM career the right choice for me? Lesson four in a six-part career and college readiness series introduces seventh graders to the world of STEM occupations. Individuals use their Holland code results to select, research, and...
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—Fifth Grade
Young citizens construct an understanding of urban planning in this cross-curricular unit. Covering every aspect of city development from the political, economic, and social influences to sustainable building practices, this 10-lesson...
Curated OER
Types of Trains
Third graders explore different types of trains. In this science lesson, 3rd graders study the "Orphan Train" and write a paragraph about what it would feel like to be riding a train during this time period.
Curated OER
Energy Conversion
Sixth graders study energy conversions. They watch a demonstration of a working engine and make a chart explaining the energy conversions taking place. They build a simple electric motor and research other types of electric generators.
American Museum of Natural History
Rising CO2! What Can We Do?
It is colorless and scentless, but it makes a large impact on the environment. Learners explore carbon dioxide emissions and what they mean for the environment using an interactive graph. They review changes over time and how they impact...
Curated OER
Breathing Victory
Students know that participation in sports requires energy. They comprehend that we get energy form the foods that we eat and the air thta we breathe. Converting food and air into usable energy is defined as celluar respiration. Students...
Curated OER
Fossil Fuel Scavenger Hunt
In this earth science worksheet, students complete each of the statements with the correct fossil fuel. They identify when and where electricity first became available. Students also define fossil fuels and where they first got their...
Cornell University
Catapults
Ready, aim, fire! Launch to a new level of understanding as scholars build and test their own catapults. Learners explore lever design and how adjusting the fulcrum changes the outcome.