Calibrated Peer Review: Petroleum Geology of the Persian Gulf Region
In this assignment, students explore the origin and distribution of oil and gas in a region of global significance. Also included are the geologic history and the socio-political and environmental issues associated with hydrocarbon exploration and production. Students then walk through an online case study and write an essay addressing important points that they have learned. The Calibrated Peer Review interface is then used to give feedback on the essays. On this Starting Point page, users can
Calibrated Peer Review: Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Indian Ocean - Geologic History of A Large Igneo
This activity explores the significance and geologic history of the Kerguelen Plateau Large Igneous Province, as revealed by Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Legs 120 and 183. After examining all the source material, the students write an essay addressing the important points that they have learned. The Calibrated Peer Review interface is then used to give feedback on the essays. On this Starting Point page, users can access information about the exercise's learning goals, context for use, teaching
Calibrated Peer Review: Discovering Dinosaurs
In this activity, students write an essay on the history of scientific discoveries in the field of dinosaur paleontology. The essays are then evaluated via Calibrated Peer Review. On this Starting Point page, users can access information about the exercise's learning goals, context for use, teaching notes and tips, teaching materials, assessment ideas, references and topics covered.
Astrobiology Magazine
Astrobiology Magazine is an online service that provides summaries of scientific articles relevant to astrobiology. Specific topics include microbiology, paleontology, astronomy, climate history, planetary studies and space technology. The website is updated daily and free to access, however users must register to use the site. Users may follow links to an image gallery, book reviews, and a downloadable bibliography of research articles on astrobiology.
A Brief History of Evolutionary Genetics
This web article discusses the history of evolutionary genetics. The article highlights important contributors such as Sewall Wright and Dobzhansky as well as current ideas in evolutionary genetics. From this webpage, users can read and download the article and follow links to other useful websites.
Celebration of the arrival of African Americans in Massachusetts
Hope Kelly reports on a celebration at the Museum of Afro-American History marking the arrival of the first African Americans in Massachusetts. Kelly notes that the first African Americans arrived as immigrants, not as slaves. Kelly's report features footage of Henry Hampton (Chairman, Museum of Afro-American History) addressing the gathering. Kelly reviews the history of African Americans in Massachusetts. Kelly's report is accompanied by historical photos and drawings related to African Americ
Belladonna
Artists Beth B. and Ida Applebroog use videotaped performance combined with figurative drawing and captions to create a disturbing, provocative program about the unthinkable yet prevalent occurrence of child victimization. The script for the program is delivered in brief monologues by a cast of several men and women reading statements from various texts, including the writings of Freud and the testimonies of Josef Mengele's victims. It is then intercut with a boy's voice repeating 'I am not a ba
Ancient African Kingdoms National
'Dealin'' with African drummer Babatunde Olatunji. Program consists of numerous segments related to African heritage, the first of which is an excerpt from a filmstrip on the fall of the Songhay Empire in West Africa by the Afro Audiovisual Company of Boston. Additional segments include 'Bookbeat,' a 'Spotlight' stage performance by actress Beah Richards, 'Dealin'' with African drummer Babatunde Olatunji, 'Information' on traveling to Africa, and 'Commentary' by Sarah-Ann Shaw on the lack of Afr
Ancient African Kingdoms
'Blast from the Past' with Jesse Jackson. Program focuses on the history of three of Africa's ancient kingdoms: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. To accomplish this, Say Brother Producer Marita Rivero and her guest Musa Eubanks (of the Afro Audiovisual Company of Boston) discuss and then introduce a filmstrip created by the Afro Audiovisual Company in conjunction with the Unitarian Universalist Association. The program serves to illustrate that the liberation of African Americans from colonized thinking
African Meeting House is ready to open
Carmen Fields reports on the restoration of the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill. Fields reports that the Meeting House is the oldest African American church in the nation and that it was gutted by fire in 1973. Fields interviews Philip Hart (Board of Directors, African Meeting House) and Ruth Batson (Director, African Meeting House) for the report. Hart talks about the significance of the Meeting House. Batson talks about plans for music, scholarly debate, and religious services at the Meet
African Americans in the paintings of Norman Rockwell
Carmen Fields reports that the Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA is commemorating Black History Month by exhibiting Norman Rockwell's work featuring African Americans. Fields interviews Maureen Hart Hennessey (curator, Rockwell Museum) about Rockwell's paintings depicting events in the civil rights movement, including The Problem We All Live With and Murder in Mississippi. Fields notes that Rockwell did these paintings for Look Magazine in the 1960s. Fields and Hennessey discuss the portrayal o
African American studies programs
Carmen Fields reports on differing opinions of the African American studies program at Harvard University. Fields interviews Harvard professors Harvey Mansfield and Orlando Patterson. Mansfield says that conservative scholars are excluded from the African American studies program at Harvard. Mansfield adds that the program is too political and not concerned enough with the study of the African American experience. Mansfield calls African American studies an 'advocacy major' which promotes a cert
A Walk Through Time
This sit elooks at the evolution of time keeping, how humans have measured the passage of time throughout history. The site describes and shows depictions of ancient calendars, sun and water clocks, mechanical and quartz clocks, and world time scales and time zones.
Learning to Fly: The Wright Brothers' Adventure
This activity sends students undercover to Dayton and Kitty Hawk to report secretly on the activities of two brothers who are making a big glider in their bicycle shop. Students prepare by researching aviation history and then, posing as news reporters, interview the brothers (and neighbors). Instructions are included for building the Wright brothers' gliders and first plane.
Cosmic and Heliospheric Learning Center
This site explores the universe through interactive activities and learning resources such as the question and answer service, Ask a Physicist. Students can also learn astrophysics basics, or find out the history of cosmic ray studies beginning with the Mesopotamian and Egyptian astronomers mapping the heavens, and more.
3... 2... 1... Liftoff! Educator Guide
Introduces children to the International Space Station (ISS), the most complex international scientific endeavor in history. Activities focus on the purpose and construction of the ISS, the history of rockets, and the role of rockets in space station assembly. Activities emphasize hands-on involvement, data collection, observation, exploration, prediction, interpretation, problem solving, and language skills.
The Periodic Table of Elements
This website developed by the Faculty of Chemical Technology in Croatia provides an interactive Periodic Table of Elements. Students and educators can find information dealing with each element's discovery history, thermal properties, ionization energy, minerals and use, isotopes, and reduction potentials. Besides the standard periodic table, this easily navigable website features an online remote control where visitors can quickly obtain information about the chemical either by name or symbol a
Infinite secrets
This NOVA web site describes the recent discovery of the Archimedes palimpsest, a tenth-century copy of an ancient Greek manuscript, and examines the meaning of infinity. It offers students the opportunity to learn about mathematics history and to see how the understanding of infinity has developed through the centuries. The site contains articles, an interview, a brief video, and two online interactive activities. One activity allows the student to see how modern technology is used to read anci
Bowl 'em over : does he have a chance?
The initial question for this online activity asks students to determine the probability of winning a bowling tournament, given scores for the first five games. Students determine what the score in a sixth game must be in order to win the tournament. They also calculate the probability of bowling that score. Two solutions to this problem are included. The activity is one of 80 mathematical challenges featured on the Figure This! web site, where real-world uses of mathematics are emphasized. In r
Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)
With this online activity, students explore the classic mathematics map-coloring question known as the four-color problem. Students must determine the minimum number of colors needed to color a map so that entities sharing a border have different colors. Initially, students investigate the minimum number of colors necessary to color a map of states west of the Mississippi River. The activity's Getting Started section suggests coloring the states in a specific order. The Solution page uses odd an
