Infinity
What is mathematical infinity? Are some infinities bigger than others? And does infinity exist in nature? This radio broadcast discusses how the infinitesimal is needed to understand motion and change; the idea that infinity is a limiting process rather than a thing; whether physical infinities exist such as at the Big Bang or in black holes; the discovery of zero and imaginary numbers; and the sense in which numbers can be said to be real. There is discussion on the paradoxes of Zeno; Cantor an
The Earth's Orbit
These eleven activities relate to the results of the motion and position of the Earth in its orbit, investigating both the causes and the effects of changing seasons. It starts simply by trying to quantify the observation that it is colder in the winter and ends by measuring the tilt of the Earth. This is chapter two of the online book Eyes on the Sky, Feet on the Ground, containing explorations into astronomy as a classroom tool for learning how to theorize, experiment, and analyze data. The ac
Platonic solids, duals (grades 6-8)
Using this virtual manipulative, the student can examine the dual relationship among the five platonic solids, each a polyhedron with identical regular polygonal faces. Every platonic solid has a unique platonic solid that fits inside it, with its vertices at the midpoints of the original solid. The student can manipulate, color, and change the size of each solid. A transparent mode is available for viewing the outline of each polyhedron and its dual. Instructions for using the applet and inform
14 Writing Strategies
That a relatively small piece of writing such as Albert Einstein's three-page paper of relativity could be so important certainly illustrates the significance of writing to science. A science class is not complete unless it helps students learn to think like scientists, and writing is an essential part of such thinking. This article enumerates fourteen writing strategies that will encourage critical thinking skills and provide legitimate, purposeful writing practice by promoting solid science le
Designing Mathematics or Science Curriculum Programs: A Guide for Using Mathematics and Science Educ
With the publication of the National Science Education Standards and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, a clear set of goals and guidelines for achieving literacy in mathematics and science was established. Designing Mathematics or Science Curriculum Programs has been developed to help state- and district-level education leaders create coherent, multi-year curriculum programs that provide students with opportunities to lea
Variations on a Team: Changing Paradigms
Three paradigms related to teaming and how the might be revised to improve the quality of today's middle school programs are discussed: team configurations, teaming for interdisciplinary instruction, and teaming and advisory.,Volume 7, Number 2
Classifying Quadrilaterals : Activity A
Apply constraints to a quadrilateral, and then reshape and resize it. Classify the figure by its constraints. Explore the differences between the different kinds of quadrilaterals.
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?
Teacher's guide to the infrared
This is a page from a larger website, Seeing our World Through a Different Light, sponsored in part by NASA. This page contains side by side standard and IR photos to illustrate how IR photos show heat. It describes and compares visible light and infrared light. An explanation, accompanied by photos, of how infrared cameras work is also provided.
Atlas of the Cyrosphere
This site from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) allows visitors to explore and dynamically map the Earth's frozen regions. Viewed from a polar perspective, the available data sources include snow cover, sea ice extent and concentration, glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost, and other critical components of the Earth's cryosphere. Users can zoom in to a specific region on the Earth as well as overlay country borders, major cities, and other geographic information. This site provides a ge
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.
History and Philosophy of Western Astronomy
These web pages give a brief history of the imporatant figures associated with shaping Astronomical thought into what it is today. It covers the work and discoveries of the ancient Greeks, Ptomely, Copernicus, Galileo, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and others. This is a part of Astronomy notes, an educational resource for introductory undergraduate astronomy classes.
Meteor crater map
A Landsat image of the world with crater locations flagged. One can zoom in on any location.
POP Goes Antarctica?
As students explore this Web site, they will learn how scientists work together to answer questions. This site follows several scientists to Antarctica where they are doing research on Persistent Organic Pollutants. A daily journal, glossary, and learning activities will help incorporate this into classroom lesson plans.
Turning Zeros to 60s
It's adjusting the grading scale so that each grade has an appropriate amount of influence on the student's summative evaluation and each grade provides information for effective decision making.,Volume 9, Number 3
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.
Methods and Strategies : Using Models Effectively
Models are crucial to science teaching and learning, yet they can create unforeseen and overlooked challenges for students and teachers. This article guides students through age-appropriate, critical analyses of instructional models.
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.
Atmosphere
What is this atmosphere that surrounds the Earth? This instructional tutorial, part of an interactive laboratory series for grades 8-12, introduces students to the structure, effects, and components of the atmosphere. Here students investigate the composition of the atmosphere; effects of temperature, pressure, and ozone; the greenhouse effect; and how Earth compares with other planets. Interactive activities present students with opportunities to explore ideas and answer questions about the atm
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
