Activity: Green Roof Field Trip
Posted on June 21st, 2011 by sah
Summary: What is a green roof? How do rooftop gardens help protect the environment? In this field-observation activity, elementary students individually or working in teams will learn about green-roof design, energy conservation, and the types of plants and creatures that can live in the extreme environmental conditions found on rooftops.
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs | 2 Comments »
In this lesson, teams of students in grades 3-5 will use their knowledge of tornadoes and damage to design a structure that will withstand wind and protect people from twisters. Each group will create a poster with the name of their engineering firm and a picture of their structure, then present their design to the class.
In this lesson, you’ll introduce your students to the four forces of flight–drag, lift, thrust, and weight–through a variety of fun-filled flight experiments. Students will “fly” for short periods and then evaluate factors that might either increase or decrease their “flight” duration.
It’s easy to find your way to school. Now imagine trying to navigate the skies, with no signs to point you in the right direction. How do pilots find their way? These “pilot training lessons” developed by the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology will teach your young aviators the principles of navigation in a fun series of real-time activities.
From the “miracle fiber” Kevlar invented by Dupont chemist Stephanie Kwolek to Silly Putty, our world abounds with materials discovered by accident. In this activity from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), students will learn some serious materials science–and hit several national science and tehcnology standards–by using everyday items to create and investigate the properties of Funny Putty.
In this lesson, students in grades 5 through 8 are challenged to redesign the classic paper cup so that no tape, glue, or staples are necessary, reducing production costs and the cost of individual paper cups. Each pair of students will be given a stack of paper to design a new paper container that can hold water for a short period of time.
Students in grades K-5 observe how various roof shapes perform under the challenge of a flour “snow storm.” Students learn how engineers must accommodate climate and the environment when designing a housing structure.
In a multipart activity, students in grades 5-9 discover different engineering disciplines and brainstorm how different engineering skills can be applied to local or world problems. This eGFI original class activity is based on the winning submission to eGFI’s innovative teaching idea contest.
Students in grades 5-8 create shimmering snowflakes using a simple chemical process. They supersaturate hot water with borax, then suspend a pipe cleaner shape in the liquid, allowing the crystals to form overnight.
