Gas molecule motion
This page describes the relationship between kinetic energy of molecules and temperature.
How to Avoid Potential Pitfalls
Information at this site will help teachers to avoid potential pitfalls when teaching evolution. It will help teachers to understand why they should use function not purpose, evidence not proof, and why they should refer to accepting what the evidence shows rather than believing in evolution. There are also cautions about when to use the terms 'primitive/advanced' and 'theory/hypothesis'. Other potentially confusing terms include 'randomness in evolution' and 'ancestor/relative'. The meaning of
Popcorn : if you like popcorn, which one would you buy?
This third challenge in the Figure This! list of 80 math challenges directs the student to use popcorn to compare the volumes of tall and short cylinders formed with 8- by 11-inch sheets of paper. The challenge points out that it is important to be able to make visual estimates and find volumes. The web page includes links to a solution hint, the solution, other related math questions, and print resources that contain mathematics activities about packaging and wrapping shapes. The Did You Know a
Soil as Living Skin
In this two-minute radio program, a soil scientist introduces listeners to reasons why soil is crucial to the planet. The scientist lists functions of soil that include nutrient cycling and water filtration, and he also uses living skin as an analogy for soil. The program, part of the Pulse of the Planet radio show, is available here in text and audio formats. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
Polyhedra Collection
Galleries of polyhedra shown using JPEG pictures and 3D objects in VRML2.0 format. Uniform polyhedra; Duals; Compounds; Johnson's solids; 59 stellations of icosahedron; 270 stellations of deformed dodecahedron; symmetric stellations of rhombic triacontahedron: polyhedra and stellation diagrams; Spherical Platonic polyihedra; Infinite regular polyhedra ; Compounds Composer (an interactive building of polyhedra compounds); Polyhedral Kaleidoscope; Symmetrical compounds of uniform polyhedra; Stella
Looking at the sky through a glass ceiling : women in astronomy
This article looks at the involvement and acceptance of women in astronomy. Before introducing readers to three significant female astronomers from the 1900s and three from the present day, the article mentions the work of the first known female astronomer--Aglaonike from 200 B.C. Statistics are also provided concerning contemporary women's participation in astronomy. The three astronomers featured from the 1900s are Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, and Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Eac
Energy Flow
This feature, adapted from Interactive NOVA: Earth, follows the path of energy as it is transferred via the food chain from one type of organism to another.
Ten preparation steps for a successful group presentation
This resource informational piece, part of a series about the future of energy, introduces students to the process of making a successful group presentation. It lists 10 steps for students to follow when making presentations. These include: research and gather information, focus the group's efforts, create a story line, and self-evaluate, among others. Students are given guided questions and checklists for each of the 10 steps to self-evaluate whether they have successfully completed the step. A
Scope on Safety : Essential First Aid for Science Teachers
From a practical standpoint, science teachers should be trained to respond to incidents involving burns, bleeding, chemical exposure, swallowed poisons, penetrating objects, lacerations, and shock. Basic training is required to properly handle these situations, and this training should be reviewed annually. A list of possible lab incidents and the appropriate first-aid response is provided.
Scope on the Skies : Location, location, location
While traveling from home to distant locations, it is easy to feel both a sense of unfamiliarity as well as familiarity with the change in location, especially when considering the view of day and night skies. The position of celestial objects like the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars is directly related to viewing latitude. In the classroom, students can take virtual trips to different latitudes through the use of handheld manipulative models such as the Earth Space Simulator (See internet resourc
Measuring the Height of a Building Using Shadows
What time of day is best to use a shadow to measure the height of a building by using triangles?
Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning
This book explores the dimensions of teaching and learning science as inquiry for K-12 students across a range of science topics. Detailed examples help clarify when teachers should use the inquiry-based approach and how much structure, guidance, and coaching they should provide. The book dispels myths that may have discouraged educators from the inquiry-based approach and illuminates the subtle interplay between concepts, processes, and science as it is experienced in the classroom. Inquiry and
Arithmetic and Algebra
More than 110 games or puzzles having to do with arithmetic or algebra, with extensive discussions and solutions. Most require a browser capable of displaying JavaScript or Java.
El Nino Returns
This web page is an online companion to CNN's special coverage on El Nino for the 1997-98 season. El Nino is a strange but powerful weather phenomenon; tracker and background reports provide the user with the science behind El Nino, its history and impact. Topics covered include: forecast; ground zero (Peru); strange brew (weather); prediction meter; the wet coast (California); and the trackers. Links to other web sites are provided, and users may access more up-to-date El Nino stories by clicki
Science Friday Online!
This is an online companion to Science Friday, a weekly science, technology, and environment news radio program. The site includes articles about the weekly program, video, and blog links. A podcast of the program is also available.
Matter: Atoms from Democritus to Dalton
This web page provides an overview of atomic theory from Democritus to Dalton and reviews John Dalton's 4 basic theories on matter. The page is also available in Spanish.
Sketches of the history of Electromagnetics
This website outlines the history of light, electricity, magnetism and electromagnetic theory, placed in a linked timeline order with corresponding biographical sketches. It includes events from antiquity to 1933.
Salt of the Early Earth
This astrobiology news article analyzes the role salt played in the evolution of life on Earth. It explains why scientists have long assumed that life originated in the sea and describes the history of water on Earth in relation to the origin of life. Leading scientists contribute information about the significance of anaerobes, halophiles, methanogens, and the depositional environments of sedimentary rocks that hold Precambrian microfossils. They also suggest that we should extend our search to
Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics
Adding it All Up explores how students in pre-K through 8th grade learn mathematics and recommends how teaching, curricula, and teacher education should change to improve mathematics learning during these critical years. The committee identifies five interdependent components of mathematical proficiency and describes how students develop this proficiency. With examples and illustrations, the book presents a portrait of mathematics learning: Research findings on what children know about numbers b
Teacher's Toolkit : Two-tiered assessment
Developing good instruments that can be used to assess what students really know about scientific content is one of the most difficult tasks facing teachers in middle school classrooms today. However, two-tiered tests can be an effective solution to this increasing problem. Two-tiered tests are written assessments that not only ask students for an answer to a problem, but also require students to explain the reasoning behind their answer.
