Unit Plan
Discovery Education

STEM Camp—Urban Infrastructure

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Build a bridge to learning in a STEM-aligned unit about urban infrastructure. Young engineers explore the many aspects of civil planning and design in a five-day unit. Content includes the challenging aspects of balancing building with...
Activity2:28
DiscoverE

DiscoverE Challenge: Critical Load

For Students 3rd - 8th
Take a load off .. and put the weight on a house of cards. Scholars learn about civil engineering and critical loads by building the sturdiest house possible out of a dozen playing cards. They conduct tests by placing pennies or other...
Lesson Plan
Dick Blick

ArtStraw Architecture

For Teachers 5th - 12th
While architects and engineers don't often build with plastic straws and foam board, the same principles still apply. Challenging both the creativity and critical thinking of students, this engaging design project is perfect...
Activity
DiscoverE

Windy City Tower

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Your class will be blown away when they build their own city tower structure! Engineering scholars partner up to plan, build, and test their own paper towers. As they build, they gain valuable design skills, learn about wind tunnel...
Activity1:55
DiscoverE

Everyday Engineering: Windy City Tower

For Students 3rd - 12th
A little wind shouldn't hurt a building. Given three sheets of paper and six feet of tape, scholars create a structure that can withstand wind and hold up a weight. They conduct tests using a fan and decide on any improvements to make...
Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Popsicle Bridge

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Using popsicle sticks and glue, groups must work together to design and build a bridge that can support weight and is aesthetically pleasing. The lesson plan begins by learners reading about different features of bridge architecture,...
Activity
DiscoverE

Bridges, Buildings and Beyond Activity Packet: Grades 6-8

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pour a solid foundation of engineering into the minds of future engineers. Scholars take part in three activities to learn about civil engineering. They build a model of a cable-stayed bridge, conduct an experiment to see the effects of...
Unit Plan
Scholastic

STEM Challenges and Activity Sheets for Grades 6–8

For Teachers 6th - 8th
From 3-D cities to building bridges, young engineers engage in innovative STEM challenges that promote brainstorming and collaboration. Learners take on the roles of different types of engineers as well as become familiar...
Activity
DiscoverE

Designing Highway Interchanges

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
How do engineers determine the most efficient highway designs? Introduce young scientists to the world of topology, the branch of mathematics that examines how things are connected. Teams use model highways to create the most...
Interactive
Magic of Physics

Loads Lab

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Take a load off! Introduce junior engineers to the effects of load on structural design with an easy-to-use interactive. Individuals apply one of many load options, examine its effects, then learn about the safeguards employed during...
Activity
DiscoverE

Hoop Glider

For Students 3rd - 12th
Fly into an engineering lesson sure to get your scholars' interest off the ground. Young pupils create hoop gliders out of straws and paper hoops. Adjusting the size and number of the hoops lets them investigate the effect on flight...
Interactive
iCivics

DBQuest: The Nashville Sit-In Movement

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What was it like to be a part of the sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement? Learners consider the question and whether the protests were effective using an online documents-based investigation. The program allows for virtual...
Activity
DiscoverE

Build a Big Wheel

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pasta is great for cooking—and for making Ferris wheels. Aspiring engineers use an assortment of pasta types to create a functioning Ferris wheel. They keep track of the design process to refine their designs, if necessary. Let's hope no...
Activity
Museum of Science

Newspaper Fort

For Teachers K - 6th
Newspapers aren't really the first material that comes to mind when building a fort. Pupils use newspaper rolls to design and build a sturdy structure. They consider how different shapes, like trusses, affect the strength of their...
Activity
2
2
Teach Engineering

The Magician's Catapult

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Class members work in pairs to build a catapult to launch a grape a given distance. The catapult project, a compound machine, reinforces pupils' understanding of simple machines.
Lesson Plan
DiscoverE

Tunnel Meetup

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Meet me in the tunnels. Scholars choose a tunnel entrance and mark it on their side of the cardboard. They describe the location to their partners and see if they can guess each other's locations. Punching a hole through the cardboard...
Activity
DiscoverE

Build a Cable-Stayed Bridge

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Large or small, bridges are architectural wonders! Construct a large-scale cable-stayed bridge during a whole class project. Scholars work in groups to erect the towers, build the roadway, and secure the cables of their very own bridges....
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Earthquake Building/Shaking Contest

For Teachers 6th Standards
Japan is one of only a handful of countries that constructs buildings that are almost earthquake proof. The 13th lesson in the 20-part series challenges scholars to build structures to test against earthquakes. With limited materials and...
Unit Plan
American Institute of Architects

Architecture: It's Elementary!—Fifth Grade

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Young citizens construct an understanding of urban planning in this cross-curricular unit. Covering every aspect of city development from the political, economic, and social influences to sustainable building practices, this...
Activity
Teach Engineering

Cost Comparisons

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Our final proposal for the cost of the bridge requested is ... In the last segment in a series of 10, pairs work together to develop a proposal for a city bridge design. The class completes a cost comparison between concrete and steel to...
Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Flow Rates of Faucets and Rivers

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Go with the flow and use a helpful resource. A set of two activities has learners investigate flow rates. They first determine the flow rate of a faucet by measuring how long it takes to fill a bucket. Using the results, they make a...
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Protecting Our City with Levees

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Teams use the design process to design, build, and test a model levee to protect the town from a wall of water. A handout provides a price list for the materials learners can use to build their levee within a budget.
Activity
Teach Engineering

Amusement Park Ride: The Ups and Downs in Design

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Groups design the ultimate roller coaster by considering potential and kinetic energy. They test their designs using marbles and then go on to rate each group's design based on aesthetics, loop diameter, and cost.
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Rocks, Rocks, Rocks: Test, Identify Properties and Classify

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Time is growing short. Teams work together to identify physical properties of rocks in order to determine the properties that would best suit their cavern shelter design.

Other popular searches