Curricular Resources
Our Favorite K-12 Engineering Collections:
TeachEngineering
This K-12 curricular collection provides hundreds of hands-on lessons and activities
using engineering as the vehicle for teaching science and math. The resources are searchable by many criteria and
aligned to educational standards — all written so you don't need an engineering background to present the material
in your classroom. More curricular materials being added all the time.
Engineering is Elementary
Curricular units on commonly taught grades 1-5 science topics, as determined by an analysis of the
FOSS, STC, Gems, and Insights curricula and the National Science Education Standards. Each science
topic is paired with an engineering field, a country, and a design challenge. Available unit topics:
Balance and forces, earth materials, air and weather, simple machines, and insects. More units being added all the time.
illumin - Engineering in Everyday Life
Award-winning website provides excellent information about engineering in everyday life. Provided
by the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering website's online magazine, illumin.
Example topics: Shoe Design,
American Football: That Magic Yellow Line,
Rock and Roll,
Chemical Engineering
Your Dinner, Curveballs and Knuckleballs,
Roller Coasters — and more added all the time!
JETS Experience Engineering
The Junior Engineering Technical Society provides programs and resources enabling students to explore,
assess and experience engineering first-hand. From engaging student competitions to assessment tools and career exploration materials,
JETS helps students plan for rewarding futures by showing them how engineering can help them pursue their dreams.
Their monthly online newsletter, JETS News,
is sent to teachers all over the country. Each month, a hands-on activity from the Engineering Pathway related to the
newsletter's monthly topic is highlighted.
Teachers' Domain
Within this extensive collection of materials are many engineering resources that include lessons on the engineering
design process, systems and technologies, and materials and tools. Use the “test drive” feature to examine the
available engineering resources.
NASA Educational Materials
These educational resources use NASA research to engage K-12 students in engineering.
Mapped to national education standards, NASA has a variety of reviewed activities available online and through the NASA
Educator Resource Center that serves your state. Materials include posters, classroom activities and educator guides on
topics such as space, rockets and gliders.
ROBOLAB @ CEEO Activities
From the Tufts Center for Engineering Education Outreach, these K-12 activities use LEGOs and the RCX,
a wireless programmable LEGO® brick, to introduce engineering concepts to students. The activities start with simple structures
at the younger levels and lead to advanced engineering design as older students create more dynamic projects.
ROBOLAB™, the software package used to control the RCX, including Pilot, is a way to introduce programming to students
and leads into Inventor, which allows students to construct more complex programs.
