Recently Added Curriculum

This unit builds upon Newton's Laws of Motion by exploring the force of friction. Students learn about friction and drag — two different forces that convert energy of motion to heat. Student-directed activities demonstrate how friction affects motion, and how texture affects the degree of friction as objects move across the surface of different types of materials.

This unit introduces students to the forces of stress and strain. Students design and build model buildings and beams, which furthers their understanding of the effects of compression and tension forces in relation to structure strength. Students explore the psychological concepts of stress and stress management in an associated literacy activity.

In this unit, students explore the concepts of mass, center of mass, equilibrium, and stability by exploring how objects balance. Students learn about linear momentum — movement in a straight line —and demonstrate conservation of momentum in collisions between objects of different masses. In associated literacy activities, students apply center of mass and the psychological phenomenon of momentum.

This unit focuses on the forces of weight (a measure of gravity that increases by adding mass) and gravity (pulling force). Students explore these fundamental concepts by investigating how air resistance, not the weight of an object, determines how fast an object falls. The effect of drag caused by air resistance and an associated “first flight” literacy activity round out the unit.

Keep it moving! This unit introduces potential and kinetic energy as forms of mechanical energy in the context of motion. A series of hands-on activities enable students to explore the relationship between potential and kinetic energy and the concept of conservation of energy. The concepts of momentum, collisions, and frictional forces are also viewed through the lens of motion.

Move it! This unit explores Newton’s Laws of Motion. Students have fun exploring the concepts of forces and changes in motion, action and reaction, angular momentum, and pendulums. A variety of hands-on investigations and related activities help learners make sense of motion.

Students use what they learned about energy systems to create a project related to identifying and carrying out a personal change to reduce energy consumption. Ideally, the preliminary homework assignments should be interspersed throughout the unit so that the students stay focused on their ultimate culminating projects.

Metadata is an important tool used to organize, calculate, and log information. In this activity, students become detectives as they learn to extract metadata from digital images, analyze the metadata and locate when and where the images were taken. Students gain knowledge on the use of metadata and its application, from engineering to law enforcement. From this activity, students also learn to be proactive in regulating the pictures they take with their smartphones and minimize their image submissions to the web.

The basic concepts of energy science—work, force, energy and power—and their relationships are explored in this unit. Students investigate the physical properties of energy through work and power and perform energy-related calculations and unit conversions. A hands-on model waterwheel activity engages students in learning how to calculate the amount of power produced and work done.

In this unit, students explore energy conservation and efficiency concepts via multiple modes. Demonstrations explain the forms and states of energy. Energy flow block diagrams record outputs and inputs to determine the efficiency of conversions and simple systems. The law of conservation of energy and efficiency. Students evaluate the energy consumption in a household and explore potential ways to reduce energy use.

This mini-unit focuses on the importance of energy in our lives, and the need to consider how and why we consume the energy we do. The associated activities build students’ general understanding of energy system concepts, including the relationship between energy sources (non-renewable and renewable) and consumer energy choices and use.

Fossil fuels powered the Industrial Revolution, and the use of coal, petroleum, and natural gas has extensive and long-term impacts on the environment and society. This unit investigates fossil fuels as a non-renewable energy source. Students build an understanding of what fossil fuels are, where they are sourced, and how humans use them for energy through lessons and associated activities.

The sun provides earth with abundant light energy, and we can convert this solar energy into electricity using solar panels. This unit explores solar energy as a renewable energy source. Through engaging activities, students investigate the principles of light energy and design, build and test solar-powered ovens, water heaters, and a mini-city.

Creating sustainable energy is a challenge that engineers are helping solve to meet the world's need for clean and consistent power sources. This unit explores water as a renewable energy source. Students explore aspects of hydropower and its potential-to-kinetic energy transformation through water-based activities including designing, building and testing water waterwheels (water turbines).

Creating sustainable energy is a challenge that engineers are helping solve to meet the world's need for clean and consistent power sources. This unit explores wind as a renewable energy source. Students explore aspects of wind power including designing, building, and testing anemometers and wind turbines (windmills).