Curated OER
Potato Power
Students light a LED clock or light bulb using potatoes. They examine how a battery works in a simple circuit. They determine how chemical energy changes to electrical energy while experimenting with potato powered circuits.
Curated OER
Go with the Flow
Students gain an understanding of the difference between electrical conductors and insulators, and experience recognizing a conductor by its material properties. They build a conductivity tester to determine whether different objects are...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Yogurt Cup Speakers
Sixth graders build a speaker as they investigate the roles of electricity and magnetism. They discover the properties of magnets, create an electromagnet, and determine the direction of a magnetic field. They show cause and effect...
Curated OER
Completing the Circuit
Students use a battery, wires, small light bulb and a light bulb holder to learn the difference between an open circuit and a closed circuit, and understand that electric current only occurs in a closed circuit. They describe the...
Teach Engineering
Can You Resist This?
Some things are hard to resist. Small collaborative groups build circuits and calculate the voltage using Ohm's Law. Budding engineers explore the connection between the voltage across different resistors and linear functions with...
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How Can Work Be Done with Water Power? Activity B
In this second of three activities, energy engineers plan and create a hydropower dam as they learn how hydroelectric power plants generate electricity. A hydropower puzzle is also included, which can be worked on by teams that finish...
Curated OER
Taking Apart Electrical Appliances
Young scholars discover that electrical appliances are made up of individual components that work together. They, with partners, demonstrate to others how their piece of equipment or appliance works by taking it apart and examining the...
Curated OER
Electric Circuits
Students explore energy by completing an electricity worksheet. In this conductors lesson, students define the energy related vocabulary terms circuit, electronics, conductor and semi-conductor before examining computer chips in class....
Curated OER
Engineers for a Sustainable World
Students experiment with making a water filtration system. In this engineering lesson, students get into groups and are challenged to use only eight items to create a water filter. When finished, students compare and contrast their results.
Curated OER
Take Charge!
Learners induce an electrical charge on various objects, and experiment with electrical repulsion and attraction. They define related vocabulary, play Bingo and complete a take-home quiz.
Curated OER
The Path of Electrons
Students engage in an interactive "hot potato" demonstration to gain an appreciation for the flow of electrons through a circuit. They role play the different parts of a simple circuit and send small items representing electrons (paper...
Curated OER
Medical Instrumentation
Young scholars analyze how medical devices that help the human body function. They work in pairs or groups to draw multiple views of the medical device and describe how engineering is used by biomedial engineers.
Curated OER
Where's the Energy
Students research energy conversions. In this energy lesson plan, students describe the basic operation of a steam engine. They explain the energy conversions in the steam engine's operation.
Curated OER
Gauss' Law
Learners derive the equation of Gauss's law. In this physics instructional activity, students investigate the factors affecting the strength of the electric field. They perform simulation on Gauss's law.
Teach Engineering
Piezoelectricity
What effect makes children's shoes light up? Answer: Piezoelectric effect. Here is a PowerPoint presentation that describes piezoelectric materials as being able to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. Individuals learn how...
NOAA
Oceans of Energy
Are the earth's oceans really just giant batteries, waiting for their energy to be harnessed? Middle school mechanical engineers will be shocked by the amazing amount of energy that forms around them after diving into part four of a...
Curated OER
Electricity: Will It Conduct?
Students build conductivity testers and investigate which solids and solutions conduct electricity. Working in groups, they predict which items will conduct electricity and record their answers on worksheets.
Curated OER
Circulation
Middle schoolers define the functions of the circulatory system. In this body circulation lesson students see how engineers have involvement with the circulatory system.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Power of Graphene
To prepare for the activity, STEM classes read about nanotechnology and the amazing properties of graphene. They collect a graphene sample from pencils, and then connect them into simple circuits to determine whether it makes a better...
Curated OER
Harnessing the Wind for Electricity
Ninth graders explain how wind can produce electricity. For this geometry lesson, 9th graders construct their own pin wheel turbine and calculate its power. They discuss the pros and cons of using wind generator.
Curated OER
Electrical Engineers for a Day
Young scholars build a robot out of a 3-¿¿ inch floppy disk drive, two floppy disks, and some other miscellaneous supplies. They apply information they gather about electrical circuits from a web-based circuit design program.
Skyscraper Museum
Building a Skyscraper
Creating buildings that reach hundreds of feet into the sky is no easy task. The third instructional activity in this series begins with four activities that engage young architects in exploring the major challenges that are faced when...
DiscoverE
Wind Farm
A wind turbine is essentially just a giant pinwheel, right? Individuals first create pinwheels from paper, pins, and pencils. In groups, they model a wind farm along a coast and then test out their designs using an electric fan.
Bonneville
Solar Powered Calculator
The perfect place to do one's math homework? Outside, of course. The third of seven lessons in the Understanding Science and Engineering unit focuses on solar energy. Learners investigate solar-powered calculators and discover how solar...