Save the Penguins
Posted on January 9th, 2019 by Mary Lord
Middle school students address misconceptions and learn about thermal energy transfer while investigating the insulating properties of various materials. They then follow the engineering design process to create, test, and redesign a structure (igloo) to keep an ice cube (penguin) from melting.
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Save the Penguins
Tags: arctic engineering, Class Activities, Curriculum, Energy, Environmental Engineering, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, habitat, heat transfer misconceptions, ice, insulation, Lesson Plan, NGSS aligned, Physics, polar ice, Save the Penguins
High school students design a permanent guest village within the Saguaro National Park in Arizona after studying the desert ecology. Their designs must provide a true desert experience for visitors while emphasizing sustainable design, protecting the natural environment, and conserving energy and resources.
Students in grades 2 to 4 learn about wildlife habitats, environmental engineering, and the complexities of nest construction by attempting to design and build a nest themselves.
Middle school students learn about the engineering design process by building a model of an innovative human shelter inspired and informed by an animal habitat. They then present their work, explaining what attribute of the animal structure influenced their design. 
In this lesson, students in grades 8 to 10 experience civil and environmental engineering by planning a housing development while also protecting the native species that live there. They conduct research, draw plans, make brochures, and give presentations, with each four-member team having a project manager, civil engineer, environmental engineer, and graphic designer.
