Career and Technology Foundations Grades 5-9

Nurture your budding architects through these free, online design activities. These easy to follow design projects use simple materials to get kids exploring building design, landscape design, interior design, skyscrapers and more.

This site has some ideas for classroom lessons/activities about design and manufacture.

This project provide meaningful experiences that foster skills in CTS and help build and strengthen ties between students, the school and the community.

Students are given the engineering challenge to design and build doghouses that shelter a (toy) puppy from the heat—and to create them within material, size and cost constraints.

Can you tell if something is square or level? This game shows shapes that need a slight adjustment. The computer will evaluate your accuracy.

This free woodworking plan website has been around since 1998. They have a huge collection of free plans.

A playlist of videos from Home Depot that provide information about nails, screws, bolts, and more!

A great collection of videos that will help student explore careers in the construction industry. Careers range from carpentry and masonry to new technologies that computerize control of the internal environments of huge office buildings.

Students will be introduced to four experiments related to different mechanisms and how they’re used in various careers Belt drive; Cam and Follower; Gears; and Linkages

In this unit students will learn about using the right type of materials in a home that conserves energy and the importance of building orientation and window sizing.

The purpose of this activity is to test the thermal storage capabilities of several materials that could be used as thermal mass.

This lesson explains alternative building supplies that are not only better for the environment but also healthier for the occupants of the building.

Dig into the engineering of the Hoover Dam, a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River that supplies water to the US southwest. Related Lesson

Explore the construction of California’s Golden Gate Bridge, and dig into the engineering innovations that made the structure possible. Related Lesson

Until the end of the 20th century, engineers thought it was impossible to build a wooden building over 6 stories tall, but Mjøstårnet is 85 feet tall and made of wood. How did they do that/? Related Lesson

Christian Wolmar explains how the London Underground was built at a time when no one had built a railway under a city before. Related Lesson

Discover the engineering innovations that made building Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper, possible. Related Lesson

Discover how the English Channel Tunnel was built and the engineering challenges of building a 200 kilometer long tunnel underwater. Related Lesson

Dig into the history of the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and how John Roebling designed a hybrid suspension system to build it. Related Lesson

Earthquakes happen all over the world. Where you live might determine how severe the damage might be. Watch this short video to see how different the results of an earthquake can be and why these outcomes varied. Related Lesson

While the idea of a single person moving tons of weight on their own might sound impossible, chances are you’ve seen this idea in action at your local playground.

The oldest glue in the world is over 8,000 years old and comes from a cave near the Dead Sea. Today, we have enough types of tape and glue to build and repair almost anything. But what gives glue and tape their stickiness? And is one stronger than the other? Related Lesson

Earthquakes can be scary and dangerous — with collapsing buildings posing one of the largest risks. Why do buildings collapse in an earthquake? Related Lesson

Would a mile-high skyscraper ever be possible? Explore the physics behind some of the tallest buildings and megastructures in the world. Related Lesson

This is a helpful tool to help you figure out what kind of glue you need. Put in the two items that you are trying to glue together to get tips and products that would work best.

Students construct simple structures based on the light-but-strong design of the geodesic dome using gumdrops and toothpicks.

The activities presented in this video segment adapted from ZOOM demonstrate the properties of several bridge designs modeled using just a sheet of paper, some books, and lots of pennies.

Learn the functions performed by the parts of a direct current (DC) electric motor by manipulating and assembling the component parts (commutator, armature, power source, and magnet). Investigate the most effective arrangement of component parts by manipulating the magnetic field strength along with...

Students will build circuits with resistors, light bulbs, batteries, and switches. Students will take measurements with the ammeter and voltmeter.

Design your own circuits with this digital electronic kit.

Students will learn about the difference between series and parallel circuits using the online platform TinkerCad. Coding Guide, Worksheet, and Solutions Sheet

Students will deeper their understanding of electricity and circuits, while being introduced to the idea of algorithm design

Manipulate a simple direct current (DC) circuit to explore the relationships between current, voltage, and resistance.

Students will explore the Ozobot and use it to demonstrate their understanding of electricity and circuits. Sample Circuit

Connect the wires to the battery and the lights to make different things happen

Feeling ready to level up? Try making these harder circuits work.

Explore the projects (with description, parts, and schematics) available on this site: Arduino, audio, robots, microcontroller, motor control and more.

Fritzing is an open-source hardware initiative that makes electronics accessible as a creative material for anyone.

Learn how we can use batteries to store energy

Alissa teaches kids how to make a super simple circuit using a battery that will light up a bulb!

This is a collection of ideas and instructions for circuit projects and 3D printing.

Find lessons (with videos) for building a light guitar, coin detector, and ant bot with Lego Robotics. Learn about the programming and science behind each creation.

An overview article for students about alternating current and how it works.

An article for students that explains direct current and how it works

Explore changes in voltage and current when modifying the main components and the conditions in an electrochemical cell.

Robots have been in use for centuries, with the first instances dating back to 350 BC. The word robot was first used in the early 1900s, and since then, robots have come a long way. Learn more about them here!

The Curious Crew learns how all circuits have three things: a power source, a conductor and a load.

Human batteries, electric lemon, potato possibilities and more! The Curious Crew learns that batteries are used to change chemical energy into electrical energy.

“Watts” up, Dr. Rob? The Curious Crew “brightens up” on the science behind lights!

Suspended spinners and battery trains! Rev up your engines as the crew and Dr. Rob explore the power behind Electric Motors!

Staticized balloons and Van de Graff fun! A “shocking” lesson on static electricity with the Curious Crew.

This activity guides students through the process of creating a working battery using common household resources.

Well, you're in just the right place to find out about staying safe with electricity! We've also got lots of great stuff for you to learn!

Learn how electrons are transferred from object to object and how the electrical charge of the object changes. Static charges are investigated with an animation of common materials and are tested with an electroscope (an instrument used for detecting the presence of static electric charge).

A history of discoveries related to electricity and how the words electric, electricity, and batteries came into use. Related Lesson

The video explains the science of batteries. How were they developed, why do they lose charge, and how do batteries even store charge in the first place? Related Lesson

Every 24 hours, wind generates enough kinetic energy to produce roughly 35 times more electricity than humanity uses each day. So how can we harness this incredible amount of energy? Related Lesson

Apply your knowledge and skills regarding ammeters and voltmeters to solve this electrical problem.

A more advance article for students about the differences between alternating and direct current.

Explore the function and components (chemicals, electrolytes, electrodes, and terminals) of electrochemical wet cells and dry cells.

Your students will learn about lightning, power plants, and AC/DC power. We talk about the history of electricity and go over topics like conductors and insulators.

Can you design and construct a windmill to harness the power of the wind?

Help keep the Fidgits safe during a hurricane or earthquake. You need to design a way to bring emergency supplies to the trapped Fidgits. You'll need to design and build to get to the Fidgits.

A useful set of videos for students interested in learning about careers in logistics. The variety of opportunities is dizzying, but to get ahead it helps to have a solid technical background. Individuals from automobile service technicians to airline pilots find their jobs improved and enriched by technical advances.

Where do you go during a zombie apocalypse? Learn some key geography skills about how people, resources, and ideas travel. Related Lesson

A set of student design missions from PBS. Students will learn to design a jet liner and consider budget and fuel efficiency.

Students will be introduced to four experiments related to different mechanisms and how they’re used in various careers Belt drive; Cam and Follower; Gears; and Linkages

Mechanical energy is the combined potential and kinetic energy in an object that enables work to occur through the movement of another object. Learn how energy is stored and released in everyday objects.

Candle see-saws, balanced meter sticks, ‘getting a grip’ and more! The Curious Crew explores how the force of torque helps us turn and leverage things.

Explore the cockpit of this Spitfire airplane used in WWII. Hover over the dials to learn about them. You can drag down, up and to the sides to explore more of the plane.

While the idea of a single person moving tons of weight on their own might sound impossible, chances are you’ve seen this idea in action at your local playground.