Lesson Plans

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.  Soils are a crucial element of our survival and well-being.  Soils enable not just the production of food, fiber, and fuel, but also lead to clean water, the sequestration and long term storage of carbon and nitrogen thus offsetting the release of greenhouse gases, the provision of wildlife habitat; and allow the temporary storage of water, decreasing the magnitude of flooding.

Author: Tara Nye

• Earth Science
• Environmental Science
• Science

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According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sustainability is based on the simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.  In this lesson students will become aware of the importance of a useable and safe water supply and will use the engineering design process to develop ways to clean water samples.

Author: Tara Nye

• Earth Science
• Environmental Science
• Science

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Students will use the TI Sensor pad to analyze speed and acceleration from a variety of chosen movements (walking forward, running, skipping, jogging, jump roping, walking backwards, walking heel-to-toe, hop, skip, or crawl). They will save and upload graphs that they will compare with other students in the class or other types of movements. The classroom time will be spent among the proper use and testing of the TI sensor pad, brainstorming for additional movements, and testing and analyzing of data used with the Engineering Design Process.

This project is designed so that students take charge of their learning. In order to complete their project, they conduct research independently, brainstorm possible solutions, choose their sensor for the task, test their hypotheses and analyze data collected from the experiment, modify procedures and retest as needed.

Author: Esta Lampkin

• Engineering
• Health Care
• Physics

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In this Problem-Based Project unit, students will research normal temperature ranges and heat stroke ranges for the human body and that of an animal of their choice. Students will then locate and use a sensor that will monitor the temperature of the selected animal in its natural environment. (The choices include the TI Sensor Tag or the Arduino Lily Pad.)They will create a means for attachment and recharging of the device. Students will apply this information to the concept of the elderly monitoring their health with regards to excessive heat. The classroom time will be spent among the One Health Topic purpose, proper use and testing of the chosen sensor and /or programming.

Author: Esta Lampkin

• Engineering
• Health Care
• Science

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What inspired Galileo’s interest in motion? How did his inquiries lead to an understanding of some of the most fundamental concepts in modern physics? And why is the study of science so boring to many of today’s students? The answers to these questions were fundamental to the development of this unit. Galileo’s inspiration was a desire to know the unknown. His inquiries gave us the basis for understanding both one-dimensional and two-dimensional motion. And science is boring to students today because we give them the answers and don’t let them discover the questions. This unit consists of a series of traditional physics experiments presented in a very non-traditional way. Rather than giving students a very well-defined lab (“do three trials each with masses of 100g, 200g, and 300g”), they are presented with an idea and are asked to formulate a means to discover its implications. Interactive 3D (i3D) technology is specifically incorporated into some lessons, but the unit may be taught using other technologies.

Author: Fred Morris

• Physics

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Thermal energy can drastically affect the properties of a gas. Have you ever wondered why a balloon in a hot car will expand? Or why air has to be released from car tires in the summer and added in the winter? The reason for these physical phenomena can be explained using the gas laws.

Gas Pressure and volume are affected by temperature changes. These are demonstrated by Charles’ Law, which states that with constant pressure, volume increases as temperature increases, and Gay-Lussac’s Law, which states that with constant volume, pressure increases as temperature increases. In Boyle’s Law, Pressure and volume are inversely correlated, which means as volume increases pressure will decrease and vice versa. Furthermore Avogadro’s Law states that with constant pressure and temperature, volume and the molar amount of a gas are directly related, when one increases so will the other and vice versa. Combining all of these laws and using some simple algebra we can show the ideal gas law.

In this lesson students will use sensor technology to learn about the ideal gas law. Students will collect data, complete analysis of data, and create an ideal gas law problem using data collected.

Author: Nancy Cattrell

• Chemistry

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Technology in theater began as early as theater.  Outside performances were common before the advent of indoor lighting using gas in the late 1700s.  With the invention of the incandescent lamp in 1879, almost all theaters used electric lighting by 1900.  Technology has been incorporated into all aspects of theater, including sets, props, and costumes.  Integration of technology into theater is the next generation of theater; a panel was conducted at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con.  The panel focused on integration of technology for costuming in television and film. Professional theaters have used technology to create phenomenal costumes. Individuals are creating costumes for conventions and Halloween which utilize technology. It is time to integrate technology into costuming and props at the high school level.

The basic programming learned in the lesson will translate into many other disciplines.  The C program is the most prevalent used programming language.  It is used in system programming and almost all modern programming languages use it as their base.  Students could apply C to multiple languages, such as C++, C#, and JavaScript. Programming is used in telecommunications, database constructions, networking, software design, and engineering.

Author: Nancy Cattrell

• Science
• Technology

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With so many crime shows on television, students are interested in crime scene investigation. This lesson is designed to provide students the opportunity to become familiar with the process of observation, eyewitness accounts, and the Innocence Project. Students will explore career opportunities available in this field.

Author: Jennifer Jones

• Health Care
• Science

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Acids and bases play a central role in chemical processes.  Most industries use chemical processes to meet manufacturing needs.  The processes, and the daily handling of the chemicals, require a deep knowledge and understanding of their properties, applications, and dangers.  In this lesson, students will become familiar with the physical and chemical properties of acids and bases, as well as become familiar with how DuPont Fayetteville Works uses such substances for production and manufacturing purposes.  Finally, students will learn about various legislative acts that protect the environment from the industrial use of potentially harmful substances.

Author: Carrie Brewington

• Chemistry

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Sensors enable us to stay safe, stay informed, and even stay healthy. Currently, the economy is investing in wearable sensors that can monitor one’s health and provide that data to the individual and to doctors. Rescue workers are also taking notice so they can protect themselves and personnel when conducting search and rescue operations.

In this project, students will explore the world of sensors by designing a wearable device for Search and Rescue personnel that utilizes the use of one or a combination of sensors to monitor a safety factor related to the health of the rescue worker. Students will learn and practice wiring circuits and programming microcontrollers.

Author: Erik Shettig

• Engineering
• Science

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Have you ever wondered how clothing and other items you wear; such as a watch, shirt, coat, shoes, hat, and much more could save you or a love one’s life?

As humans, we are faced with many potential health risks in our society, which is why billions of dollars are poured into research centered on health care.  The question remains, could research and the development of technology be used to improve our health care?  If so, how can we design and program wearable devices to collect data; from such innovative developments; to make further advancements and preventative measures in healthcare.

This lesson was designed to make students aware of the health issues in our society and how wearable devices are being used to solve these health challenges.  The tasks in the lessons are open-ended and are designed to have multiple approaches.  With that in mind, the students are to learn how to use prior knowledge, critical thinking, and problem solving skills to make sense of the lesson’s task mathematically.  They are encouraged to be risk takers and innovators, which is what engineers, scientist, and researchers use to make such strides in improving our health care system.

Author: Sherri Pickney

• Math

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We all know that gorillas and humans are alike in many ways, but few know that one of these ways is our common problems with heart health. Cardiovascular disease affects humans and great apes in a similar percent of the population as well as in similar ways. Heart disease is a major cause of mortality in both humans and great apes. Right now both humans and great apes are being treated and monitored by cardiologists, engineers and other specialists to find ways to prevent, treat, and cure cardiovascular problems with both species. In this problem based lesson students will analyze the cardiovascular health of humans and compare health risks shared by humans and great apes (specifically gorillas). Students will then study advancements in human cardiovascular health monitoring techniques and follow the engineering design process through the ideation stage to develop a cardiovascular health monitoring wearable device for great apes.

This lesson is based around an open ended problem that is currently being researched in the field, as such, much of the responsibility of learning is placed on the student. Classroom sessions are structured around exposing students to state of the art techniques for cardiovascular health monitoring and developing student research and data analysis skills.

Author: Stephanie Bender

• Science

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One Health is a collaborative effort for medical professionals and researchers to share mutually beneficial knowledge and information regarding animals, humans, and the environment.

This project focuses on the real world application of students creating wearable devices that monitor football player performance and help prevent injuries.

Following the Engineering Design Process, students are tasked with the objective of incorporating a wearable device with nanotechnology into the design of the football helmet to help teach proper body positioning while also helping to prevent spinal, head, neck, heat and cardiovascular injuries and illnesses. Students will utilize 21st Century skills and technology, cross curricular activities (STEM), differentiated lesson choices, global applications, team collaboration, communication and presentation skills. CTE subjects include business, marketing, family and consumer science, and tech ed.

Author: Daniel McCoy

• CTE
• Engineering

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During this unit students will be learning about sensors.  Sensors are used to give computers/robots/electrical devices senses like a human.  They will allow computer equipment to see, hear, feel and touch.  Students will complete a meteorology activity using the TI SensorTag. Upon completion of the meteorology activity, students will create a Weather Bot using the Vex robotics sensors and kit to help forecast the weather.

Author: Uresla Jones

• Engineering
• Technology

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Emergency rescue teams often experience a number of physiological stressors depending on the scenario they find themselves in. These stressors can take a variety of forms, including but not limited: high/low temperatures, low lighting, smoke, dangerous gasses, etc. These dangers exist for both human responders as well as search and rescue animals such as dogs. Besides the health risks, training the responders to work under such conditions is an expensive undertaking for search and rescue organizations. The use of environmental monitoring sensors can help reduce the risk of team member injury or loss, in terms of both overall health as well as monetary expenses, if utilized appropriately.

In this project, students will explore the basics of different types of sensor devices using the Texas Instruments SensorTag. They will consider how sensors can be used to protect lives of responders and investment of the organizations. Students will research and design their own experiment examining how environmental factors differ using the SensorTag to collect data and interpret it with a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Author: Robert Bourgeois

• CTE
• Math

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