Based on their experience exploring the Mars rover Curiosity and learning about what engineers must go through to develop a vehicle like Curiosity, students create Android apps that can control LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robots, simulating the difficulties the Curiosity rover could encounter. The activity goal is to teach students programming design and programming skills using MIT's App Inventor software as the vehicle for the learning. The (free to download) App Inventor program enables Android apps to be created using building blocks without having to actually know a programming language. At activity end, students are ready to apply what they learn to write other applications for Android devices.

Students explore Mars and Jupiter, the fourth and fifth planets from the Sun. They learn some of the unique characteristics of these planets. They also learn how engineers help us learn about these planets with the design and development of telescopes, deep space antennas, spacecraft and planetary rovers.

So, let me ask you the question: How often do we let students “work the problem” in our schools and classrooms?

Do we give students a chance to figure it out on their own or in a small group? Do we challenge them to solve a challenge in a fixed amount of time? Do we let them struggle and fail to the point where they have to work the problem and find a solution?

With PL - Now every student was “working their own problem” and stumbling, struggling, and fighting to find a solution of how to learn, make, create, and launch an idea out into the world.

“The Martian” is a great example of working the problem. He has to use a multitude of 21st Century Skills, along with his team, and the people back on Earth to work together to survive and get him home.

This lesson provides ideas for celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by encouraging students to explore the connections between Dr. King and themselves through journaling and inquiry-based research.

This art history video discussion examines Francesco di Giorgio Martini's (attributed), Architectural Veduta, c. 1490, oil on poplar (Gemaldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin).

This is a lesson about determining planetary composition. Learners will use a reflectometer to determine which minerals are present (from a set of knowns) in a sample of Mars soil simulant. Requires the use of ALTA II spectrometers (which may be borrowed from the Lunar and Planetary Institute or purchased online) and Mars soil simulant. The activity is part of Project Spectra, a science and engineering program for middle-high school students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System.

This study guide will guide students in discussing and reflecting on the injustices and discrimination that the Indian Act has created for First Nations women. Students will also begin to consider how the injustices have a long-term impact on the lives of Indigenous women and girls. What it means to be an Indigenous person will also be reflected on. After watching this film, students should be able to identify and define Mary Two-Axe Earley as a leader of the Canadian women’s rights movement who challenged Canadian laws that discriminated against First Nations women. A follow-up action includes an activity that describes, illustrates, appreciates and honours Mary Two-Axe Earley’s contribution and legacy.

This art history video discussion examines Masaccio's (Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone) "Virgin and Child Enthroned", 1426, tempera on panel (National Gallery, London). Ser Giuliano degli Scarsi, a notary from Pisa commissioned this altarpiece for the chapel of Saint Julian in Santa Maria del Carmine, Pisa.

This art history video discussion examines Masaccio's "Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden", Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy, Fresco.

This art history video discussion looks at Masaccio's "Holy Trinity", c. 1427, Fresco, Santa Maria Novella, Florence.

This art history video discussion looks at Masaccio's "The Tribute Money", 1427, fresco (Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence).

It can be really important to separate out chemicals for all kinds of reasons. Today we’re going over three different processes engineers use to achieve that separation: distillation, which separates substances based on their different boiling points; liquid-liquid extraction, which uses differences in solubility to transfer a contaminant into a solvent; and reverse osmosis, which filters molecules from a solvent by pressurizing it through a semipermeable barrier.

As part of a design challenge, students learn how to use a rotation sensor (located inside the casing of a LEGO® MINDSTORMS ® NXT motor) to measure how far a robot moves with each rotation. Through experimentation and measurement with the sensor, student pairs determine the relationship between the number of rotations of the robot's wheels and the distance traveled by the robot. Then they use this ratio to program LEGO robots to move precise distances in a contest of accuracy. The robot that gets closest to the goal without touching the toy figures at the finish line is the winning programming design. Students learn how rotational sensors measure distance, how mathematics can be used for real-world purposes, and about potential sources of error due to gearing when using rotation sensor readings for distance calculations. They also become familiar with the engineering design process as they engage in its steps, from understanding the problem to multiple test/improve iterations to successful design.

Students utilize their understanding of ecosystems, economic cost, and culture to make a stewardship decision.

This is an activity about image comparison. Learners will analyze and compare images taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. They will match four magnetic solar images, or magnetograms, to their corresponding extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, light images by studying solar features in the images. At the end, they will recognize that areas of high magnetic activity on the Sun correspond to extreme solar activity.

Students learn about slope, determining slope, distance vs. time graphs through a motion-filled activity. Working in teams with calculators and CBL motion detectors, students attempt to match the provided graphs and equations with the output from the detector displayed on their calculators.

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach fourth graders about matching the time to the clock.

Did you know we can actually make diamonds in a lab? It's true! We can! In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina shows us how materials scientists have done just that and why it's so important.

So, we know what materials are, but can we make new materials? Or improve the materials we already have? In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina shows us how Material Scientists are working on these two things today.

Students investigate the materials properties such as acoustical absorptivity, light reflectivity, thermal conductivity, hardness, and water resistance of various materials. They use sound, light and temperature sensors to collect data on various materials. They practice making design decisions about what materials would be best to use for specific purposes and projects, such as designing houses in certain environments to meet client requirements. After testing, they use the provided/tested materials to design and build model houses to meet client specifications.