Students are presented with a brief history of bridges as they learn …
Students are presented with a brief history of bridges as they learn about the three main bridge types: beam, arch and suspension. They are introduced to two natural forces tension and compression common to all bridges and structures. Throughout history, and today, bridges are important for connecting people to resources, places and other people. Students become more aware of the variety and value of bridges around us in our everyday lives.
Students construct bird nests and birdhouses. They research birds of their choosing …
Students construct bird nests and birdhouses. They research birds of their choosing and then design houses that meet the birds' specific needs. It works well to conduct this activity in conjunction with a grades 9-12 woodshop class by partnering the older students with the younger students (but it is not required to do this in order to conduct the activity).
Students identify different bridge designs and construction materials used in modern day …
Students identify different bridge designs and construction materials used in modern day engineering. They work in construction teams to create paper bridges and spaghetti bridges based on existing bridge designs. Students progressively realize the importance of the structural elements in each bridge. They also measure vertical displacements under the center of the spaghetti bridge span when a load is applied. Vertical deflection is measured using a LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT intelligent brick and ultrasonic sensor. As they work, students experience tension and compression forces acting on structural elements of the two bridge prototypes. In conclusion, students discuss the material properties of paper and spaghetti and compare bridge designs with performance outcomes.
Students create and analyze composite materials with the intent of using the …
Students create and analyze composite materials with the intent of using the materials to construct a structure with optimal strength and minimal density. The composite materials are made of puffed rice cereal, marshmallows and chocolate chips. Student teams vary the concentrations of the three components to create their composite materials. They determine the material density and test its compressive strength by placing weights on it and measuring how much the material compresses. Students graph stress vs. strain and determine Young's modulus to analyze the strength of their materials.
Athletes often wear protective gear to keep themselves safe in contact sports. …
Athletes often wear protective gear to keep themselves safe in contact sports. In this spirit, students follow the steps of engineering design process as they design, build and test protective padding for an egg drop. Many of the design considerations surrounding egg drops are similar to sports equipment design. Watching the transformation of energy from potential to kinetic, observing the impact and working under material constraints introduces students to "sports engineering" and gives them a chance to experience some of the challenges engineers face in designing equipment to protect athletes.
This blank Project Template, along with the Project Components Guidelines, Project Rubric …
This blank Project Template, along with the Project Components Guidelines, Project Rubric Template, Self & Peer Evaluation Rubric and Project Grouping & Grading Best Practices resources are designed to support the development and integration of projects within CTE courses.
Below are globally focused projects, written by career and technical education (CTE) …
Below are globally focused projects, written by career and technical education (CTE) educators and aligned to the Common Core by ELA, math, and science educators, can be used as standalone projects in one CTE classroom or can be combined by multiple CTE educators in a building. These projects are based around four themes (Food Security, Clean Energy: Solar or Wind, Women's Health, and Cybersecurity) and contain the lesson plans, assessment information, and auxiliary materials an educator needs for implementation.
Over 40,000 students participate in Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO). These …
Over 40,000 students participate in Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO). These dynamic organizations develop academic success through applied academics, promote choice and identification of career options and foster interpersonal skills in teamwork, communications human relations and social interactions. They also encourage excellence in scholarship, build character, promote citizenship, volunteerism and patriotism, endorse cooperation and cooperative attitudes among all people and provide opportunities for state, national and international travel through internships, camps and leadership conferences. The eight Arizona CTSOs are Arizona Thespians, DECA, Educators Rising, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, and SkillsUSA.
Explore units such as: Navigate Your Career and explore occupations in a …
Explore units such as: Navigate Your Career and explore occupations in a variety of industry clusters. Hear firsthand through videos by employees describing their paths, what they do, and future opportunities.
Students become familiar with the engineering design process as they design, build …
Students become familiar with the engineering design process as they design, build and test chair prototypes. The miniature chairs must be sturdy and functional enough to hold a wooden, hinged artist model or a floppy stuffed animal. They use their prototypes to assess design strengths and weaknesses.
Working in engineering project teams, students evaluate sites for the construction of …
Working in engineering project teams, students evaluate sites for the construction of a pyramid. They base their decision on site features as provided by a surveyor's report; distance from the quarry, river and palace; and other factors they deem important to the project based on their team's values and priorities.
Students use a small quantity of modeling clay to make boats that …
Students use a small quantity of modeling clay to make boats that float in a tub of water. The object is to build boats that hold as much weight as possible without sinking. In the process of designing and testing their prototype creations, students discover some of the basic principles of boat design, gain first-hand experience with concepts such as buoyancy and density, and experience the steps of the engineering design process.
We design and create objects to make our lives easier and more …
We design and create objects to make our lives easier and more comfortable. The houses in which we live are excellent examples of this. Depending on your local climate, the features of your house have been designed to satisfy your particular environmental needs: protection from hot, cold, windy and/or rainy weather. In this activity, students design and build model houses, then test them against various climate elements, and then re-design and improve them. Using books, websites and photos, students learn about the different types of roofs found on various houses in different environments throughout the world.
Students work in pairs to create three simple types of model bridges …
Students work in pairs to create three simple types of model bridges (beam, arch, suspension). They observe quantitatively how the bridges work under load and why engineers use different types of bridges for different places. They also get an idea of the parts needed to build bridges, and their functions. The strength of model bridges is mainly a factor of the quality of materials used, and therefore they do not provide a clear visual representation of tension and compression forces involved. Yet, students are able to see these forces at work in three prototype designs and draw conclusions about their dependence on span, width and supporting structures of the bridge designs.
Student groups are given a set of materials: cardboard, insulating materials, aluminum …
Student groups are given a set of materials: cardboard, insulating materials, aluminum foil and Plexiglas, and challenged to build solar ovens. The ovens must collect and store as much of the sun's energy as possible. Students experiment with heat transfer through conduction by how well the oven is insulated and radiation by how well it absorbs solar radiation. They test the effectiveness of their designs qualitatively by baking something and quantitatively by taking periodic temperature measurements and plotting temperature vs. time graphs. To conclude, students think like engineers and analyze the solar oven's strengths and weaknesses compared to conventional ovens.
Students learn about the many types of expenses associated with building a …
Students learn about the many types of expenses associated with building a bridge. Working like engineers, they estimate the cost for materials for a bridge member of varying sizes. After making calculations, they graph their results to compare how costs change depending on the use of different materials (steel vs. concrete). They conclude by creating a proposal for a city bridge design based on their findings.
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