In this lesson combining math, engineering, and history, students in grades 6-12 learn about the ancient calendar system used by the Maya of Central America. Students construct a simple model of a calendar round, learning about prime numbers and the mechanics of these ancient devices.

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

Tags: Astronomy, Engineering in History, Grades 6-12, History, Mathematics

In this lesson, students in grades 4-12 learn about the history of catapults and how they work. They assemble their own catapult model, making adjustments to improve its performance. Students gain engineering experience while learning principles of physics and working with the scientific processes of experimentation and trial and error.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lesson: Build a Catapult

Tags: catapult, Class Activities, Engineering in History, forces and motion, Grades 5-12, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plan, Mathematics, Newton's Laws, Physical Science

Students in grades 6-12 are challenged to build a drinking straw tower that can withstand simulated earthquake vibrations and increasing weight and pressure. Doing so, they learn basic principles of design and earthquake engineering while practicing team skills.

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

Tags: Building Design, Civil Engineering, Class Activities, Engineering Design Process, Lesson Plans, Safety engineering

Students in grades 4-12 apply the engineering design process to a real-life problem that affects them at school. The class selects a single problem then comes up with and tests a design solution. Students gain hands-on experience with engineering problem-solving.

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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lesson: Problem-solve Your School

Tags: Engineering Design Process, Grades 4-12, Lesson Plan, Problem Solving

Thinking like safety engineers, students in grades 11 and 12 examine the potential risks associated with magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. They gather information by brainstorming, writing in journals, and viewing a video, and then produce a final presentation that concisely summarizes MRI technology and safety precautions.

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Filed under: Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lesson: MRI Safety Challenge

Tags: Biomedical Engineering, Grades 11-12, Safety engineering

In this lesson from the Peace Corps, students in grades 4-12 learn how harvesting water from fog can help people who have limited access to fresh water. They study the water challenges in Cape Verde, and the technology and benefits of fog water collectors. They then build and evaluate a own working model.

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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »

Tags: Clean Water, Environmental Engineering, Grades 4-12, Peace Corps Cape Verde, Water

Who can resist fiddling with the Rubik’s Cube, that enduring, colorful puzzle? In this lesson, as students in grades 9-12 learn to solve the cube, mixing up, then re-aligning each of its sides, they become acquainted concepts of solid geometry and practice skills of sequencing, memorization, and problem solving.

Holding the Rubik’s Cube, twisting and turning the parts, can help students of all ages grasp important math concepts including area, perimeter, volume, angles, algorithms and enumeration, among other geometry and algebraic topics. This sample lesson, drawn from youcandothecube.com, is one of several on the site that uses the cube to illustrate concepts of general mathematics, algebra, and geometry.

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Filed under: Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »

Tags: Geometry, Grades 9-12, Mathematics

Students in grades 6-12 disassemble one of two different single-use cameras and create a systems diagram and precise reassembly instructions for the device. They then attempt to rebuild the other camera using instructions developed by their peers. Through this reverse engineering activity, students learn about the work of systems engineers.

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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 3 Comments »

Tags: Electrical Engineering, Ethics in engineering, Mechanical engineering, Reverse Engineering, Systems Engineering

Students learn about sailboat design and how the shape of sails affects their movement. They apply what they learn about sailboat design to their math lesson, which involves the basic postulate of right triangle trigonometry and the Pythagorean Theorem. The lesson provides a fun, hands-on way to demonstrate that the Pythagorean Theorem can be tested and proved.

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Filed under: Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lesson: The Math of Sailboat Design

Tags: Geometry, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan, Mathematics, Nautical Engineering