Rochester Institue of Technology
Household Container Recycling
Don't throw out this resource ... recycle it! Learners investigate recycling of containers using single stream processes, and then the class discusses the advantages and disadvantages of recycling.
Chymist
Alum from Waste Aluminum Cans
Turn aluminum cans into pickles! An engaging experiment has learners chemically change aluminum into a substance with many purposes including the manufacture of pickles. After performing the chemical conversion, the experimenters verify...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Small Scale Sculpting: Etch Lab
Make works of art using a vintage yet effective etching strategy. The surface of a semiconductor chip has specific patterns formed through a process called etching. Through a lab investigation, young scholars recreate that process on a...
Teach Engineering
Fun with Air-Powered Pneumatics
How high did the ball go? Engineering teams build a working pneumatic system that launches a ball into the air. The teams vary the amount of pressure and determine the accompanying height of the ball. An extension of building a device to...
Statistics Education Web
Population Parameter with M-and-M's
Manufacturers' claims may or may not be accurate, so proceed with caution. Here pupils use statistics to investigate the M&M's company's claim about the percentage of each color of candy in their packaging. Through the activity,...
Royal Society of Chemistry
The 400m Event—Chemistry and Sport
How do Olympic runners succeed in physically demanding events like the 400-meter dash? Physiology scholars explore the relationship between acids, bases, and the muscular system through a scenario-driven activity. The lesson focuses on...
ProCon
Voting Machines
Does technology always mean advancement? Scholars take a close look at the use of voting machines. Does using a machine make voting more effective? Readers consider the advantages and disadvantages of the current voting process. They...
Purdue University
What a Waste of Food!
Follow the life of an apple from harvest to the consumer. A three-part lesson describes the different steps to get an apple from the farmer to your kitchen and the approximate waste that happens at each step. They discuss the process and...
Curated OER
"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"
Do you want to live forever? After reading Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” class groups adopt the roles of an ethics committee, product manufacturers, concerned scientists, and potential users of an...
Curated OER
BioFuels: The Chemistry and Economics of Alternative Fuels
Junior chemists manufacture biodiesel in the lab. In this exercise, they check the purity of the biodiesel using thin layer chromatography. They also calculate its density and heat of combustion. They are sure to rise to the challenge...
Curated OER
Light Bulbs are Almost Burned Out
Incandescent light bulbs were enlightening more than 130 years when Thomas Edison invented them. More recently, US Congress passed legislation to increase efficiency standards. Your 5th, 6th, or 7th graders will be enlightened as they...
Curated OER
Fuel Cell Experimentation
With rising oil prices and increasing concerns over global warming, the pressure is on for engineers to develop alternative sources of energy. Among the new technologies being developed are hydrogen fuel cells, which young scientists...
Curated OER
Production and Manufacturing/ Interlocking Project Production
Students plan and design their project idea and demonstrate what their product looks like. They make a set of instructions describing a process that could be used to manufacture this product in an industrial setting. Students are given...
Curated OER
Build, Draw, Build
Learners build an abstract meaningless object. For this technology lesson, students draw the plans of the object. They exchange drafts among their classmates and build them.
Curated OER
Fur Trade Economics
Students demonstrate understanding of what the fur trade was and how it was operated, including the bartering process, by participating in a mock trade activity and assessing the value of items based on their needs and wants.
Curated OER
Textile Boy Scout Merit Badge Workbook
In this Boy Scout Textile merit badge learning exercise, students complete 4 pages of multiple step, short answer questions in order to earn a merit badge. They look at textiles, compare fabrics, describe the manufacturing process, and...
Curated OER
Exploring the Design Process: The Work of Charles and Ray Eames
Explore the work of Charles and Ray Eames and design philosophy for three Eames' objects. Students complete image based discussion, create sketches of forms that interest them, and create their own images for a house of cards game....
Rochester Institute of Technology
Skateboard Assembly - Line Balance
Utilize the instructional activity on utilization. The second installment of a nine-part technology/engineering series teaches scholars about the flow of a balanced assembly line and the definition of utilization. Videos, activities, and...
Kenan Fellows
The Newton Challenge
Make Newton proud. Scholars apply their understanding of forces and energy to an engineering design challenge. They learn about simple machines, create a presentation on Newton's laws, and develop a balloon-powered car.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Conveyor Engineering
Moving along the line. Class members research how a conveyor belt works in order to gain background information. Groups then design a conveyor belt that will carry a piece of candy four feet and along a 90-degree turn. The groups build...
Lincoln Public Schools
Cereal Box Project
Challenge your class with this fun and engaging engineering design project. The goal, to create a brand new cereal complete with a list of ingredients, a name and logo, and a box to hold it in. Starting with a survey to determine the...
Curated OER
Photosynthesis
Students are introduced to the process of photosynthesis. In groups, they test the effects of the lack of sunlight on plant leaves and compare the results with their hypothesis. They note the characteristics that plants and animals share...
Curated OER
Civil War Photographs: What Do You See?
A study of an image from The Library of Congress collection Civil War Photographs 1861-1865 launches an investigation of the connection between the Civil War and American industrialization. After analyzing “Petersburg, Va. The...
Curated OER
My Own Backyard
Scholars create a drawing of their own backyards. They will use a visualization technique to sketch their own backyard onto construction paper using oil pastels. Guiding questions are given along with materials for the project....