2 Experiences Hands-on Activity: Cooking with the Sun - Creating a Solar Oven PostedMarch 19, 2015 UpdatedSeptember 25, 2017 Posted byMike Soltys https://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/duk_/activitie... Student groups are given a set of materials: cardboard, insulating materials, aluminum foil and Plexiglas, and challenged to build solar ovens. The ovens must collect and store as much of the sun's energy as possible. Students experiment with heat transfer through conduction by how well the oven is insulated and radiation by how well it absorbs solar radiation. They test the effectiveness of their designs qualitatively by baking some food and quantitatively by taking periodic temperature measurements and plotting temperature vs. time graphs. To conclude, students think like engineers and analyze the solar oven's strengths and weaknesses compared to conventional ovens. Read More Q&A2
1 Experience Hands-on Activity: Balloons PostedApril 7, 2015 UpdatedSeptember 25, 2017 Posted byMike Soltys https://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/cub_/activitie... Students follow the steps of the engineering design process as they design and construct balloons for aerial surveillance. After their first attempts to create balloons, they are given the associated Estimating Buoyancy lesson to learn about volume, buoyancy and density to help them iterate more successful balloon designs.Applying their newfound knowledge, the young engineers build and test balloons that fly carrying small flip cameras that capture aerial images of their school. Students use the aerial footage to draw maps and estimate areas. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience MechAnimations - Building and designing Mechanical animations! PostedApril 23, 2015 UpdatedSeptember 25, 2017 Posted byTravis Sloane http://citytechnology.org/unit/mechanimations MechAnimations are home-made kinetic toys, which depict animals or people with movable body parts. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience Sound Off: An Engineering Lesson for teaching about sound PostedApril 27, 2015 UpdatedSeptember 26, 2017 Posted byLaura Bottomley This activity can be used in grades 2-8, with appropriate scaling and appropriate choice of IPad apps. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience Teaching Sound with Engineering PostedApril 27, 2015 UpdatedSeptember 26, 2017 Posted byLaura Bottomley This lesson is designed to teach concepts of sound through an engineering design challenge. It was originally written for grade 2, but it can be easily scaffolded for middle school. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience Using Electric Circuits to Design a Desk Lamp PostedOctober 20, 2015 UpdatedSeptember 27, 2017 Posted byLaura Bottomley This activity can be done by students in grades 3 to 12, although the 3rd graders may need assistance. It uses knowledge of electric circuits in a design challenge in which students design their own personal desk lamp. The design elements include the need for a switch and a mechanism to focus light. Students may also explore various colors of LEDs and create both series and parallel circuits as extension activities. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience Using Failure to Introduce The Engineering Design Process PostedNovember 6, 2015 UpdatedSeptember 27, 2017 Posted byIteea Account http://cteteach.cteonline.org/portal/default/Curriculum/Viewer/Curriculum?action... This 4-part lesson plan from the CTE Online website uses a famous engineering failure, the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940, to introduce the Engineering Design Process. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience National Science Teachers Association Conferences PostedDecember 2, 2015 UpdatedMarch 30, 2017 Posted byDoug Paulson http://www.nsta.org/conferences/ NSTA conferences offer the latest in science content, teaching strategy, and research to enhance and expand your professional growth. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience STEM Graduate Certificate in Engineering Education PostedDecember 2, 2015 UpdatedSeptember 26, 2017 Posted byDoug Paulson http://www.stthomas.edu/cee/graduate/ The University of St. Thomas' Schools of Engineering and Education provide a STEM graduate certificate in Engineering Education. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience Laser Cutting using Adobe Illustrator PostedMay 5, 2016 UpdatedSeptember 25, 2017 Posted byAlison Haugh A lesson using Adobe Illustrator to teach basic concepts of computer design. This lesson spans 2 hours, and targets middle school students at a day summer camp. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience 1 Comment Teacher Engineering Education Program PostedAugust 26, 2016 UpdatedMay 1, 2018 Posted byRobert Hayes http://teep.tufts.edu/ Tufts University’s Teacher Engineering Education Program enables any K12 teacher to inspire the next generation of creative problem solvers through the power and engagement of engineering education. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 1 Experience Potato Power PostedMarch 23, 2017 UpdatedSeptember 25, 2017 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_energy2_lesson04_activity2 Students use potatoes to light an LED clock (or light bulb) as they learn how a battery works in a simple circuit and how chemical energy changes to electrical energy. As they learn more about electrical energy, they better understand the concepts of voltage, current and resistance. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 1 Experience Engineering: Simple Machines PostedMarch 27, 2017 UpdatedSeptember 24, 2017 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_simple_lesson01 Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make work easier. Students are introduced to the six types of simple machines — the wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, and pulley — in the context of the construction of a pyramid, gaining high-level insights into tools that have been used since ancient times and are still in use today. In two hands-on activities, students begin their own pyramid design by performing materials calculations, and evaluating and selecting a construction site. The six simple machines are examined in more depth in subsequent lessons in this unit. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 1 Experience Balloons PostedApril 11, 2017 UpdatedSeptember 23, 2017 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_balloons_lesson01_activity1 Students follow the steps of the engineering design process as they design and construct balloons for aerial surveillance. After their first attempts to create balloons, they are given the associated Estimating Buoyancy lesson to learn about volume, buoyancy and density to help them iterate more successful balloon designs.Applying their newfound knowledge, the young engineers build and test balloons that fly carrying small flip cameras that capture aerial images of their school. Students use the aerial footage to draw maps and estimate areas. Read More Q&A0
1 Experience The Energy Portfolio Management Game (or What's the Best Way to Generate Electricity?) PostedJune 25, 2017 UpdatedJune 25, 2017 Posted byJeffrey Phillips This lesson will help students learn about the various ways to generate electricity. They will learn about the pros and cons of each option. Then they will put their new knowledge to use by selecting what types of new power plants will be built in their "country". The teacher divides the class into six teams. Each team will be assigned different country with different local energy resources and different political leanings (the "countries" are roughly modeled after Germany, Hawaii, Japan, Arizona, Iceland and Brazil). Once they've made their selections the students will have to defend them in presentations to their peers. Besides learning about the various ways to generate electricity, the students will also discover that selecting the best power plant involves not only technology and economics but also values and politics. This is a multi-disciplinary lesson disguised as a science project! Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 2 Experiences Paper Circuits Greeting Cards PostedJune 30, 2017 UpdatedJuly 7, 2017 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/spfun_paper_circuits_activity1 Light up your love with paper circuits this Valentine’s Day—no soldering required! Create a sure-to-impress flashing birthday card or design a light-up Christmas card—all with paper circuits! In this activity, students are guided through the process to create simple paper circuitry using only copper tape, a coin cell battery, a light-emitting diode (LED) and small electronic components such as a LilyPad Button Board. Making light-up greeting cards with paper circuitry is great way to teach the basics of how circuits function while giving students an outlet to express their artistic creativity. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 1 Experience All About Water! PostedJuly 2, 2017 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_drink_lesson01 Students learn about the differences between types of water (surface and ground), as well as the differences between streams, rivers and lakes. Then, they learn about dissolved organic matter (DOM), and the role it plays in identifying drinking water sources. Finally, students are introduced to conventional drinking water treatment processes. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 2 Experiences Cooking with the Sun - Creating a Solar Oven PostedJuly 5, 2017 UpdatedJuly 7, 2017 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/duk_solaroven_tech_act Student groups are given a set of materials: cardboard, insulating materials, aluminum foil and Plexiglas, and challenged to build solar ovens. The ovens must collect and store as much of the sun's energy as possible. Students experiment with heat transfer through conduction by how well the oven is insulated and radiation by how well it absorbs solar radiation. They test the effectiveness of their designs qualitatively by baking some food and quantitatively by taking periodic temperature measurements and plotting temperature vs. time graphs. To conclude, students think like engineers and analyze the solar oven's strengths and weaknesses compared to conventional ovens. Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 1 Experience Protect Your Body, Filter Your Water! PostedJuly 6, 2017 UpdatedJuly 7, 2017 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/wpi_protect_activity1 Students experience the steps of the engineering design process as they design solutions for a real-world problem that could affect their health. After a quick review of the treatment processes that municipal water goes through before it comes from the tap, they learn about the still-present measurable contamination of drinking water due to anthropogenic (human-made) chemicals. Substances such as prescription medication, pesticides and hormones are detected in the drinking water supplies of American and European metropolitan cities. Using chlorine as a proxy for estrogen and other drugs found in water, student groups design and test prototype devices that remove the contamination as efficiently and effectively as possible. They use plastic tubing and assorted materials such as activated carbon, cotton balls, felt and cloth to create filters with the capability to regulate water flow to optimize the cleaning effect. They use water quality test strips to assess their success and ... Read More Q&A0
Partner Resource 1 Experience Cereal Magnets PostedJuly 8, 2017 UpdatedJuly 13, 2017 Posted byTeach Engineering Team https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/duk_foodiron_music_act Student groups compete to design a process that removes the most iron from fortified cereal. Students experiment with different materials using what they know about iron, magnets and forces to design the best process for removing iron from the cereal samples. Read More Q&A0