The Lost in the Amazon curricular unit is a series of minds-on and hands-on engineering activities based on an adventure scenario set in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Students imagine themselves to be a team of EnviroTech engineers returning to the U.S. from a conference in Brasilia, Brazil. When their plane crashes deep in the Amazon forest, they work in groups to overcome various obstacles in their quest to survive and reach the nearest city as quickly and safely as possible. Motivated by this adventurous theme, students discover, learn and apply the following: 1) classification of plants and insects; 2) general categorizing skills; 3) process skills: problem solving and critical thinking; 4) scientific testing and experimentation; 5) materials properties.

Students learn about kinetic and potential energy, including various types of potential energy: chemical, gravitational, elastic and thermal energy. They identify everyday examples of these energy types, as well as the mechanism of corresponding energy transfers. They learn that energy can be neither created nor destroyed and that relationships exist between a moving object's mass and velocity. Further, the concept that energy can be neither created nor destroyed is reinforced, as students see the pervasiveness of energy transfer among its many different forms. A PowerPoint(TM) presentation and post-quiz are provided.

Students examine the existence of sound by listening to and seeing sound waves while conducting a set of simple activities as a class or in pairs at stations. Students describe sound in terms of its pitch, volume and frequency. They use this knowledge to discuss how engineers study sound waves to help people who cannot hear or talk.

Momentum is not only a physical principle; it is a psychological phenomenon. Students learn how the "Big Mo" of the bandwagon effect contributes to the development of fads and manias, and how modern technology and mass media accelerate and intensify the effect. Students develop media literacy and critical thinking skills to analyze trends and determine the extent to which their decisions may be influenced by those who manipulate a few opinion leaders. Note: The literacy activities for the Mechanics unit are based on physical themes that have broad application to our experience in the world concepts of rhythm, balance, spin, gravity, levity, inertia, momentum, friction, stress and tension.

This Professional Development course sets up teachers and students to use the perimeter of their school to inquire about and monitor air quality as well as learn about emissions and activism in their community.Did you know idling cars during school pickup impacts air quality and the environment? Learn how to use an easy-to-implement action project to motivate and empower your students. Your students will build an understanding of how air pollution impacts their community and the climate and learn what community members are doing about it. They will then work together to map their findings, develop an action plan and share what they have learned.Learn how the Next Generation Science Standards Engineering Design Process and Social Studies standards can be an integral part of students working on real-world problems.Explore the social-emotional side of climate change and how direct action can foster resilience and environmental justice.Collaborate with teachers from across the region to have a collective impact on air quality and the environment.#climate science #islandwood (already searchable on text)

This article points out that there is no one official definition for the Arctic. Then the author identifies definitions ranging from geography to climate to culture and more. Maps and other visuals illustrate the definitions. The author suggests that defining the Arctic can be an example for K-Grade 5 students of the nature and challenges of classification systems. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.

Every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. Teach students to code. Hour of Code resources

In this video segment adapted from Design Squadí_í_íŹa PBS TV series featuring high school contestants tackling engineering challengesí_í_íŹlearn about the fundamentals of sound as student teams create percussive and stringed instruments for a local band.

Multiple Literacies in Project-Based Learning is a free, comprehensive OER curriculum developed by the George Lucas Education Foundation.Curricula is designed by grade level beginning in 3rd grade and covers the full year of science standards for each grade aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. Some units have been awarded the NGSS Design Badge by Achieve/NextGenScience which is compelling evidence of high quality, NGSS aligned instructional materials.Materials are designed as PBL or Project-Based Learning units which is a form of inquiry-based learning in which the primary objectives for students include development of the following: their intrinsic motivation, problem-solving skills, the ability to guide their own learning and other metacognitive skills, collaborative skills, and the ability to transfer knowledge, skills, and attitudes to other contexts. Students work alone or in groups on complex tasks organized around central questions that lead to a final product. Teachers play a facilitator role while addressing the principles of inquiry-based learning.The curriculum in free of charge and has been shown through research to be effective with students. The materials are housed on an interactive hub called "Sprocket".

Students are going to be working in an Engineering Design team to create a car using K’Nex pieces. They will work through 3 iterations of design in a goal to have their car travel 600 CM. They will use a ramp (defined in the lesson) to have their car gain momentum. They will also create a 3D Printed wheel to be attached to their design and determine if this has improved their design.

Teacher/Student Guide
Links to 3D Design Videos
Project Rubric

Amag! is the architecture magazine for children.

It is a game to cut, brake, destroy…

It is for all children from 5 to 10 years.

It is an Open Educational Resource (OER) for schools around the world.

Amag! is a building material, as well as a game, and a research tool. Children learn about architecture, playing with the pages of the magazine.

Amag! consists of articles: A4 for download, print and play. Each article is created by an author or team. All of them are specialist on architecture education for children and youth, or art professionals related to children.

Students complete a series of six short investigations involving magnets to learn more about their properties. Students also discuss engineering uses for magnets and brainstorm examples of magnets in use in their everyday lives.

Students observe an in-classroom visual representation of a volcanic eruption. The water-powered volcano demonstration is made in advance, using sand, hoses and a waterballoon, representing the main components of all volcanoes. During the activity, students observe, measure and sketch the volcano, seeing how its behavior provides engineers with indicators used to predict an eruption.

These are full-course openly licensed resources for districts interested in exploring OER options when considering core instructional materials for district adoption. Course materials are available for online viewing or download.

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast shows how the 34 steps in their Rube Goldberg invention use everything from gravity to carbon dioxide gas in order to accomplish one simple task: pouring a glass of milk.

What do plants need? Students examine the effects of light and air on green plants, learning the processes of photosynthesis and transpiration. Student teams plant seeds, placing some in sunlight and others in darkness. They make predictions about the outcomes and record ongoing observations of the condition of the stems, leaves and roots. Then, several healthy plants are placed in glass jars with lids overnight. Condensation forms, illustrating the process of transpiration, or the release of moisture to the atmosphere by plants.

Solar energy in the form of light is available to organisms on Earth in abundance. Natural systems and other organisms have structures that function in ways to manage the interaction with and use of this energy. In this storyline, students compare resources used for energy and their effect on the atmosphere. Students will explore how light energy interacts with materials and how light energy can be transformed into energy for heating and cooling.

Students are introduced to the classification of animals and animal interactions. Students also learn why engineers need to know about animals and how they use that knowledge to design technologies that help other animals and/or humans. This lesson is part of a series of six lessons in which students use their growing understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.

To further their understanding of sound energy, students identify the different pitches and frequencies created by a vibrating ruler and a straw kazoo. They create high- and low-pitch sound waves.