Testing the Caverns - Optional
This activity provides a fun, activity-based closure to the Asteroid Impact unit. Students build model caverns using paper mache or clay and bury them in a tray of sand. Next, they test the models by dropping balls onto them to simulate an asteroid hitting the earth. By molding paper mache around a ...
Designing a Spectroscopy Mission
Students find and calculate the angle that light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating using trigonometry. After finding this angle, student teams design and build their own spectrographs, researching and designing a ground- or space-based mission using their creation. At project end, teams present their findings to the class, as if they were making an engineering conference presentation. Student must have completed the associated Building a Fancy Spectrograph activity before
Ball Bounce Experiment
Many of today's popular sports are based around the use of a ball, yet none are completely alike. In fact they are all designed with specific characteristics in mind. Students will investigate different balls' abilities to bounce and represent the data they collect graphically.
Thematic Poetry Videos
Overview: Youth literacy can be promoted by leveraging youth culture, such as rap/music videos. By merging sound and visual imagery with text, a poetry writing task can be transformed into a multi-media video assignment. English teachers with access to a computer lab equipped with video editing software (e.g. i-Movie) can carry this out with their classes. Alternatively, English and computer lab teachers can collaborate to have their students produce thematic poetry videos as the culminating act
Changing Communities: Past vs. Future
This lesson plan introduces students to changes that have occurred in western North Carolina, through two hundred years of national and regional development. Students will learn about the geographical, political, and technological issues that have influenced change in mountain communities using oral histories by Madison County residents. They will learn about the history of road building in the North Carolina mountains, and the relatively recent decision to connect two halves of interstate highw
Game-Based Learning
This Starting Point module is written to assist geoscience faculty who want to start using games to help them teach. It provides information on what Game-Based Learning is, why it is useful, how to make use of it and an annotated list of references and resources about Game-Based Learning.
Mass Balance Model With a Leaky Bucket
In this JAVA based online interactive modeling activity, students are introduced to the concept of mass balance, flow rates, and equilibrium using a simple water bucket model. Students can vary flow rate into the bucket, initial water level in the bucket, and residence time of water in the bucket. After ...
Reflection and Absorption of Light
In this activity, students use a microcomputer connected to a light sensor and temperature probe to explore the reflection and absorption of radiation for different surfaces. Students follow instructions in this guided inquiry based lab and are then asked to design an experiment of their own to either ...
Exploring the Environment Teacher Pages: Problem-Based Learning
This subsite of Exploring the Environment Teacher Pages provides a detailed description of problem-based learning as well as advice on how to teach using problem-based learning. The page highlights goals, objectives, learning and background and references related to problem-based learning. Users may ...
Just-in-Time Teaching
This site has links to information on Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT), a pedagogical strategy that integrates web-based materials with classroom instruction for an optimized in-class out-of-class learning environment. Links include: What is JiTT, JiTT goals, JiTT resources, JiTT adopters, JiTT impact, ...
Mystery of the Chicxulub Crater: Animation Shows Liquid Impact
This news article from Space.com reviews older articles on evidence for the impact hypothesis of dinosaur extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. The article contains hyperlinks to older, reviewed articles, digital images of the hypothesized impact and a link where the reader can post their opinion ...
Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science
This website offers a free, online version of the National Academy Press' summary of the scientific evidence for evolution. The book has a substantial bibliography and a number of K-12 activities. Users can read the book online, download a PDF version for a minimal price or order the print version.
The Ocean That Surrounds Us
This site contains links to course information, outlines, summaries and computer-based drills and exercises, called Virtual Voyages, for an Introductory Oceanography class at San Francisco State University. Virtual Voyages engage students outside of the classroom and cover such topics as the seafloor, ...
The Sun - Quiz
A 6 question quiz based on aspects of the sun and its important role in life on Earth.
The Papers of Jefferson Davis Project
The Papers of Jefferson Davis, a documentary editing project based at Rice University in Houston, Texas, is publishing a multi-volume edition of his letters and speeches, several of which can be found on this web site. The site also provides extensive information on Davis and his family and numerous images.
Calculus-Based Physics
Calculus-Based Physics is an introductory physics textbook designed for use in the two-semester introductory physics course typically taken by science and engineering students.
The English Renaissance in Context
These tutorials focusing on "Shakespeare in Context" present viewers with background and contextual material to particular plays and a series of challenges based on that material. Select a play; as the presentation unfolds, you may follow links to view facsimile texts, and from there navigate freely between the texts themselves and the tutorials. The tutorials treating "The Early Modern Material Text" introduce viewers to book production in the period, and suggest that how old books were made an
Around the World - Quiz
Pupils will answer questions on countries based on culture, food, location, features and cities.
Why Teach Inquiry-Based Labs?
Teaching science in the classroom is not always easy. We understand that and hope some of the materials here help you. We recommend teaching science using hands-on and inquiry based activities.
Investigating the Ocean Algal Blooms
This NOAA computer-based activity is designed to teach students in grades 9-12 how satellite imagery and remote sensing can be used to monitor harmful algal blooms (HABs). This lesson teaches students how to read and interpret satellite images and how to use GIS maps and satellite images to interpret the relationship of HABs and manatee deaths. The activity features a lesson plan and a step-by-step activity containing hyperlinks that connect the student to the relevant images and maps.
