Posted on August 3rd, 2022 by Mary Lord
In this NGSS-aligned activity, 2nd graders draw on their knowledge of Earth science to follow the engineering design process and investigate solutions for protecting sandcastles from wind and water damage. They make hypotheses, measure and record changes, and support their results using evidence. Suitable for students in grades 1-3.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Sandcastle Investigations
Tags: construction, data, Earth Science, Engineering Design, erosion, materials, measurement, NGSS, sandcastle construction, sandcastle engineering, structural and civil engineering
Posted on April 18th, 2022 by Mary Lord
Plant a tree. Calculate your carbon footprint. Organize a community cleanup. There are countless ways that individuals — including students and teachers — can celebrate Earth Day and have a positive impact on the planet all year. Check out these Earth Day events plus activities, energy challenges, teacher professional learning, and other ideas for making an environmental difference all year ’round,
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Filed under: Class Activities, For Teachers, Lesson Plans, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on STEAM Into Earth Day!
Tags: Class Activities, Earth Day 2022, Earth Science, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Events, green energy, Internet Resources, NASA, Resources for Teachers, STEM education, Sustainability, Web Resources
Posted on September 28th, 2018 by Mary Lord
Middle school students learn about mineral properties and calculate the costs, benefits, and densities in this engineering-driven earth science unit based on the real-world design challenge of salvaging cargo following a train derailment. Students also will strengthen communication skills by creating a presentation to explain their process and justify their decisions to a “client.”
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lesson: Mineral Mayhem
Tags: Class Activities, Common Core mathematics, Earth Science, Engineering Design, entrepreneurship, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Industrial engineering, Lesson Plan, Mathematics, mineral, NGSS, Purdue University engineering education outreach, scatterplot, STEM integration
Posted on September 5th, 2018 by ASEE
Students in grades 3 to 5 work in groups to design a structure that will withstand and protect people from tornadoes. Each group then creates a poster with the name of their engineering firm and a picture of their structure. Finally, each group presents their posters to the class.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Build it Better!
Tags: Civil Engineering, Design, Disaster, Earth Science, National Severe Storms Laboratory, NOAA, poster, STEAM, Structural Engineering, Tornadoes, Weather
Posted on September 22nd, 2017 by Mary Lord
Working in groups of 8, middle school students use their senses to describe and predict the weather, then act as state park engineers and design/build “backyard weather stations” to gather data to make actual weather forecasts.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Backyard Weather Station
Tags: air mass, Class Activities, clouds, cold front, data, Design, Earth Science, Environmental science, forecast, Grades 6-8, hurricane, Lesson Plan, measurement, Meteorology, NGSS, thermometer, Weather, weather station
Posted on May 30th, 2017 by Mary Lord
High school students working in groups of three to four learn about the primary causes and impacts of coastal erosion, and use elevation data to construct profiles of a beach over time or to compare several beaches, make inferences about the erosion process, and discuss how humans should respond.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Who Moved the Beach?
Tags: beach, Civil Engineering, Class Activities, coastal erosion, coastal management, data analysis, Earth Science, Environmental Engineering, erosion, Grades 9-12, jetties, Lesson Plan, NOAA, USGS
Posted on May 4th, 2017 by Mary Lord
Students in grades 3 to 8 study coastal erosion and the apply the engineering design process to devise structures and policies to protect shorelines, taking public concerns into account.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Save Our Shore!
Tags: beach, Civil Engineering, Class Activities, coastal engineering, Earth Science, Engineering Design Process, Environmental Engineering, erosion, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plan, Marine Science, sand
Posted on April 20th, 2017 by Mary Lord
It’s hard to top NASA for an out-of-this-world way to celebrate Earth Day 2017. The space agency is inviting people from around the globe to virtually “adopt” one of 64,000 individual pieces of Earth as seen from space by one of its 18 Earth science instruments.
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Filed under: K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on “Adopt” a Piece of the Planet
Tags: Adopt a Planet, Aerospace, Climate, Earth Day 2017, Earth Science, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Events, Internet Resources, maps, NASA, Resources for Teachers, Satellite imagery, Web Resources
Posted on July 31st, 2013 by Mary Lord
In this first of eight activities, students in grades 6 – 8 learn about the engineering design process and earth science by beginning to design an underground cavern that can shelter people for one year after an asteroid strike makes Earth uninhabitable.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Asteroid Impact!
Tags: asteroid, Class Activities, Common Core State Mathematics Standards, Disaster relief, Earth Science, Engineering Design, Geology, Grades 6-8, ITEEA, Lesson Plans, Next Generation Science Standards, shelter, Space
