In this project, students will use knowledge of electricity and electromagnetism to collaboratively design and test a model of a magnetic recycling sorter. They will evaluate the performance of their models and propose further modifications based on the output of their magnetic device measured in mT using a Vernier probe. They will also physically test their magnets on a model of a conveyor belt containing recyclable items. Students will track their data from both tests, with the ultimate goal of creating the strongest and most effective magnet with given materials. Finally, students will present their findings and proposed final design to peers and community partners involved in the recycling industry. The entire process takes about 6 weeks. The unit is a great fit for standards within energy and engineering & design.

Waves and their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer, from NGSS 1PS 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, and 4-4.

Driving Question: How can I, as a 1st grade engineer, design a device to let people know I am safe, using light and sound?

A Google doc with 10 days of lessons. Student learning outcomes:

Students will create “sound makers” to detect different wavelengths and different sounds
Students will use a variety of materials to change the sounds produced by “earphones”
Students will use flashlights as a light source for pin hole evidence of illumination
Students will create a house with windows created from different materials to detect how light diffuses through materials
Students will create shadows
Students will create cup phones for talking over a distance
Students will create light signals that illuminate over a distance

In this engineering unit, students are developing background knowledge on heat, heat transfer and conservation. While this unit can be a stand-alone exercise, it has been designed to provide a way for students to gather data and derive evidence-based conclusions to help them choose the best materials to use in a science class solar cooker project. Students build cardboard houses to explore the movement and conservation of heat energy. A heat source is placed inside the house and students use vernier temperature probes and graphing software to gather and tabulate temperature data. Each house is standard, so that the students understand that we are all gathering data in a consistent way.
Students must calculate percentage of wall space given to doors and windows. Students will compare data from team to team, examining heat loss as recorded by temperature differences as a function of window and door areas. Students will cover doors and windows with various materials, examining different insulating qualities. Students will examine the effect on temperature of different colors of wall surface on the interior of the house. After gathering data, students will work to draw conclusions from the gathering of data. Students will construct charts and tables to tabulate data by hand, then will transfer data to Excel spreadsheets if technology is available.

Siuslaw Elementary students designed, engineered and constructed functioning ROV's to explore ways to solve underwater challenges. Engineering exercises included functionality requirements, buoyancy and floatation, electronics, thrust and maneuverability.

There is a 40% chance that the lower ⅓ of the of the Cascadia subduction zone will rupture in the next 50 years, generating a large earthquake and ensuing tsunami. In this project, students will work collaboratively to design and test a model of a vertical evacuation structure. They will evaluate the performance of their models and propose further modifications to improve their design. Students will then make a scale drawing and a model to apply math concepts of scale to designing and creating an ideal model of a vertical evacuation structure. Finally, students will present their findings and proposed final design to their peers and an adult audience. The entire process takes about 2 weeks, and was expanded to include more information and activities with earthquake/tsunami prediction and application of scale. The unit is a great fit for standards within Earth Science (specifically plate tectonics and human mitigation) as well as Engineering and Design standards.

Learning Goals/Outcomes/Objectives:
Observable features of the student performance by the end of the grade: 1). Obtaining information: Students use books and other reliable media to gather information about: i. Climates in different regions of the world (e.g., equatorial, polar, coastal, mid-continental). ii. Variations in climates within different regions of the world (e.g., variations could include an area’s average temperatures and precipitation during various months over several years or an area’s average rainfall and temperatures during the rainy season over several years). 2 Evaluating information a Student's combine obtained information to provide evidence about the climate pattern in a region that can be used to make predictions about typical weather conditions in that region. 3 Communicating information a Students use the information they obtained and combined to describe*: i. Climates in different regions of the world. ii. Examples of how patterns in climate could be used to predict typical weather conditions. iii. That climate can vary over years in different regions of the world.

This unit plan focuses on teaching students about climates, weather, and regions of the world. The end result of the unit is for the students to create a video that describes the climate in their chosen region of the world and explain why the climate is the way it is.

This project will raise student awareness of the problem of waste and waste management in our community. As we progress through the unit the goal is to reduce the amount of waste that our school produces. There are many ways to do this but the most unique aspect is to reduce biodegradable waste from our cafeteria through the process of vermicomposting. Students will design and create worm bins to reduce our cafeteria waste. The project will take a couple of weeks for the content and the construction of worm bins and then we will monitor our worm bins throughout the school year.

Students will have to solve the real world problem of locker smell leakage by building an air filter that will cover the vents on the top of a locker. This project goes well with a curriculum on the particle nature of gases and phase changes.