Partner Resource Physical Computing Using Arduinos: Making LEDs Blink and Fade PostedOctober 14, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/nyu_physical_computing_activity... Students download the software needed to create Arduino programs and make sure their Arduino microcontrollers work correctly. Then, they connect an LED to the Arduino and type up and upload programs to the Arduino board to 1) make the LED blink on and off and 2) make the LED fade (brighten and then dim). Throughout, students reflect on what they've accomplished by answering questions and modifying the original programs and circuits in order to achieve new outcomes. A design challenge gives students a chance to demonstrate their understanding of actuators and Arduinos; they design a functioning system using an Arduino, at least three actuators and either a buzzer or toy motor. For their designs, students sketch, create and turn in a user's manual for the system (text description, commented program, detailed hardware diagram). Numerous worksheets and handouts are provided. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource A Zombie Got My Leg Challenge: Making Makeshift Legs PostedOctober 6, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/uoh_pirates_lesson01_activity1 Students experience the engineering design process as they design and construct lower-leg prostheses in response to a hypothetical zombie apocalypse scenario. Like the well-known Apollo 13 story during which engineers were challenged to fix the crippled spacecraft with limited supplies in order to save astronauts' lives, in this activity, students act as engineers during an imaginary disaster in which a group member's leg was amputated in order to survive a zombie attack. Building on what they learned and researched in the associated lesson, they design and fabricate a replacement prosthetic limb using given specific starting material and limited additional supplies, similar to how engineers design for individuals while working within constraints. A more-advanced scenario challenges students to design a prosthesis that is able to provide a more-specific movement function. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 1 Experience Red Light, Green Light: Forces of Friction, Roads & Tires PostedOctober 6, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_mechanics_lesson05 Building upon their understanding of forces and Newton's laws of motion, students learn about the force of friction, specifically with respect to cars. They explore the friction between tires and the road to learn how it affects the movement of cars while driving. In an associated literacy activity, students explore the theme of conflict in literature, and the difference between internal and external conflict, and various types of conflicts. Stories are used to discuss methods of managing and resolving conflict and interpersonal friction. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Be “Cool” with Popsicle Engineering PostedSeptember 28, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/uof-2367-popsicle-engineering-d... Beginning kindergarteners are introduced to science and engineering concepts through questions such as “What is a Scientist?” and “What is an Engineer?”, and go on to compare and contrast the two. They are introduced to seven steps of the engineering design process and explore these steps using the “I do, we do, you do” set of guided instruction. At the end of the project, students produce a set of purple popsicles that they design using various materials and by following a set of criteria. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource The Heart of the Matter PostedSeptember 28, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_human_lesson05 This lesson describes how the circulatory system works, including the heart, blood vessels and blood. Students learn about the chambers and valves of the heart, the difference between veins and arteries, and the different components of blood. This lesson also covers the technology engineers have developed to repair the heart if it is damaged. Students also understand how the circulatory system is affected during spaceflight (e.g., astronauts lose muscle in their heart during space travel). Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Super Slinger Engineering Challenge PostedSeptember 26, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/wpi_empathy_activity1 Students are challenged to design, build and test small-scale launchers while they learn and follow the steps of the engineering design process. For the challenge, the "slingers" must be able to aim and launch Ping-Pong balls 20 feet into a goal using ordinary building materials such as tape, string, plastic spoons, film canisters, plastic cups, rubber bands and paper clips. Students first learn about defining the problem and why each step of the process is important. Teams develop solutions and determine which is the best based on design requirements. After making drawings, constructing and testing prototypes, they evaluate the results and make recommendations for potential second-generation prototypes. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Super Slinger Engineering Challenge PostedSeptember 26, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/wpi_empathy_activity1 Students are challenged to design, build and test small-scale launchers while they learn and follow the steps of the engineering design process. For the challenge, the "slingers" must be able to aim and launch Ping-Pong balls 20 feet into a goal using ordinary building materials such as tape, string, plastic spoons, film canisters, plastic cups, rubber bands and paper clips. Students first learn about defining the problem and why each step of the process is important. Teams develop solutions and determine which is the best based on design requirements. After making drawings, constructing and testing prototypes, they evaluate the results and make recommendations for potential second-generation prototypes. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Bernoulli's Principle PostedSeptember 22, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_bernoulli_lesson01 Bernoulli's principle relates the pressure of a fluid to its elevation and its speed. Bernoulli's equation can be used to approximate these parameters in water, air or any fluid that has very low viscosity. Students use the associated activity to learn about the relationships between the components of the Bernoulli equation through real-life engineering examples and practice problems. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Evolutionary Engineering: Simple Machines—Pyramids to Skyscrapers PostedSeptember 20, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/curricularunits/view/cub_simple_curricularunit Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make work easier, and which people have used to provide mechanical advantage for thousands of years. Students learn about the wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw and pulley in the context of the construction of a pyramid, gaining insights into tools that have been used since ancient times and are still important today. Through numerous hands-on activities, students imagine themselves as ancient engineers building a pyramid. Student teams evaluate and select a construction site, design a pyramid, perform materials calculations, test a variety of cutting wedges on different materials, design a small-scale cart/lever transport system to convey building materials, experiment with the angle of inclination and pull force on an inclined plane, see how a pulley can change the direction of force, and learn the differences between fixed, movable and combined pulleys. While learning the steps of the Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Density Rainbow and the Great Viscosity Race PostedSeptember 17, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_flow_activity2 Students explore the densities and viscosities of fluids as they create a colorful 'rainbow' using household liquids. While letting the fluids in the rainbow settle, students conduct 'The Great Viscosity Race,' another short experiment that illustrates the difference between viscosity and density. Later, students record the density rainbow with sketches and/or photography. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Build an Approximate Scale Model of an Object PostedSeptember 4, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/build_a_scale_model Students create models of objects of their choice, giving them skills and practice in techniques used by professionals. They make sketches as they build their objects. This activity facilitates a discussion on models and their usefulness. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Solar Sails: The Future of Space Travel PostedSeptember 2, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_space8_lesson01_activity2 Working as if they were engineers, students design and construct model solar sails made of aluminum foil to move cardboard tube satellites through “space” on a string. Working in teams, they follow the engineering design thinking steps—ask, research, imagine, plan, create, test, improve—to design and test small-scale solar sails for satellites and space probes. During the process, learn about Newton’s laws of motion and the transfer of energy from wave energy to mechanical energy. A student activity worksheet is provided. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Spaghetti Bridges (for Informal Learning) PostedSeptember 2, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/sprinkles/view/cub_spaghettibridge_sprinkle Students design, build and test bridges made of uncooked spaghetti noodles. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Environmental Engineering and Water Chemistry PostedAugust 31, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/curricularunits/view/wst_environmental_unit Students are introduced to the fundamentals of environmental engineering as well as the global air, land and water quality concerns facing today's environmental engineers. After a lesson and activity to introduce environmental engineering, students learn more about water chemistry aspects of environmental engineering. Specifically, they focus on groundwater contamination and remediation, including sources of contamination, adverse health effects of contaminated drinking water, and current and new remediation techniques. Several lab activities provide hands-on experiences with topics relevant to environmental engineering concerns and technologies, including removal efficiencies of activated carbon in water filtration, measuring pH, chromatography as a physical separation method, density and miscibility. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Problem Solve Your School PostedAugust 27, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_design_lesson01_activity2 Students apply what they have learned about the engineering design process to a real-life problem that affects them and/or their school. They choose a problem as a group, and then follow the engineering design process to come up with and test their design solution. This activity teaches students how to use the engineering design process while improving something in the school environment that matters to them. By performing each step of the design process, students can experience what it is like to be an engineer. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Biodegradable Husk-Bags Design Challenge PostedAugust 24, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/makerchallenges/view/rice-2505-bio-husk-bags-de... This activity allows students to engage in design thinking that focuses on engineering a biodegradable bag for potato chips. In doing so, students move through the engineering design process. Students focus on design qualities such as if the bag retains moisture, how the bag is sealed, package aesthetics, and its shelf life. Students must meet the design criteria by using a rubric to guide their plans. The edges of bag must be sealed, and the entire bag must pass a quality control inspection (the shake, drop, toss, and moisture test). In addition, the bag must be aesthetically pleasing to the customer’s eye. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 1 Experience Preventing the Zombie Apocalypse- Making Gene Therapy Safe! PostedAugust 24, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/rice-2368-gene-therapy-design-a... Students become biomedical engineers and create model viruses for use in therapeutic applications, such as gene therapy. In constructing their models, students carefully plan for side effects and modify a virus that can be used to safely to deliver gene therapy. This process involves taking a “wild type” (or unmodified) virus so it can target a specific area of the body. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Introduction to Water Chemistry PostedAugust 20, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/wst_environmental_lesson02 Students are presented with examples of the types of problems that environmental engineers solve, specifically focusing on water quality issues. Topics include the importance of clean water, the scarcity of fresh water, tap water contamination sources, and ways environmental engineers treat contaminated water. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Designing Ways to Get and Clean Water PostedAugust 18, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_earth_lesson3_activity1 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 water crisis. They also learn the basic steps of the engineering design process. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource Biodiversity & Probability: Mice Rule! (or Not) PostedAugust 12, 2020 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/duk_evolution_mary_less Students explore the relationships between genetics, biodiversity and evolution through teacher-presented information, including walking through two example Punnett squares that show the probability of freckles in offspring from parents who have and do not have freckles. Seeing how probability figures into the study of genetics prepares students to conduct the simple associated activity that involves wild mouse populations. In the associated activity, students toss coins to determine which traits mouse parents possess, such as fur color, body size, heat tolerance and running speed, and to determine the traits of a mouse pup born to these parents. Then they compare these physical features to features that would be most adaptive in several different environmental conditions, as well as what would happen to the mouse offspring if those environmental conditions changed. Which mice would be most likely to survive and produce the next generation? Read More Q&A0