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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Dispenser Designs

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
After reading about the history of tape dispensers, learners compare and contrast different dispenser designs. Next, teams work within budgetary and time constraints to design a better dispenser. When finished, each engineer reflects on...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Popsicle Bridge

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Using popsicle sticks and glue, groups must work together to design and build a bridge that can support weight and is aesthetically pleasing. The lesson begins by learners reading about different features of bridge architecture, followed...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Assembly Line

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Working under specific constraints and with designated criteria, groups work together to create a product using an assembly line process. In addition, they work through the entire engineering design process with an excellent graphic to...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Interactive Gumball Machine

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Sure, you may be able to build a better mousetrap, but what about a gum dispenser? In a fun engineering challenge, teams must design and build a working interactive gumball machine with specific constraints and criteria.
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Get it Write

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
In an effort to practice engineering design, STEM classes break out into teams and endeavor to make a working ink pen. To prepare, they read about writing implements through history, patents, and viscosity of liquids. Armed with this...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

The Power of Graphene

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
To prepare for the activity, STEM classes read about nanotechnology and the amazing properties of graphene. They collect a graphene sample from pencils, and then connect them into simple circuits to determine whether it makes a better...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Try Your Hand at Nano

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Fascinating reading about nanotechnology, nanoscale properties, and liquid crystals precedes a fun activity for young engineers. They measure their hands in nanometers, research, and then investigate how heat effects a sheet containing...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Statue Display Tower

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Sometimes engineering problems that seem easy prove to be more challenging than imagined. Present your class with the challenge to build a functional display tower to support a statue using only the supplies available in class while...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Water Tower Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Providing clean water to a town is quite a feat... is your class up for the challenge? After a short reading about water towers, groups work together to design a working water delivery system. The water flow must be adjustable (able to...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Tall Tower Challenge

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
A fun and challenging activity for nearly any age group, partners must work together to build the tallest structure possible using paper clips, straws, and pipe cleaners. In addition to being tall, the structure must also be able to...
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Lesson Plan
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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Get Connected with Ohm's Law

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Ideal for your electricity unit, especially with middle schoolers, this lesson plan gets engineers using multimeters in electrical circuits to explore the relationships among voltage, current, and resistance. Older learners may even plot...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Ship the Chip

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Here is a tasty challenge, especially for middle school engineers: design a container that meets mass and volume criteria, and will safely transport a tortilla or potato chip through the mail without damaging it! Mostly, this is a crisp...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Sugar Crystal Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 9th Standards
Blow your learners' minds with a sweet lesson on nanotechnology that uses sugar to demonstrate the difference nanoscale surface area makes in dissolving and crystal formation. Plenty of supportive background information is read to...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Tinkering with Tops

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Get kids' heads spinning by challenging them to design a top that will rotate for a minimum of 10 seconds without leaving a 30-cm circle. Groups of learners collaborate through a planning stage, testing stage, and evaluation stage. Some...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Rotational Equilibrium

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Physics stars design mobiles that demonstrate rotational equilibrium. They take measurements and solve related equations for force by graphing, substitution, or determinants. This is a well-developed lesson plan, complete with student...
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Lesson Plan
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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Classroom Paper Recycling

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
After reading about the history and recycling of paper, creative crafters collaborate to think of a new process for making recycled paper. A complete teacher's guide and student worksheets are included. There is no written procedure for...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Nano Waterproofing

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
This lesson plan will make an impact, especially on scientist-athletes who may have an interest in waterproof clothing! Acting as materials engineers, they work collaboratively on waterproofing pieces of cotton fabric. This challenge is...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Telescoping Periscope

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Ahoy, matey! Here is an engineering expedition that mini mariners are sure to be swept away by! After reading a brief description and history of periscopes, they work in crews to construct one. Use this activity to enhance a lesson on...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Filtration Investigation

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Scholars build a simple filtration system to remove impurities from muddy water and rate the filtered water to a grade of clarity scale. The focus is on teamwork and problem solving. This instructional activity would be effective in your...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Exploring at the Nanoscale

For Teachers 3rd - 9th Standards
Nano-nano! Nanotechnology can seem like it's from another planet! After learning about this tiny technology, collaborative groups experiment with how smaller particles affect chemical reactions. They do this by immersing a whole and a...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Toxic Popcorn Design Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Engineering enthusiasts are sure to explode in understanding as they practice the engineering design process (EDP). A container of "toxic popcorn" is placed in the classroom. Teams must work together to devise a method for removing it...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Working with Watermills

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
In collaborative groups, emerging engineers or environmental scientists plan and construct a water wheel or watermill that rotates for a total of three minutes. Everything you need to carry out this lesson is included: objectives,...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Binary Basics

For Students 9th - 12th
Back to the (binary) basics. The resource provides a simple overview of binary code and gives two different activities to introduce it to elementary and middle school learners. Classmates write and decode messages to each other in binary...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Smart Buildings and the Internet of Things

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Is your building a smart building? Pupils learn what makes a building smart and about the internet of things. After viewing several videos on the topic, they conduct an activity collecting data from sensors and brainstorm ways to improve...