This unit covers the broad spectrum of topics that make-up our very …
This unit covers the broad spectrum of topics that make-up our very amazing human body. Students are introduced to the space environment and learn the major differences between the environment on Earth and that of outer space. The engineering challenges that arise because of these discrepancies are also discussed. Then, students dive into the different components that make up the human body: muscles, bones and joints, the digestive and circulatory systems, the nervous and endocrine systems, the urinary system, the respiratory system, and finally the immune system. Students learn about the different types of muscles in the human body and the effects of microgravity on muscles. Also, they learn about the skeleton, the number of and types of bones in the body, and how outer space affects astronauts' bones. In the lessons on the digestive, circulatory, nervous and endocrine systems, students learn how these vital system work and the challenges faced by astronauts whose systems are impacted by spaceflight. And lastly, advances in engineering technology are discussed through the lessons on the urinary, respiratory and immune systems while students learn how these systems work with all the other body components to help keep the human body healthy.
Students learn about the periodic table and how pervasive the elements are …
Students learn about the periodic table and how pervasive the elements are in our daily lives. After reviewing the table organization and facts about the first 20 elements, they play an element identification game. They also learn that engineers incorporate these elements into the design of new products and processes. Acting as computer and animation engineers, students creatively express their new knowledge by creating a superhero character based on of the elements they now know so well. They will then pair with another superhero and create a dynamic duo out of the two elements, which will represent a molecule.
Students begin by reading Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" as an example of …
Students begin by reading Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" as an example of how overdevelopment can cause long-lasting environmental destruction. Students discuss how to balance the needs of the environment with the needs of human industry. Student teams are asked to serve as natural resource engineers, city planning engineers and civil engineers with the task to replant the nearly destroyed forest and develop a sustainable community design that can co-exist with the re-established natural area.
In this unit, students explore the various roles of environmental engineers, including: …
In this unit, students explore the various roles of environmental engineers, including: environmental cleanup, water quality, groundwater resources, surface water and groundwater flow, water contamination, waste disposal and air pollution. Specifically, students learn about the factors that affect water quality and the conditions that enable different animals and plants to survive in their environments. Next, students learn about groundwater and how environmental engineers study groundwater to predict the distribution of surface pollution. Students also learn how water flows through the ground, what an aquifer is and what soil properties are used to predict groundwater flow. Additionally, students discover that the water they drink everyday comes from many different sources, including surface water and groundwater. They investigate possible scenarios of drinking water contamination and how contaminants can negatively affect the organisms that come in contact with them. Students learn about the three most common methods of waste disposal and how environmental engineers continue to develop technologies to dispose of trash. Lastly, students learn what causes air pollution and how to investigate the different pollutants that exist, such as toxic gases and particulate matter. Also, they investigate the technologies developed by engineers to reduce air pollution.
Students develop critical thinking skills by interviewing a person who has perspective …
Students develop critical thinking skills by interviewing a person who has perspective on environmental history. Students explore the concept of a timeline, including historical milestones, and develop a sense of the context of events.
In this activity, students create a "web" to identify and demonstrate the …
In this activity, students create a "web" to identify and demonstrate the interactions among the living and non-living parts of an environment. This information allows students to better understand what an environment is and to also consider how engineers use teamwork to solve problems.
An important property of linear functions is that they grow by equal …
An important property of linear functions is that they grow by equal differences over equal intervals. In this task students prove this for equal intervals of length one unit, and note that in this case the equal differences have the same value as the slope. In F.LE Equal Differences over Equal Intervals 2, students prove the property in general (for equal intervals of any length).
An important property of linear functions is that they grow by equal …
An important property of linear functions is that they grow by equal differences over equal intervals. In this task students prove this for equal intervals of length one unit, and note that in this case the equal differences have the same value as the slope.
In this task students prove that linear functions grow by equal differences …
In this task students prove that linear functions grow by equal differences over equal intervals, and that exponential functions grow by equal factors over equal intervals.
This task asks students to use inverse operations to solve the equations …
This task asks students to use inverse operations to solve the equations for the unknown variable, or for the designated variable if there is more than one. Two of the equations are of physical significance and are examples of Ohm's Law and Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.
This task requires students to use the fact that on the graph …
This task requires students to use the fact that on the graph of the linear equation y=ax+c, the y-coordinate increases by a when x increases by one. Specific values for c and d were left out intentionally to encourage students to use the above fact as opposed to computing the point of intersection, (p,q), and then computing respective function values to answer the question.
In this problem students must transform expressions using the distributive, commutative and …
In this problem students must transform expressions using the distributive, commutative and associative properties to decide which expressions are equivalent.
This is a standard problem phrased in a non-standard way. Rather than …
This is a standard problem phrased in a non-standard way. Rather than asking students to perform an operation, expanding, it expects them to choose the operation for themselves in response to a question about structure. The problem aligns with A-SSE.2 because it requires students to see the factored form as a product of sums, to which the distributive law can be applied.
The purpose of this task is to directly address a common misconception …
The purpose of this task is to directly address a common misconception held by many students who are learning to solve equations. Because a frequent strategy for solving an equation with fractions is to multiply both sides by a common denominator (so all the coefficients are integers), students often forget why this is an "allowable" move in an equation and try to apply the same strategy when they see an expression.
The purpose of the task is to get students to reflect on …
The purpose of the task is to get students to reflect on the definition of decimals as fractions (or sums of fractions), at a time when they are seeing them primarily as an extension of the base-ten number system and may have lost contact with the basic fraction meaning. Students also have their understanding of equivalent fractions and factors reinforced.
The accuracy and simplicity of this experiment are amazing. A wonderful project …
The accuracy and simplicity of this experiment are amazing. A wonderful project for students, which would necessarily involve team work with a different school and most likely a school in a different state or region of the country, would be to try to repeat Eratosthenes' experiment.
The task is designed to show that random samples produce distributions of …
The task is designed to show that random samples produce distributions of sample means that center at the population mean, and that the variation in the sample means will decrease noticeably as the sample size increases. Random sampling (like mixing names in a hat and drawing out a sample) is not a new idea to most students, although the terminology is likely to be new.
Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make …
Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make work easier, and which people have used to provide mechanical advantage for thousands of years. Students learn about the wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw and pulley in the context of the construction of a pyramid, gaining insights into tools that have been used since ancient times and are still important today. Through numerous hands-on activities, students imagine themselves as ancient engineers building a pyramid. Student teams evaluate and select a construction site, design a pyramid, perform materials calculations, test a variety of cutting wedges on different materials, design a small-scale cart/lever transport system to convey building materials, experiment with the angle of inclination and pull force on an inclined plane, see how a pulley can change the direction of force, and learn the differences between fixed, movable and combined pulleys. While learning the steps of the engineering design process, students practice teamwork, creativity and problem solving.
The purpose of this task is for students to show they understand …
The purpose of this task is for students to show they understand the connection between fraction and decimal notation by writing the same numbers both ways.
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