Posted on December 1st, 2008 by ASEE
In this activity, late-elementary school students work in small groups to build a roller coaster with at least one loop and one jump, demonstrating how potential energy transforms into kinetic energy. Students observe the relationship of height to potential energy and the resulting kinetic energy.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Class Activity: Build a Roller Coaster
Tags: Class Activities, forces and motion, friction, Grades 3-6, Grades K-5, kinetic energy, Mechanical engineering, roller coaster
Posted on October 27th, 2008 by ASEE
Using spaghetti and marshmallows, students in grades 5 – 7 experiment with different structures to determine which ones can handle the greatest amount of load. Their experiments help them understand compression and tension forces in relation to the strength of structures.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8 | 10 Comments »
Tags: Building Design, Civil Engineering, Team-building skills
Posted on August 30th, 2008 by ASEE
In this activity, students examine how different balls react when colliding with different surfaces. Also, they will have plenty of opportunity to learn how to calculate momentum and understand the principle of conservation of momentum.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12 | 7 Comments »
Posted on August 18th, 2008 by ASEE
Students write a biographical sketch of an artist or athlete who lives on the edge, riding the gravity wave, to better understand how these artists and athletes work with gravity and manage risk.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8 | Comments Off on Report Writing: Athletes and Gravity
Tags: Atheletes, Gravity, Lesson Plan
Posted on July 30th, 2008 by ASEE
In this activity for grades 9-11, students investigate circuits and their components by building a basic thermostat. They learn why key parts are necessary for the circuit to function, and alter the circuit to optimize the thermostat temperature range. They also gain an awareness of how electrical engineers design circuits for the countless electronic products in our world.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12 | 1 Comment »
Posted on July 15th, 2008 by ASEE
In this activity for grades 3-5, students learn about their heart rate and different ways it can be measured. Students construct a simple measurement device using clay and a toothpick, and then use this device to measure their heart rate under different circumstances. Students make predictions and record data on a worksheet.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Class Activity: The Beat Goes On
Posted on June 26th, 2008 by ASEE
Students create a parachute using different materials they think will work best. They test their designs then join a class discussion and possible journal writing to evaluate which paper material worked best.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lesson: Design a Parachute
Tags: Aerodynamics, Aerospace Engineering
Posted on June 18th, 2008 by ASEE
Students read news reports and first-person accounts to imagine what it would be like to be in a blackout in a large city. They follow news reports as if in real-time, keep weblogs or journals, take on different roles, then use their journal accounts to create a play or screenplay.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Blackout!
Posted on May 1st, 2008 by ASEE
In this activity, students will gain a basic understanding of an electrical circuit – the basis of electrical engineering. Students build a wire circuit and pass a paperclip through a maze, trying not to touch the wire.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Wire Maze
