Curated OER
Make It All Better!
Students design an innovation that could help their community. In this technology lesson, students identify problems that could be solved by innovation. They present their ideas in class.
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What Do You See? What Do You Think?
Students review the implications of the printing of the Gutenberg Bible. Using a page from the Bible, they compare and contrast it with one that was handwritten. They use the internet to discover Gutenberg's model and marketing strategy...
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Engineering: Lego Cars and Light Sensors
Students build Lego cars with attached light sensors. They program the car to enter a tunnel and reverse out when it records a darker light reading.
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Parachutes And Parafoils
Learners study deceleration devices like parachutes and parafoils.
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LEGO Construction Basics-Axles and Wheels
Learners examine axles and wheels using LEGO materials. They investigate the uses of axles, gears, and wheels.
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Friction and Machines
Fifth graders experimentally determine the relationship of friction to the functioning of machines. They demonstrate that rollers can decrease frictional force and increase speed and research to discover other ways that friction can be...
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Motion Capture and Analysis
Learners investigate the concepts and relationships of speed, displacement and time. They capture the serve motion of a tennis player via video or digital camera and analyze the speed of the ball and racquet head.
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Introduction to Plates, Axles, and Gears
Students are introduced to the function and design of the following Lego pieces: beams, bricks, plates, axles, tires, hubs and bushings. They then work with a partner to build something using only these pieces.
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Survey Savvy
Learners explore various aspects of design innovation. In this design lesson, links are provided to three innovations from the Design for the Other 90% Web site in order for students to study and evaluate them. Learners are challenged to...
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The Automobile
Students are introduced to technological innovations that contributed to mass production of the automobile and how this allows large numbers of Americans to afford an automobile.
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Musical Instruments
Learners invent a musical instrument to be played by them. They invent a nonstandard notation for music and compose a short piece to preform for the class using their instrument.
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The Mind Behind Design
Young scholars explore a design website and journal their findings. In this design and writing instructional activity, students analyze the design process and discuss benefits to society through design. Young scholars choose a design...
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Career Development (Career Exploration)
Eighth graders identify and describe career opportunities in a changing society
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Space Travel
Students study the International Space Station and space exploration. In this space travel lesson students describe the different types of engineers that contribute to space travel.
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Too Bright At Night?
Middle schoolers explain what causes light pollution and how it can be curtailed. They consider the negative consequences of nighttime lighting, enabled by the invention of electric lights at the close of the 19th Century.
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Too Bright at Night?
Students reflect upon the causes and effects of light pollution in the night skies. First, they read articles provided and then do worksheets that are provided. They work in groups to discuss their conclusions.
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Cross Country Adventure
Young scholars practice measurement and geography in this lesson plan. They build a Lego vehicle using an RCX. They predict how many seconds it will take their vehicle to reach a specific state on the United States of America map that...
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Economics Lesson: The Real McCoy
Students research the origination of the expression "The Real McCoy." In this economics research lesson plan, students read the book The Real McCoy. Students examine Elijah McCoy and his invention of the oil cup and how it relates to the...
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Inventors of New England
Students examine recent inventions and discuss the steps the inventor had to go through to develop this product. They share their ideas with the class.
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In The Year 2121
Students research the advances of an invention's industrial design over decades or centuries. They project improvements and innovations for the future in drawings and descriptive prose. Automobiles are used as an example.
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Riding the Pony Express
Fourth graders list the four W's of the Pony Express. They also write an article about Buffalo Bill Cody and discuss the important facts about the Pony Express.
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Sentence Completion 8 (low-advanced SAT level))
Proficient English language learners or native English speakers develop vocabulary with this five-page packet. The first page contains six fill-in-the-blank questions, and learners must decide which word or words best completes the...
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Anasazi Basket Weaving
The Anasazi Indians of Mesa Verde are the focus of this art and social studies lesson. Working in pairs or groups of three, students utilize computers and go online to search for websites about the Anasazi. Students will choose two or...
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Should Humans Be Cloned?
Students explore links on the Internet to collect facts about cloning then prepare an essay on their findings. In this research writing lesson students examine how to include their opinions on what they have found in their research.