"I Stumbled on the Place by Sheer Accident": Oscar Ameringer Discovers the Cincinnati Public Library
Libraries in the late 19th century were seen by their founders as instruments of social and cultural uplift, meant to raise the working class out their ignorance and teach them how to be middle class. But men like Oscar Ameringer, who immigrated to the United States from Germany when he was 15 and later became a socialist organizer, humorist, and editor, took away different lessons. In this selection from his 1940 autobiography, Ameringer described his discovery of American history books, transl
Atmosphere Applet
Atmosphere Applet: This program lets you study how the properties of the atmosphere change with altitude. You can study the atmosphere of either the Earth or Mars. The equations used in this program are taken from the ICAO standard day model for the Earth and from some curve fits of the Martian atmosphere gathered by the Global Surveyor spacecraft. Using the airplane graphic you can select an altitude, or you can type an altitude into the input box.
The program instantly outputs a selected pro
Cyclic Voltammetry Simulator
This simulator allows the modeling of responses from experiments in cyclic voltammetry, and is applicable to a wide variety of parameters. Excellent instructional aids in text form include description of electrochemical reversibility, diffusion, instrumentation and interpretation of cyclic voltammograms, with real-time demonstration of parameter changes.
What Makes You, You? What Makes Me, Me?
This interactive presentation is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they travel along as a young boy goes in search of his genes. The presentation begins with the boy wondering where his genes are. With each click, kids zoom in from cells on the boy's arm all the way down to the base pairs of his DNA. With each zoom in, a memorable rhyme explains what students are seeing. The presentation ends with this thought: "We're all related in
Stargazing
This OLogy activity introduces kids to the joys and challenges of stargazing. The activity sets the stage by telling kids that there hidden among the night sky's thousands of stars are constellations and planets. To help them search out these constellations and planets, it provides helpful guidelines and resources for stargazing. These include tips for distinguishing stars from airplanes, satellites, meteors, and planets; a detailed map of the night sky; and directions for recording observations
Feed the Birds
This OLogy activity introduces kids to the concept of biodiversity by helping them discover the diversity of their local bird population. To begin, students create a simple bird feeder from a milk/juice carton or a plastic soda bottle. They then fill the feeder with black-oil sunflower seeds, popular with a range of birds. In addition, they are given a list of additional foods to experiment with, such as millet, raisins, and breakfast cereal. Students track the birds that visit their feeder in f
What Can We Learn About Our Seasons?
The purpose of this resource is to have students develop a qualitative understanding of the characteristics and patterns of seasons and highlight the relationship of seasons to physical, biological and cultural markers. Students observe and record seasonal changes in their local study site. They establish that these phenomena follow annual cycles and conclude the activity by creating displays that illustrate the repeating pattern associated with the appearance and disappearance of seasonal marke
The Ramayana
The Hindu epic The Ramayana is retold through the mural, painting, and dance of Southeast Asia.
USGS National Geologic Map Database: State-wide Geologic Maps
This search tool provides descriptions and availability information for geologic maps of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These geologic maps are published by a variety of organizations, including State geologic agencies, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), universities, and private companies. Title, date, scale, publisher, series (where applicable), and basic ordering information is provided for each map. A place name search and an advanced search using geologic themes,
Earthquake Hazards Program: Rectangular Area Earthquake Search
This USGS site has an online form that lets the user select parameters to perform a rectangular area search for earthquakes. The user must define the output file type, data base, and input rectangular area search parameters and has the option of defining the date, magnitude, depth and intensity of an earthquake.
Lakota Winter Counts
offers the world's largest database of Lakota winter counts -- pictures drawn on cloth or buffalo hide to remember each year's key events (1701 to 1905). Ten Lakota bands' winter counts are shown side by side on a timeline. Compare how the bands depicted a particular year. Search for an image. Watch interviews with Lakota. Learn about the culture of this Sioux tribe of the northern plains that followed buffalo herds for food. A teachers guide is included.
Watershed Academy Web
You can document your learning from this Web site by meeting the requirements for Watershed Academy Web's Watershed Management Training Certificate. This certificate program recognizes trainees who complete 15 modules and pass their self-tests. People throughout the United States and several foreign countries have completed the certificate program. They include scientists and non scientists, local, state and federal agency staff, community leaders, consultants, college students and teachers, act
Join a Stream Team
Activities offer students the opportunity to learn about multiple facets of waterbodies and pollution, including aquatic life (indicator species), local concerns, and public outreach through research, teamwork, and role-playing exercises.
Whatzzzup-Stream?
In this set of exercises, students will study rivers and waterways around them by using the Internet, maps, and their knowledge of local landscapes. The students will use an EPA Web site to investigate what is upstream and downstream of them. They will also look at graphs of flow in familiar river locations on a live U.S. Geological Survey Web site. Using small rocks and a washbasin, students will build a model that leads to extending their understanding of streams in different geographic locati
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
This selection contains actual video and photos of events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the actual attack, and the aftermath. A narrator outlines history leading up to the attack, the attack, and results of this historic event. ( 3:15)
The Transcontinental Railroad- Laying the Tracks
This video is about how the tracks for the Transcontinental Railroad were laid, how one section still holds the record for fastest track laying, and how all the rapid growth had both positive and negative consequences. Compares to landing on Mars.
Light at the Bottom of the Deep, Dark Ocean?
This Ocean Explorer interactive, hands-on lesson plan (PDF) leads students on an exploration of deepwater adaptations by addressing the focus question: What types of adaptations enable deep-sea fishes to survive and collect food in the darkness of the deep ocean? In the activity, students search for Skittles in a dark room while wearing goggles covered in blue cellophane to simulate deepwater feeding. This lesson plan includes a reproducible student handout and links to reference resources.
CERN, the World's Largest Particle Accelerator
This features scientists and machines that explore the universe's tiniest particles. Follow a proton through the accelerator. Meet scientists at CERN. Hear why they search for the secrets of matter. Learn about the antimatter, the Big Bang, and other big ideas behind experiments at CERN.
Prion Problem Space
Prions are relatively small proteins that display dramatically alternate conformations for similar primary structures. Abnormal conformations appear to cause fatal neurological diseases in a wide variety of mammals. Researchers are discovering the mechanisms behind these conformational changes, including differences that may lead to species barriers (or lack thereof) among exposed animals. How do these conformations differ?
How do small sequence differences affect susceptibility to conformationa
Hands on the Land Teaching Materials
Hands on the Land (HOL) is a network of field classrooms stretching across America from Alaska to Florida. HOL is sponsored by Partners in Resource Education, a collaboration of five Federal agencies, a non-profit foundation, schools, and other private sector partners. Public lands comprise approximately one-third of the acreage of the U.S., and you'll soon see they are rich in historical, archaeological and environmental learning opportunities. Through the HOL network of field classrooms, Feder
