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Purdue University

Take a Stand!

For Teachers 5th
Not all will still be standing by the end! Challenge classes to use engineering principles to design display cases with specific constraints. A hands-on STEM lesson reviews the concepts of tension, compression, and torque before...
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...
Lesson Plan
DiscoverE

Shaky Ground

For Teachers 6th - 8th
You're on solid ground if you decide to use the resource. A simple activity has young engineers investigate the problem of liquefaction. A battery placed on dry sand will stay standing—but not if scholars add water to the cup.
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PBS

Four Corners

For Students 5th - 8th
It's imperative to be as precise as possible. Future engineers learn about precision by building a cardboard machine. The base, corners, handles, and paddles must all be assembled with precision or the machine won't work.
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Teach Engineering

Viscoelasticity

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Stretch one's mind about viscoelastic materials. Future engineers learn about viscoelastic materials and how they differ from solids and fluids. They discover how the molecular structures of the materials relate to their properties,...
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NASA

Heavy Lifting

For Teachers K - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Bonneville

TinkerCAD: Introduction to 3D Printing

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Steer young minds to build better boats. Future engineers first spend a few days exploring the TinkerCAD software and completing some embedded lessons. They then design sea crafts with buoyancy in mind and print them using a 3-D printer.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Internal Combustion Engine

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students design parts for a scale-model, internal combustion engine using software.  In this engine lesson students work in groups to assemble an internal combustion engine. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biomedical Engineering and Diabetes

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students compare and contrast the three types of diabetes. In this technology lesson, students identify the causes of this disease. They investigate ways to deliver insulin to the body and present their findings in class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Engineering Bones

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils identify the features of a prosthetic limb and explain how engineers are involved in the prosthetic design.  In this bone engineering lesson students describe the design criteria that goes into choosing the materials that go...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bone Fractures and Engineering

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine bone fractures and the role that engineers play in repairing them.  In this biomedical engineering lesson students describe the factors that engineers consider when designing devices. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Passive Solar Design

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Learners study what passive solar design is for buildings and structures.  In this solar design lesson students identify passive solar design techniques.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animals and Engineering

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students study animal classification and their interactions.  In this animals and engineering lesson students study animal communities and how engineers use this knowledge to create new technologies. 
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Curated OER

Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering: Build a Paper Airplane

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students brainstorm what it is like to fly on an airplane and discuss the parts of a plane. Students construct a paper plane of their own, decorate it, have a competition, and discuss the importance of each part of a plane and the role...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Broken Bones

For Teachers 6th - 8th
After reading about biomedical engineering and properties of materials, collaborative groups design a cast for setting a broken bone. They test for stability and mass, and then communicate their invention by creating a poster. This...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Security System Design

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explain how laser security systems work.  In this security system design instructional activity students create a presentation of their system that they designed. 
Lesson Plan
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors

Marshmallow Challenge

For Teachers K - 12th
Here is a lesson in collaboration cleverly disguised as an engineering design activity. There is no background material for you to teach here,  just instructions about materials and rules for participating groups. Use this as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Farming in Ancient Mesopotamia: An Ancient Civil Engineering Problem

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders identify the major obstacles in farming in Mesopotamia. They work together to design and build a model that solves these problems. They write a short essay that describes the problems and their possible solutions.
Activity
eGFI

Activity: Paper Cup Challenge

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Hold a competition in your science or engineering class to find out which group can design the most effective new style of paper cup from a single sheet of paper. Each group will be challenged by this activity and will have fun at the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Goldberg's Gears

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the design principles employed by the engineer Reuben Goldberg. They read a biographical sketch of the artist and then create the context for studying how machines work. They create...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Can-Do Canoe

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Collaborative groups work together with a variety of materials to design an eight-inch canoe that floats for at least three minutes. There is no direct instruction involved in this plan, just a list of materials and a procedure for...
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Teach Engineering

Take Off with Paper Airplanes

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Let's go fly a kite ... oops, a paper airplane! The 13th segment in an aviation unit of 22 relates the parts of an airplane to paper airplanes. Pupils learn the functions of the control surfaces of a plane to really make their knowledge...
Activity
PBS

Hands-On Engineering Challenges to Bolster Your Electricity, Sound, and Force Units

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Need some activities to go along with your unit? A collection of hands-on activities from PBS offers opportunities to add to your electricity, sound, and force units. The electricity activities revolve around building a...
Lesson Plan
Tech Museum of Innovation

Seed Dispersal

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Engineering challenges are not just man-made ... nature has its own set of them. A hands-on STEM activity has groups designing a seed dispersal system. Each group can only use one sheet of paper — a tough task!

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