TryEngineering
Sugar Crystal Challenge
Be sure to use this sweet resource. Scholars perform an experiment using sugar to investigate how surface area relates to the coarseness of sugar. They consider how this concept connects to nanotechnology.
TryEngineering
Exploring at the Nanoscale
Discover a world too small to see. In the instructional activity, young scientists learn about nanotechnology and brainstorm ideas for new applications of it. They perform an activity to determine how surface area changes when objects...
Illinois Valley Community College
STEM Activities for Middle School Students
Use STEM activities within the class to provide connections to concepts. The resource includes activities that range from working with buoyancy to building rockets and launching them. Other activities involve the engineering design...
Curated OER
Optimization
In this optimization of satellites worksheet, students read about the Octagonal IMAGE satellite and solve 4 problems related to the size and shape of the satellite and the solar cells used to power the satellite. Students find the mass...
Curated OER
New Boxes from Old
Ninth graders take a rectangular box (e.g., a cereal box) and cut it up to make a new, cubical box with the same volume as the original. In so doing, they will discover that because the cubical box has less surface area than the...
Cornell University
LEDs Rainbow Connection
View LED lights through the eyes of a scientist. Young scholars learn to view light as a wave frequency and connect various frequencies to different colors on the light spectrum. A lab activity asks groups to measure the frequency of...
Curated OER
Intertidal Zones
Students explore intertidal zones. In this intertidal zones lesson, students work in small groups and use ready-made materials to create a model of intertidal zones. Resources are provided.
Curated OER
The Energy of Light
Students discuss different ways engineers use light. In this engineering lesson, students are introduced to the properties of light and the way light is used. They view a demonstration of light waves using a slinky, and practice using...