Students construct rockets from balloons propelled along a guide string. They use ...
Students construct rockets from balloons propelled along a guide string. They use this model to learn about Newton's three laws of motion, examining the effect of different forces on the motion of the rocket.
The CyberSquad solves the problem of giving equal parts of two apples ...
The CyberSquad solves the problem of giving equal parts of two apples to Cerberus, the three headed dog of Greek mythology, in this video from Cyberchase.
Commercial fishing nets often trap "unprofitable" animals in the process of catching ...
Commercial fishing nets often trap "unprofitable" animals in the process of catching target species. In this activity, students experience the difficulty that fishermen experience while trying to isolate a target species when a variety of sea animals are found in the area of interest. Then the class discusses the large magnitude of this problem. Students practice data acquisition and analysis skills by collecting data and processing it to deduce trends on target species distribution. They conclude by discussing how bycatch impacts their lives and whether or not it is an important environmental issue that needs attention. As an extension, students use their creativity and innovative skills to design nets or other methods, theoretically and/or through hands-on prototyping, that fisherman could use to help avoid bycatch.
The purpose of this task is to show three problems that are ...
The purpose of this task is to show three problems that are set in the same kind of context, but the first is a straightforward multiplication problem while the other two are the corresponding "How many groups?" and "How many in each group?" division problems.
Building on their fifth grade experiences with operations on decimal numbers, sixth ...
Building on their fifth grade experiences with operations on decimal numbers, sixth grade students should find the task to be relatively easy. The emphasis here is on whether students are actually fluent with the computations, so teachers could use this as a formative assessment task if they monitor how students solve the problem.
In the previous lesson, students learned how to divide a decimal by ...
In the previous lesson, students learned how to divide a decimal by a whole number. They also saw that multiplying both the dividend and the divisor by the same power of 10 does not change the quotient. In this lesson, students integrate these two understandings to find the quotient of two decimals. They see that to divide a number by a decimal, they can simply multiply both the dividend and divisor by a power of 10 so that both numbers are whole numbers. Doing so makes it simpler to use long division, or another method, to find the quotient. Students then practice using this principle to divide decimals in both abstract and contextual situations.
Students use the scientific method to determine the effect of control surfaces ...
Students use the scientific method to determine the effect of control surfaces on a paper glider. They construct paper airplanes (model gliders) and test their performance to determine the base characteristics of the planes. Then they change one of the control surfaces and compare the results to their base glider in order to determine the cause and effect relationship of the control surfaces.
The application of engineering principles is explored in the creation of mobiles. ...
The application of engineering principles is explored in the creation of mobiles. As students create their own mobiles, they take into consideration the forces of gravity and convection air currents. They learn how an understanding of balancing forces is important in both art and engineering design.
Students use their knowledge of scales and areas to determine the best ...
Students use their knowledge of scales and areas to determine the best locations in Alabraska for the underground caverns. They cut out rectangular paper pieces to represent caverns to scale with the maps and place the cut-outs on the maps to determine feasible locations.
Students use real-world data to calculate the potential for solar and wind ...
Students use real-world data to calculate the potential for solar and wind energy generation at their school location. After examining maps and analyzing data from the online Renewable Energy Living Lab, they write recommendations as to the optimal form of renewable energy the school should pursue.
Groundwater is one of the largest sources of drinking water, so environmental ...
Groundwater is one of the largest sources of drinking water, so environmental engineers need to understand groundwater flow in order to tap into this important resource. Environmental engineers also study groundwater to predict where pollution from the surface may end up. In this lesson, students will learn how water flows through the ground, what an aquifer is and what soil properties are used to predict groundwater flow.
Students reinforce an antenna tower made from foam insulation so that it ...
Students reinforce an antenna tower made from foam insulation so that it can withstand a 480 N-cm bending moment (torque) and a 280 N-cm twisting moment (torque) with minimal deflection. During one class period, students discuss the problem, run the initial bending and torsion tests and graph the results. During the following class periods, students design, construct and test sturdier towers, and graph the results.
Demonstrations explain the concepts of energy forms (sound, chemical, radiant [light], electrical, ...
Demonstrations explain the concepts of energy forms (sound, chemical, radiant [light], electrical, atomic [nuclear], mechanical, thermal [heat]) and states (potential, kinetic).
In this lesson, students are introduced to both potential energy and kinetic ...
In this lesson, students are introduced to both potential energy and kinetic energy as forms of mechanical energy. A hands-on activity demonstrates how potential energy can change into kinetic energy by swinging a pendulum, illustrating the concept of conservation of energy. Students calculate the potential energy of the pendulum and predict how fast it will travel knowing that the potential energy will convert into kinetic energy. They verify their predictions by measuring the speed of the pendulum.
This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one ...
This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important asects of the task and its potential use. Here are the first few lines of the commentary for this task: A penny is about $\frac{1}{16}$ of an inch thick. In 2011 there were approximately 5 billion pennies minted. If all of these pennies were placed in a s...
Students are presented with a guide to rain garden construction in an ...
Students are presented with a guide to rain garden construction in an activity that culminates the unit and pulls together what they have learned and prepared in materials during the three previous associated activities. They learn about the four vertical zones that make up a typical rain garden with the purpose to cultivate natural infiltration of stormwater. Student groups create personal rain gardens planted with native species that can be installed on the school campus, within the surrounding community, or at students' homes to provide a green infrastructure and low-impact development technology solution for areas with poor drainage that often flood during storm events.
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