Updating search results...

TeachEngineering

TeachEngineering is a standards-aligned, classroom tested digital collection. University engineering faculty, graduate students and K-12 teachers across the nation developed and classroom tested the contents of the TeachEngineering collection, which showcases engineering in everyday life as the context for student learning. Specific contributions by individual authors are recognized at the end of every lesson and activity. The collection aligns with state and/or national science, mathematics and technology educational standards, and uses engineering as the vehicle to integrate science and mathematics concepts for K-12 students.

The University of Colorado Boulder and Oregon State University continue to apply rigorous standards to the publishing process and enhance user features, while creating systems infrastructure to optimize for the growing content, and user base, of the library. TeachEngineering continues to expand with published curricula from almost 70 different institutions. Most curricular contributions are authored by the professors, graduate students and teachers associated with NSF-funded engineering colleges from across the country, primarily GK-12 and RET grantees.

1672 affiliated resources

Search Resources

View
Selected filters:
Biomimicry: Echolocation in Robotics
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students use ultrasonic sensors and LEGO© MINDSTORMS© NXT robots to emulate how bats use echolocation to detect obstacles. They measure the robot's reaction times as it senses objects at two distances and with different sensor threshold values, and again after making adjustments to optimize its effectiveness. Like engineers, they gather and graph data to analyze a given design (from the tutorial) and make modifications to the sensor placement and/or threshold values in order to improve the robot's performance (iterative design). Students see how problem solving with biomimicry design is directly related to understanding and making observations of nature.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Electronic Technology
Engineering
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
James Muldoon
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Biomimicry: Natural Designs
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students learn about biomimicry and how engineers often imitate nature in the design of innovative new products. They demonstrate their knowledge of biomimicry by practicing brainstorming and designing a new product based on what they know about animals and nature.

Subject:
Applied Science
Biology
Engineering
Life Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Denise Carlson
Katherine Beggs
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Date Added:
09/26/2008
Biomimicry and Sustainable Design - Nature Is an Engineering Marvel
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students are introduced to the concepts of biomimicry and sustainable design. Countless examples illustrate the wisdom of nature in how organisms are adapted for survival, such as in body style, physiological processes, water conservation, thermal radiation and mutualistic relationships, to assure species perpetuation. Students learn from articles and videos, building a framework of evidence substantiating the indisputable fact that organisms operate "smarter" and thus provide humans with inspiration in how to improve products, systems and cities. As students focus on applying the ecological principles of the previous lessons to the future design of our human-centered world, they also learn that often our practices are incapable of replicating the precision in which nature completes certain functions, as evidenced by our dependence on bees as pollinators of the human food supply. The message of biomimicry is one of respect: study to improve human practices and ultimately protect natural systems. This heightened appreciation helps students to grasp the value of industry and urban mimetic designs to assure protection of global resources, minimize human impact and conserve nonrenewable resources. All of these issues aid students in creating a viable guest resort in the Sonoran Desert.

Subject:
Applied Science
Ecology
Engineering
Forestry and Agriculture
Geoscience
Life Science
Physical Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Wendy J. Holmgren
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Biorecycling: Using Nature to Make Resources from Waste
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

By studying key processes in the carbon cycle, such as photosynthesis, composting and anaerobic digestion, students learn how nature and engineers "biorecycle" carbon. Students are exposed to examples of how microbes play many roles in various systems to recycle organic materials and also learn how the carbon cycle can be used to make or release energy.

Subject:
Applied Science
Atmospheric Science
Engineering
Physical Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Caryssa Joustra
Daniel Yeh
Emanuel Burch
George Dick
Herby Jean
Ivy Drexler
Jorge Calabria
Lyudmila Haralampieva
Matthew Woodham
Onur Ozcan
Robert Bair
Stephanie Quintero
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Biosensors for Food Safety
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

How can you tell if harmful bacteria are in your food or water that might make you sick? What you eat or drink can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins—pathogens that can be harmful or even fatal. Students learn which contaminants have the greatest health risks and how they enter the food supply. While food supply contaminants can be identified from cultures grown in labs, bioengineers are creating technologies to make the detection of contaminated food quicker, easier and more effective.

Subject:
Career and Technical Education
Life Science
Material Type:
Lesson
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Evangelyn Alocilja
Hannah Miller
Lisa Wininger
Date Added:
02/17/2017
Biot-Savart Law
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

This lesson begins with a demonstration prompting students to consider how current generates a magnetic field and the direction of the field that is generated. Through formal lecture, students learn Biot-Savart's law in order to calculate, most simply, the magnetic field produced in the center of a circular current carrying loop. For applications, students find it is necessary to integrate the field produced over all small segments in an actual current carrying wire.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Physical Science
Physics
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Eric Appelt
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Blackout!
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students read news reports and first-person accounts to imagine what it would be like to be in a blackout in a large city. They follow news reports as if the event were unfolding in real-time and keep weblogs or journals of their experience as they imagine it, taking on different roles of people who live in the city or commute there to work. They use their journal accounts to create a play or screenplay that depicts what the August 2003 blackout was like for the people in the U.S. and Canada who experienced it. Although this activity is geared towards fifth-grade and older students, it could be easily adapted for younger students.

Subject:
Education
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Denise W. Carlson
Jane Evenson
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Date Added:
10/14/2015
Blast Off
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Rockets need a lot of thrust to get into space. In this lesson, students learn how rocket thrust is generated with propellant. The two types of propellants are discussed and relation to their use on rockets is investigated. Students learn why engineers need to know the different properties of propellants.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Physical Science
Physics
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Brian Argrow
Janet Yowell
Jay Shah
Jeff White
Luke Simmons
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Blazing Gas
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students are introduced to our Sun as they explore its composition, what is happening inside it, its relationship to our planet (our energy source), and the ways engineers help us learn about it.

Subject:
Applied Science
Astronomy
Engineering
Physical Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Denise W. Carlson
Geoffrey Hill
Jessica Butterfield
Jessica Todd
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Blood Cell Basics
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students will make a proportional model of blood out of red gelatin, a plastic bag, and rice. They will learn about the different components that make up blood and will investigate what happens when the arteries and veins experience buildup from cholesterol. They will then work in pairs to brainstorm ways to clean our clogged arteries.

Subject:
Education
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Janet Yowell
Jessica Todd
Julie Marquez
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Sara Born
Date Added:
10/14/2015
Blood Clots, Polymers and Strokes
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students are introduced to the circulatory system with an emphasis on the blood clotting process, including coagulation and the formation and degradation of polymers through their underlying atomic properties. They learn about the medical emergency of strokes the loss of brain function commonly due to blood clots including various causes and the different effects depending on the brain location, as well as blood clot removal devices designed by biomedical engineers.

Subject:
Applied Science
Education
Engineering
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Ann McCabe
Azim Laiwalla
Carleigh Samson
Victoria Lanaghan
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Blood Pressure Basics
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students study how heart valves work and investigate how valves that become faulty over time can be replaced with advancements in engineering and technology. Learning about the flow of blood through the heart, students are able to fully understand how and why the heart is such a powerful organ in our bodies.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Life Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Carleigh Samson
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Blow-and-Go Parachute
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students make a skydiver and parachute contraption to demonstrate how drag caused by air resistance slows the descent of skydivers as they travel back to Earth. Gravity pulls the skydiver toward the Earth, while the air trapped by the parachute provides an upward resisting force (drag) on the skydiver.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Physical Science
Physics
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Ben Heavner
Denise Carlson
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Sabre Duren
Date Added:
10/14/2015
Body Circulation
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students are introduced to the circulatory system, the heart, and blood flow in the human body. Through guided pre-reading, during-reading and post-reading activities, students learn about the circulatory system's parts, functions and disorders, as well as engineering medical solutions. By cultivating literacy practices as presented in this lesson, students can improve their scientific and technological literacy.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Life Science
Technology
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Denise W. Carlson
Jay Shah
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Todd Curtis
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Body Full of Crystals
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students learn about various crystals, such as kidney stones, within the human body. They also learn about how crystals grow and ways to inhibit their growth. They also learn how researchers such as chemical engineers design drugs with the intent to inhibit crystal growth for medical treatment purposes and the factors they face when attempting to implement their designs. A day before presenting this lesson to students, conduct the associated activity, Rock Candy Your Body.

Subject:
Applied Science
Chemistry
Engineering
Physical Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Andrea Lee
Megan Ketchum
Date Added:
10/14/2015
Body Motion Vector Visualization
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students learn how engineers gather data and model motion using vectors. They learn about using motion-tracking tools to observe, record, and analyze vectors associated with the motion of their own bodies. They do this qualitatively and quantitatively by analyzing several examples of their own body motion. As a final presentation, student teams act as engineering consultants and propose the use of (free) ARK Mirror technology to help sports teams evaluate body mechanics. A pre/post quiz is provided.

Subject:
Applied Science
Computer Science
Engineering
Mathematics
Measurement and Data
Physical Science
Physics
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
Activities
Author:
Jackson Reimers
Date Added:
08/30/2018
Bombs Away!
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students design and build devices to protect and accurately deliver dropped eggs. The devices and their contents represent care packages that must be safely delivered to people in a disaster area with no road access. Similar to engineering design teams, students design their devices using a number of requirements and constraints such as limited supplies and time. The activity emphasizes the change from potential energy to kinetic energy of the devices and their contents and the energy transfer that occurs on impact. Students enjoy this competitive challenge as they attain a deeper understanding of mechanical energy concepts.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Dan Choi
Randall Evans
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Bone Crusher
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

Students use a tension-compression machine (or an alternative bone-breaking setup) to see how different bones fracture differently and with different amounts of force, depending on their body locations. Teams determine bone mass and volume, calculate bone density, and predict fracture force. Then they each test a small animal bone (chicken, turkey, cat) to failure, examining the break to analyze the fracture type. Groups conduct research about biomedical challenges, materials and repair methods, and design repair treatment plans specific to their bones and fracture types, presenting their design recommendations to the class.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Health, Medicine and Nursing
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Andrea Lee
Megan Ketchum
Date Added:
09/18/2014
Bone Density Math and Logarithm Introduction
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
Rating
0.0 stars

In their reading from activity 1 of this unit, students should have discovered the term "logarithm." It is at this point that they begin their study of logarithms. Specifically, students examine the definition, history and relationship to exponents; they rewrite exponents as logarithms and vice versa, evaluating expressions, solving for a missing piece. Students then study the properties of logarithms (multiplication/addition, division/subtraction, exponents). They complete a set of practice problems to apply the skills they have learned (rewriting logarithms and exponents, evaluating expressions, solving/examining equations for a missing variable.) Then they complete a short quiz covering what they have studied thus far concerning logarithms (problems similar to the practice problems). They consider how what they have learned moves them closer to answering the unit's challenge question.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Kristyn Shaffer
Date Added:
09/18/2014