Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Edible Rovers High School

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students act as Mars exploratory rover engineers, designing, building and displaying their edible rovers to a design review. To begin, they evaluate rover equipment and material options to determine which parts might fit in their given...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Shapes of Strength

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students are introduced to brainstorming and the design process in problem solving as it relates to engineering. They perform an activity to develop and understand problem solving with an emphasis on learning from history. Using only...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Designing Drones

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
This lesson focuses on helicopters and drones, how they fly, how they are used in different ways that help people and the environment. Teams of students explore helicopter flight; and design, build, and test their own simple rotor out of...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Hull Design and Hydrodynamics

For Students 9th - 10th
Experiment with designs of different hulls for boats to see which hulls are suited for which purpose. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a...
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Communication Network

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Using some everyday household materials, students are challenged to design and build a network to send communication signals in multiple directions to multiple people. To help students accomplish this challenge there are tips, a lesson...
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Flow Control System

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In this engineering challenge, students will build a system that controls the movement of material and shuts off automatically. This site includes tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their design process.
Handout
Other

Branksome Hall Asia: Design and Inquiry: Sustainable Design

For Students 9th - 10th
Sustainable design is a philosophy of developing products in line with social, economic, and ecological sustainability principles. In design, it is important to understand the distinction between Green Design and Sustainable Design....
Lesson Plan
Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, Stevens Institute of Technology

Ciese: Scratch My Back: Children's Engineering Activity

For Teachers K - 1st
This lesson is based on the book Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup. In the book, a big, smelly bear has an itch in the middle of his back and can't scratch it. Nothing the bear tries works. Using the Engineering Design Process,...
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Engineering Solutions

For Students K - 1st
Anyone who has attempted one of those "claw machine" games at local restaurants or retailers knows how impossible it seems to win. This activity will get students using the engineering design process to develop a claw that will actually...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Designing a Winning Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Challenge Question of the Legacy Cycle draws the student into considering the engineering ingenuity of nature. It will force him to analyze, appreciate and understand the wisdom of these designs as the student team focuses on meeting...
Lesson Plan
Other

Ontario Council for Technology Education: Transportation Design and Construction [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this project, students will develop knowledge and skills related to the construction of vehicle/craft systems. They will identify and describe the major systems and components of vehicles, aircraft, and/or watercraft such as body,...
Lesson Plan
Other

Ontario Council for Technology Education: Designing a Tool Storage Board [Pdf]

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students begin this project by taking an inventory of hand tools at home. They then categorize their tools and make a detailed list in a spreadsheet. After research on tool storage, they will choose materials and a tool board style, then...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Design Your Own Milk Carton Boat

For Students 9th - 10th
Design different hull designs for boats from milk cartons and experiment with which hull will glide the fastest, be most maneuverable, and which will support the most weight. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: A Mini World

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
As students learn about the creation of biodomes, they are introduced to the steps of the engineering design process, including guidelines for brainstorming. Students learn how engineers are involved in the design and construction of...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Time for Design

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students are introduced to the engineering design process, focusing on the concept of brainstorming design alternatives. They learn that engineering is about designing creative ways to improve existing artifacts, technologies or...
Handout
Thinkport Education

Thinkport: Designing a Healthier, Happier Meal: The Engineering Design Process

For Students 9th - 10th
See how STEM professionals typically work on teams to complete projects.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: What Happened to the Water? Designing Ways to Get and Clean

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this scenario-based activity, students design ways to either clean a water source or find a new water source, depending on given hypothetical family scenarios. They act as engineers to draw and write about what they could do to...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Olympic Engineering

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
The instructional activity begins by introducing Olympics as the unit theme. The purpose of this instructional activity is to introduce learners to the techniques of engineering problem solving. Specific techniques covered in the...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Cast Your Vote

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students learn about the engineering design process as they design, build, test, and evaluate a voting system made with everyday materials. The objective of the lesson is to learn how engineering has changed methods of voting over time...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Get It Write

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about the engineering design process by working in teams to design and build a pen out of everyday materials that can deliver a controlled amount of ink to a sheet of paper.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Joystick

For Students Pre-K - 1st
As part of this engineering project, students will design and build a joystick that can turn on and turn off multiple things. The website also includes a lesson plan, tips to accomplish the challenge, and a place for students to document...
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Plane Painting Machine

For Students Pre-K - 1st
A challenge where student create a plane painting machine which draws a design on your airplane. The site includes the challenge, tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Magnetic Nanoparticle Coating

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Interested in nanoparticles? Use this challenge to design a coating for a magnet that will pick up different surfaces. Challenge includes tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Disperse Seeds Far and Wide

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Students are challenged to engineer a device that will carry a seed at least 3 feet from where it is launched. Students are given access to a site that gives them tips, and a place to document their engineering design process. Also, a...