Curated OER
Have Block Party!
Students discover that the possibilities are limitless in this block-building activity. In this early childhood, problem solving lesson, students develop social, problem-solving, math, and language skills using a specific number of...
Curated OER
Let the Sun Shine!
Students 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.
Curated OER
Good News - We're on the Rise!
Students build and observe a simple aneroid barometer to discover changes in barometric pressure and weather forecasting. They graph changes in barometric pressure for two weeks and make weather predictions.
Curated OER
Rocket Me into Space
Learners engage in a lesson that reinforces rockets as a vehicle that helps us explore outside the Earth's atmosphere by using the principles of Newton's third law of motion. Also, the principles that engineers deal with when building a...
Curated OER
Two-Cell Battery
Students build their own two-cell battery and determine which electrolyte solution is best suited for making a battery. They discuss background information for their experiment, construct and test their battery, and using the chart on...
Curated OER
Wind Power
Fourth graders develop an understanding of how engineers use wind to generate electricity. They will build a model anemometer to better understand and measure wind speed. They discover that engineers design wind turbines that generate...
Curated OER
Community Building
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...
Curated OER
Leprechaun Traps Using Simple Machines
Are you looking for a fun way to incorporate St. Patrick's Day into your science curriculum? Try designing and building leprechaun traps!
Curated OER
Powerful Pulleys
Young scholars 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.
Curated OER
Mobile Forces
Young scholars design and build original mobiles and consider how the forces of gravity and convection air currents affect the finished piece. They explore how an understanding of balancing forces is important in both art and engineering...
Curated OER
Electricity: Will It Conduct?
Students build conductivity testers and investigate which solids and solutions conduct electricity. Working in groups, they predict which items will conduct electricity and record their answers on worksheets.
Curated OER
Thar She Blows!: Wind Power
Students examine how wind energy is transformed into electrical energy. In pairs, they build miniature wind turbines and measure how much electrical current they produce. They asses the importance of design and position in energy...
Curated OER
Let's Heat Things Up!
Students build and evaluate simple models to understand the greenhouse effect. They explore the role of increased greenhouse gas concentration in global warming, and the implications of global warming theory for engineers, themselves...
Curated OER
Bombs Away!
Students design and build a device to protect and accurately deliver a dropped egg. They review and study a number of vocabulary words that are associated with this lesson. They work in a small group in order to develop a successful...
Curated OER
Dripping Wet or Dry as a Bone?
Students use a sponge and water model to explore the concept of relative humidity and create a percent scale. They define humidity and saturation, build a simple humidity/saturation model, collect, predict and interpret data, and create...
Curated OER
Hovercraft Racers!
Students gain first-hand experience on how friction affects motion. They build a hovercraft using air from a balloon to levitate a craft made from a compact disk (CD), learning that a bed of air under an object significantly reduces the...
Curated OER
Rockets on a Shoestring Budget
Young scholars, operating under simulated budget constraints, build pop-rockets and launch them. Working in pairs, they complete budget worksheets and use their "Blast Off Bucks" to pay for the construction. They then redesign their...
Curated OER
An Introduction to Sensors
Students research the International System (SI) of units of measurements. They make measurements using the metric system. They study key concepts used in building and use of sensors, how sensors work and their role in measuring...
Curated OER
Earthquake Proof Structures
Eighth graders build a structure that is able to withstand a simulated earthquake. They research earthquakes, earthquake measurement, and society's preparation for and reaction to them. Pupils build models and present them to the...
Curated OER
Rocket Riot
Middle schoolers form "companies" of 3-4 students and build bottle rockets for analysis and experiment. This lesson uses NASA's RcketModeler Version 1.2 rocket simulator to evaluate each rocket's flight.
Curated OER
Biomimicry, Nature: Architecture of the Future
Young scholars explore the relationship between nature and architecture. In this cross curriculum history, culture, and architecture lesson, students observe and discuss structures visible in nature. Young scholars view websites in which...
Curated OER
Bubble in the Hot Tub
Young scholars participate in a Science and Technology unit designed to introduce the particle theory through drama, demonstrations, and hands-on investigations. They assume the role of engineers and design and build a hot tub for their...
Curated OER
Oreo Cookies: Delicious and Educational
There are innovative ways to teach standard classroom curriculum. Here are some ideas using Oreo cookies.
Curated OER
A Model Aquifer
Students build a model that depicts how water is stored in an aquifer. They examine ways in which groundwater can become contaminated.