Young mathematicians research and discuss real world math word problems and ways in which they apply math concepts in their everyday lives. They create a storyboard of a math word problem from which they create a slide for a multi-media...

Students solve real life scenarios using algebra. In this word problem lesson, students use different websites dealing with engineering as it relates to the real world and math. They use other resources such as magazines to solve word...

Students participate in hands-on, computer activities to demonstrate the addition and subtraction of mathematical situations. Given a story problem, students determine when to add or subtract. Using word processing technology, students...

Class members connect engineering with an understanding of linear programming using a technical resource. Scholars learn about linear programming (linear optimization) and how it applies to engineering design in the first of two modules....

Learners analyze real life jobs that involve math. They discuss jobs where math is used, and explore how math is important in many areas and research some of these jobs in the book "Paws in Jobland." They complete a worksheet with four...

Planning a unit on simple machines? Save some time and energy with this collection of lessons and activities that explores how these devices are used in the real world to make life a little easier. 

Explore Snell's Law using thin films. In the fifth installment of a seven-part series, pupils solve a set of problems relating to Snell's Law and use this skill during an experiment requiring the collection of reflective measurements...

Second graders, while in the computer lab, explore the strategy of making and grouping to ten. They assess how to trade pennies for dimes and create original word problems along with corresponding number sentences to illustrate grouping...

Students explore slope as a rate of change. For this eighth grade mathematics lesson, students investigate real-world problems to determine rate of change and transform it into a linear representation, thus determining slope. Students...

Don't drop the ball on the resource ... drop an egg instead! A teacher-led demonstration has the class consider how to drop eggs into glasses when a tray is in the way. Hint: If you've ever seen a magician pull a tablecloth off a table,...

What is the most efficient way to ensure everyone is connected? Individual pupils determine the least expensive route to pave roads in a fictional city. In doing so, they learn to find the minimal spanning tree for the situation. They...

This Discovery Education activity provides the information needed to understand the basics of flight. Before taking off, young pilots learn the eight stages of the engineering design process. Small groups then design and build...

I can find the error in an array of cards? After watching a demonstration class members search for the error is the provided cards. The resource provides a real-life example of using ISBN numbers in error detection and using check...

Students build a kite while integrating math and science. In this kite building lesson, students construct a blueprint and apply mathematical formulas while constructing a kite. They use appropriate flight and kite terminology to...

Learners are involved in a cooperative learning environment that analyzes fractions, ratios to time and distance, equivalent fractions and numerical relationships and expressions in quantitative problems. They take notes, relate...

Students develop an appreciation for complex structures in nature. They observe patterns in nature in relationship to the Real World. Students use observation skills to assist in problem solving. They show comprehension of the concepts...

Show your class how engineers use graphs to understand large and complex systems. The resource provides the beginnings of graph theory by introducing the class to set theory, graphs, and degree distributions of a graph. 

Explore optics using an inquiry-based experimental approach! Young scholars use a set of materials to design and build a unit capable of focusing a beam of light. They experiment with different lenses to determine the best approach to...

How is data able to move in a congested network? Groups simulate moving data around a congested network by passing fruit around a circle, following specific rules, until everyone ends up with their own fruit. Extension activities...

What do lab tests reveal about a patient's health? Scholars perform a simulated urinalysis on two different patients by testing color, pH, glucose levels, and protein levels. Then, they compare their findings to what they know passes...

It's important to make sure houses can withstand winds. A hands-on activity has learners create a structure out of household materials. They use a fan to simulate hurricane-force winds to see if their structures can withstand the...

How do engineers turn something that is readily available, like wind, into energy? Scholars create a prototype of a wind turbine and attach it to a motor. They test out their prototypes and decide on their effectiveness. They also...

Students listen to a read aloud of Eric Carle's, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, as an introduction to their study of the metamorphosis of a butterfly. They participate in a number of cross-curricular activities in this unit of lessons.

Introduce your class to the concept of creating phylogenetic trees by playing a game of Telephone. Participants create a mixed-up message and through the use of distance matrices, the evolution of the message is recreated.