The Game of Life…Science Students will learn the 5th-grade life science content through a real-world problem: How can a game be designed that simulates the survival of plant and animal populations in an ecosystem as it undergoes environmental changes? Some of the changes that might occur are the introduction of a new population (including invasive…
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Mars Rover: Can You Hear Me? Can You See Me? As we proceed into the future, space exploration is becoming an essential part of our own growth as humans. Space exploration requires innovative, creative, adaptable people to develop the technology necessary for these grand endeavors into new environments. Specifically, the first settlers on Mars will…
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Pirate Ship Race Teams of student engineers are challenged to design, build and test a prototype pirate ship design. The prototype ship is tested for its ability to float and to sail around obstacles in a baby pool while carrying a load consisting of a crew, food, and a retrieved hidden treasure. Students use force…
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Eco-Park Design In this unit, student design teams create a plan for an Eco Park that achieves multiple goals for their client, the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF). Students gain knowledge about the ecology of various ecosystems and explore both positive and negative ways in which humans impact the environment. They brainstorm solutions for…
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Lunchbox of the Future Working people, school children, and others pack meals to take with them that will be eaten later in the day, however, there may not be access to refrigeration or the capability to heat their food. Students will design and build a lunchbox that will maintain two different temperatures in different sections…
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Stop Stomping on Me Student engineering teams assist a city that is building a new soccer field for the World Cup competition. To protect the city’s precious groundwater, the city requires a field that is as environmentally sustainable as possible but also meets the needs of professional players. Students are challenged to design the optimum…
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Science Rocks Student teams engineer a computer program that sorts rocks based on properties in order to identify a specific rock within a Rock Family. Teams identify properties of rocks, then utilize a dichotomous key to sort them by the properties. Students collaboratively engineer a PowerPoint with guiding questions to identify each rock type; thereby,…
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“Fish-y” Gardening In this 7th grade unit, student teams design and construct a small/micro-scale symbiotic aquaponic system that can be used by populations lacking natural resources needed to provide and cultivate a sustainable, nutrient-rich food source. This unit engages students in participating in an engineering design challenge in which they create a viable farming method…
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Students compare the characteristics of simple physical and chemical changes. Materials have many different characteristics and during the creation of their bouncy slime, students will identify these differences and be able to observe them at various states. By using the engineering process to design slime for maximum bounce students will use fractions, record measurements, and…
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