Curated OER
Genetic Engineering
Students discuss the risks and benefits associated with biotechnology. In this biotechnology lesson, students discuss the role of genes in the body and brainstorm ethical issues relating to biotechnology. They read about an ethical issue...
Curated OER
Looking At Science And Technology From a Human Rights Perspective
Young scholars answer discussion questions and analyze technological innovations, scientific discoveries, and environmental crises from a human rights perspective. They research and report back to the class about a related topic.
Curated OER
Engineering and the Senses: Smell
Students define the sense of smell. In this smell sense lesson, students review their five senses and define the importance of smell. Students practice smelling and identifying items in bags. Students discuss the importance of smell to...
Curated OER
Catch Up On Tomato Technology
Students explore the ways in which technological advances have benefited tomatoes as a commodity. In a small group, students review information related to the selective breeding and genetic engineering of tomatoes. Groups compose a...
Curated OER
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Eleven slides are used in this PowerPoint to present how nuclear magnetic resonance works and to give learners an opportunity to interpret examples of nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. Ample information is provided, so this is a...
Curated OER
Research Using Technology
Pupils receive an index card, and they write down jobs and hobbies that interest them. Then, they get together in groups and are assigned the task of researching the jobs and hobbies that are of the most interest to the entire group....
Curated OER
Scouting Civil War Sites
Students evaluate websites after gathering information from various search engines. In this Civil War activity, students browse the web and find strategies for rating websites. Students choose the best sites in their opinion and defend...
Curated OER
Turn It Upside Down: Introduction to Computer-Aided Design
Students explore a computer-aided design program. Students chart out roller coaster design, computer graphics and architecture. Students focus on understanding the connections between mathematics, science, technology and innovation.
Curated OER
Earth Rocks!
Students study the basic elements of the Earth's crust: rocks, soils and minerals. They categorize rocks, soils and minerals and how they are literally the foundation for our civilization. They also explore how engineers use rock soils...
Teach Engineering
You've Got to See it to Believe It!
Youngsters develop an understanding of how smog is produced, and how exhaust from automobiles is one of the major sources of smog. They explore the roles that engineers play in developing technologies that reduce smog, then work in teams...
Teach Engineering
Solar Power
Elementary schoolers discover how engineers use solar energy to heat buildings. They take a close look at some of the materials used: sand, salt, water, and shredded paper and evaluate the efficiency of each material. An incredible...
Teach Engineering
Capturing the Sun's Warmth
Passive solar heating is a technology that's been in use for thousands of years. Here, elementary schoolers are exposed to this type of heating, the materials that are used in passive solar heating, and they study how engineers design...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Exploring at the Nanoscale
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...
Curated OER
Wright Again: 100 Years of Flight
Aspiring aeronautical engineers demonstrate different forces as they construct and test paper airplanes. This lesson plan links you to a website that models the most effective paper airplane design, an animation describing the forces...
Curated OER
Time for Design
Learners are introduced to the design process used in engineering. They compare and contrast this process with the steps followed in the scientific method. Students then participate in a brainstorming session that asks them to design a...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Acceleration
Take a look at acceleration within the context of automotive technology. They vary the mass on a toy car and run it down a ramp, exploring Newton's second law of motion. Though this is a classic lab activity, you will appreciate the...
Curated OER
Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels
Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...
Curated OER
Saving Sponge Bob Square Pants
Students apply the use of technology to real life scenarios. In this technology lesson, students discuss and identify a method to move sponge bob from one location to the next, without touching the floor. They share the same landmark and...
Curated OER
All About Computers
Students discover facts about computers. In this technology lesson, students find out how to locate information on the Internet. Students choose a topic to research and search several sites for information.
NASA
The X-1 Paper Glider Kit
After reading an interesting account of how the X-1 aircraft was designed, built, and utilized, young engineers try their hand at constructing a paper glider version of the airplane. They cut out the plane out of a nicely designed...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Noodling Around: Powers of Ten
How many noodles long is your classroom? Find out when engineers of all ages explore measurement through the use of pool noodles. With the noodles pre-cut to certain metric lengths, the activities could be used to introduce the metric...
Curated OER
The Ups and Downs of Technology
Students create a visual timeline of skyscrapers built in the past 20 years. In this physical science lesson, students research important facts about the building. They discuss the challenges architects face when building skyscrapers.
Curated OER
How Can We Do Research on the Internet?
Students demonstrate how to use the Internet to research historical individuals. In this technology lesson, students use the "Internet Coach" CD-ROM to identify how to gather information on the Internet. Students choose an important...
Curated OER
Online Scavenger Hunt
Students participate in an online scavenger hunt to answer questions posed by the teacher. In this Internet search lesson, students are given specific questions and they have to use the Internet to locate the answers. There are links...