From creating their own claymation movie to soldering an LED butterfly, Techbridge introduces girls to a variety of topics using exciting hands-on projects. Our curriculum units are designed to encourage and promote girls' interest and skills in technology, science and engineering.
Sample Techbridge Curriculum
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The Techbridge curriculum introduces students in grades 5-12 to science, technology, and engineering concepts through hands-on projects and career activities. Through these activities, the students not only have fun and become interested in these topics, but also learn new scientific concepts and increase their knowledge and interest in careers.
Career Exploration: How does sunblock work? Who designed the iPod? How do bridges stay up during earthquakes? Chemical engineers, computer scientists, and civil engineers know the answers to these questions, and in this unit, students will learn about these careers and many more! From working on goal-setting icebreakers, to creating advertisements for different college majors, to designing a board game about a student’s road to a career, students will explore and experience a variety of science and engineering careers.
Chemical Engineering: Using their knowledge of chemistry along with problem-solving skills, chemical engineers are able to find innovative ways of producing useful new materials and improving existing ones, like fuel, medicine, paper, and plastic. The activities in this unit introduce students to the idea of chemical manipulation and chemical processes. The importance of following instructions in a lab will be addressed as the students conduct an experiment resulting in an unknown, edible treat (peanut brittle). They will also be challenged to discover the chemical formula for the bounciest ball and create a chemical combination that will launch a rocket high into the sky.
Computer Science: If you took a good look around you, you would find that computers are everywhere! In this unit, students will gain an understanding of how computer scientists and engineers are able to write specific commands for all types of computers. The students learn the basics of programming through a robot workout and a twist on the old lunchtime favorite, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. With two programming applications, Scratch and PicoCrickets, students will create animated greetings and program devices to make motors spin and lights flash. They will learn how to safely navigate the web, and then create a webpage of their very own. A final project integrating programming, robotics, and HTML will have fashion-forward robots competing in a runway show.
CSI: Students may watch Crime Scene Investigators at work on television, but in this unit they actually get to be forensic scientists! They will try out the roles of chemists, biologists, and sleuths all at the same time. In this unit students will learn how crime scene investigations are conducted. They will use methodical thinking to organize and examine various pieces of evidence found at a crime scene. Experiments include: testing stomach contents for the presence of liver, dusting dishes to find and analyze fingerprints, using chromatography to compare various inks, using microscopy techniques to examine hair samples, and determining several blood types. Through these experiments, students will gain a further understanding of basic biological and chemical concepts.
Design Challenges: Quick – what can you make with a skewer, a paper clip, a Dixie cup, and push pins? With limited materials and time constraints students are challenged to design and construct various structures and products. These hands-on activities give students real experience with concepts such as mechanical energy and chemical reactions. Activities range from designing and constructing a floating vessel with its own propulsion system that can carry cargo across a wading pool to designing a bungee jump for an egg without cracking it. Design challenges not only encourage students to think creatively, they are great activities for emphasizing the importance of team work.
Digital Media: Lights, camera, animate! The activities in the Digital Photography section have students explore the many features of a digital camera and what they can do with digital pictures. Students will also learn about the fun and creativity involved in making an animation. Students get to experience the process of designing their very own claymation from start to finish, from writing a story, creating a storyboard, and using clay figures, webcams, and stop-motion animation software to create their own exciting movies.
Electrical Engineering: Circuitry and electronics are prevalent in everyday life, but are tricky concepts for students to understand. This curriculum unit demystifies these topics for students and allows them to develop a confidence in their knowledge of electronics. They can use Snap Circuits™ to build interesting circuits and learn the exciting skill of soldering. Students will learn about electron flow, polarity, electrical components and terminology, and will build circuits in both series and parallel to examine the differences between the two. Projects include a light-up LED butterfly, a color-changing lantern, and their own electronic buzzer game board.
Environmental Engineering: Do your students want to make the world a better place through engineering? In this unit students learn about the many different aspects of environmental engineering. From designing a solar powered car to figuring out what materials are needed to filter dirty water into clean water, students engage in a variety of hands-on activities that allow them to make the world a better, greener place. The Green Design Project provides an opportunity to explore activities that emphasize energy conservation and material reuse as they construct a model “green” home.
Icebreakers: Have fun, get energized and learn more about new friends through icebreakers. They may seem like just games, but they are a great way to encourage students to problem solve, work together as a team, overcome difficult challenges, practice public speaking, and exercise leadership. Students will have fun and build community at the same time.
Mechanical Engineering: From playground equipment to cars, mechanical engineers design the moving parts of a product. This unit includes an introduction to mechanics through several activities on simple machines. Students will also learn about automobiles and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and design their own cars using a variety of power sources. These activities are a hands-on approach to understanding how a car and ROV work. Students will also learn about the four-stroke engine, as well as how to care for and maintain the family car.
Product Design: How does a product go from an idea in someone’s mind to the store shelf? This unit helps students understand this process and lets them take on several different roles in the design process. Students have a chance to analyze existing designs by taking apart items such as hair dryers and common household appliances. The Toy Design project enables students to research, design and prototype their toy invention. The prototyping and building activities allow students to see how designers must continually modify their designs in order to make sure they are effective and work properly. Throughout all of these activities, the students will be exposed to the engineering design process and will gain an appreciation for how to utilize creativity within a structured format.
Structural Engineering: When structural engineers develop their plans for buildings and other large structures, they must take into account safety, performance, as well as the cost of materials used. Students must not only consider how sound the structure is but also how many resources are needed for building the structure. Students will create towers out of spaghetti, bridges out of straws, and domes out of gumdrops. The students will test various parameters of each structure they build, such as how fast a marble can roll through their foam roller coaster and how long they can make their craft stick structure last through an earthquake.