From long-shot “Cinderella” teams to “field goal” averages and “bracketology,” the NCAA’s annual “March Madness” men’s Division 1 college basketball championship has a host of pet terms and traditions. Here’s a guide to this year’s Big Dance.

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Tags: Lesson Plans, Sports, Sports Engineering

From the “miracle fiber” Kevlar invented by Dupont chemist Stephanie Kwolek to Silly Putty, our world abounds with materials discovered by accident. In this activity from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), students will learn some serious materials science–and hit several national science and tehcnology standards–by using everyday items to create and investigate the properties of Funny Putty.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »

Tags: Class Activities, Curriculum, Lesson Plan, Lesson Plans, Slime

Elementary schools are struggling to fit science lessons into a school day packed with other subjects, particularly reading and math that are tied to accountability measures. The amount of science instruction varies by school and district, but many educators say students need more hands-on lessons beginning in elementary school to help prepare them for careers in science fields.

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Tags: Curriculum, Lesson Plan, Lesson Plans, Teachers

The Akron Global Polymer Academy of The University of Akron is hosting the third annual Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors to encourage students in grades 5-8 to demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity by creating an invention that incorporates the use of rubber bands. Deadline for Entries: Wednesday, February 16, 2011.

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Tags: Art, Art and Engineering, Competitions for Students, Contest, Contests, Lesson Plans, Materials Engineering, Resources for Teachers, Videos

“The Science of Winter,” from the National Science Digital Library, is a collection of activities, lessons, interactives, images, and other content that demonstrate scientific aspects of winter.

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Tags: Lesson Plans, National Science Digital Library, Science of Snow, Winter

The online Smithsonian Education page is a gateway to the institutions educational resources and materials, with offerings for teachers, students, and families. The Teachers’ section offers lesson plans, resources, and information on field trips and professional development, as well the opportunity to subscribe to Smithsonian in Your Classroom, a journal for elementary and middle school educators.

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Students in grades 6-12 are challenged to build a drinking straw tower that can withstand simulated earthquake vibrations and increasing weight and pressure. Doing so, they learn basic principles of design and earthquake engineering while practicing team skills.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 8 Comments »

Tags: Building Design, Civil Engineering, Class Activities, Engineering Design Process, Lesson Plans, Safety engineering

The NASA Quest Website offers a range of online resources for teachers, students, parents, and others, so that the public can share the excitement of NASA’s authentic scientific and engineering pursuits, like flying in the Shuttle and the International Space Station, exploring distant planets with spacecraft, and building the aircraft of the future.

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Tags: Aeronautics, Aerospace, Class Activities, Internet Resources, Lesson Plans, NASA, Web Resources

ScienceEducation.gov supports cyber-learning and open participation with lesson plans, curricula, classroom activities, homework help, and professional development information. There are more than 35,000 web pages of STEM content available.

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Tags: Class Activities, Curriculum, Department of Energy, Internet Resources, Lesson Plans, NASA, NOAA, Professional Development, Web Resources