Students simulate that they need to develop a new home on a different planet. They design a shelter that will ensure their survival after researching the characteristics of the other planet. They write an essay about their home design.

Students discuss the changes we face and what kind of future house designs students can imagine. They create a floor plan, make an architectural drawing, and write a short description about their future house.

Students investigate the 'Design for the Other 90%' exhibition about low-cost solutions to give the "other 90% of the world's population" access to services and amenities many of us take for granted. For this technology design lesson,...

Elementary engineers design a dog house suitable for a large dog according to specific criteria. Students create a design for a doghouse that allows their dog to grow, protects him from the elements, and keeps food and water dishes...

Fifth graders build a shelter to protect themselves from rain. They perform durability and water proof testing on the shelters. They make observations of plants found in the Amazon rainforest.

Students are be able to analyze primary sources (photographs) for evidence of Ancient Egyptian culture and design meaningful objects. They are grouped in pairs and instructed to choose someone that they admire, either living or...

Students explore homes as shelters while they built writing and technology skills. In this homes of yesterday and today lesson, students produce books using digital photography. Students develop vocabulary while researching how homes are...

Students, working in groups, design and create a model of a playground shelter, based on specific criteria. Student designs must include research and analysis into weather conditions, safety factors and the cost of the finalized project.

Students investigate what types of roofs are appropriate for various types of climates and environments. They discuss and observe different types of roofs and housing, listen to the book "Houses and Homes," select a region, and design...

Sixth graders explore area and perimeter. In this online interactive area and perimeter instructional activity, 6th graders investigate why the perimeter of rectangles can vary considerably even when the area is held constant. Students...

Students work together to design and build a birdhouse. They research a bird of their choice and build the birdhouse that means that bird's specifications. They discover the importance of designing.

First graders identify the sun as a source of heat and light. They identify features of houses that help keep use sheltered and comfortable throughout daily and seasonal cycles. Students are told that summer is the best season to...

Students explain the different heat transfer mechanisms and how they influence the building envelope. They develop ways in which the building envelope can be improved and test hypotheses about building envelope designs.

Students design and build a model solar energy home. In this technology lesson, students test the efficiency of their model houses by measuring temperature at regular intervals. They analyze data and share results with the class.

Fifth graders test the shelters that were built in a prior activity. They determine the level of durability and water resistance of these shelters through a scientific investigation.

Students work together to design an Egyptian funerary barge. They discover the importance of the afterlife to Egyptians. They create their boat and share their design with the class. They compare and contrast the technology of Ancient...

Students investigate hurricanes and invent a way to diffuse or redirect a hurricane before it becomes destructive in this technology-based science project. Cooperative learning groups are emphasized.

Students examine the different types of wind patterns. Using common materials, they construct weather vanes to measure and record wind direction over a two-week period. After analyzing the data, they draw conclusions about the...

Students obtain remote sensing data to compare and contrast global biomass data with global temperature data.

Fifth graders work in groups to study a particular group of Native Americans. They use a study guide to guide their research and use the internet and text resources to gather information. Students post their research on a class web page.

Students complete a critical reading of the novel "The Midwife's Apprentice." During their reading, students create several journal responses to the character's situation and transformation. Working with computers, students complete...

Third graders identify who the Kwakiutl Indians were and where they lived. They describe the way of life of the Kwakiutl and identify the natural resources used by the Kwakiutl, and describe the Kwakiutl's beliefs about nature.

Students consider the adaptation of life forms through natural selection to fill various niches and accommodate changing environmental conditions. They select an ecosystem and conduct research to provide as much detailed information as...

Students study West Virginia quilts. In this mathematics lesson, students use symmetry, geometric shapes, and patterns to create their own quilt square.