Posted on December 16th, 2009 by ASEE
In this lesson for grades 5-8, students learn how the process of reverse engineering helps improve technology. Students analyze the mechanisms of a push-toy then disassemble it and draw its inner mechanisms. They then make suggestions for improvements: effectiveness, improved functionality, ecological friendliness, and any additional functionality. Time required: 90 minutes.
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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: Design, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5
Posted on November 16th, 2009 by ASEE
Practicing elementary civil engineering, students in grades 1 through 8 build a portable paper structure able to support the weight of a book. They learn that material strength varies with shape and arrangement.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »
Tags: Civil Engineering, Engineering Design, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Materials Engineering, Society for Women Engineers, Team-building skills
Posted on November 14th, 2009 by ASEE
The edible “rocks” lesson helps students grades K-8 learn the importance of observation, teamwork, and communication skills. Students draw and describe the food/meteors, then pair their observations with short descriptions in a geologic “Field Note” style.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lesson: Edible Rocks, Munchy Meteorites
Tags: Aerospace, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans, NASA
Posted on October 19th, 2009 by ASEE
In this lesson, students in grades 6-8 learn what causes a tsunami, the physics behind its movement, and how scientists know when one is forming. They study its impact on a model town and learn about a 10-year-old girl credited with saving dozens of lives when a tsunami struck Samoa.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »
Tags: Environmental Engineering, Grades 6-8, Ocean
Posted on October 19th, 2009 by ASEE
Students in grades 3 to 8 use a table-top tsunami generator to observe the devastation of these huge waves. They make villages of model buildings to test how different material types are impacted, and they learn how engineers design buildings to survive tsunamis.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 3 Comments »
Tags: Civil Engineering, Disaster relief, Environmental Engineering, Grades 3-8
Posted on September 16th, 2009 by ASEE
In this lesson series for ages 8-18, teams of students explore the engineering behind recorder manufacturing, and then design, construct, test, and evaluate a working musical instrument using easily found materials. Time required: Two to three 45-minute sessions.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »
Tags: Manufacturing Engineering, Music engineering, Research on Learning
Posted on September 15th, 2009 by als
Hurricane season is here, reminding us that accurate weather forecasts can be a matter of life and death in vulnerable coastal areas of the country. Even inland, severe thunderstorms play havoc with late-summer travel, and tornadoes threaten lives and property. In this lesson for grades 6 to 8, students begin by considering how weather forecasting plays an important part in their daily lives. They learn about the history of weather forecasting — from old weather proverbs to modern forecasting equipment — and how improvements in weather technology have saved lives by providing advance warning of natural disasters.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »
Tags: Environmental Engineering, Research on Learning, Technology for Learning, Wind Technology
Posted on July 27th, 2009 by ASEE
In this lesson for grades 6-12, students experience the forces of tension and compression by manipulating objects that are strong in each but not in both. Students then take what they have learned and apply it to the construction of a simple model of a beam bridge and the more complex suspension bridge and inverted triangle support structure. During the lesson, students watch video segments that illustrate the design and construction process in the real world.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »
Tags: Bridge building, Bridge Design, Civil Engineering, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan
Posted on June 17th, 2009 by ASEE
In this series of lessons for grades 6-8, students first experiment with a virtual solar cooker to discover the mathematical relationship among reflection, transmission and absorption. Then they apply their knowledge to building and testing a solar cooker of their own invention. In an extension, students investigate how these principles can be used as sustainable energy sources for homes through passive solar heating.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »
Tags: Grades 6-8, Solar Engineering