Stay in Shape

Here are some step-by-step instructions that will show you how to fold an origami box with your class. Images and written directions guide you through the activity. Use this in conjunction with an art or math lesson.

Domain can be a tricky topic, especially when you relate it to context, but here is a lesson that provides concrete examples of discrete situations and those that are continuous. It also addresses where the input values should begin and...

Watch out below! Future engineers come up with methods to ensure that a ball in a cup stays in the cup even after dropped from a given height. It might be prudent to include some kind of shock absorber in the cup. Parachutes are a good...

Teams design and build a windmill, under budget, that can lift an object. The groups evaluate and reflect on their own design, then on those produced by other teams. The goal is to determine which design is the most...

Cost overruns are unacceptable—in the real world and in an engaging activity. Groups of pupils get together to build a bridge out of straws, paper cups, and tape. They keep track of costs ($1,000 for each material) and must stay within a...

In this probability and statistics worksheet, learners determine when a survey or collected data could be biased.  The one page worksheet contains a combination of three multiple choice and free response questions.  Answers are included.   

Construction engineers research types of bridges online and diagram the forces exerted on each. The create different shaped trusses and test for strength. Finally, they will form teams and compete in "Physics Olympics: Bridge Building."...

Students investigate a scenario that is provided by the teacher in the context of a mystery problem provided in a story. They discuss the problem while defining some of the necessary key terms. Then brainstorming is done to propose...

Investigate the area and perimeter of polygons in this geometry lesson. Young geometers use grid paper to draw a quadrilateral and calculate its area and perimeter. They also read The Greedy Triangle to identify the changing shape of...

Reduce the pressure in the classroom. The second instructional activity in an Airplanes unit of 22 introduces the class to Bernoulli's Principle. Pupils demonstrate the principle by blowing between different objects causing a reduction...