+
Activity
DiscoverE

Design a Shoe

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Engage young scientists in a project where high fashion meets engineering! Using foam core and hot glue, partnered pupils design and create a functional, fashionable pair of shoes. Groups then put the footwear through its paces using a...
+
Activity
DiscoverE

Build a Bobsled Racer

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Host a design challenge of Olympic proportion! Junior engineers build their own bobsleds using simple materials. The activity focuses on kinetic and potential energy and how the center of mass affects motion on a downhill track....
+
Activity
2
2
National Academy of Sciences

Global Warming: Facts and Our Future

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
According to the United Nations, climate change affects every country on the planet. This research project encourages scholars to explore the factors that affect climate change from different perspectives: climate scientist, policy...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
American Chemical Society

Natural Resources and Synthetic Materials

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
All synthetic materials began as natural materials. An engaging lesson begins with a hands-on activity and an example of the type of research that scholars perform independently. Then pupils receive a topic and begin researching the...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
American Chemical Society

Chemical Reactions and Engineering Design

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Construction leads to habitat loss and local wildlife suffers. Scholars must build a reptile egg incubation device that meets many constraints. Various experiments help them discover the chemical reaction needed to reach the proper...
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Biological Oceanographic Investigations – Call to Arms

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
How many simple machines does it take to make a robotic arm? An inquiry-based activity explores that topic and challenges pupils to build a robotic arm that can stretch, turn, and more. A few questions help guide them in the right...
+
Lesson Plan
Rochester Institute of Technology

Solar Energy

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Warm up to the idea of solar energy. A lesson includes three activities that challenge scholars to apply knowledge in new ways. First, they learn to run an alarm clock without a battery by using solar energy. Next, they complete an...
+
Lesson Plan
Rochester Institute of Technology

Biomechanical Joint

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Discuss mechanical advantage and how the human body moves/works. Learners focus on bioengineering, working together to build a functioning mechanical arm. Additionally, they analyze an air muscle, discussing its appropriate use in humans. 
+
Activity6:37
Bonneville

How to Build a Turbine

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Here is a six-minute video of a pair of electrical engineers that illustrate how to build a wind turbine. A list of materials is provided, along with general guidelines for your class. Use this to introduce turbine design to your...
+
Activity5:09
1
1
Bonneville

How to Build a Motor

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Electrical engineers entertain and explain how to construct an electromagnet-driven motor. Kellie and Mike, the hosts of the show, are enthusiastic teachers that will help introduce a project that you likely include in your middle school...
+
Activity4:34
Bonneville

The Great Marble Drop

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Mike and Kellie, a team of electrical engineers, demonstrate how to to design a contraption that accurately drops a marble onto a target. The materials needed and general instructions are provided on the website or via a downloadable...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whirligig Lollapalooza

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Using a cut-out template of a whirligig, emerging engineers experiment with flight behavior. After you teach them the concepts of force, air resistance, and lift, they discuss what variables on the whirligigs might be changed in order to...
+
Lesson Plan
US Department of Energy

Geothermal Energy

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
With Earth Day quickly approaching, as well as many science fairs, why not challenge your class to investigate geothermal energy or other renewable energy resources? There are five driving questions explored in depth here, as well as...
+
Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Filtration Investigation

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Scholars build a simple filtration system to remove impurities from muddy water and rate the filtered water to a grade of clarity scale. The focus is on teamwork and problem solving. This instructional activity would be effective in your...
+
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Neuropathfinding: Kinesthetic Model

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Playing follow the leader has never been so interesting! Get the class up and moving while they take on the roles of nervous system components. Through trial and error, they learn the importance of the "pioneer" growth cone that leads...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Beyond Benign

SLS Today

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Lather is not necessary for an effective shampoo. After learning of the industry created consumer misinformation, individuals investigate the toxicity of the most popular additive in shampoos to create lather. They use their results to...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
NASA

Heavy Lifting

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Accept NASA's challenge to design heavy lifting vehicles. Groups of three design balloon-powered rockets to carry as much payload to the ceiling as possible. The teams are encouraged to launch several times while making improvements to...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
NASA

Rocket Races

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
And they are off! Using Styrofoam meat trays and balloons, individuals build racers that demonstrate Newton's Third Law of Motion. Pupils run their racers three times and make improvements between each trial. To conclude the activity,...
+
Activity
NASA

Soda-Straw Rockets

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Launch a great lesson exploring engineering design. Using a template, young scholars create rockets that can be launched from a straw. After analyzing the function of the rocket, pupils try to modify the rocket to enhance its function.
+
Activity
NASA

How to Do a Science Fair Project

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Build problem-solving skills with science! Step-by-step videos walk investigators through each stage of completing a science fair project. Scientists learn to formulate a testable question, design an experiment, collect data, draw...
+
Activity
NASA

Design a Crew Exploration Vehicle

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Make a splash from space. Participants use the engineering design process to create a waterproof space exploration vehicle capable of an upright landing. Young engineers test and modify designs as needed and participate in a group...
+
Activity
NASA

Build a Satellite

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Shake, rattle, and explore space with satellites. Engineers learn how satellites work before designing, building, and testing their own models. Groups engage in quality assurance reviews with colleagues to improve their designs, and the...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Design and Engineer Solutions

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
What's the best way to collect all that trash? A culminating activity has scholars use the knowledge and skills from the unit to design a solution to the plastic trash island problem. They use 3-D pens or a 3-D printer to build models of...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Engineering 101

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Make a structure too sturdy to fail. Scholars first watch a video and consider the reasons for the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse. They take part in two engineering challenges, one using newspapers and the other using spaghetti sticks...