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Technology/Engineering
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Classroom Activities
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B-29 Frozen in Time
In "Arctic Engineering," students follow problem-solving techniques
used by scientists in the program and generate strategies for
improving upon the scientists' solutions. Grades 6-8.
Battle of the X-Planes
In "Backpack Challenge," students design a backpack that meets
multiple needs. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Building Big: Bridges
Find a collection of 10 activities -- including paper bridge,
geodesic dome, and newspaper tower -- designed to introduce students
to the basic physical science of large structures. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Building Big: Dams
Find a collection of 10 activities -- including paper bridge,
geodesic dome, and newspaper tower -- designed to introduce students
to the basic physical science of large structures. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Building Big: Domes
Find a collection of 10 activities -- including paper bridge,
geodesic dome, and newspaper tower -- designed to introduce students
to the basic physical science of large structures. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Building Big: Skyscrapers
Find a collection of 10 activities -- including paper bridge,
geodesic dome, and newspaper tower -- designed to introduce students
to the basic physical science of large structures. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Building Big: Tunnels
Find a collection of 10 activities -- including paper bridge,
geodesic dome, and newspaper tower -- designed to introduce students
to the basic physical science of large structures. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Building on Ground Zero
In "Learning from Disasters," students research safety feature and
building code changes that were recommended in response to major
disasters, including fire, hurricanes, and terrorist acts. Grades
6-8, 9-12.
Car of the Future
In "Your City's Car of the Future" student teams research and
develop a proposal to decrease the carbon footprint of their city's
public transportation system through the use of various new
technologies and/or alternative fuels. Grades 6-8, 9-12
Daredevils of the Sky
In "Daredevils of the Classroom," students design and experiment
with the size, shape, angle of the wings, rudder position, and
weight of a paper airplane. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Daring Flight, A
In "Bl�riot's Inventions," students analyze the evolution of designs
that led up to the invention of the Bl�riot XI, the first plane to
cross the English Channel. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Day the Earth Shook, The
In "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," students explore structural
engineering through three design challenges. Grades 6-8.
Fireworks!
In "History of Fireworks," students create timelines that trace the
evolution of various aspects of fireworks from their invention to
today. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Flood!
In "Overflowing the Banks," students construct a model of a river
system with levees to investigate how floodwalls can cause flooding
in smaller tributaries. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Great Escape
In "The Great Escape Challenge," students invent a way to deliver a
note across a fixed distance. Grades 6-8.
Great Robot Race, The
In "Off to the Rubber Band Races," students design, build, and test
a rubber band-powered car. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Killer Quake!
In "House of Cards," students gain experience with the concepts
involved in constructing an earthquake-proof building. Grades 6-8.
Lost on Everest
In "Keeping Warm," students test how effectively common clothing
fabrics insulate against cold and consider the technological design
of different fabrics. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Mammoths of the Ice Age
In "Surviving on Planet Niwrad," students consider the challenges
they might face on a new planet, ways they might need to adapt, and
what technology they might need to design for survival. Grades 6-8,
9-12.
MARS Dead or Alive
In "Slowing Things Down," students investigate three variables
affecting a parachute's rate of descent and then design a parachute
that will descend as slowly as possible. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Missing in MiG Alley
In "Changing the Face of War," students research the technological
advances, tactical strategies, and roles aircraft have played in the
United States' five major international conflicts of the 20th
century. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Perfect Pearl, The
In "Pearls of Wisdom," students consider political, economic, and
technological solutions for challenges faced by pearl farmers.
Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Real Jurassic Park, The
In "Interplanetary Colonization Corporation," students consider the
ethics of applying revolutionary scientific technologies. Grades
6-8.
Roller Coaster!
In "Humpty Dumpty Revisited?" students consider the principles
involved in choosing materials for and designing an egg bunjee-jump.
Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Saved By the Sun
In "Got Sun? Get Cooking!" students follow a seven-step invention
process to design, build, and test a solar cooker that will
pasteurize water. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Secrets of Lost Empires I -- Colosseum
In "Reel Distances," students discover how to use pulleys to change
the direction of force. Grades 6-8.
Secrets of Lost Empires I -- Inca
In "Hang in There!," students model suspension bridges by
construction cables out of newspaper and testing their strength.
Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Secrets of Lost Empires II -- China Bridge
In "Tasty Arch," students build a sugar wafer arch that supports
itself with no mortar. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Secrets of Lost Empires II -- Roman Bath
In "Tasty Arch," students build a sugar wafer arch that supports
itself with no mortar. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Secrets of Making Money
In "Bucking Trends," students design paper currency to investigate
properties of different kinds of materials. Grades 6-8.
Secrets of the Parthenon
In "A Monumental Puzzle," use a viewing guide while watching the
program about the reconstruction of the Parthenon and discuss
answers to questions related to the monument after watching. Grades
6-8, 9-12.
Secrets of the Samurai Sword
In "Mixed-Up Metals" students explore the characteristics of metals
and produce a series of posters on different alloys, outlining their
properties and how they are used. Grades 6-8.
Shark Attack!
In "Shark Dodging," students use knowledge of shark behavior to
design a solution to help surfers avoid being attacked. Grades 3-5,
6-8.
Sinking City of Venice
In "Water Logged," students track problems and proposed solutions to
Venice's floodwater problems in order to better understand the
complexity of resolving the city's increasing flood troubles. Grades
6-8, 9-12.
Sinking the Supership
In "Battleship Yamato," students use a viewing guide while watching
a program about the Battleship Yamato and discuss answers to their
questions after watching. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Space Shuttle Disaster
In "U.S. Space Exploration Time Line" research the progression of
U.S. manned space exploration and learn the causes of the Challenger
and Columbia shuttle accidents. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Spies That Fly
In "Small, Smaller, Smallest," students downsize an aircraft to
understand some of the challenges associated with building extremely
small vehicles. Grades 6-8.
Super Bridge
In "Super Bridge," students explore compression, tension, and
torsion by constructing a spaghetti bridge tower that will hold a
coffee can tower and cardboard roadbed. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Supersonic Spies
In "Race to be First," students interpret incomplete information to
build a simple wheel-and-axle machine. Grades 6-8.
The Big Energy Gamble
In "Your Energy Audit," students conduct an energy audit to
determine how much carbon dioxide their family is releasing into the
atmosphere and then make recommendations for minimizing their
family's carbon footprint. Grades 6-8.
The Spy Factory
In "National Security vs. Individual Rights," students consider the
tradeoffs between fortifying national security and maintaining civil
liberties. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Top Gun Over Moscow
In "Paper Warriors of Flight," students design paper airplanes to
meet different flying objectives. Grades 6-8.
Underwater Dream Machine
In "Build Your Own Submarine," students prepare a diving tank and a
submarine and make the submarine neutrally buoyant in the tank.
Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Voyage of Doom
In "Build a Cofferdam," students design and construct a simple
cofferdam and consider the advantages and disadvantages of modeling.
Grades 6-8.
Wright Brothers' Flying Machine
In "What's Wing Warping?," students test the effects of wing warping
by manipulating the leading and trailing edges on the wings of a
paper airplane. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
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