Teach Engineering
Not So Simple
Compound machines, nothing more than a combination of simple machines working together, are the focus of an activity that asks class members to use the provided information to take a look at the way innovators combine simple machines to...
Curated OER
Using the Internet to Challenge Young Writers
Designed as a professional development exercise to introduce teachers to the Internet, the activities in this resource ask novice web surfers to access a series of sites, bookmark them, and answer question about information found on the...
Curated OER
Energy Efficiency Ambassadors
Definitely for high schoolers, this lesson is an open-ended exploration of energy efficiency. Groups of two to three junior environmental engineers design an experiment to test for efficiency. They prepare a full lab report and poster...
Curated OER
A Fiedl Study of an Integral Species
Young scholars compile baseline population information on a local species. They design and conduct a scientific investigation of a local species. Students interpret, analyze and communicate results based on sound scientific and...
NPR
Distracted by Everything - Being Wired at All Times
This multimedia activity challenges media-savvy learners to look at the critical issue concerning the inundation of technology and multitasking in the classroom, and its effects on the education of themselves and others. The tasks...
Apple
A Curriculum for Digital Media Creation
Consumer technology has made it possible for filmmakers to create entire movies from the comfort of their home computer. Guide high school film buffs through the process of designing a documentary with an extensive unit published by...
Curated OER
The Evolution Of Bicycling Technology
Students discover how the design of bicycles has changed over time as technology has developed. They use the Web to research bicycle history and then write a report showing how technology changed the way the bicycle looks and works.
Curated OER
Creating Community - A Function Of Design
High schoolers discuss the physical and human impacts of community design. They identify traditional neighborhood design elements and evaluate them with features of conventional suburban development.
Curated OER
Learning Paragraph Structure Through Design
Students examine paragraph structure, the writing process, and then design a model for the process. In this writing skills lesson, students explore paragraphs using the SmartBoard. Students create a class T-chart about paragraph...
Curated OER
Understanding by Design
Fourth graders examine the origins, structures, and functions of the Colorado government. In this understanding by design lesson, 4th graders explore the three branches of government. Students identify the roles of state leaders and the...
Curated OER
Designing Illuminated Text
Students examine illuminated manuscripts from the Gutenberg Bible. Using the examples, they use the internet to explore the effects of the printing press on the value of literature and art. They create their own illuminated initial...
Teach Engineering
Fairly Fundamental Facts About Forces and Structures
Don't twist and turn looking for a resource. The first installment of a six-part series teaches young engineers about the five fundamental forces of compression, tension, shear, bending, and torsion. These forces help explain different...
Teach Engineering
Magnetic Materials
The design challenge: develop a method to separate steel from aluminum. The first lesson plan in an eight-part series introduces the class to the grand challenge of ciming up with a method to streamline a sorting process at a recycling...
Teach Engineering
Wimpy Radar Antenna
The Diary of a Wimpy Antenna? In the last installment of a six-part series, your class constructs a model of a radio antenna and tests its torque. Pupils use the results to design a better model that resists bending and twisting forces.
Curated OER
Fire Brigade
Students examine how a community works together to protect them from fire. They work together to design a functional tool that could be helpful in fighting fires. They share their tool with the class.
Curated OER
Keyboarding - Alternate Activities to Keep it Fun!
Need access to engaging keyboarding activities? Use the links in this resource to connect to a variety of activities designed to improve technique and accuracy. Learners play games, critique each other's techniques and perform basic...
American Chemical Society
Man and Materials Through History
From the start of the Industrial Revolution, it only took 147 years for someone to invent plastic. This may seem like a long time, but in the history of inventing or discovering new materials, this is incredibly fast. An informative and...
Curated OER
Boat Building
Students design and contrast a boat made out of aluminum foil. They test the boats to see which boat floats the best using three different solutions and steel ball weights. Students work on their own to construct a boat of their own...
Curated OER
Creating The Blueprints
High schoolers engage in a lesson in order to create blueprints to design an original floorplan. They use graphing paper and drawing tools to demonstrate knowledge of the lesson objectives. Students label and use the right kind of...
Curated OER
Rebuild, Renew, Revitalize, Recreate new Orleans
High schoolers research post-Katrina career opportunities in New Orleans and in their own communities, then design a revitalization plan. In this research and design instructional activity, students use a variety of sources to find out...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Space Shelter
Students simulate that they need to develop a new home on a different planet. They design a shelter that will ensure their survival after researching the characteristics of the other planet. They write an essay about their home design.
Curated OER
Tower Investigation and the Egg
Students build three types of towers, engineering them to hold an egg one foot high for 15 seconds. They discover that engineering designs are subject to constraints such as time, money and size specifications. In this activity students...
Curated OER
Wind Chimes
Students construct wind chimes using physics. In small groups they design and create wind chimes using a specific weights, number of notes, and keeping the cost under ten dollars.
Curated OER
TE Activity: Choosing a Pyramid Site
Students determine how engineers decide on choices for final designs and sites for construction. They look at a surveyor's report while they evaluate sites where a pyramid could be build. They consider the distance the pyramid would be...