A treasure trove of resources for grades 3-6, the DragonflyTV website enriches the popular PBS science T.V. programs of the same name. It features a page of experiment activities; various videoes; a focus on nanotechnology; and games, puzzlers, and riddles.

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Tags: biography, games, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Nanotechnology

The Florida Solar Energy Center, a research arm of the University of Central Florida, has developed downloadable sets of curriculum materials for K-12 teachers and schools on alternative energy sources, including solar, photovoltaics, hydrogen, and fuel cells. The Website lists descriptions of these curriculum materials, links to web sites, and information on each unit. Care has been taken to insure that the proper state standards that apply have been maintained.

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Tags: Alternative Energy, Class Activities, Curriculum, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans, Solar Engineering

The PBS Design Squad website, which supports the popular t.v. show of the same name, features 15 cool activities, some of which we’ve featured on this EGFI teachers’ site. From an extreme kicking machine to a ping-pong ball launcher, these challenges will unleash your students’ ingenuity and get them thinking like engineers. Designed for 9-12 year olds, each activity has step-by-step instructions and age-appropriate explanations of the main idea.

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Tags: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Television show, Website

The essay contest “Biomedical Breathroughs and My Life” for 7th and 8th grade students in Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho, invites essays on how biomedcial research has impacted, or has the potential to impact, someone students know personally. Entry deadline: Dec. 9, 2009.

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Tags: Biomedical, Competitions for Students, Essay Contest, Grades 6-8

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

A helpful list of service projects for k-12 students and schools, focused on the environment and poverty-alleviation. The projects listed are located worldwide, nationally, and in the specific Seattle and Washington state area.

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Tags: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Seattle, Service Projects

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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Tags: Aerospace, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans, NASA

The TeachEngineering Digital Library exists to provide teachers with the curricular materials to bring engineering into the K-12 classroom for a single day, a unit, or even an entire course. An excellent web resource.

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Tags: Competitions for Teachers, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans

An on-line exhibit on DNA for middle and high school students, with background information, activities, a Webquest, and a downloadable exhibition guide and student worksheets on DNA-related issues, including forensics, crops, and infectious diseases.

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Tags: Agricultural, Class Activities, Disease, Forensics, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Museums, Webquest, Worksheets