Another Look at Resources from TeachEngineering
Why do we have to learn this? Every teacher is bound to hear this at least once during the course of his or her career, and should be prepared to offer an answer beyond, “because I said so” or “you’ll need to pass standardized tests.” Math and science teachers could explain the value of the classes they teach in terms of how they’ll lead to college and career success. However, such talk might go over the heads of students who struggle with or show disinterest in required math and science classes.
Why not show students why they need chemistry, physics, and other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects by way of fun activities, ones that link academic subjects with real-world scenarios and hands-on projects? Sounds like a great idea, right? But it also sounds like a lot of time and work. Thanks to netTrekker’s new resources from TeachEngineering.org, such a task doesn’t need to take a lot of your time – just a healthy dose of energy and enthusiasm for teaching and exploring STEM-related subjects.
In August, Danielle introduced you to our new resources from TeachEngineering. TeachEngineering is a digital library of freely usable K-12 math and science curriculum built and maintained by a collaboration of US universities, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), the US National Science Foundation (NSF), The US Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) and a variety of private donors.
A keyword search for “TeachEngineering” will reveal 50 resources appropriate for High School, 380 for Middle, and 428 for Elementary. Complete with introductory material, vocabulary words, detailed procedures, printable handouts, extension and scaling activities, and references, our TeachEngineering.org resources cover a wealth of science topics routinely taught in science classes, such as blood cells, energy, sound and light waves, and simple machines. However, these lessons and activities go beyond requiring students to memorize and recite facts and figures. Rather, these teacher-tested, standards-based engineering resources encourage critical thinking, hands-on involvement, and collaboration as they “connect real-world experiences with curricular content.”
For example, TeachEngineering’s Digestive System lesson and Lunch in Outer Space activity are much more than just learning the parts of the digestive system and labeling them on a chart. They get students thinking about space exploration, and the challenges astronauts face while eating while in a microgravity environment on board a shuttle or the space station.
What’s great about these resources is that they not only cover what elementary students need to know about the digestive system, but also introduce them to more advanced topics, such as gravity, and link the digestive system to a fun topic like outer space! Students will even get their hand at designing and creating their own packages for foods to be consumed by astronauts in space.
Read on to learn about other examples of TeachEngineering.org resources that will help engage students in your science classes:
On the Human Body:
Move Your Muscles: Through this lesson, students learn about the three different types of muscles in the human body, how they are affected by microgravity, and how astronauts need to exercise in order to lessen muscle atrophy in space. Students will also discover what types of equipment engineers design to help astronauts stay strong while experiencing microgravity.
The Beat Goes On: In this activity, students learn about their heart rate and different ways it can be measured. They construct a simple measurement device using clay and a toothpick, use this device to measure their heart rate under different circumstances (e.g., sitting, standing, and jumping), and make predictions and record data on a worksheet.
On Simple Machines:
Pulley’ing Your Own Weight: Using common materials (spools, string, and soap), students learn how a pulley can be used to easily change the direction of a force, making the moving of large objects easier. They see the difference between fixed and movable pulleys, and the mechanical advantage gained with multiple/combined pulleys. They also learn the many ways engineers use pulleys for everyday purposes.
On Energy:
Solar Power: In this activity, students learn how engineers use solar energy to heat buildings by investigating the thermal storage properties of some common materials: sand, salt, water, and shredded paper. Students then evaluate the usefulness of each material as a thermal storage material to be used as the thermal mass in a passive solar building.
TeachEngineering with a Special Touch
In a recent article from eSchool News about building momentum in STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), there was an urge to not forget the T and E in the curriculum.
“One of the findings is that discussions of STEM tend to be focused on science, sometimes math, rarely both together–usually they’re siloed, and the T and especially the E are really just left out of the discussion in policy, education, and classroom practice,” Greg Pearson, an NAE program officer, said.
“Even though we use that acronym, in terms of what’s really happening and what people really mean, engineering is the silent letter.”
You mean I can add MORE collections?
YES, YOU CAN add to the collections already in netTrekker d.i.! And you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find out that it’s Weekly Reader Express (WRE). If you’re like me, you have fond memories of getting this great magazine as a child. Now you can provide your students with the same great info through your netTrekker subscription! It simply appears in your Collections Refinement Menu as well as integrated with other resources in Search Results pages once you order it.
And the best part is that you can search their database of articles, teacher’s guide content, and reproducible activities from eleven Weekly Reader classroom magazines from 2000 to the present. —over 7 million words in all!
WRE covers a broad range of academic topics, from social studies and English language arts to science, health, current events, and career development in all eleven of their magazines.
Can you honestly resist a magazine with such great covers? Give me a gorilla any day! “How do I get this?” you ask. You can get a free trial or add it to your subscription by calling 877-517-1125 or emailing sales@netTrekker.com.
For even more details, check this out: Weekly Reader Express.
Teachers’ Domain: Interactive Fun!
Teachers’ Domain offers a diverse collection of activities and media resources for your classroom. The netTrekker sites in Teachers’ Domain contain video, interactive media, images and .pdf files. Resources accessed through netTrekker pertain to Social Studies and Science topics, but, once you log into Teachersí Domain you can search any topic and find rich resources that address all areas of the curriculum.
Refine your searches to show Teachers
The Teachers’ Domain site encourages you to register, requiring you to complete a short and simple profile. The process asks:
- The type of school
- Where it is located
- A user name/password you would like to access Teachers Domain
- Your name
- A COPPA regulations confirmation that you are over 13 years of age
- A question of how did you hear about Teachers Domain?
If your school uses a universal user name for the students to access netTrekker d.i., consider registering it here as well!
To continue on with the theme of hearts that Amy introduced with the SMART resources, here is an example of an interactive resource found in netTrekker d.i. from Teachers’ Domain. My search word was heart. I refined my search to only show Teachers’ Domain resources and then selected the entry about
Teachers
heart transplants. It pulls up an interactive program for your students to actually conduct a heart transplant. It includes the background information, questions, and the standards for this activity.
It is simple and truly a rich resource to enhance your classroom, all available in netTrekker! View this short video to see this classroom application in action.
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- NCS-Tech! by Kevin Jarrett
- Randomly Speaking, by John Lien
- Southgate Technology Blog
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- Tinkerings, by Tim Childers