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Showing page 3 of 4 pages. Viewing records 21-30 of 36 records returned.
| Mechanics Mania |
The Mechanics unit teaches the universal rules engineers and physicists use to understand how things move and stay still. Together, these rules are called "mechanics." The study of mechanics is a way ...
...moreThe Mechanics unit teaches the universal rules engineers and physicists use to understand how things move and stay still. Together, these rules are called "mechanics." The study of mechanics is a way to improve our understanding of everyday movements, such as how gravity pulls things together, how objects balance, spin and twirl, and how things fly and fall. Engineers use mechanics as a fundamental tool to determine which way water might flow, to compute whether a building will stay up or fall down, or how things might break. Mechanics is an important tool for explaining the world around us, and a method to explore what things it might be possible for us to make!
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6 (5-7) |
Subject Areas: 1
Lessons: 10
Activities: 25
Details |
| Mission to Mars |
The Mission to Mars curricular unit introduces students to Mars — the Red Planet. Students discover why scientists are so interested in studying this mysterious planet. Many interesting facts about ...
...moreThe Mission to Mars curricular unit introduces students to Mars — the Red Planet. Students discover why scientists are so interested in studying this mysterious planet. Many interesting facts about Mars are revealed, and the history of Martian exploration is reviewed. Students will learn about the development of robotics and how robots are beneficial to science, society and the exploration of space. Details on engineers' involvement in space exploration are presented. Furthermore, students will learn how orbits allow astronauts to move from planet to planet and what type of equipment is used by scientists and engineers to safely explore space. Lastly, the specific details on and human risks for a possible future manned mission to Mars (and back to Earth again!) are discussed.
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7 (6-8) |
Subject Areas: 2
Lessons: 6
Activities: 7
Details |
| Mixtures and Solutions |
This unit covers introductory concepts of mixtures and solutions. Students think about how mixtures and solutions, and atoms and molecules can influence new technologies developed by engineers. The fi...
...moreThis unit covers introductory concepts of mixtures and solutions. Students think about how mixtures and solutions, and atoms and molecules can influence new technologies developed by engineers. The first lesson explores the fundamentals of atoms and their structure. The building blocks of matter (protons, electrons, neutrons) are covered in detail. The next lesson examines the properties of elements and the periodic table — one method of organization for the elements. The concepts of physical and chemical properties are also reviewed. Finally, the last lesson introduces the properties of mixtures and solutions. A comparison of different mixtures and solutions, their properties and their separation qualities are discussed.
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6 (5-7) |
Subject Areas: 2
Lessons: 3
Activities: 3
Details |
| Natural Disasters |
Through lessons and hands-on activities, students are introduced to the world of natural disasters and how engineers help to make people safe from them. Students learn about the natural hazards of ear...
...moreThrough lessons and hands-on activities, students are introduced to the world of natural disasters and how engineers help to make people safe from them. Students learn about the natural hazards of earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis, floods and tornados, and how they become disasters when they impact people. Students begin by learning about the structure of the earth, its layers, continental drift, and faults. They learn how earthquakes happen; they investigate the integrity of structural designs using a model seismograph. Students learn about the causes, composition and types of volcanoes, and play with a class mock volcano demonstration. Students learn that the many different types of landslides are all are the result of gravity, friction and the materials involved. Students learn about tsunamis, discovering what causes them and makes them so dangerous. Using a table-top-sized tsunami generator, students test how model structures of different material types fare in devastating waves. Students learn about the causes of floods, their benefits and potential for disaster. With table top-sized riverbed models, students simulate the impact of different river volumes and floodplain terrain in experimental trials. In learning about tornadoes, students learn about their basic characteristics, damage and occurrence. All lessons provide a real-world engineering context, helping students understand what engineers study and create to help people live with natural hazards.
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4 (3-5) |
Subject Areas: 1
Lessons: 8
Activities: 16
Details |
| Plot Your Course - Navigation |
In this unit, students learn the very basics of navigation, including the different kinds of navigation and their purpose. The concepts of relative and absolute location, latitude, longitude and cardi...
...moreIn this unit, students learn the very basics of navigation, including the different kinds of navigation and their purpose. The concepts of relative and absolute location, latitude, longitude and cardinal directions are discussed, as well as the use and principles of a map and compass. Students will discover the history of navigation and learn the importance of math and how it ties into navigational techniques. Understanding how trilateration can determine one's location leads to a lesson on the global positioning system and how to use a GPS receiver. The unit concludes with an overview of orbits and spacecraft trajectories from Earth to other planets.
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7 (6-8) |
Subject Areas: 3
Lessons: 10
Activities: 23
Details |
| Put a Spark In It! - Electricity |
The electricity unit opens with an introduction to the most basic unit in ordinary matter, the atom. Once the components of an atom are addressed and understood, students then have the opportunity to ...
...moreThe electricity unit opens with an introduction to the most basic unit in ordinary matter, the atom. Once the components of an atom are addressed and understood, students then have the opportunity to explore the exciting world of electricity. First, students will encounter the phenomena of static electricity. This is followed by basic current electricity concepts such as voltage, resistance and open/closed circuits. Next, the journey continues as students learn about that wonderful can full of chemicals - the battery. The fun does not stop there; students get a "charge" as they discover the difference between a conductor and an insulator. The electricity unit concludes with lessons investigating simple circuits that are arranged "in series" and "in parallel" and considers the benefits associated with each circuit.
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4 (3-5) |
Subject Areas: 1
Lessons: 6
Activities: 10
Details |
| Rockets |
This unit teaches students how and why engineers design satellites to benefit life on Earth as well as allows students an opportunity to explore motion, rockets and rocket motion. Students discover th...
...moreThis unit teaches students how and why engineers design satellites to benefit life on Earth as well as allows students an opportunity to explore motion, rockets and rocket motion. Students discover that the motion of all objects including the flight of a rocket and even the movement of a canoe is governed by Newton's three laws of motion. Space exploration is a huge consideration for aerospace engineers, and this unit introduces students to the challenges of getting into space for the purpose of exploration. The ideas of thrust, weight and control are covered, allowing students to fully understand how and why rockets are designed with these concepts in mind. Also, students learn about the engineering design process and re-engineering as they design and build their own rockets after learning how and why the experts make specific engineering choices. Lastly, students explore the concept of triangulation that is used in navigation satellites and global positioning systems designed by engineers. And, by investigating these technologies, they learn how people can determine their position or the location of someone else.
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4 (K-5) |
Subject Areas: 3
Lessons: 6
Activities: 10
Details |
| Simple Machines |
In this unit, students learn about the six simple machines and are introduced to compound machines. In the first lesson, students learn about work as defined by physical science and see that work is ...
...moreIn this unit, students learn about the six simple machines and are introduced to compound machines. In the first lesson, students learn about work as defined by physical science and see that work is made easier through the use of simple machines. The second lesson introduces students to three of the six simple machines used by many engineers: the inclined plane, the wedge and the screw. Also, students become familiar with each machine's mechanical advantage and how it makes work easier. The third lesson introduces students to the final three of the six simple machines used by many engineers: the lever, the pulley and the wheel-and-axle. In the fourth lesson, students expand upon their understanding of simple machines with an introduction to compound machines — a combination of two or more simple machines. Also, this lesson encourages students to critically think about machine inventions and their role in our lives. In the fifth and final lesson of this unit, the cartoons of Rube Goldberg are introduced to engage the students in critical thinking about the way his inventions make a simple task even harder to complete. This lesson helps students evaluate the importance and usefulness of the many machines around them.
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7 (6-8) |
Subject Areas: 1
Lessons: 5
Activities: 5
Details |
| Solar System! |
An introduction to our solar system: the planets, our Sun and our Moon. Students begin by learning the history and engineering of space travel. They make simple rockets to acquire a basic understandin...
...moreAn introduction to our solar system: the planets, our Sun and our Moon. Students begin by learning the history and engineering of space travel. They make simple rockets to acquire a basic understanding Newton's third law of motion. They explore energy transfer concepts and use renewable solar energy for cooking. They see how engineers design tools, equipment and spacecraft to go where it is too far and too dangerous for humans. They explore the Earth's water cycle, and gravity as applied to orbiting bodies. They learn the steps of the design process as they create their own planetary rovers made of edible parts. Students conduct experiments to examine soil for signs of life, and explore orbit transfers. While studying about the International Space Station (ISS), they investigate the realities of living in space. Activities explore low gravity on human muscles, eating in microgravity, and satellite tracking. Finally, students learn about the context of our solar system, the universe, as they learn about the Hubble Space Telescope, celestial navigation and spectroscopy.
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3 (3-5) |
Subject Areas: 1
Lessons: 9
Activities: 16
Details |
| Sound and Light |
The Sound & Light unit provides students with an understanding of sound and light waves through the theme of the "Sunken Treasure," a continuous story line throughout the lessons. In Lessons 1-5, stud...
...moreThe Sound & Light unit provides students with an understanding of sound and light waves through the theme of the "Sunken Treasure," a continuous story line throughout the lessons. In Lessons 1-5, students learn about sound, and in Lessons 6-10, they explore the concepts of light. The first lesson introduces the concepts of longitudinal and transverse waves. Students then move on to the concepts of wavelength and amplitude in transverse waves. In the third lesson, students learn about sound through the introduction of frequency and how it applies to musical sounds. Next, girls and boys learn all about echolocation — what it is and how engineers use it to "see" things in the dark, or deep underwater. The last of the five sound lessons introduces acoustics, during in students learn how different materials reflect and absorb sound.
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3 (3-5) |
Subject Areas: 1
Lessons: 8
Activities: 8
Details |
Showing page 3 of 4 pages. Viewing records 21-30 of 36 records returned.
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