Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World

In this unit, students explore the science phenomena of Earth systems by studying aquifers, comparing the ability of different Earth materials to hold water. In this lesson, they build on that knowledge to engineer permeable pavement that can solve the problems of urban flooding and water pollution. This page showcases key components of this lesson. 

In this unit, students explore the science phenomena of how energy is transferred in a circuit to do work. In this lesson, students figure out the phenomena affecting the left and right movement of an electric car. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson. 

In this unit, students explore several phenomena that relate to cooking. In this lesson, students evaluate chemical reactions, and use that knowledge to engineer a prototype that transfers energy by chemical processes. This page showcases key components of this lesson. 

In the last unit, students explore how objects can be seen when they are illuminated by a source of light and how light passes through opaque, transparent, and translucent materials differently. In this unit, students apply what they have learned about light and sound to design a solution that can be used to communicate over a distance. 

In this unit, students apply what they have previously learned about forces, motion, and matter to the solar system, focusing on the phenomena of gravity’s role in the universe. In this lesson, students engineer a solution to collisions between moving objects in space. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson. 

In this unit, students evaluate how Earth is heated unevenly by investigating how the angle that the sun’s rays hit Earth affects temperatures at different locations. In this lesson, students use their scientific knowledge of phenomena related to global warming and climate to engineer a model greenhouse that reaches a specific temperature. This pages provides a snapshot of this lesson.

In this unit, students learn about science phenomena related to ecosystems, studying how all living things interact with and depend on other living things and the environment for survival. In this lesson, students explore how humans can create solutions to protect ecosystems by designing an engineering solution for coastal erosion.This page provides an overview of this lesson.

In this unit, students focus on interactions between the hydrosphere and the geosphere as they explore the phenomena of groundwater in human development. For this lesson, they engineer a water filtration device to treat samples of simulated polluted stormwater runoff. This page highlights key components of this lesson.

In this unit, students explore the relationship between the phenomena of forces and motion and how energy is converted from one form to another in an energy system. In this lesson, students design a vehicle that can travel over a surface on a cushion of air. This page highlights key parts of this lesson.

In this unit, students explore technological systems, focusing on the phenomena of how information is transmitted in a communication system. This page is a high-level extract of the first lesson in this unit.

In this unit, students explore how communication systems transmit information from one person or place to another. In this lesson, students use what they know about the science phenomena of electromagnets and magnetic fields to design a speaker, a common decoding device in many audio technologies. This page highlights key components of this lesson.

In this unit, students are introduced to the phenomena of magnetic and electric fields as they explore how objects can interact with other objects without coming into contact with them. For this lesson, students apply scientific concepts to engineer wind turbines that use a generator to produce electricity. This page provides an overview of this lesson.

In this unit, students build on what they know about the science phenomena of energy transfer to focus on information transfer and how different technologies use patterns of sound, light, or numbers to transmit information. This page showcases key components of this lesson. 

In this unit, students focus on the properties of different kinds of waves and the relationship between waves and energy. In this lesson, students design a simple seismograph using what they know about the properties of seismic waves produced by earthquakes. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson.