Students experience the engineering design process as they design and build accurate and precise catapults using common materials. They use their catapults to participate in a game in which they launch Ping-Pong balls to attempt to hit various targets.

Students learn the concept of angular momentum and its correlation to mass, velocity and radius. They experiment with rotation and an object's mass distribution. In an associated literacy activity, students use basic methods of comparative mythology to consider why spinning and weaving are common motifs in creation myths and folktales.

Students build on their understanding and feel for flow rates, as gained from the associated Faucet Flow Rate activity, to estimate the flow rate of a local river. The objective is to be able to relate laboratory experiment results to the environment. They use the U.S. Geological Survey website (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt) to determine the actual flow rate data for their river, and compare their estimates to the actual flow rate. For this activity to be successful, choose a nearby river and take a field trip or show a video so students gain a visual feel for the flow of the nearby river.

Students learn how water is used to generate electricity. They investigate water's potential-to-kinetic energy transformation in hands-on activities about falling water and waterwheels. During the activities, they take measurements, calculate averages and graph results. Students also learn the history of the waterwheel and how engineers use water turbines in hydroelectric power plants today. They discover the advantages and disadvantages of hydroelectric power. In a literacy activity, students learn and write about an innovative new hydro-electrical power generation technology.

Students learn various topics associated with the circle through studying a clock. Topics include reading analog time, understanding the concept of rotation (clockwise vs. counter-clockwise), and identifying right angles and straight angles within circles. Many young students have difficulty telling time in analog format, especially with fewer analog clocks in use (compared to digital clocks). This includes the ability to convert time written in words to a number format, for example, making the connection between "quarter of an hour" to 15 minutes. Students also find it difficult to convert "quarter of an hour" to the number of degrees in a circle. This activity incorporates a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robot to help students distinguish and visualize the differences in clockwise vs. counter-clockwise rotation and right vs. straight angles, while learning how to tell time on an analog clock. To promote team learning and increase engagement, students work in teams to program and control the robot.

In this video segment adapted from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a team from the Mechanical Engineering Department studies snail movement for inspiration that may lead to new forms of robotic locomotion.

Featuring slow-motion footage of insects in flight, this video adapted from NOVA explores the engineering challenge of designing a robotic aerial vehicle that flies like a bug.

Through the two lessons and five activities in this unit, students' knowledge of sensors and motors is integrated with programming logic as they perform complex tasks using LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robots and software. First, students are introduced to the discipline of engineering and "design" in general terms. Then in five challenge activities, student teams program LEGO robots to travel a maze, go as fast/slow as possible, push another robot, follow a line, and play soccer with other robots. This fifth unit in the series builds on the previous units and reinforces the theme of the human body as a system with sensors performing useful functions, not unlike robots. Through these design challenges, students become familiar with the steps of the engineering design process and come to understand how science, math and engineering including computer programming are used to tackle design challenges and help people solve real problems. PowerPoint® presentations, quizzes and worksheets are provided throughout the unit.

Students learn how two LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT intelligent bricks can be programmed so that one can remotely control the other. They learn about the components and functionality in the (provided) controller and receiver programs. When its buttons are pressed, the NXT brick assigned as the remote control device uses the controller program to send Bluetooth® messages. When the NXT taskbot/brick assigned as the receiver receives certain Bluetooth messages, it moves, as specified by the receiver program. Students examine how the programs and devices work in tandem, gaining skills as they play "robot soccer." As the concluding activity in this unit, this activity provides a deeper dimension of understanding programming logic compared to previous activities in this unit and introduces the relatively new and growing concept of wireless communication. A PowerPoint® presentation, pre/post quizzes and a worksheet are provided.

Students solidify their understanding of the terms "circumference" and "rotation" through the use of LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robotics components. They measure the circumference of robot wheels to determine how far the robot can travel during one rotation of an NXT motor. They sharpen their metric system measurement skills by precisely recording the length of a wheel's circumference in centimeters, as well as fractions of centimeters. Through this activity, students practice brainstorming ways to solve a problem when presented with a given scenario, improve their ability to measure and record lengths to different degrees of precision, and become familiar with common geometric terms (such as perimeter and rotation).

Students groups act as NASA/GM engineers challenged to design, build and test robotic hands, which are tactile feedback systems made from cloth gloves and force sensor circuits. Student groups construct force sensor circuits using electric components and FlexiForce sensors to which resistance changes based on the applied force. They conduct experiments to find the mathematical relationship between the force applied to the sensor and the output voltages of the circuit. They take several measurements force vs. resistance, force vs. voltage and use the data to find the best fit curve models for the sensor. Different weights applied to the sensor are used as a scalable force. Students use traditional methods and current technology (calculators) to plot the collected data and define the curve equations. Students test their gloves and use a line of best fit to determine the minimum force required to crack an egg held between the index finger and thumb. A PowerPoint(TM) file and many student handouts are included.

Students learn and practice how to find the perimeter of a polygonal shape. Using a ruler, they measure model rooms made of construction paper walls. They learn about other tools, such as a robot, that can help them take measurements. Using a robot built from a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT kit that has been programmed to move along a wall and output the length of that wall, students record measurements and compare the perimeter value found with the robot to the perimeter found using a ruler. In both cases, students sketch maps to the scale of the model room and label the measured lengths. A concluding discussion explores the ways in which using a robot may be advantageous or disadvantageous, and real-world applications.

Erik is a robotics engineer who works with mechanical, electrical and computer engineers to build robots. Students will learn how robotics engineering requires constant experimenting before things work out just right. Engineering Your Future shares real stories from young professionals who want to inform and inspire students about in-demand engineering careers.

This unit is designed for advanced programming classes. It leads students through a study of human vision and computer programming simulation. Students apply their previous knowledge of arrays and looping structures to implement a new concept of linked lists and RGB decomposition in order to solve the unit's Grand Challenge: writing a program to simulate peripheral vision by merging two images. This unit connects computer science to engineering by incorporating several science topics (eye anatomy, physics of light and color, mathematics, and science of computers) and guides students through the design process in order to create final simulations.

For the Unit 2 Project, your students will choose from three different project options each with a different user, then use design thinking, robotics, and entrepreneurship to create a Sphero RVR solution for a real-world problem! The projects will guide the students through the problem, precedents of existing robotic solutions, users with interviews for empathy mapping, a budget worksheet for building, and finally a programming challenge that can be implemented and tested. In Lesson 1, each student will read all three project overview and choose the project they want to work on for the remaining lessons!

Estimated time required: 1-2 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: Code Editor, Laptop/Desktop, Robotics Kit, Tablet.

In this lesson, students will learn more about their user and complete the first two steps in the Design Thinking process: Empathize and Define. In Lesson 2, each student will choose one user to create an Empathy Map for one user based on their Project Choice from Lesson 1, either 2A, 2B or 2C. Students should only work on the lesson that corresponds to their project choice. For example, if a student chose Project 2A, they would only work on the Project 2A Content.

Estimated time required: 1-2 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: Code Editor, Laptop/Desktop, Robotics Kit, Tablet.

In this lesson, students will ideate, sketch designs for their RVR attachment and write pseudocode following the Unit 2 Lesson 3 Activity Worksheet. Note: Students should only work on the lesson that corresponds to their project choice. For example, if a student chose Project 2A, they would only work on the Project 2A Content.

Estimated time required: 1-2 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: Code Editor, Laptop/Desktop, Robotics Kit, Tablet.

In this lesson, students will create a physical prototype of their RVR attachment and secure to their RVR then use Sphero Edu to write block code for their programming challenge that will be tested on the Challenge Map in Lesson 5. Note: Students should only work on the lesson that corresponds to their project choice. For example, if a student chose Project 2A, they would only work on the Project 2A Content.

Estimated time required: 2-3 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: Code Editor, Laptop/Desktop, Robotics Kit, Tablet.

In this lesson, students will run their Sphero Edu program on the Challenge Map in the classroom, revise/debug the program as needed to solve the programming challenge, share their project with their peers, give/receive feedback on each other’s projects and finally record a video of the RVR running the Challenge Map, submit to your teacher and answer a series of reflection questions. Note: The lessons for 2A, 2B, and 2C are almost identical in this section. This is a great chance for students to teach each other about their specific project choice and user!

Estimated time required: 1-2 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: Code Editor, Laptop/Desktop, Robotics Kit, Tablet.

This lesson introduces students to the Sphero RVR and some of its programming functions. Students will charge and connect the RVR to their device via Bluetooth connection. The Draw programming function will be demonstrated, and students will explore Draw on their own. Finally, students will practice vocabulary words from the AIR course and the book "Plastic, Ahoy!" by designing their own Pictionary cards to play Pictionary with the Sphero RVR as the ‘drawing utensil’ that will be programmed to trace out images and/or symbols that students have chosen to represent vocabulary words.

Estimated time required: 2-3 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: Code Editor, Laptop/Desktop, Robotics Kit, Tablet.