TeachEngineering resources are categorized by their amount and depth of engineering. Below are the categories:
Relating science (or math) concept to engineering: These resources are essentially science (or math) activities or lessons that use real-world engineering applications to provide context for the subject matter and introduce students to fields of engineering.
Engineering analysis or partial design: These resources provide students with the opportunity to conduct portions of an actual engineering project. They involve some analysis and a portion of the engineering design process.
Engineering design: These resources provide students with the opportunity use the majority of the engineering design process to solve a either a provided or student-generated design challenge.
For further explanation of the categories, see the TeachEngineering Submit Curriculum page under Get Involved
Solar Water Heater
Engineering Category:  |
Student teams design and build solar water heating devices that mimic those used in residences to capture energy in the form of solar radiation and convert it to thermal energy. This thermal energy is...
... moreStudent teams design and build solar water heating devices that mimic those used in residences to capture energy in the form of solar radiation and convert it to thermal energy. This thermal energy is next transferred to water (to be used as domestic hot water) in the form of heat. In doing this, students gain a better understanding of the three different types of heat transfer, each of which plays a role in the solar water heater design. Once the model devices are constructed, students perform efficiency calculations and compare designs.
...less |
9 (9-11) |
CO :
 Science (2009)
Math (2009)
ITEEA :
Technology (2000) |
240 mins |
3 |
US$ 10.00 |
Designing a Spectroscopy Mission
Engineering Category: |
Students find and calculate the angle that light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating using trigonometry. After finding this angle, student teams design and build their own spectro...
... moreStudents find and calculate the angle that light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating using trigonometry. After finding this angle, student teams design and build their own spectrographs, researching and designing a ground- or space-based mission using their creation. At project end, teams present their findings to the class, as if they were making an engineering conference presentation. Student must have completed the associated Building a Fancy Spectrograph activity before attempting this activity.
...less |
11 (10-12) |
CO :
Science (1995)
Science (2009)
Math (2009)
ITEEA :
Technology (2000) |
240 mins |
4 |
US$ 20.00 |
Mouse Trap Racing in the Computer Age!
Engineering Category:  |
Students design, build and evaluate a spring-powered mouse trap racer. For evaluation, teams equip their racers with an intelligent brick from a LEGO© MINDSTORMS© NXT Education Base Set and a HiTech...
... moreStudents design, build and evaluate a spring-powered mouse trap racer. For evaluation, teams equip their racers with an intelligent brick from a LEGO© MINDSTORMS© NXT Education Base Set and a HiTechnic© acceleration sensor. They use acceleration data collected during the launch to compute velocity and displacement vs. time graphs. In the process, students learn about the importance of fitting mathematical models to measurements of physical quantities, reinforce their knowledge of Newtonian mechanics, deal with design compromises, learn about data acquisition and logging, and carry out collaborative assessment of results from all participating teams.
...less |
12 (9-12) |
ITEEA :
Technology (2000)
NY :
Science (1996) |
240 mins |
3 |
US$ 1.00 |
How Fast Does Water Travel through Soils?
Engineering Category: |
Students measure the permeability of different types of soils, compare results and realize the importance of size, voids and density in permeability response. |
5 (4-5) |
ITEEA :
Technology (2000)
NY :
Science (1996)
Math (2005) |
240 mins |
5 |
US$ 0.00 |
Growing and Graphing
Engineering Category:  |
Students visit a 2nd and a 4th grade class to measure the heights of older students using large building blocks as a non-standard unit of measure. They can also measure adults in the school community...
... moreStudents visit a 2nd and a 4th grade class to measure the heights of older students using large building blocks as a non-standard unit of measure. They can also measure adults in the school community. Results are displayed in age-appropriate bar graphs (paper cut-outs of miniature building blocks glued on paper to form a bar graph) comparing the different age groups. The activities that comprise this lesson help students develop the concepts and vocabulary to describe, in a non-ambiguous way, how height changes as children get older. The introduction to graphing provides an important foundation for both creating and interpreting graphs in future years.
...less |
K (K-2) |
CCSS :
Math (2010)
ITEEA :
Technology (2000)
NC :
Science (2004)
Math (2003) |
4 hrs |
2 |
US$ 0.00 |
Light Plants and Dark Plants, Wet Plants and Dry Ones
Engineering Category: |
Students plant sunflower seeds in plastic cups, and once germinated, these are exposed to different conditions of light levels and/or soil moisture contents. During exposure of the plants to these di...
... moreStudents plant sunflower seeds in plastic cups, and once germinated, these are exposed to different conditions of light levels and/or soil moisture contents. During exposure of the plants to these different conditions, students measure growth of the seedlings every few days using non-standard measurement (inch cubes). After a few weeks, they compare the growth of plants exposed to the different conditions, and make pictorial bar graphs that demonstrate these comparisons.
...less |
1 (1-3) |
CCSS :
Math (2010)
ITEEA :
Technology (2000)
NC :
Science (2004) |
4 hrs |
1 |
US$ 20.00 |
Boom Construction
Engineering Category: |
Student teams design their own booms (bridges) and engage in a friendly competition with other teams to test their designs. Each team strives to design a boom that is light, can hold a certain amount ...
... moreStudent teams design their own booms (bridges) and engage in a friendly competition with other teams to test their designs. Each team strives to design a boom that is light, can hold a certain amount of weight, and is affordable to build. Teams are also assessed on how close their design estimations are to the final weight and cost of their boom "construction." This activity teaches students how to simplify the math behind the risk and estimation process that takes place at every engineering firm prior to the bidding phase—when an engineering firm calculates how much money it will take to build the project and then "bids" against other competitors.
...less |
9 (9-12) |
ITEEA :
Technology (2000)
NY :
Science (1996)
Math (2005) |
4 hrs |
3 |
US$ 3.00 |
Construct a Car
Engineering Category: |
Students are challenged to build mousetrap-powered vehicles from a supply of everyday items. A basic design with plans is provided, and subsequent activities use the basic car as a model for experimen...
... moreStudents are challenged to build mousetrap-powered vehicles from a supply of everyday items. A basic design with plans is provided, and subsequent activities use the basic car as a model for experiments that highlight physical science concepts that can be used to improve the car designs. This activity cultivates students' ability to interpret and follow instructions and diagrams.
...less |
7 (5-12) |
ITEEA :
Technology (2000)
PA :
Science (2002) |
4 hrs |
2 |
US$ 5.00 |
AM I on the Radio?
Engineering Category: |
Students create a working radio by soldering circuit components supplied from an AM radio kit. Since this activity is carried out in conjunction with the associated lessons concerning circuits and how...
... moreStudents create a working radio by soldering circuit components supplied from an AM radio kit. Since this activity is carried out in conjunction with the associated lessons concerning circuits and how AM radios work, students should be able to identify each circuit component they are soldering, as well as how their placement causes the radio to work. Besides reinforcing concepts from the lessons, this activity also teaches students how to solder. Soldering is an activity that many engineers perform regularly; by teaching students how to solder, they are able to engage in a real engineering activity.
...less |
7 (7-9) |
ITEEA :
Technology (2000)
NC :
Science (2004) |
4 hrs |
3 |
US$ 20.00 |
Temperature Tells All!
Engineering Category: |
Students are introduced to the health risks caused by cooking and heating with inefficient cook stoves inside homes, a common practice in rural developing communities. Students simulate the cook stove...
... moreStudents are introduced to the health risks caused by cooking and heating with inefficient cook stoves inside homes, a common practice in rural developing communities. Students simulate the cook stove scenario and use the engineering design process, including iterative trials, to increase warmth inside a building while reducing air quality problems. Students then collect and graph data, and analyze their findings.
...less |
5 (5-6) |
CO :
Science (2009)
Math (2009)
ITEEA :
Technology (2000) |
4 hrs |
3 |
US$ 1.00 |
