Engineering Construction Teacher Resources

Following this procedure, eager engineers construct a working model of a piston system, similar to that in an internal combustion engine. Perfect for STEM or automotive technology classes, the activity comes complete with analysis and...

Pairs of learners work together in order to simulate how engineers test materials for strength and safety in the real world. They use paper cups and pieces of spaghetti to run strength tests. This excellent activity should lead to...

What does it take to prepare for a construction project? In an engineering lesson, youngsters examine how a Ferris wheel can turn and carry a load without falling apart. After reading up on big wheel designs, they create a model using...

A neat handout immerses learners in the history of canoe making. After reading, small groups of mini engineers work to craft a canoe that will not be immersed! This is an ideal exercise in engineering design for your STEM curriculum or...

Student scientists investigate triangle structures. In this building lesson plan, students explore how to design triangle braces in the construction of structures in order to build a stronger base.

Creating buildings that reach hundreds of feet into the sky is no easy task. The third instructional activity in this series begins with four activities that engage young architects in exploring the major challenges that are faced when...

Engineering design projects serve as great opportunities for collaborative problem solving. In this case, students work in small groups designing, building, and eventually testing a structure that meets a teacher-specified objective. It...

This engineering activity gets youngsters working together to design and construct a bridge. Each bridge is tested in front of the class to discover how much weight it can hold before showing any change in form. The lesson plan does not...

Like working with your hands? Like building things? Like tools? Think hard hats are cool?  Check out a short video that details the rewards of working in construction.

Imagine precisely cutting and then moving a 120 ton boulder more than two miles without mechanical cutting tolls, skid loaders, or hydraulic cranes. Imagine carving a stone figure that includes a drainage system that permits rainwater to...

Do domed structures have advantages over their less-than-spherical counterparts? Junior architects explore the pros and cons of domes through a design challenge. Teams work together to plan, sketch, build, and test domes created from an...

Don a hard hat and grab an iPad; both are essential tools for construction managers. A short video details the education, skills, and tools required for those interested in a career in this fast-growing field.

Young scholars listen to Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and work collaboratively to create a chair for a small stuffed animal that will allow it to sit upright and withstand a short drop out of Legos. Students write about the...

Studens construct their own catapult. In this history of catapults lesson, students work in groups to make their own model of a catapult. Students use physics vocabulary terms explain how the catapult works. Students test the...

Young scholars make no-bake cookies to learn basic engineering principles, road construction and material science. They experience properties and changes in matter.

Students discover how engineers construct buildings to stand up against earthquakes. They build their own structures out of marshmallows and toothpicks. They test how earthquake-proof their building is with jello.

This video introduces the institution and function of banks in society by walking viewers through the concept of banking with colorful annotations and simplified narration. The lecture evolves naturally into a discussion about interest...

Take your drafting and design projects on the go with with this mobile computer-aided design program. Allowing users to view, edit, and share their work with others, this is a great resource for developing the technical drawing...

I can move about freely, but you cannot. The class models the movement through cell membranes by way of passive and active transport. Members of the class play the roles of various proteins, atoms, compounds, and cell actions and mimic...

After a brief lecture on levers, torque, projectiles, and the five-step engineering design cycle, young physical science learners or engineers build catapults out of craft sticks. This is an open-ended exploration of what works and what...

There is nothing in the world quite like a bee. Here is a video that explains the importance of bees to pollination. Scholars consider possible solutions to the declining population of bees in the ninth and final installment in the series.

Students create a simple machine that includes a cart and lever system that could have been used to build the ancient pyramids. In this simple machine lesson, students learn about the wheel and the axle as simple machines that help...

After examining how a spring scale works, teams work together to design their own general measurement device. Reading material provides background information, but there is no part of the procedure in which learners handle an actual...

Research various types of bridge designs. Your class will be asked to consider what it would be like without bridges while learning about how they work. They will construct a model bridge based on given parameters. They then calculate...