TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Triangles & Trusses
Students learn about the fundamental strength of different shapes, illustrating why structural engineers continue to use the triangle as the structural shape of choice. Examples from everyday life are introduced to show how this shape is...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Portable Wheelchair Ramp Challenge
Students follow the steps of the engineering design process while learning more about assistive devices and biomedical engineering applied to basic structural engineering concepts. Their engineering challenge is to design, build and test...
Science Museum of Minnesota
Thinking Fountain: Noodle: Build a Spaghetti Structure
Design and construct a structure out of spaghetti and marshmallows. Although spaghetti doesn't seem like a strong building material, you can build surprisingly elegant and sturdy structures using it.
University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
This resource provides information about engineering programs and education.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Teaching the Engineering Design Process
Students follow the steps of the engineering design process (EDP) while learning about assistive devices and biomedical engineering. They first go through a design-build-test activity to learn the steps of the cyclical engineering design...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Feel the Stress
Working individually or in groups, students explore the concept of stress (compression) through physical experience and math. They discover why it hurts more to poke themselves with mechanical pencil lead than with an eraser. Then they...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Solving With Seesaws
Students use a simple seesaw to visualize solving a two- or three-step mathematics equation, while solving a basic structural engineering weight balance problem in the process. They solve two-step equations on a worksheet and attempt to...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Ruff Ruffman Show: Teacher's Guide: Structures
Learn about structures alongside Ruff Ruffman.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Earthquakes Living Lab: The Theory of Plate Tectonics
Working in pairs, students think like engineers and connect what they understand about the theory of plate tectonics to the design of structures for earthquake-resistance.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Graph Theory in Drama
Students use graph theory to create social graphs for their own social networks and apply what learn to create a graph representing the social dynamics found in a dramatic text. Students then derive meaning based on what they know about...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Mixtures and Solutions
This unit covers introductory concepts of mixtures and solutions. Students think about how mixtures and solutions, and atoms and molecules can influence new technologies developed by engineers. The first lesson explores the fundamentals...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Homeward Bound
Students review the what they have learned throughout the five lessons in this unit. This includes a review of many types of engineers, reminding students of the various everyday products, structures and processes they design and create...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Skeletal System Overview
Students will learn about bone structure, bone development and growth, and bone functions. Later, students will apply this understanding to answer the Challenge Question presented in the "Fix the Hip" activity and use the acquired...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Biomedical Devices for the Eyes
Students examine the structure and function of the human eye, learning some amazing features about our eyes, which provide us with sight and an understanding of our surroundings. Students also learn about some common eye problems and the...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Truss Destruction
Students work within constraints to construct model trusses and then test them to failure as a way to evaluate the relative strength of different truss configurations and construction styles. Each student group uses Popsicle sticks and...
Other
Primary Structures in Igneous Rocks [Pdf]
This 23-page slideshow explains what intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks are and the characteristics of their structures. Each type of structure is accompanied by one or more images. (Website for Mining Engineering students at Mehran...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Structures Around the World
How does that bridge stay up? What are the forces acting on that column? This site helps students understand how structures can be built by having them build their own. Also provides images of real structures for kids to compare with...
TryEngineering
Try Engineering: Critical Load
This lesson looks at critical load, the amount of weight a structure can hold beyond which it would collapse. Student teams will design and test a structure using playing cards that has to meet specific criteria. Afterwards, they...
PBS
Pbs: Building Big: Skyscrapers
Information about the basics of skyscrapers, with profiles of nine big-building wonders. Extras include a loads lab, which illustrates how and why skyscrapers stand up and keep standing up, and interviews with builders, engineers, and...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Compare Human Made Objects With Natural Objects
In small groups, students will experiment and observe the similarities and differences between human-made objects and nature. The students will compare the function and structure of hollow bones with drinking straws, bird beaks, tool...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Natural Disasters
Students are introduced to our planet's structure and its dynamic system of natural forces through an examination of the natural hazards of earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis, floods and tornados, as well as avalanches, fires,...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Building Towards the Future
This curricular unit introduces students to basic Civil Engineering concepts in an exciting and interactive manner. Bridges and skyscrapers, the two most visible products of Civil Engineers, will be discussed in depth. Students will have...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Understanding the Structure of the Eye
Students learn about the anatomical structure of the human eye and how humans see light, as well as some causes of color blindness. They conduct experiments as an example of research to gather information. During their investigations,...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Engineering Bones
Middle schoolers extend their knowledge of the skeletal system to biomedical engineering design, specifically the concept of artificial limbs. Students relate the skeleton as a structural system, focusing on the leg as structural...