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

Middle school students learn about the Earth’s geometrical relation to the sun by calculating where the sun will be in the sky for any date or time given a particular location on Earth, such as their school. The three-activity module was developed by lighting engineer Tony Esposito, Ph.D., during his graduate studies at Pennsylvania State University and made available to eGFI Teachers.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans, Special Features | Comments Off on Solar Geometry

Tags: angle, calendar, Class Activities, day, earth sciences, eclipse, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Geometry, globe, Grades 6-8, latitude, Lesson Plans, light engineering, longitude, map, Mathematics, NASA, Project CANDLE, season, Solar Geometry, sun, Tony Esposito Jr.

TeachEngineering, a searchable online library of more than 1,400 teacher-tested activities and lessons developed for use in STEM classrooms, just got a makeover. Improvements include videos, Maker challenges, alignment with Common Core math and Next Generation science standards, and “Sprinkles” – abbreviated versions of popular activities designed for use in after-school programs.

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Filed under: Web Resources | Comments Off on TeachEngineering Adds Video, Maker Challenges

Tags: afterschool activities, Class Activities, Common Core mathematics, Design, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, hands-on activities, Internet Resources, Lesson Plan, maker challenges, Next Generation Science Standards, Resources for Teachers, searchable STEM library, standards, teachengineering, Videos, Web Resources

Stitched circuits and musical instruments made from marshmallows are among the latest offerings in the 2017 Maker Camp, a virtual DIY summer camp sponsored by Make magazine. Many activities could work well as classroom projects, too!

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs, Web Resources | Comments Off on Virtual Maker Camp

Tags: Class Activities, DIY, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Internet Resources, Make magazine, Maker camp, STEAM, Summer Camps & Programs (Students), virtual field trips, Web Resources

Working in groups of three, middle school students learn about types of forces, the relationship between form and function, and the structure of the hand by working as biomedical engineers to design, build, and test their own hand “gripper” prototypes that can grasp and lift a 200 ml cup of sand.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lend A Hand: Teaching Forces

Tags: adaptive device, anatomy, assistive technology, Biomedical Engineering, Class Activities, Design, disability, forces, Grades 6-8, hand, Lesson Plan, prosthetic

Along with free activity guides for its signature JVInvenTeams innovation contest for students in grades 7 to 10,,the Lemelson-MIT Program is presenting three-day summer workshops this summer designed to help teachers encourage middle and high school students to think and act like inventors while developing solutions to real world problems.

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Filed under: For Teachers, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on Lemelson-MIT Resources for Teaching Invention

Tags: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Internet Resources, invention, MIT Lemelson, Professional Development, Programs for Teachers, Resources for Teachers, student inventors, Teacher Training, Web Resources

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

Students in grades 6-7 build light meters and investigate the nature, sources, and levels of light in their classroom. learning about the adverse effects of artificial light on humans, animals, and plants as well as the engineering concepts of sensors and lumen and lux (lx) illuminance units. They also learn how to better use light and save energy as well as some of the technologies designed by engineers to reduce light pollution and energy waste.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8 | Comments Off on Measuring Light Pollution

Tags: Class Activities, Computer Science, data analysis, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Grades 6-8, graphing, LEGO MINDSTROMS, Light pollution, lumens, lux, Mathematics, measuring, sensors

Flipside Science is a youth-produced educational video series developed by teachers and the California Academy of Science that tackles complex environmental engineering topics and empowers middle school students to make a difference.

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Filed under: For Teachers, Grades 6-8, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on Flipside Science: Environmental Literacy

Tags: California Academy of Sciences, Environmental Engineering, environmental literacy, Environmental science, Flipside Science, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Internet Resources, Resources for Teachers, STEM education