Perkins School for the Blind
Identifying and Using Tools
How can you teach a person about technology and engineering if he has never been exposed to the tools and devices used to create and construct? Learners with visual impairments examine a number of common tools, such as hammers, wrenches,...
Teach Engineering
Engineering and the Periodic Table
Elements, to the rescue! Scholars first review the periodic table, and then learn about the first 20 elements and their properties and uses in the fourth of six lessons in the Mixtures and Solutions unit. Applying their newfound...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Conveyor Engineering
Moving along the line. Class members research how a conveyor belt works in order to gain background information. Groups then design a conveyor belt that will carry a piece of candy four feet and along a 90-degree turn. The groups build...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Chair Lift Challenge
During the Winter Olympics, this would be an engaging task to include in your STEM lesson. Design teams plan, construct, and test a miniature ski lift that can carry a pingpong ball up and down a rope line without falling out. With this...
DiscoverE
Windy City Tower
Your class will be blown away when they build their own city tower structure! Engineering scholars partner up to plan, build, and test their own paper towers. As they build, they gain valuable design skills, learn about wind tunnel...
Discovery Education
Design a Shoe
If the shoe doesn't fit, design a new one. Discovery Education challenges pupils to put the engineering process in action by designing a shoe. Groups design and build a shoe prototype based upon the client constraints outlined in the...
DiscoverE
Build an Earthquake-Resistant Structure
Future engineers design and build structures out of toothpicks and marshmallows. They then make sure the structures can withstand an earthquake simulator!
DiscoverE
Air Train
Train your pupils to be master engineers. Young learners design a train that travels along a fishing line. The train needs to safely carry pennies as passengers without falling out.
DiscoverE
Shaky Ground
You're on solid ground if you decide to use the resource. A simple activity has young engineers investigate the problem of liquefaction. A battery placed on dry sand will stay standing—but not if scholars add water to the cup.
Teach Engineering
Powering a Device Using Food
Eat up a resource on using food to power electrical devices. Future engineers first experiment with different fruits and vegetables to determine the amount of electrical energy they provide. Based on the data, they design and create an...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Virtual Reality and Anaglyph Stereoscopic Technology
Experiment with 3-D glasses to learn about stereo images and virtual reality. Scholars look at various images to determine if green/red or red/cyan glasses are preferable. They determine distances between images using the 3-D glasses and...
Purdue University
Simple Machines
What's the best way to use a simple machine to solve a real-world problem? Scholars construct their own simple and complex machines to explore the concepts of work and force. They discuss examples of simple machines they have found in...
Teach Engineering
How Can We Prevent the Corrosion Crisis?
Contemplate the causes of corrosion. An interesting lesson has learners first conduct an experiment where they place nails in different types of water. Based on the results, they consider how corrosion occurs and how engineers need to...
Curated OER
Engineering Design and Problem Solving
Twelfth graders determine the pixels in photos. In this engineering lesson plan, 12th graders design a picture mosaic using the computer. They design their own class picture.
Curated OER
Engineering: Simple Machines
Fourth graders participate in activities to examine how simple machines help build things. They identify the six types of simple machines. They discover how simple machines where use historically to build pyramids and how they are still...
Curated OER
Bone Fractures and Engineering
High schoolers examine bone fractures and the role that engineers play in repairing them. In this biomedical engineering lesson plan students describe the factors that engineers consider when designing devices.
Curated OER
Engineering Bones
Students identify the features of a prosthetic limb and explain how engineers are involved in the prosthetic design. In this bone engineering lesson students describe the design criteria that goes into choosing the materials that go...
Curated OER
Animals and Engineering
Students study animal classification and their interactions. In this animals and engineering instructional activity students study animal communities and how engineers use this knowledge to create new technologies.
Curated OER
Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering: Build a Paper Airplane
Learners brainstorm what it is like to fly on an airplane and discuss the parts of a plane. Students construct a paper plane of their own, decorate it, have a competition, and discuss the importance of each part of a plane and the role...
Curated OER
Broken Bones
After reading about biomedical engineering and properties of materials, collaborative groups design a cast for setting a broken bone. They test for stability and mass, and then communicate their invention by creating a poster. This...
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors
Marshmallow Challenge
Here is a lesson in collaboration cleverly disguised as an engineering design activity. There is no background material for you to teach here, just instructions about materials and rules for participating groups. Use this as an...
Curated OER
Stable Structures
Consider what it means to create a stable structure. The words stable and structure are defined, then stable objects are depicted and discussed in terms of their design features. Learners are asked to design a photo frame that includes...
NPR
Communicate the Solution
Communication is key. Scholars produce videos to highlight their engineering solutions to the plastic problem in the ninth installment of the series of 10. Feedback from other groups lets them improve the videos.
Rochester Institute of Technology
Skateboard Assembly - Cycle Time
Assemble a great lesson on assembly lines. In the first installment of a nine-part technology/engineering series, future entrepreneurs learn about the manufacturing process, specifically about the assembly line and cycle time. The lesson...