Flash to the Finish In this unit, students will be dropped in a random location in Hawaii. They must design the most effective route for participants to meet at a central finish point. They will need to know their surroundings and understand various topographic features of the land. Students will focus on the characteristics of…
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Who You Gonna Call? Mousebusters! Disruptive and harmful pests are a nuisance and becoming more of a problem as humans continue to develop land that was once their home. Exterminators and pest control professionals need to continue to develop new and humane ways to trap and relocate these critters. This unit’s focus is the design…
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Next Generation Super Hero Student teams are challenged to genetically alter a Superhero so that the Superhero is able to conquer a major disaster facing the nation. In order to effectively overcome the disaster, students will acquire knowledge of the disaster and the skills needed to be successful. Then, student groups will be provided with…
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Up, Up and Away In this series of investigations, students will develop an understanding of how magnets can be used to move large payloads such as an airplane. The unit will begin with a career connection activity. Next, students will investigate the properties of magnetism through station activities. Data collection and analysis software will be…
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In this unit, students will compare the structural integrity of various shapes and materials in designing a temporary shelter. When the weather turns extreme, homeless shelters can exceed capacity. In an effort to best prepare homeless shelters to support community homeless needs, students will be tasked to design a temporary structure for a single user.…
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Can You Stand on Me? Visitors to schools in underdeveloped countries have found that students suffer from a lack of technology. Some students do not even have access to a flat surface on which to write. Service groups and industries in the United States, have shown interest in providing learning materials for students of such schools.…
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Fire Safety Impact Systems In this unit, students will explore the relationships between force, motion, and gravity as they team up with Underwriters Laboratories to create a prototype for use in emergency situations, such as a house fire, to break a person’s fall. Teams of students will work collaboratively to employ the engineering design process…
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Engineer a Ball Launcher Given specific constraints, students investigate and apply knowledge of forces of motion, expressions, and analyzed data to design a ball launching mechanism. Teams of students collaborate to help enable a quadriplegic owner like to “throw” the ball to his or her service animal. Students employ the engineering design process as they…
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As industries transition from assembly lines to advanced manufacturing, there are more machines being utilized in the manufacturing and assembly process. These machines, as all machines do, require lubricants to run smoothly and efficiently. Owners also use chemical liquids to clean the machines periodically to maintain their performance. Once these lubricants and industrial cleaners are…
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Through inquiry-based learning, students are able to experience and investigate the biogeochemical cycles. They utilize the engineering design process in order to design and construct compost bins. They also design a method for scientifically testing the validity of snack food companies’ advertisements that their packages are manufactured with 100% compostable materials. Throughout the composting process,…
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