Teach Engineering
Strength of Materials
Pupils examine a stress-strain diagram that compares the advantages and disadvantages of the two common bridge building materials, concrete and steel. The also consider the factors that influence the materials builders choose for their...
Baylor College
Body Strength
Your young learners will discover how muscular strength and endurance can increase with this truly hands-on activity! Beginning by writing an acrostic for the word strength, class members then engage in tracking their ability to squeeze...
Curated OER
Good Old Earth Materials
Students investigate different types of building structures and how they are able to stand up to earthquakes. Through comparison they determine which buildings are better able to handle earthquakes than others. They create a building,...
American Chemical Society
Testing Materials to Learn About Their Properties
Storing food in plastic makes more sense than storing it in paper. Young learners research the properties of these materials along with aluminum foil. They then connect the properties of the materials to their usefulness by completing a...
Curated OER
"Circles of Strength: What Do You Stand For?" ~ A Reflection of Us~
Middle schoolers determine how they are included in "Circles of Strength." For this character activity, students reflect on how they are part of "Circles of Strength" in the "Circle of Life." They make an individual circle that includes...
Curated OER
Evaluating the Strength of Scientific Evidence: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
A happy discovery occurred in Arkansas in 2004: a woodpecker, believed to be extinct since the 1940s, reappeared! Or did it? Middle to high school ecologists examine scientific evidence and use critical-thinking skills to determine...
Curated OER
Waste Aggregates and Material Properties
Students define specific waste materials that could be used as aggregate in concrete. In this aggregate and waste lesson plan, students brainstorm on how to incorporate waste in construction and define different aggregate materials.
Curated OER
Simple Tensile Testing of Polymeric Films and Sheeting
Chemistry classes pretend to be consultants to a grocery story trying to decide what polymer to use for therir new non-paper bags. They prepare tensile bars and use them to test plastic film samples for strength and stretchability. Both...
Science Matters
Static Electricity
Working with static electricity is sure to give the class a charge! Budding scientists experiment with balloons and different materials to discover how to create static electricity. They learn about the transfer of electrons and the...
Curated OER
Elastomers: The Best Bungee Cord
Students examine elastomeric polymers in a lab activity in which they design a bungee cord. Students must determine the tensile strength, percent elongation, and plot stress versus strain graphs for their experiments on rubber bands...
Curated OER
Magnificent Magnets
Students identify the properties of a magnet. In this physics lesson, students explore the strength of the magnet by testing out how a magnet reacts to various materials. The various objects the students test include paper clips, paper,...
STEM for Teachers
Electromagnificent
This physics pun really hertz, but this STEM lesson plan can help. The inquiry-based activity has young scientists create a testable question about electromagnetic strength; plan and implement their own experiments; and record and...
Curated OER
Reality Media?
Yeah, but is it real? Clips from the famous documentary film series 56 UP launches an examination of the differences between reality television and documentaries. After considering the characteristics of each format, class members...
Curated OER
Strength in Size? Madagascar Cockroach Pulls
Fourth graders conduct an experiment involving size and relative ability in smaller species using Madagascar cockroaches. They make predictions about how many pennies the roaches can pull, compare the results to human strength, and...
Curated OER
Characteristics of Materials
Young scholars examine everyday materials by utilizing educational software. In this group analysis lesson, students identify several different fabrics and materials used in everyday life. Young scholars participate in a computer...
Curated OER
Materials and Substances Investigation
Students investigate various materials and substances. In this chemistry lesson, students use various materials in their classroom to determine the substances they made to complete the chemistry chart.
Curated OER
Properties Of Building Materials
High schoolers investigate the concept of building materials and how they are used to create different things. They focus upon the availability, cost, flexibility, and strength of different building materials. This is done by taking part...
Curated OER
Stressed and Strained
Students explore stress and strength in engineering design. In this engineering lesson, students become familiar with terminology associated with stress and strain on building material. They will have a class discuss about how their beam...
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)
Ocean Acidification: Whats and Hows
Open this lesson by demonstrating the production of acidic carbon dioxide gas by activated yeast. Emerging ecologists then experiment with seashells to discover the effect of ocean acidification on shelled marine organisms. They measure...
University of Georgia
Antacid and Uncle Heartburn
Household materials can be used for more than cleaning! In this collaborative experiment, emerging chemists use products such as vinegar and liquid antacid to explore chemical reactions that commonly occur in the human body.
Cornell University
Renewable Resins and Composites
Merge chemistry with environmental science to study biodegradable materials. An engaging activity allows learners to experiment with different resin concentrations and composites. Through experimental tests, scholars test their creations...
Cornell University
Electromagnets
Discover the connection between electric current and magnets. Scholars create electromagnets by passing a magnet through a coil. They experiment with different materials to determine the variables that affect the strength of the current.
Teach Engineering
Alloy the Way to Mars
Future engineers test different alloys to determine the specific strength of each one. Based on the results, they make a recommendation to NASA on which alloy to use on engines for spacecraft.
Teach Engineering
May the Force Be with You: Weight
Too much material will weigh you down. The sixth segment in a series of 22 highlights how weight affects a plane. Pupils learn that engineers take the properties of materials, including weight, when designing something.