PSU/SL Physics Animations Portal
This web site contains a large collection of animations illustrating basic concepts in Physics and Astronomy. It covers topics in Astronomy, Mechanics, Vectors, Electricity and Magnetism, Optics, Waves, and Modern Physics at both introductory and an advanced undergraduate level. Users can browse by topic or search for relevant animations. Animations can be viewed in a number of different formats, either embedded in a web page or through the downloaded media file.
A Few Good Stories: Jaime Guerrero
SPARK drops in on Jaime Guerrero at the Bay Area Glass Institute as he creates an elaborate snake sculpture and introduces his "Homies" series. This Educator Guide is about glass blowing, the dynamic work of Jaime Guerrero, Mayan and Aztec iconography, and the history of glass work in art and architecture.
Art in Public Places: Jo Kreiter
SPARK follows choreographer/dancer Jo Kreiter and the Flyaway Productions company members as they mix art and politics in a site-specific work about the history of protest on San Francisco's Market Street. This Educator Guide addresses the history of public performance art.
Art Goes Back to School: Young Audiences of Northern California
For more than 40 years, Young Audiences of Northern California has been providing quality arts education programs to K-12 schools and communities - over 250,000 each year. This Educator Guide explores the history of arts education in California and the Bay Area and provides a wide array of local resources.
Art Frees the Soul: Sixth Street Photography Workshop
SPARK follows photographers from the Sixth Street Photography Workshop as they take pictures of their lives and ideas in some of San Francisco's most depressed neighborhoods. This Educator Guide is about the history of photography.
Community Institutions for the Arts: Ashkenaz
SPARK trails night manager Larry Chin of Ashkenaz, an East Bay music and culture venue that specializes in live roots music and international folk dancing. This Educator Guide tracks the history of this community venue and others like it as a point of connection and learning about world cultures.
A More Perfect Union
This lesson is designed to show the process of perfecting the Union through changes made to the Constitution and through the powers delegated to each branch of government by the Constitution. The lesson encourages student deliberation on race in America by familiarizing students with Senator Obama's speech entitled, A More Perfect Union, his famous race speech, given at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in March 2008. Students are asked to read the speech for homework, guided by e
Fame: Chris Johanson
SPARK explores the impact of fame and notoriety on visual artist Chris Johanson, jettisoned to international art-stardom by his inclusion in the 2002 Whitney Biennial and a 2002 SECA award for emerging artists from the SF Museum of Modern Art. This Educator Guide explores the history and tradition of street-based works and the field of painting.
Pinarbasi 1994: Animal Bones
1994 Excavations at Pınarbaşı, Karaman Province, Turkey: Excavations began at Pinarbasi in August and September 1994, and continued in September 1995. The site is in the lands of Suleimanhaci village, Karaman province, on the south side of the central Anatolian plateau, only about 20 km from Çatalhöyük. This is a salvage excavation, jointly organised by the University of Edinburgh, Department of Archaeology (Dr Trevor Watkins) and the Karaman Museum (Cengiz Topal). The group of sites at Pi
Frontiers of Dance: Ledoh and Salt Farm Butoh Dance Company
SPARK goes into rehearsals with butoh dancer Ledoh, as he explores the ancient, agrarian roots of his Ka-Ren ancestry in Burma with his group The Salt Farm Butoh Dance Company. This Educator Guide traces the history of butoh to its origins in post-war Japan and its diverse contemporary forms.
Frontiers of Dance: AXIS Dance Company
AXIS Dance Company combines the work of dancers with and without physical disabilities in works such as Victoria Marks "Dust," a provocative choreographic portrait that challenges viewer's assumptions about each of the performers. This Educator Guide addresses the history of integrated dance and theatre companies in the UK and the US.
From Life: Viola Frey
SPARK visited veteran ceramic artist Viola Frey in the last months of her life when she continued to work from a wheelchair with the help of a mechanized lift and devoted assistants to create her monumental figures. This Educator Guide is about the history of ceramics and the contributions of Bay Area artists, including Frey.
Home, Sweet Home: Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
SPARK follows Jared "Choclatt" Crawford as he prepares for his foot-tapping new musical theater production "Hit It!" at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. This Educator Guide is about the history of drumming, street performers, and African American musical theater.
History Retold: Berkeley Repertory Theatre's "The People's Temple"
SPARK follows the creation of the documentary theatre project The People's Temple Project from its original conception by David Dower to opening night of play written and directed by Leigh Fondakowski at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. This Educator Guide addresses the history of the Peoples Temple.
Looking East: Thai Bui
Vietnamese born sculptor Thai Bui's extraordinary objects simultaneously communicate a witty humor and penetrating sense loss. This Educator Guide explores the history and traditions of Bay Area Funk, Conceptual art and Minimalism.
Masterworks: Terry Riley
SPARK follows pioneering composer Terry Riley as he works with David Harrington and the Kronos Quartet on "The Cusp of Magic". This Educator Guide traces the history of minimalism and serialism in music, highlighting key contributions by noted composers such as Riley and Kronos Quartet.
Homecoming 2010 Recap
Check out some of the great events that took place during Homecoming 2010: Rock This Town! - including footage from the homecoming parade, football game, the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen and BearFest Village.
John Snow - The First Epidemiologist
In this activity, students will learn about John Snow, considered to be the father of epidemiology. They will learn how he used scientific methods to identify the environment in which cholera was spreading. By disrupting this environment, he ended the epidemic. Then students will learn more about modern-day "disease detectives," deciding whether this would be a possible career for them to pursue.
Landry vs Granatstein Debate: Battle on the Plains of Abraham
Was General Wolfe's victory over General Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham in September 1759 ultimately good for New France? Listen as William Thorsell, Director and CEO of the ROM, as he moderates a lively debate between Bernard Landry, former Quebec premier, and Jack Granatstein, distinguished Canadian historian. Introduction by Desmond Morton, Professor of History at McGill University.
The Lessons of 1704
In The Lessons of 1704, students learn the basic skills needed to do research and to "read" primary and secondary sources, to see what they can reveal about the cultural characteristics and attitudes of the English, French, and Native Americans in the Deerfield area in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. At the same time, they learn about the attitudes and behaviors of these three groups toward one another. Then, they use what they have learned to analyze the 1704 attack on Deerfield and the
