Tour of the Basics
Animated tour of the basics of DNA, genes, chromosomes, and heredity. Program can be downloaded so that it can be used without an Internet connection.
Ice Cube of Exotic Microbes
This article describes a permafrost subglacial lake discovered beneath Antarctica. The lake offers scientists a chance to test their sterile drilling techniques before exploring elsewhere in search of exotic microbes. Techniques that avoid contaminating a drill site with microbes, suggests the author, would prove useful for future drilling into Mars polar caps in search of life.
Acids and Bases : Making a Film Canister Rocket
In this video segment, ZOOM cast members mix different amounts of baking soda and vinegar to see which combination produces the most carbon dioxide for launching a film-canister rocket.
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.
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.
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
Pre-Algebra Problem of the Week
Math problems for students learning algebraic reasoning, identifying and applying patterns, ratio and proportion, and geometric ideas such as similarity. The goal is to challenge students with non-routine problems and encourage them to put their solutions into words. A a href= /pow/support/ Teacher Support page/a is available for each problem.
The Big Picture!
Middle School, difficulty level 2. A picture is enlarged to four times its area.
Maths: Number : Short and long division
Worked examples of short and long division problems. For long division, an applet gives a step-by-step demonstration of the procedure; the pace at which the learner views each step is controlled by the user.
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
Miss Lindquist: The Tutor
A free Web tutoring system for middle school and high school students concentrating on writing expressions for algebra word problems. Teachers can assign portions of this site for homework, students can get help as they do their homework, and progress reports can be sent to a teacher's e-mail address. The program randomly selects problems from the section that the student is working on, e.g.: One-operator problems; harder one-operator probems involving speed, distance, and time; easier two-opera
Ecological Footprint: Overshoot
In this two-minute sound segment, the director of the Sustainability Program for the public policy group Redefining Progress discusses the concept of your ecological footprint. This is the amount of nature it takes to support your lifestyle. He says that if we use more than can be replaced by nature we are in a condition called overshoot. He suggests that this can continue for a while but eventually someone will have to pay with a lower standard of living. This site is from an archive of a daily
Pi = 3.14159...
What is Pi? Who first used Pi? How do you find it? How many digits is it?
Agricultural scientists
What are agricultural scientists, and what do they actually do? This is the introductory page for a set of materials about agricultural science as a career. Here the job of an agricultural scientist is defined and described. In the rest of the resource, students can examine two specialized job titles associated with agricultural scientists: organic specialist/assistant professor and senior research associate. Students can read narratives that are a few paragraphs in length about an organic speci
Energy in-depth timeline
The history of energy usage provides an interesting view of the development of technology over time. This informational piece, part of a series on the future of energy, introduces students to the advancement of technology through the use of energy. Students read how energy needs and uses have affected the production of power, manufacturing industries, and transportation methods. This piece focuses on energy systems based on fossil fuels, geothermal, hydrogen, nuclear, solar, and wind energy, and
Energy Transfer
How can a Ping-Pong ball be made to bounce higher without throwing it downward harder? This material is part of a series of hands-on science activities designed to arouse student interest. Here students investigate energy transference and momentum by simultaneously dropping a Ping-Pong ball sitting directly above a golf ball and measuring the bounce height. The activity includes a description, a list of science process skills and complex reasoning strategies being used, and a compilation of appl
Systems of linear inequalities in slope-intercept form
Compare a system of linear inequalities in slope-intercept form to its graph. Vary the coefficients and inequality symbols in the system. Explore how the boundary lines, shaded regions, and the intersection of the shaded regions change in response.
Polar Bear
This site from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International provides general information about polar bears as well as data on the movements of two radio-collared bears, along with the ice status, through a series of online maps.
Hydrogen bonds animation
This color animation of water molecules interacting and forming hydrogen bonds is a hybrid between a PowerPoint slide show an an animation. Students can replay portions or click next if they do not need to replay a segment.
