Refrigeration is considered one of engineering’s greatest 20th-century achievements. In this activity, student teams in grades K – 6 explore the design process by engineering a way to keep an ice cube from melting for 30 minutes.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Activity: Keep-A-Cube

Tags: Class Activities, Design, Grades K-5, ice cube, insulation, refrigeration

In this activity, teams of students in grades 3 to 12 explore how engineers work to solve such societal problems as moving goods, materials, and people by designing and building a conveyor system out of everyday materials than can transport pieces of candy 4 feet, including a 90-degree turn.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Activity: Conveyor Engineering

Tags: baggage, conveyor, conveyor belt, Engineering, luggage, Manufacturing Engineering, suitcase, Systems Engineering, traffic, Transportation

In this week-long activity, student teams in grades 5 – 7 study the effects of evaporation by observing and measuring the ongoing evaporation of water in pans that contain soil or other variables, then then assess what factors may affect evaporation.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8 | Comments Off on Activity: Eyewitness to Evaporation

Tags: Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, dam, drought, Earth Science, evaporation, soil, Water Resources

In this lesson, students in grades 3 to 12 explore how engineers incorporate the latest materials and manufacturing techniques to improve the performance of sports equipment by constructing a functional racquet out of everyday materials that can volley against another team’s racquet at least six times.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Lesson: Tennis, Anyone?

Tags: Class Activities, Design, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Olympics, Sports, Sports Engineering, tennis

In this short fun activity, students of all ages learn about rocket stability by constructing and flying small “indoor” paper rockets, then analyzing flight data and interpreting the results.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5 | 3 Comments »

Tags: Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, Aerospace, Aerospace Engineering, aerospace lessons, inquiry, Mathematics, NASA, rocket, rocket stability, straw rocket

In this lesson, students in grades 8 to 10 experience civil and environmental engineering by planning a housing development while also protecting the native species that live there. They conduct research, draw plans, make brochures, and give presentations, with each four-member team having a project manager, civil engineer, environmental engineer, and graphic designer.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 5 Comments »

Tags: biome, Civil Engineering, Class Activities, Earth Day, enviroment, Environmental Engineering, habitat, Lesson Plans, nature, STEM education

In this lesson, pairs of students in grades 4 to 7 will learn about the engineering design process and electrical circuits by building a dance pad that sounds a buzzer or flashes a light when stepped on.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »

Tags: circuits, Design Squad, Design Squad Nation, Electrical, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Design, Engineering Design Process, Fun & Games, games

In this activity, students in grades 7-9 explore the sound-dampening capability of materials by designing and prototyping model sound booths. They learn about how sound is reflected and absorbed, and how it travels through various materials, providing an overview of sound dampening propagation in the context of engineering.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »

Tags: acoustical engineering, Class Activities, Electrical Engineering, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan, Music engineering, sound, teachengineering

In this activity, teams of kids in grades 4-7 follow the engineering design process to invent a holder for six cans that’s animal-safe, sturdy, convenient, and easy to carry. They learn why discarded plastic rings can be a problem for wildlife and brainstorm animal-friendly ways to package six cans. They then build, test, and redesign their system and discuss what happened.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »

Tags: Class Activities, design process, Design Squad Nation, Environmental Engineering, environmental protection, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, plastic rings, six pack, wildlife