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Floodplain Modeling
Students simulate the impact of fluctuating river volumes on structures and landforms. They experiment with table top-sized riverbed models and water. Students consider how human design can help mitigate the effects of a flood.
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Let the Sun Shine!
Young scholars investigate how the sun can be used for energy. They read a handout, discuss the pros and cons of passive solar building design, develop flashcard questions, and identify jobs that can be helped by solar energy.
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Powerful Pulleys
Students explore the building of a pyramid and how pulleys were used to change the direction of applied force. They demonstrate the mechanical advantage of using a pulley and apply it to modern engineering.
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Wheeling It In!
Students use everyday materials (milk cartons, water bottles, pencils, straws, candy) to build a small-scale transportation device that incorporates the wheel and axle and the lever. They race their carts/trucks, measure distance, time...
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TE Lesson: Renewable Energy
Students examine renewable energy sources such as solar, water, and wind. They experiment to determine how renewable energy is transformed into electricity. They investigate the role of engineers who work in the field of renewable energy.
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Capturing the Sun's Warmth
Students explore the variety of ways to use solar energy. They investigate the thermal energy storage capacities of different test materials to determine which to use in passive solar building design. They explain how passive solar...
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Falling Water
Students drop water from different heights to demonstrate the conversion of water's potential energy to kinetic energy. They see how varying the height from which water is dropped affects the splash size. In seeing how falling water can...
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TE Activity: Hot or Not
Students examine how the human immune system responds to germs and explain what a fever is. They design a thermometer in order to further explore temperature before completing a temperature conversion worksheet. They detail the work of...
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Stations of Light
Student groups rotate through four stations to examine light energy behavior: refraction, magnification, prisms and polarization. They see how a beam of light is refracted (bent) through various transparent mediums. Students investigate...
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Walk, Run, Jump!
Learners participate in a series of timed relay races using their skeletal muscles. They compare the movement of skeletal muscle and relate how engineers help astronauts exercise skeletal muscles in space. They list the three types of...
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Weather
Students explore the earth's atmosphere, weather, and climate. They begin class with a discussion about weather patterns, atmosphere, and the layers of the earth. After the class discussion, students rotate through four stations to...
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What is the Best Insulator: Air, Styrofoam, Foil, or Cotton?
Learners investigate the properties of insulators by attempting to keep a cup of water from freezing, and once it is frozen, to keep it from melting. They conduct the experiment, record and analyze the results, and answer discussion...
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States of Matter
Students discuss a given set of questions based on Chemistry and matter and review a glossary of terms. They conduct experiments on each state of matter: "Dry ice and water, Dry ice and soap and Dry ice and Isopropyl Alcohol." and...
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Using Fulcrums
Students engage in a lesson plan that concentrates on the use of a lever and fulcrum. They define how a lever is used to lift a load. The lesson plan has background information to justify it. Students demonstrate how to use the lever...
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Drought Threatens Huge Man-Made Lake
Students locate Lake Mead, then read a news article about Lake Mead drying up and how that would effect water and power supplies to the region. In this current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with a map...
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Students participate in a recycling campaign. In this recycling lesson, students create an Earth Day display for a local store. Students design a mural as a reminder to people of ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
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How to Clean Up An Oil Spill
Learners practice cleaning up an oil spill. In this good citizenship lesson, students experiment with different cleaning agents to see which ones clean oil off a soft toy. They compare this experiment with the volunteers helping with the...
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The Energy of Light
Students discuss different ways engineers use light. In this engineering instructional activity, 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...
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Healing Fallen Warriors
Students read ancient Greek texts to explore evidence for healing wounds and compare ancient healing practices to those of modern times.
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Aerodynamic Design
Students research aerodynamic design. In this aerodynamic design lesson, students investigate wind resistance on a car. Students explore the reasons necessary for aerodynamic design.
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Super Stream Keeper's
Students are introduced to Delaware's waterways as precious resources used for drinking water, water for agricultural and industrial uses, recreational areas, and as habitats for wildlife. They are introduced to wastewater discharges,...
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Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion
Fourth graders describe the difference between minerals (composed of the same substance throughout) and rocks (composed of two or more minerals). They recognize that there are three classes of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
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Soil Detectives: The Case of the Lost Friends
Young scholars show how soil varies across the landscape, they explain how soil can be used to solve mysteries. Pupils are introduced to techniques that would be used to distinguish soils from different places.
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Extra! Extra!
Students describe how plants and animals depend on each other. They see how living and nonliving environments change over time. They identify ways in which humans have changed their environment and the effects of those changes.