Teacher-Led Activities
These standards-aligned teacher-led activities each explore an essential question related to efficient cooling (and heating) solutions for people and spaces. Students break out into groups, prototyping designs and solutions, and discuss and answer the question together.
Biomimicry
Grade 6-8
40-60 minutes
Students discover how engineers today are drawing on inspiration from the natural world. In this activity, natural cooling processes show how we may one day keep cool using the same strategies as members of the animal kingdom.
Cool Energy
Grade 6-8
40-60 minutes
Students are tasked with comparing renewable and nonrenewable energy sources for the purpose of keeping themselves cool. Students will engage in a WebQuest to compare the various energy sources.
Cool Careers
Grade 6-8
40-60 minutes
Different careers in cooling (and heating) are presented in a Gallery Walk for students to decide which they think is most interesting and which is most critical to keeping us cool.
Keep It Cool
Grade 6-8
40-60 minutes
Students will use their problem-solving skills to design a better lunchbox after learning the difference between thermal insulators and conductors. They will then take what they have learned and extrapolate it into larger cooling applications.