Posted on May 8th, 2020 by Mary Lord
In this open-ended design activity, students in grades 3 to 5 use everyday materials such as water bottles and straws to build small-scale transportation devices that incorporate two simple machines: a wheel and axle, and a lever. They race their vehicles, measuring distance, time and weight; and then calculate speed.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Wheeling It In
Tags: bicycle, Engineering Design Process, Geometry, levers, measurement, NGSS aligned activity, Physics, simple machines, transporation, vehicle
Posted on May 20th, 2019 by Mary Lord
Students in grades 4 to 9 learn about projectile motion by designing, building, and testing a machine that can kick a Ping-Pong ball into a cup lying on its side 12 inches away.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Build a Kicking Machine
Tags: ball, Class Activities, Engineering Design, forces and motion, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Kicking Machine, kinetic energy, Lesson Plan, PBS Design Squad, Physics, projectile motion, simple machines, soccer
Posted on May 8th, 2018 by Mary Lord
In this activity, small groups of students in grades 3 to 8 learn about forces, energy, and efficiency by measuring a bicycle’s gear ratios, calculating tire revolutions, and testing who can ride a course the swiftest based on that information.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Pedal Power
Tags: bicycle, biking, Class Activities, Energy, Engineering, forces, gear, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans, motion, pedaling, Physics, SciGirls, simple machines, Videos, Web Resources
Posted on March 13th, 2018 by Mary Lord
OK Go is a wildly popular band that “likes to make stuff.” AnnMarie Thomas, a University of St. Thomas engineering educator and amateur circus aerialist, likes to make stuff, too. Put them together and the result is OK Go Sandbox, a free, video-rich repository of design challenges, curricula, and other resources that put the *fun* in fundamental STEM concepts while fostering creativity.
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Filed under: For Teachers, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on Playful STEM: OK Go Sandbox
Tags: AnnMarie Thomas, Curriculum, Engineering, Grades 6-8, Internet Resources, Lesson Plans, Mathematics, OK Go, OK Go Sandbox, Physics, Resources for Teachers, Rube Goldberg machine, simple machines, STEM education, STEM lessons, Teacher Resources, university of St. Thomas, Web Resources
Posted on July 25th, 2014 by Mary Lord
In this activity, students in grades 4 to 8 use LEGO spur gears to learn about different types of gears and how they are used in many engineering devices, including bicycles, to change the speed, torque, and direction of a power source.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on What Are Gears?
Tags: bicycle, Class Activities, gears, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, LEGOS, Mathematics, Mechanical engineering, Physics, simple machines, speed, torque
Posted on March 18th, 2013 by Mary Lord
In this activity, students in grades 5 to 12 learn about accuracy, precision, and simple machines by working in teams to design and build a robotic basketball “player” that can nail a free-throw shot three times in a row.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »
Tags: accuracy, basketball, biomechanical engineering, biomechanics, catapult, Class Activities, Engineering, lever, Mathematics, percentages, Physics, precision, projectile, Robotics, simple machines, Sports Engineering, statistics
Posted on October 16th, 2012 by Mary Lord
Students in grades 1 to 6 follow the engineering design process to build and test a catapult that launches projectiles, such as marshmallow “pumpkins.” They then make changes to improve their launcher’s aim and distance it can hurl the projectile.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Target Practice: Pumpkin Launcher
Tags: catapult, Design, Elementary Education, Engineering Design, forces and motion, Halloween, levers, motions and forces, Physics, simple machines
Posted on July 31st, 2011 by Mary Lord
In this lesson, students in grades 3 – 12 will explore the engineering design process by building a device that can launch a ping-pong ball high enough for them to catch it.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »
Tags: baseball, Design Squad, Energy, Engineering Design, force, levers, motion, NGSS aligned, Physics, simple machines
