Biome in a Baggie
Developed for the third grade. The purpose of this activity is to explore different biomes and the water cycle. Students will create both a desert biome and a prairie biome, and see how the plants survive in both. They will also see how the water cycle works because once the plants are shut in the plastic bags, they will not need water again.
Biology In Elementary Schools is a Saint Michael's College student project. The teaching ideas on this page have been found, refined, and developed by stu
Biodome
Developed for the second grade. A biodome is a self-sustaining habitat for plants. Students will make a biodome in a recycled soda bottle and watch as their seeds grow. Students will observe and understand how the water in the biodome continues to recycle itself through condensation and evaporation.
Biology In Elementary Schools is a Saint Michael's College student project. The teaching ideas on this page have been found, refined, and developed by students in a college-level course on the teach
Acid Rain Destruction
Developed for third grade. Students will:; understand the damaging effects of acid rain on the environment.; understand the damaging effects of acid rain on plants.; pose a hypothesis and use the scientific method.
Biology In Elementary Schools is a Saint Michael's College student project. The teaching ideas on this page have been found, refined, and developed by students in a college-level course on the teaching of biology at the elementary level. Unless otherwise noted, the lesson plans have
Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination
This site helps students see how plants and animals interact to accomplish pollination. Students (Grades 3-8) identify plant and animal parts involved in pollination, connections between pollination and food production, relationships between pollinators and the plants they pollinate, and ways flowers have adapted to encourage pollination.
Couple in horse-drawn carriage
A young man and woman sit in an open horse-drawn carriage on a street in Los Angeles with palm trees in a median. Both of the passengers are dressed very formally. The man has a corsage and the woman is holding a flower. The rooftops of Los Angeles can be seen in the background.
Lennard-Jones Potential Model
The EJS Lennard-Jones Potential model shows the dynamics of a particle of mass m within this potential. You can drag particle to change its position and you can drag the energy-line to change its total energy.
The Lennard-Jones potential function is a reasonably accurate model of interactions between noble gas atoms. The binding energy epsilon is the depth of the potential well and minimum molecular separation are set equal to unity. This simulation uses uses a natural system of units the m
Ejs Parallel Plate Capacitor Model
The EJS Parallel Plate Capacitor model displays a parallel-plate capacitor which consists of two identical metal plates, placed parallel to one another. The capacitor can be charged by connecting one plate to the positive terminal of a battery and the other plate to the negative terminal. The dielectric constant and the separation of the plates can be changed via sliders.
Helmholtz Coils
The EJS Helmholtz Coils Model shows a the magnetic field between two circular coils of wire. The default configuration, known as a Helmholtz coil, sets the separation distance D equal to the coil radius R. These values produce a nearly uniform magnetic field B between the coils.
Virtual yeast cell
This rich learning object is used to introduce yeast cytology to students taking Module D24BS3 Brewery Yeast Management as part of the MSc in Brewing Science. The virtual cell permits the students to understand structure and function of yeast organelles.
Constitutional Issues: Separation of Powers
This lesson explores the important Constitutional mechanism providing for the separation of powers of government among three branches so that each branch checks the other two. Lesson plans use the New Deal to help teach this concept.
China - EU Relations in a Changing New World
The world today is undergoing tremendous development, changes and adjustments. The international community is facing increasing opportunities and challenges. The present international system and structure are not able to cope with this new situation fully and effectively, and reform is the general demand of the world people at large. Both China and UK are global actors of significant importance. How the two countries should behave in handling the situation? It is a fact that China and UK are dif
Social Entrepreneurship
This course is about using entrepreneurial skills to craft innovative responses to social problems. Entrepreneurs are particularly good at recognizing opportunities, exploring innovative approaches, mobilizing resources, managing risks, and building viable enterprises. These skills are just as valuable in the social sector as they are in business. Social entrepreneurship applies to both profit and non-profit firms who have programs designed to create social value.
Total Ozone Emission
In this activity, students will analyze their nitrogen oxide emissions from all sources (including coal-fired power plants, natural gas combustion, gas-powered lawnmowers, etc.).
Hey, Mr. Producer!
It's not that uncommon for secondary school students to study the ups and downs of the stock market, but in this lesson, students will examine the economic roller coaster involved in the production of a Broadway musical. As an introduction to the lesson, students will read a series of online articles to investigate the similarities and differences between nonprofit theater production and Broadway, or commercial, theater production. They will view excerpts from the PBS series BROADWAY: THE AMERIC
Visual Datasets
The Visual Datasets text module discusses the concept of visual learning and presents some suggestions for ways to design learning environments that support students in developing visual literacy skills. Three visual datasets that can be used for problem solving activities in evolution, classification, development, and botany are included:
Caminacules: A dataset of imaginary animals that can be used as the basis for a variety of problem-posing and problem-solving activities in evolution, classi
SimBio2
From 1991 until 1993 the Biosphere system supported people, plants, and animals. Experiments offered the opportunity for tracking in great detail the interactions among land and water ecosystems and the atmosphere.
SimBio2 offers several scenarios in which students can generate simulation graphs using actual data from the Biosphere 2 experiment. Studentscan explore some of the problems that affected Biosphere 2 such as higher levels of carbon dioxide than expected and the resulting decrease oxy
Environmental Decision Making
Using the Extend 'connect-the-components' visual programming, students can model and simulate ecosystems including social and economic forces as well as study parameter variations to develop an understanding of ecosystem function and productivity.
By making 'what if...' changes in the model, the effects of various proposed decisions about the environment can then be shown.
EDM includes three ecological systems: Ponds, Grasslands, and Logging. Students can predict results of changes in the mode
CuraÁao
CuraÁao is a computer program that simulates the sterile insect release method (SIRM) of pest population suppression, first conceived by E. F. Knipling (1955).
The user can investigate the effects of several variables on the effectiveness of the method and discover what happens when some of the basic assumptions of the model are relaxed or violated in some way. The user should gain some understanding of the sorts of things that complicate the application of the technique in situations that are
Cell Differentials
Cell Differentials offers a visual dataset of white blood cells that gives students practice in developing strategies and techniques for the recognition of these blood cell types.
Over 100 different cell images are randomly presented with feedback on successful identification.
In traditional labs, the recognition of white blood cell types can be compromised by several factors. Developmental changes can make recognition difficult and some cell types exhibit similar features. Microscopy can be a
Environmental Explorers' Club
This is a place where kids can learn about the environment and the Environmental Protection Agency. It features plants and animals, air, water, people and the environment, recycling, and a clubhouse area containing art, a game room, a science room, and a trophy room listing the winners of the President's Environmental Youth Award.
