Maker Media
Makerspace Playbook
Make the most of project-based learning with Makerspace. A playbook shows instructors and other interested parties how to set up a Makerspace and Maker community to foster STEM projects. It gives ideas for startup activities and for...
Workforce Solutions
On the Job
Four lessons spotlight a variety of professions while boosting listening and observational skills and making inferences. Lesson one challenges pupils to group cards based on a commonality then justify the relationship they see....
Teach Engineering
Identifying Possible Underground Cavern Locations
Teams continue with the Asteroid Impact challenge and determine possible locations to construct their underground shelters. Participants cut scale area models of their shelters from paper and place them on the map to find locations...
Workforce Solutions
Simple Machine Scavenger Hunt
How are simple machines used in professional settings? To find out, scholars examine various pictures, cross-reference a list of simple machines, and write or verbally share how those items are used in specific jobs.
PBS
Blow the Roof Off!
Blow the minds of young scientists with this collection of inquiry-based investigations. Based on a series of eight videos, these "hands-on, minds-on" science lessons engage young learners in exploring a wide range of topics...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
The Solar Wind Tunnel
The winds of change are blowing in our very own solar system! But what makes some heavenly bodies more affected by solar winds than others? Pupils discover the concept of magnetic forces at work in space in this...
Curated OER
Technology: Biomedical Engineering
Students participate in activities simulating various disabilities. After discussions, they work in teams to devise or improve on adaptive devices for people with disabilities. They include drawings of the tools they design and explain...
Curated OER
Engineering: Simple Machines
Fourth graders participate in activities to examine how simple machines help build things. They identify the six types of simple machines. They discover how simple machines where use historically to build pyramids and how they are still...
Curated OER
Lesson: Design a Sturdy Paper Table
Student create a table with paper legs. In this engineering lesson, students use rolled paper to create table legs and attempt a variety of designs to find one that will hold a textbook. They work in small groups, brainstorm and attempt...
Curated OER
Weighted Objectives Table and Optimum Mix Sheet
Students analyze data and determine an appropriate concrete mixture. For this technical solutions lesson, students discuss weighted objectives, review sample scenarios, and rate concrete recipes to identify how well water infiltrates....
Curated OER
The BEAM Project: Building Efficient Architectural Models
Technology or engineering teams are given a task to design, construct, and test the efficiency of a structure that will foster an even temperature throughout an entire sunny day. Intended as a long-term project, pupils research, plan,...
Curated OER
Design a Bobsled
Students apply their knowledge of friction, drag, mass and gravity as they design, build, and test mini-bobsleds.
Curated OER
Engineering Design and Problem Solving
Twelfth graders determine the pixels in photos. In this engineering lesson, 12th graders design a picture mosaic using the computer. They design their own class picture.
Curated OER
Audio Engineers: Sound Weavers
Learners explore audio engineering. In this career education and "sound" science instructional activity, students define related vocabulary and make connections between the music they listen to and the job an audio engineer does after...
Curated OER
Lesson: Can-Do Canoe
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...
Curated OER
The Laws of Sines and Cosines Made Simple!
Students study the law of sine and cosine. In this pre-calculus lesson, students create a triangle and identify the different ratios of a non-right triangle. They use the properties of sine and cosine to solve.
Curated OER
Architects and Engineers
Students examine the roles of architects and engineers. For this engineering lesson, students design a parking garage based on a descriptive scenario. Students compare how architects and engineers work together on projects and how...
Teach Engineering
Tools and Equipment (Part 1)
Looking for the best inclined plane for the job? Groups calculate the theoretical mechanical advantage for four different inclined planes. They determine the actual mechanical advantage by measuring the amount of force needed for the...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Heart of the Matter
Hands-on experience with valves and water flow supports young researchers' understanding of valve operation. Attached resources for learners are text-dense; I'd break up the text into smaller pieces for groups to read and present...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Build a Big Wheel
What does it take to prepare for a construction project? In an engineering lesson, youngsters examine how a Ferris wheel can turn and carry a load without falling apart. After reading up on big wheel designs, they create a model using...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Cast Your Vote
In a simple but unique instructional activity, youngsters learn about the history of voting systems. They then collaborate in groups to develop a new honest and consistent voting method. A class-wide poll is taken, evaluating the designs...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
A Century of Plastics
After reading about polymer materials, engineer trainees examine how plastics have been integrated into everyday products. In groups, they compile a list of products made entirely without plastics and then, as a closing activity, try to...
National Wildlife Federation
Fossil Fuel Extraction Activity
Extracting oil is more difficult than many think! Learners work together and get hands-on as they represent oil companies drilling for oil by simulating oil extraction using beans. They identify the challenges faced in using...
Teach Engineering
Beating the Motion Sensor
I bet I can cross the room without having the lights come on. Class members set up an experiment in which they try to determine what materials will mask motion detected by a sensor. Groups predict how materials will interact with...