Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Build a Big Wheel

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about the engineering design process as they design, build, test, and evaluate a big wheel or Ferris wheel made with pasta, glue, and teabags. The objective of the lesson is to explore how big wheels have been designed...
Lesson Plan
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Defining an Engineering Design Problem With Paper Airplanes

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
For this fun lesson, you will be the "customer" ordering a paper airplane, and your student teams will be engineering companies that will manufacture planes. Before they start making planes, they need to define the criteria and...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Radio Reception and Transmission

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Teams of learners learn about the engineering design process as they design, build, and test a radio receiver and optional transmitter that can receive FM broadcasts. Lesson focuses on how advances in radio communications have impacted...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Smooth Operator

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about the engineering design process as they design, construct, test, and evaluate surgical instruments using everyday materials. The objective of the design is to see how well they can perform a simulated "surgical...
Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Confetti Launcher (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to invent a device that will launch a huge cloud of confetti. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, test, and redesign it if necessary. Activity focuses on the engineering design process...
Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Harmless Holder (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to build a new kind of holder for six cans that is also animal safe. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, and test the holder for sturdiness. Activity focuses on the engineering design...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Speedy Shelter (Pdf)

For Students K - 1st
This is a hands-on challenge to invent a sturdy emergency shelter that's easy to build. Provides a full list of materials with ideas on how to build, test, and redesign it if necessary. Activity focuses on the engineering design process...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Water Tower Challenge

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about the engineering design process as they design, build, and test a water tower made with everyday items. The objective of the lesson is to work in teams to learn about water delivery systems and create one that will...
Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Rubber Band Car [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to build a car using a rubber band and only two wheels that can go really fast and far. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, and test and redesign. Activity focuses on the engineering...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Tall Tower Challenge

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about the engineering design process as they design, build, test, and evaluate the tallest tower they can build with just straws, pipe cleaners, and paperclips that can support the weight of a golf ball for two minutes....
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Tinkering With Tops

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about the engineering design process as they design, build, and test spinning tops using everyday materials. The objective of the design is to have the top spin at least 10 seconds within a thirty centimeter diameter.
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Classroom Paper Recycling

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about the engineering design process as they devlop their own recycled paper using everyday materials. The objective of the lesson is to learn how chemical engineers work in teams to develop and improve the manufacturing...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Heart of the Matter

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about artificial heart valves and the engineering design process used in mechanical heart valve designs. The objective of the lesson is to develop an understanding of the interface between man and machine and the impact of...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Engineering Ups and Downs

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Engineering design lesson examines the principles behind working elevators. Teams of students explore how elevators work, then design, build, and evaluate their own elevator to service a toy car garage.
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Temperature Tactics

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students practice the engineering design process as they explore devices used to measure changes in temperature. They work in teams to design, build, test, and evaluate their own temperature gauge made from everyday materials.
Lesson Plan
Ruth Patrick Science Education Center

Ruth Patrick Science Education Center: Shaking It Up With Earthquake Engineering

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students will learn basic information about earthquakes and their impact. They then follow the engineering design process as they construct earthquake-resistant buildings using toothpicks and marshmallows. The buildings are tested using...
Activity
Thinkport Education

Thinkport: Designing a Healthier, Happier Meal

For Students 9th - 10th
Using the engineering design process, develop and market a healthy fast food children's meal.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Car Collision Testing & Tradeoffs: Don't Crack Humpty

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Student groups are provided with a generic car base on which to design a device/enclosure to protect an egg as it rolls down a ramp at increasing slopes. During this activity, student teams design, build and test their prototype...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Engineering in Reverse!

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students learn about the process of reverse engineering and how this technique is used to improve upon technology. Students analyze push-toys and draw diagrams of the predicted mechanisms inside the toys. Then, they disassemble the toys...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Viking Ship Design Challenge

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this design challenge, students learn about the Vikings from an engineering point-of-view. While investigating the history and anatomy of Viking ships, they learn how engineering solutions are shaped by the surrounding environment and...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Energy Systems and Solutions

For Teachers 7th - 8th
The Energy Systems and Solutions unit brings students through the exploration of science and engineering concepts as they relate to energy issues in everyday life. Issues surrounding energy production and energy consumption provide a...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Edible Rovers

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students act as Mars exploratory rover engineers. They evaluate rover equipment options and determine what parts fit in a provided NASA budget. With a given parts list, teams use these constraints to design for their rover. The students...
Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Hybrid Vehicle Design Challenge

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This module is written for a first-year algebra-based physics class, though it could easily be modified for conceptual physics. It is intended to provide hands-on activities to teach the overarching concept of energy, as it relates to...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Build Your Own Insect Trap

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this hands-on activity students design a trap to catch a fictional insect. They must build the trap based on things they learn about the insect.