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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Build Your Own Robot Arm

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Learners explore design, construction, and teamwork as they design and develop robot arm at least 18 inches in length using common materials.
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Catapults

For Students 4th - 8th
Ready, aim, fire! Launch to a new level of understanding as scholars build and test their own catapults. Learners explore lever design and how adjusting the fulcrum changes the outcome. 
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Lesson Plan
Code.org

The Need for Programming Languages

For Teachers 9th - 12th
LEGO see if you can recreate my design. Individuals build an arrangement from LEGO blocks and write directions for someone else to follow in order to recreate the arrangement. Pairs then swap directions and try to replicate the original...
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Activity
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Center for Math and Science Education

Pocket Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
How in the world can something as big as the solar system possibly fit in your pocket? Complete this simple modeling activity and find out, as young scientists gain an appreciation for the incredible scale of outer space.
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Activity
Practical Action

The Wind Power Challenge

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Up it goes! Groups must design and build a windmill able to lift a weight. The packet includes discussion points to use prior to the build that cover topics such as variables, fairness, and the design process.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build a Snowplow

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students design and build a snowplow using LEGO materials. They compete in an Engineer's Challenge to clear a path through Styrofoam peanuts.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build a Space Shuttle

For Teachers K
Pupils explore the concept of space. In this space lesson plan, students pretend to be aerospace engineers. Pupils build space ships out of cardboard tubes. Students discuss what aerospace engineers do. Pupils model their space ships...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Farming in Ancient Mesopotamia: An Ancient Civil Engineering Problem

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders identify the major obstacles in farming in Mesopotamia. They work together to design and build a model that solves these problems. They write a short essay that describes the problems and their possible solutions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cross Country Adventure

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students practice measurement and geography in this lesson. They build a Lego vehicle using an RCX. They predict how many seconds it will take their vehicle to reach a specific state on the United States of America map that each group of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Systems, UP, Up and Away!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discuss rockets and how they work. Students research basic information about the Space Shuttle. Students work in collaborative groups creating "rockets" with empty film canisters. Students launch their "rockets" and record...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slide Right On By Using an Inclined Plane

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the simple machine known as a plane. They build their own pyramid and identify the role of screws. They participate in a hands-on activity in which they determine the angle in which to make it easier to pull.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pulleys and Levers

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the concept of pulleys and levers. They read and discuss text from the book "It's Science! Machines We Use," and in small groups construct a simple lever and pulley using a Lego Dacta set.
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Clipper Creations

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Students create their own model of a nail clipper. They practice using engineering design and model building. They also identify different kinds of small levers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Naturral Born Robots: Robots Have Feelings Too

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars explore robotics. They design a simple device that simulates a human arm lifting a mass. Students test the strength of their arm. Young scholars discuss artificial intelligence.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alexander Calder: Master of Balance

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students build simple mobiles. In this equilibrium lesson, students investigate the functions of three types of levers as they analyze artwork by Alexander Calder. Students then create their own simplified mobiles.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wheeling It In!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Medieval Catapults

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students design and build a working catapult or trebuchet to explore the concepts of force, motion, and distance.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Catapults

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students discover the catapult. In this catapult lesson, students research the history of the catapult and how it works. They work in groups to build their own catapult using tootpicks, popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and spoons. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Friction Flyers

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Young scholars explore the principles of magnetism and friction. They complete an interactive puzzle on the Gizmos and Gadgets computer software, construct a vehicle, build and modify ramps and vehicles to produce various outcomes, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Are Invited to Design and Build a Dream Room

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders watch a video and enlarge and shrink scale by applying proportional thinking. They practice measuring, using percentages, computing area, and problem solving.
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Lesson Plan
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

An Easy (Bake) Approach to an Edible NanoLab

For Teachers 6th - 8th
You can make it if you bake it! Young scientists model electronic chip fabrication with an easy bake oven. They create a design to embed in their brownie "chips" and compare their models to wafer production in basic nanotechnology.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air Movers

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners learn about Rube Goldberg machines (complicated devices designed to accomplish simple tasks and then design and build a machine that uses more than six separate steps to move an empty aluminum can. They can either work...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Community Building

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders discover the similarities and differences between cities, towns, and rural communities. Using a Neighborhood map Machine, they create a Venn diagram and map of their own community. Students build a 3-D representation of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electrical Generators

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Learners study what an electric generator does and its history.  For this energy lesson students complete several experiments including building their own electric generator.