JoinAll Book Chapters
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In this lesson, students learn the basics about construction materials, the construction processes used in building tall towers, and the forces and geometry associated with static structures. To be able to understand the science and mathematics invol...
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In this lesson, students learn about the engineering concept of learning from failure by examining the collapse of the World Trade Center Twin Towers. They also learn about the science and mathematics behind the collapse of these structures, as well ...
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New Technologies for High-Rise Buildings
In this lesson, student teams are challenged to examine the collapse of the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Each team will develop a proposal for a new or improved building material or method that could be incorporated into the design of future high...
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Wind Energy, Grade 5: STEM Road Map for Elementary School (Book Sample)
New in 2017 What if you could challenge your fifth graders to develop an economical, eco-friendly wind farm? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can! Wind Energy outlines a journey that will steer your students toward aut...
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This lesson introduces the concepts of energy as the ability to do work, energy transformations, and potential and kinetic energy. It also presents the concept of scarce resources as an introduction to the module’s final challenge, the Water for Al...
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In this lesson, students are introduced to the concept of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. By tracing their own energy supplies to the source, students learn that all energy on earth ultimately comes from the Sun. Students work in teams to ...
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In this lesson, students gain an understanding of the greenhouse effect as a natural process that traps warm air in the Earth’s atmosphere and is magnified by carbon emissions. Students compare the environmental effects of solar energy and fossil f...
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This lesson incorporates a scientific investigation of the properties of salt water. Students investigate the salinity in different types of water and ways that salt and other particles can be removed from drinking water. We recommend reading Chapter...
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In this final lesson, students use the knowledge they have accumulated throughout the module to complete the Water for All Challenge. The teams design and build desaladoras—desalination devices that use passive solar energy. Students contend with s...
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The Thrill of the Ride—History and Psychology of Amusement Parks
This lesson launches the module by having the students examine photos, watch a video of an art project with extreme amusement rides, and view the accompanying website, which connects how particular characteristics of physics and engineering are used ...
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In this lesson, students investigate types of energy transfer and run simulations to consider design factors for amusements such as speed, height, and sustainability. To get a sense of the physics behind the amusements, students will participate in t...
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Amusement Park of the Future Design Challenge
This lesson is the culmination of the module and synthesizes the knowledge and skills that students gained in the first two lessons. They conducted preliminary analyses and gave thought to design features and now they expand on them. In this lesson, ...
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Adventures With Arthropods: Eco-Friendly Lessons for Middle School (book sample)
New in 2017!...
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Construction Materials, Grade 11: STEM Road Map for High School (Book Sample)
What if you could challenge your 11th graders to gain an understanding of the feats of engineering required to build high-rise buildings—and maybe even improve them? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can! Constructio...
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Harnessing Solar Energy, Grade 4: STEM Road Map for Elementary School (Book Sample)
What if you could challenge your fourth graders to use solar energy to provide the world with clean water? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can! Harnessing Solar Energy outlines a journey that will steer your students...
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Amusement Park of the Future, Grade 6: STEM Road Map for Middle School (Book Sample)
What if you could challenge your sixth graders to design an amusement park for children of tomorrow to safely enjoy? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can! Amusement Park of the Future outlines a journey that will stee...
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Scientists and Engineers Are DREAMERS (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are dreamers. They read about amateur scientist Luke Howard in the book The Man Who Named the Clouds. After reading, they observe clouds as water-cycle components and learn how clouds help ...
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Scientists and Engineers Are THINKERS (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are thinkers. They read about inventor Philo Farnsworth in the book The Boy Who Invented TV. After reading, they create a new invention or a replica of an invention from recyclables or ever...
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Scientists and Engineers Are INSPIRED (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are inspired. They read about inventor Thomas Edison in the book Young Thomas Edison. After reading, they ask Thomas Edison’s three questions at four learning stations that are focused on...
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Scientists and Engineers Are DILIGENT (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are diligent. They read about inventor George Washington Carver in the book A Picture Book of George Washington Carver. After reading, they will become familiar with six plant parts as they...
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Scientists and Engineers Are IMAGINATIVE (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are imaginative. They read about scientist Annie Jump Cannon in the book Annie Jump Cannon, Astronomer. After reading, they learn about how Annie Jump Cannon observed variations in the brig...
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Scientists and Engineers Are VISIONARY (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are visionary. They read about engineer George Washington Ferris Jr. in the book Mr. Ferris and His Wheel. After reading, they create a three-dimensional model of a Ferris wheel and learn h...
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Scientists and Engineers Are PATIENT (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are patient. They read about scientist Gregor Mendel in the book Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas. After reading, they create a model of inherited traits in a snow-people family to un...
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Scientists and Engineers Are OBSERVANT (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are observant. They read about primatologist Jane Goodall in the book Jane Goodall’s Life With the Chimps. After reading, they observe crickets and discover how crickets move and communic...
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Scientists and Engineers Are PUZZLERS (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are puzzlers. They read about Charles Darwin in the book Darwin: With Glimpses Into His Private Journals and Letters. After reading, they become familiar with how plant and animal adaptatio...
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Scientists and Engineers Are INTUITIVE (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are intuitive. They read about paleontologist Barnum Brown in the book Barnum’s Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World. After reading, students assume th...
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Scientists and Engineers Are DEDICATED (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are dedicated. They read about photographer Wilson Bentley in the book Snowflake Bentley. Students learn how Wilson Bentley introduced the world to the hexagonal beauty of snowflakes and ga...
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Scientists and Engineers Are CURIOUS (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are curious. They read about naturalist John James Audubon in the book The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon. After reading, they construct a puppet of a sandhill crane and ...
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Scientists and Engineers Are INNOVATIVE (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are innovative. They read about inventor Ada Byron Lovelace in the book Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine. After reading, they use scientific methods to design, build, and test ai...
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Scientists and Engineers Are COURAGEOUS (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are courageous. They read about scientist Galileo Galilei in the book Starry Messenger. After reading, they explore lines and curves that are produced by the motion of their bodies. This se...
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Scientists and Engineers Are CONFIDENT (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are confident. They read about explorer Jacques Cousteau in the book Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau. After reading, they use a Vernier Go!Motion probe to chart a simulated ocean floor...
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Scientists and Engineers Are CLEVER (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are clever. They read about inventor Elijah McCoy in the book The Real MCoy: The Life of an African-American Inventor. After reading, they observe friction and apply oil to their model race...
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Scientists and Engineers Are PERSISTENT (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are persistent. They read about engineer John Roebling in the book The Brooklyn Bridge: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Bridge and the Remarkable Family That Built It. After reading,...
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Scientists and Engineers Are INVENTIVE (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are inventive. They read about inventor William Kamkwamba in the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. After reading, they construct a windmill model and learn how wind is a source of energy...
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Scientists and Engineers Are RISK TAKERS (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are risk takers. They read about scientist Nikola Tesla in the book Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World. After reading, students observe and explore the differences between...
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Scientists and Engineers Are FEARLESS (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are fearless. They read about Sylvia Earle in the book Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle. After reading, students observe photographs of two sawfish nostrums (bills...
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Scientists and Engineers Are CREATIVE (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are creative. They read about Waterhouse Hawkins in the book The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. After reading, students create a three-dimensional model of a dinosaur from a two-dimension...
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Scientists and Engineers Are PERSUASIVE (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are persuasive. They read about environmentalist Rachel Carson in the book Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World. After reading, students engage in the scientific process of con...
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Scientists and Engineers Are PASSIONATE (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are passionate. They read about scientist Wangari Maathai in the book Seeds of Change: Wangari’s Gift to the World. After reading, students compare Arbor Day and Earth Day as celebrations...
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Scientists and Engineers Are INQUISITIVE (Grades 3–5)
In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are inquisitive. They read about scientist Carl Sagan in the book Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos. After reading, students investigate the difference between mass and...