The Nitrogen Cycle : Of Microbes and Men
This module provides an overview of the nitrogen cycle and the chemical changes that govern the cycle. It includes explanations of how nitrogen is used by organisms and how humans effect the cycle.
Cosmic Evolution - From Big Bang to Humankind
This site features excerpts from Eric Chaisson's book Cosmic Evolution and includes photos, illustrations and movies. The seven sections includes topics like galaxy formation, the birth and death of stars, the origins of life, and the evolution of intelligence. The site includes follow-up activities for teachers to use in the classroom.
Finding Patterns
Build a pattern to complete a sequence of patterns. Study a sequence of three patterns of squares in a grid and build the fourth pattern of the sequence in a grid.
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
Science Fair
PBS provides students in grades 4-7 with oodles of science fair ideas and a science fair tip sheet in this section of the DragonflyTV web site. Overviews of investigations from the television show are offered to help students hone in on an interesting topic and create their own science fair project. Each overview relays a question that a child asked on television, the main steps in his or her experiment, and the results. The overviews also include ideas for further investigations that build on t
Quick take on those dicey decimals!
Understanding decimals is a must and practice with them a basic necessity. These digital resources feature games, lessons, and interactive experiences that encourage understanding and practice at varying levels of mastery.
Observe an animation of nuclear fission
Created for high school students, this animation illustrates the nuclear fission of a uranium atom. A short simulation accompanied by text demonstrates how the addition of one neutron to uranium-235 causes it to become the unstable atom uranium-236. The unstable nucleus of uranium-236 spontaneously splits into two lighter elements, releasing a substantial amount of energy along with three neutrons. These neutrons can then react with other uranium-235 atoms to create a chain reaction of fission.
Who Was Charles Darwin?
In this lesson, students will learn firsthand, by reading his journal entries and letters, how Darwin arrived at his theory. They also will gain a better sense of Darwin's journey and the role it played in his scientific career. In the first activity, Darwin's Great Voyage of Discovery, students will read his account of his voyage on the Beagle and see how this experience inspired him to devote the rest of his life to developing and refining the theory of natural selection. The second activity,
Quick take on linear measurement
Here are challenging resources that put linear measurement into a practical context, or can be used for review before introducing a new measurement topic.
Falling Test Tubes
How can inverted test tubes inserted into one another apparently move upwards against gravity? This material is part of a series of hands-on science activities designed to arouse student interest. Here students investigate the cohesive and adhesive forces of water and glass. The activity includes a description, a list of the science process skills and complex reasoning strategies being used, and a compilation of applicable K-12 national science education standards. Also provided are content topi
Quick take on safety in the science classroom
With the increasing emphasis on hands-on instruction, it becomes more important than ever before for science teachers to be knowledgeable about laboratory safety issues. The National Science Education Standards say that students should have frequent opportunities to use a wide range of equipment, materials, supplies, and other resources for experimentation and direct investigation of phenomena. The National Science Teachers Association recommends that a minimum of 80 percent of science instructi
A Private Universe
This site describes and provides access to a twenty-minute video documentary on education research for grade 5-12 educators. With its opening scene at a Harvard graduation, this video program explores why so few students truly grasp basic science concepts. The program traces the problem through interviews with Harvard graduates and their professors, as well as with a bright ninth-grader who has some confused ideas about the orbits of the planets. This site also provides individual program descri
University of Iowa : burn oat hulls for economic, environmental benefit
What is an alternative energy source that is available today? This article, part of a series about the future of energy, introduces students to a pilot project of burning oat hulls at the University of Iowa power plant. Students read that the burning of oak hulls instead of coal provides for cleaner air and additional space in landfills. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
DNA interactive chronicle
This site contains four interactive modules that offer teachers a direct look at how information about genetics can be misapplied and misinterpreted within societies. The modules are arranged by topics that focus on Eugenics, Carrie Buck and forced sterilization, Nazi Germany and the elimination of mental illnesses, and a personal account of a woman living with manic depression. Each module is subdivided into additional parts. These parts include images, videos, and simulations of contributions
Area of Parallelograms : Activity A
Examine and manipulate the graph of a parallelogram or triangle and find its area. Explore the relationship between the area of a parallelogram and the area of a rectangle using an animation.
Factoring Special Products
Choose the correct steps to factor a polynomial involving perfect-square binomials, differences of squares, or constant factors. Use the feedback to diagnose incorrect steps.
Observe solar eclipses
This Earth science animation helps students compare three types of solar eclipses: total, partial, and annular. The introduction explains how the type of eclipse is determined by variations in distance and alignment between the Earth, sun, and moon. The animation follows the events of all three eclipses concurrently. Movie controls allow students to repeat, pause, or step through the animation, which can give students more time to compare the eclipse sequences. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National
Geometry Construction Reference
The basics of compass and straightedge construction, with notes about The Instruments and What is a construction? Construct the perpendicular bisector or the midpoint of a line segment; given a point on a line, construct a perpendicular line through the given point; given a point not on a line, construct a perpendicular line through the given point; construct the bisector of an angle; an angle congruent to a given angle; a line through a given point, parallel to a given line; an equilateral tria
The Pythagorean Theorem
This math site has students try to figure out the Pythagorean Theorem by themselves. Included are review pages, five clues to help them find the relationship, a section that compares their results to other students, a section that gives historical information, and examples and activities for students to solve. Each clue page allows students to check to see if they have the formula correctly relating to the three sides of the right triangle. A template page that contains figures used in three of
Tech Trek : The latest in handheld microscopes
Microscopes have come a long way since their invention in 1590. New technologies in handheld microscopes encourage interactivity, exploration, and observation of specimens in real time, very often allowing students to see living microcosms that are difficult to observe. The ideas presented here will update your knowledge of the technologies available for examining the structure and function of living things in the middle school science classroom.
