Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 197)

Volleyball Machine Challenge for Middle School

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

Teach your students about the engineering design process with this fun lesson plan. They will design and build two "volleyball machines" that launch a ping pong ball back and forth over a net. While the 2019 Engineering Challenge is over, your students can still try this project and compare their scores to top scores from around the world! Teachers, note that elementary school and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. Looking for this year's challenge? Check out our… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Water Filtration

STEM Activity

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Water is one of the most important resources for life. Here on Earth, we often take it for granted — we can easily get a glass of water from the tap whenever we’re thirsty. But imagine being an astronaut orbiting hundreds of miles above our planet. In space, every drop of water is precious, and there’s no tap to turn on. Transporting water from Earth to the ISS is incredibly expensive and impractical due to the limited cargo space and the high cost of launching supplies. To address this,… Read more

Water Striders: Survival Adaptations

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd

How do water striders skip across the surface of the water? What advantage does this give them over other insects that helps them survive in their environment? Your students will find out in this lesson as they build their own insects from pieces of wire, and see which ones sink and which ones float. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

Water-wise: Keep Soil Wet Without Waste

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It is almost mid-summer! You might have colorful flowers, fresh tomatoes and yummy berries in the garden. But wait, did you remember to water them? Maybe you wonder if they get enough, too much or too little water. Should you water every day, twice a day or once a week? Should you soak the ground, or is frequently providing small amounts of water better? Unfortunately, there is no general rule, because much depends on the type of soil. In this science project, you will see how much water… Read more

Wave Blockers

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Have you ever wondered how a radio can receive music and news broadcasts over thin air? Radios, as well as radio-controlled cars and cell phones, all receive information via invisible waves. Some of these waves are called radio waves. Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation, a kind of energy that also includes visible light. Radio waves are not harmful but are in fact extremely useful for communicating across long distances. To send information using radio waves, a transmitting… Read more

Wave Blockers

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What do the radio, TV, radio controlled cars, and cell phones all have in common? They all use invisible waves to transmit information. Find out which materials block radio waves, and which materials allow radio waves to pass through by doing this experiment. Read more

We Have Liftoff

Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th

Building on an introduction to statics, dynamics free-body diagrams, combustion and thermodynamics provided by the associated lesson, students design, construct and test their own rocket engines using sugar and potassium nitrate—an opportunity to apply their knowledge of stoichiometry. This activity helps students understand that the energy required to launch a rocket comes from the chemical energy stored in the rocket fuel. The performance of each engine is tested… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

HS-PS3-3. Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.

Wearable Air Quality Sensor

STEM Activity

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Wearables are found all over the biomedical world: heart rate monitors, EKG patches, braces, etc. In this project, you will make your own wearable air quality sensor that notifies you of high-risk air. You can attach the sensor patch on any existing clothing or even make a standalone patch that you can wear as a necklace or a bracelet. Read more

Weather: Can You Measure Wind?

Video Lesson Grade: 3rd

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Wind is a part of our everyday weather. Its strength can range from a soft breeze to a violent storm. In this lesson, students learn how to measure wind speed by building anemometers (wind speed meters) from paper cups and straws and experimenting with them. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-ESS2-1. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.

Weathering: Where Does Sand Come From?

Video Lesson Grade: 4th

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In this lesson, students explore weathering—the wearing away of rock by exposure to the elements. They learn how it creates smooth boulders, rounded pebbles, sinkholes to swim in, and caves to explore. In the activity, they explore the connection between weathering and sand using sugar cubes. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

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