General Electric Company: Innovation Timeline
Now over 110 years old, General Electric played an important role in the worldwide adoption of many modern technologies. The company maintains this timeline of events and innovations that happened since its formation. Beginning with Thomas Edison's carbon filament lamp in 1879, the timeline briefly describes each entry and its significance. A picture and the occasional video clip are also included. While some of the material pertains to GE history, it mainly represents technological progress mad
Quick take on unusual plants : not your average garden variety
This one-page document highlights online resources that can help teachers impart ideas of species diversity, biological classification, and adaptations, while developing students sense of wonder and awe of nature s diversity.
Atmospheric Processes : Conduction
After participating in this activity, students will be able to explain the process of conduction using a molecular model and explain that different materials conduct at different rates. They will also be able to identify air as a poor heat conductor (an insulator). The instructor guide contains detailed background material, learning goals, alignment to national standards, grade level/time, details on materials and preparation, procedure, assessment ideas, and modifications for alternative learne
How high? : geometry (grades 6-8)
With this virtual manipulative, the student investigates conservation of volume with a virtual simulation of pouring a liquid from one container to a container of the same shape, but of a different size. There are four cylinder shapes to choose from: rectangular prism, cylinder, cone, and pyramid. The left container is partially filled with liquid and the base dimensions of the two cylinders are given. The student uses a slider to estimate how high the liquid will rise when poured into the secon
Biodegradation
This single-page resource addresses the topic of biodegradation. The word biodegradation is broken down and defined. Composting, wastewater treatment, and bioremediation are discussed as undertakings in which humans capitalize on biodegradation processes. A link is provided to information about Decay and Renewal, a book in the Cornell Environmental Inquiry curriculum series. The resource then ends with two groups of links to information and activities about biodegradation and landfills.
Shape builder
This interactive applet operates in one of two modes: auto draw and create shape mode, allowing the user to explore the area and perimeter of non-standard shapes. Immediate feedback is given on answers entered.
Musical Plates
This on-line project is part of the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) program. As they complete this series of lessons, students will use real-time data to solve a problem, study the correlation between earthquakes and tectonic plates, and determine whether or not there is a relationship between volcanoes and plate boundaries. Musical Plates has four Core Activities that will teach students how to access and interpret real-time earthquake and volcano data and to how u
How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom
How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom builds on the discoveries detailed in the bestselling How People Learn. Now, these findings are presented in a way that teachers can use immediately, to revitalize their work in the classroom for even greater effectiveness. Organized for utility, the book explores how the principles of learning can be applied in teaching history, science, and math topics at three levels: elementary, middle, and high school. Leading educators
Natural Resources, the Environment, and Ecosystems
This collection of teacher guides includes: Ecosystems and Climate, Wildlife - Just One Piece of the Picture, Integrated Pest Management, Soil and Ecosystems, Sustainable Agriculture, and The Web of Life - Understanding Ecosystems. Each guide includes a subject overview, objectives, and student activities. By the end, students should be able to understand the effect of climate on ecosystems; the interrelationships of animals with components of their natural ecosystem; how ecosystems benefit from
Fibonacci Numbers and the Pascal Triangle
Offered in English, German, and Serbian, this site is a good introduction to the mathematical concepts of Pascals Triangle, Fibonacci numbers, and the Golden Section. Because it is operated in Yugoslavia, there are occasional grammatical errors in the English version. Nevertheless, the information presented gives a valuable account of the significance of these topics. The content of the site includes historical perspectives (with brief profiles of the mathematicians who originated the ideas) and
Why Teach Bioethics?
Adolescents are passionately interested in ethical questions suggesting adolescence may be a critical period for including bioethics in science education. Knowledge arises when the mind interacts with content; an understanding of ethical issues develops as an evolving process around real-life situations. The question is what role should teachers play in the acquisition of this knowledge?
Electromagnetic waves
These pages, part of From Stargazers to Starships, explain electromagnetic waves and sunlight. Information inlcudes physiological and spectral color, spectral lines, the electromagnetic field work by Maxwell, the discovery of radio waves by Hertz, and photons and Einsteins relation. Stargazers also has detailed lesson plans accompanying these sections.
Sunlight and the Earth : Climate and Weather
These web pages trace the processes involved in the suns impact on weather. This is an exploration of the importance of radiation and reflection of light, both visible and infra-red, and the greenhouse effect. Convection and the role of water vapor are also considered. Global-scale air flows are described, explaining why wind in the continental US usually blows from the west, while near the equator it comes from the east.
Illuminations, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Vision for School Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Illuminations Web site is designed to illuminate the new vision for school mathematics as presented in NCTM s Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. The site provides online esources that will help improve the teaching and learning of mathematics for all students, from pre-school through high school.
Observe an exploded star at different wavelengths
This Earth science resource enables students to observe and compare the appearance of the Crab Nebula under different wavelengths. The introduction explains how the nebula is the remains of an exploded star (supernova). It also reveals how temperature variations in the nebula are detected by different wavelengths. Students are instructed to move the cursor across the spectrum to see images of the nebula captured using radio and microwaves; infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light; and gamma rays
The future of energy, consumption
The consumption of energy is increasing at an ever-rising rate. This informational piece, part of a series about the future of energy, introduces students to the increasing energy demands of the nation and world. The article defines consumption for the students and discusses energy conservation. Students read that much of their energy consumption is shown to be energy wants, not necessarily energy needs. Thought-provoking questions afford students chances to reflect on what they've read about th
Observe common objects made of minerals
This interactive Earth science resource lets students first see six images of minerals and then, by placing their cursor over each image, an image of an everyday object made from that mineral. Quartz, gypsum, and fluorite are among the minerals shown, with the corresponding familiar objects being glass, drywall (Sheetrock), and toothpaste. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
Hubble info circuit : follow the path to and from Hubble
This diagram illustrates and describes the steps involved in sending directions to the Hubble Space Telescope, collecting and processing the data collected by Hubble, and delivering the requested data and images back to a scientist on Earth. When users roll over each of the six entities depicted in this sequence, they can read about that entity's involvement in this two-way process. Arrows document the flow of information between entities such as the Space Telescope Sky Institute, the Goddard Sp
Fossil Fuels
How much does the United States depend on fossil fuels? This web page, part of a site on the future of energy, introduces students to fossil fuels as an energy source. Here students read about the uses, benefits, and limitations of fossil fuels. There is also information on how these fuels are distributed geographically and how they affect the U.S. economy through supply and demand. Thought-provoking questions afford students opportunities to reflect on what they've read. Articles about clean co
Ocean Temperatures
In this lesson students discover that measurements from space can tell us the temperature of the ocean, both on an annual average and as measured on any given date. For the annual average the highest ocean temperatures are near the equator, and drop as one moves either northward or southward from the equator. Students will graph each temperature value as a function of latitude and write a linear equation that best fits the points on their graph. They can choose as data points any point at that a
