This activity (located on page 3 of the PDF) is a full inquiry investigation into Bernoulliäóťs principle and airplane wings. Learners will design and build their own airplane wing models out of Styrofoam, record their mass, and then use a fan to measure the äóěweightäó change when air flows over the wing. Results from testing other wing shapes and sizes are then measured to chart relationships between lift and wing size and shape. Relates to linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Balloon Fiesta.

This article provides an overview of icebergs' formation and characteristics and the hazards associated with icebergs.

Investigate a flower's power of marketing by making an imitation flower that successfully signals a bee (or other pollinator of your choice) to visit. Try to determine what characteristics will attract a pollinator to your flower. Also available as an online game.

In this activity, learners develop an understanding of cylinders and volume as they compare two sizes of popcorn buckets.

In this creative outdoor activity, learners invent populations of make-believe organisms and then investigate real populations living in the activity site. Learners explore the concepts of variation (small difference within a population), habitat and natural history, including predator/prey relationships and protective adaptations.

In this activity, learners use geometry to predict the shape of carbon. Learners twist and attach chenille stem pieces that represent bonds between different carbon atoms. Information about tetrahedral, trigonal planar, and diamond geometry types is included in this resource. This activity can also be used to introduce learners to allotropes (pure carbon forms) and fullerenes such as buckyballs and carbon nanotubes.

In this video segment, members of the ZOOM cast experiment by bending and folding sheets of paper into various shapes to see which shape will support the weight of a heavy book.

Students learn how to use wind energy to combat gravity and create lift by creating their own tetrahedral kites capable of flying. They explore different tetrahedron kite designs, learning that the geometry of the tetrahedron shape lends itself well to kites and wings because of its advantageous strength-to-weight ratio. Then they design their own kites using drinking straws, string, lightweight paper/plastic and glue/tape. Student teams experience the full engineering design cycle as if they are aeronautical engineers—they determine the project constraints, research the problem, brainstorm ideas, select a promising design and build a prototype; then they test and redesign to achieve a successful flying kite. Pre/post quizzes and a worksheet are provided.

Students develop and solidify their understanding of the concept of "perimeter" as they engage in a portion of the civil engineering task of land surveying. Specifically, they measure and calculate the perimeter of a fenced in area of "farmland," and see that this length is equivalent to the minimum required length of a fence to enclose it. Doing this for variously shaped areas confirms that the perimeter is the minimal length of fence required to enclose those shapes. Then students use the technology of a LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robot to automate this task. After measuring the perimeter (and thus required fence length) of the "farmland," students see the NXT robot travel around this length, just as a surveyor might travel around an area during the course of surveying land or measuring for fence materials. While practicing their problem solving and measurement skills, students learn and reinforce their scientific and geometric vocabulary.

This activity (on pages 24-29) combines science and art to introduce learners to how different animal pollinators spread pollen from one plant to another, and how certain shapes, colors, and smells of different flowers attract particular pollinators. In Part One, learners draw and label a flower based on a Pollinator Chart, then build the flower. In Part Two, learners survey others in their class or group to see if they can tell which kinds of pollinator their model flower would attract.

In this outdoor activity and game, learners explore how animals adapt for survival through coloration, markings and camouflage. By inventing, designing and hiding their own animal models, and hunting for other learners' hidden animals, learners investigate how predators and prey also use shape and behavior to blend into their habitats, so they can succeessfully hunt for food or escape from being eaten.

This math activity uses stars, jars, and scoops to help learners build their estimation and volume skills. As you play, estimate how many scoops of stars it will take to fill a variety of jars. This activity helps learners estimate, predict, reason, strategize, measure volumes, multiply, divide and practice fractions. The activity guide contains a material list, sample questions to ask, literary connections, extensions, and alignment to local and national standards.

This activity (on page 2 of the PDF) is a full inquiry investigation into how a kiteäóťs shape affects its performance. Groups of learners will select or construct kites of different shapes. Then, learners develop a set of aerial stunts to test each kite, evaluating how each performs, and eventually graphing their collected data. Relates to linked video, DragonflyTV: Kites.

In this activity (page 18 of PDF), learners will measure the volume of impact craters created by projectiles of different masses. They will also draw connections between the mass of the projectile and the volume of crater it creates. This lesson also includes extension activities: Analyzing the formula for the volume of sphere (p46-50), and calculating the volume of a crater (p32-35). The Moon Math: Craters! guide follows a 5E approach, applying concepts of geometry, modeling, data analysis to the NASA lunar spacecraft mission, LCROSS.

This activity (on page 2 of the PDF) is a full inquiry investigation into boat hull design. Groups of learners will use empty half-pint milk cartons to fashion models of different boat shapes. Then, learners subject each design to a series of tests in a shallow wading pond or pool to collect enough data to determine the best design. Relates to linked video, DragonflyTV: Milk Carton Boat.

In this outdoor activity and game, learners collect and sort leaf samples to determine how many types of plants grow in the activity site. Learners are introduced to the concept of "species" and start to see differences and similarities between the plants around them. Included with the activity instructions is the "Leaf Characteristic Game," as well as ideas for going further with leafy art projects.

In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF), learners will discover how the shape of an object, not just its weight, determines whether it floats or sinks. After a ball of aluminum foil sinks in a bucket of water, the ball is opened up into a flat sheet that learners will shape into a sided tray or another shape they may come up with, then placed back in the bucket. If it floats, carefully add pennies until it sinks. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Sailboat Design.

In this activity (page 7 of PDF), learners will identify the general two-dimensional geometric shape of the uppermost cross section of an impact crater. They will also draw connections between the general two-dimensional geometric shape of an impact crater and the projectile's angle of impact. There are two versions of this activity: Challenge, where students construct a launcher and create their own craters; and Non-Challenge where students analyze pictures of craters. The Moon Math: Craters! guide follows a 5E approach, applying concepts of geometry, modeling, data analysis to the NASA lunar spacecraft mission, LCROSS.

Working as engineering teams, students design and create model beam bridges using plastic drinking straws and tape as their construction materials. Their goal is to build the strongest bridge with a truss pattern of their own design, while meeting the design criteria and constraints. They experiment with different geometric shapes and determine how shapes affect the strength of materials. Let the competition begin!

Students learn the value of writing and art in science and engineering. They acquire vocabulary that is appropriate for explaining visual art and learn about visual design principles (contrast, alignment, repetition and proximity) and elements (lines, color, texture, shape, size, value and space) that are helpful when making visual aids. A PowerPoint(TM) presentation heightens students' awareness of the connection between art and engineering in order to improve the presentation of results, findings, concepts, information and prototype designs. Students also learn about the science and engineering research funding process that relies on effective proposal presentations, as well as some thermal conductivity / heat flow basics including the real-world example of a heat sink which prepares them for the associated activity in which they focus on creating diagrams to communicate their own collected experimental data.