Posted on April 15th, 2008 by kef
Grade Level: 4 (3-5)
Group Size: 2
Time Required: 50 minutes
Summary: In this scenario-based activity, students design ways to either clean a water source or find a new water source, depending on given hypothetical family scenarios. They act as engineers to draw and write about what they could do to provide water to a community facing a [...]
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Posted on March 19th, 2008 by kef
Grade Level: 7 (6-8)
Group Size: 4
Time Required: 90 minutes
Summary: During this activity, students will learn how environmental engineers monitor water quality in resource use and design. They will employ environmental indicators to assess the water quality of a nearby stream. Students will make general observations of water quality as well as count the number of [...]
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Posted on February 3rd, 2008 by kef
Grade Level: 6 (5-8)
Group Size: 3
Time Required: 1 hours
Summary: Students learn a simple technique for quantifying the amount of photosynthesis that occurs in a given period of time, using a common water plant (Elodea). They can use this technique to compare the amounts of photosynthesis that occur under conditions of low and high light levels. [...]
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Posted on January 16th, 2008 by kef
Grade Level: 8 (7-8)
Group Size: 4
Time Required: 3 hours
Summary: The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the concept of the engineering design process and to teach them how to apply it. In “Broken Bones,” students will explore the steps of the engineering design process. They will first receive some background instruction about [...]
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Posted on December 18th, 2007 by kef
Grade Level: 7 (6-8)
Group Size: Not defined
Time Required: 100 minutes
Summary: Students will conduct several simple lab activities to learn about the five fundamental load types that can act on structures: tension, compression, shear, bending, and torsion. In this activity, students will play the role of molecules in a beam subject to various loading schemes.
Engineering Connection: [...]
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Posted on December 11th, 2007 by kef
Grade Level: 5 (3-6)
Group Size: 2
Time Required: 50 minutes
Summary: Students learn about biomimicry and how engineers often imitate nature in the design of innovative new products. They demonstrate their knowledge of biomimicry by practicing brainstorming and designing a new product based on what they know about animals and nature.
Engineering Connection: Engineers often use the natural [...]
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Posted on November 27th, 2007 by kef
Grade Level: 4
Group Size: 2
Time Required: 50 minutes
Summary: Students analyze international oil consumption and production data. They make several graphs to organize the data and draw conclusions about the overall use of oil in the world.
Engineering Connection: Engineers of all disciplines use data as a tool. Organizing data into tables and graphs helps them better [...]
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Posted on November 7th, 2007 by kef
Grade Level: 4 (3-5)
Time Required: 120 minutes (30 minutes is required for teams to paint their cardboard boxes a day or two before the rest of the activity.)
Summary: In the exploration of ways to use solar energy, students investigate the thermal energy storage capacities of different test materials to determine which to use in solar [...]
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Posted on October 19th, 2007 by kef
Grade Level: 6 (5-7)
Time Required: 120 minutes
Summary: Students learn about applied forces as they create pop-up-books — the art of paper engineering. They also learn the basic steps of the engineering design process.
Learning Objectives
After this activity, students should be able to:
Define a force and identify several forces in [...]
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Posted on October 5th, 2007 by kef
Grade Level: 4 (3-5)
Time: Two 50 minute class periods
Summary: Students use their knowledge of tornadoes and damage. The students will work in groups to design a structure that will withstand and protect people from tornadoes. Each group will create a poster with the name of their engineering firm and a picture of their structure. [...]
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