TeachEngineering Adds Video, Maker Challenges
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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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!
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.
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. 
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. 
The American Statistical Association hosts an annual poster competition for K-12 students to showcase their ability to apply and display data. Winners will receive up to $300 and Texas Instrument calculators. Submit by April 1, 2017.
The STEM Voice™ Video Competition asks kids in grades 5-12 to create short videos that show the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math. They can act in it, create an animation, sing – the video just has to be appropriate for all viewers. Winners can receive up to $700 in cash awards. Apply by May 22, 2017. 
In this lesson, high school students learn the value of writing and art in science and engineering by designing visual diagrams to communicate the results of thermal conductivity (heat flow) experiments they have conducted to anyone with little background on the subject. The principles of visual design include contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity, and involve such elements as the use of lines, color, texture, shape, size, value, and space.
“Engineering and Animals” is the theme for the National Academy of Engineering’s 2017 EngineerGirl! Essay Contest. Students in grades 3 to 12 are asked to choose an endangered animal – like this black-footed ferret – and consider how engineering might improve life for that species. Submissions are due Feb. 1, 2017.
