Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)
This online activity offers students a chance to apply the concept of symmetry to a real archaeology question. The activity calls for a hands-on solution to the initial challenge of determining the size of a plate from only a fragment or shard. Related math questions offer the opportunity to think about lines of symmetry for a variety of shapes. The activity is one of 80 mathematical challenges featured on the Figure This! web site, where real-world uses of mathematics are emphasized. The activi
Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)
This web site contains descriptions and links to more than 60 virtual manipulatives, activities designed to function as concept tutorials. The virtual manipulatives, mostly in the form of Java applets, are designed to facilitate grades 6-8 mathematics learning. By encouraging active student exploration with computers, the virtual manipulatives can help students visualize mathematical relationships. They are organized into five categories based on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (
Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)
This activity opens with a picture that shows two individuals who have each built a patio using different arrangements of the same number of identical concrete tiles. Both patios have the same total area, and students are challenged to figure out the dimensions of a single concrete tile. The activity, part of the Figure This! collection of 80 math challenges emphasizing math in the real world, explains how area is an important concept used by architects, real estate agents, and artists. The Hint
Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)
This activity introduces students to the concept of drag in relationship to a sailboat. Students will design and make a sailboat. The materials needed are clean Styrofoam tray (trays that meats are sold on in the grocery store), wooden skewers (used for shish kabobs), small piece of a clean sheet, scissors, fan, large container of water, and pen. This would be a suitable activity for small groups. Copyright 2005 International Technology Education Association
The Age of Einstein
The Age of Einstein, is a brief introduction to Einstein's Theories of Special and General Relativity. It is a book for the inquisitive general reader who wishes to gain an understanding of the key ideas put forward by the greatest scientist of the 20th-century. No more than a modest grasp of High School Mathematics is required to follow the arguments.
A Beginners Guide to Second Life
Textbook for a Summer School Course about Virtual Worlds at UOC Barcelona.
The textbook offers a glimpse into virtual worlds in general and Second Life in particular. Titled “Mundos virtuales. Un paseo por Second Life” (“Virtual worlds. A stroll in Second Life”), the course (and book) covers a range of topics ranging from basic movement and building techniques to some theories on virtual identities.
Map Scale Animation
This site features a Flash animation that illustrates the concept of scale by portraying one location from a series of distances from the land surface. This animation can be paused and rewound to stress important points and is suitable for use in lectures, labs, or other teaching activities.
Geologic Time
This site provides animations, images, interactive maps and videos that can be used to teach about the concept of geologic time. Visual resources cover some specific topics of earth history including plate tectonics, continental drift, relative age dating and paleontology. These resources are appropriate for an introductory level geology course.
Environmental Catalyst Module
In the Environmental Catalysis Module, a joint project with the Institute for Environmental Catalysis at Northwestern University, students learn what a catalyst is and become aware of the use of catalysis to promote environmental protection. Besides introducing the concept of catalysis, the module also focuses other issues such as catalytic selectivity, specificity, poisoning, condition optimization, and waste minimization. The first activity of the module introduces the concept of catalysis in
Learning Styles
The aim of this lesson is to help students identify their personal learning styles so they can study and learn more effectively. It is the ninth lesson in the study skills series and it introduces adult learners to the concept of learning styles. Students will have an opportunity to reflect on different ways of learning and to validate different abilities and capabilities, both their own and those of others. The lessons are designed as a package with key skills reinforced in each subsequent less
Holding onto the GREEN Zone
This curriculum helps young people learn about riparian areas--those "GREEN Zones" found along the edges of rivers, streams, and lakes. Teachers and youth group leaders will find a variety of resources in the Leader Guide, including background information, a unit-by-unit guide, and safety tips, as well as a curriculum concept map and correlations to national education standards.
NCBI More Information: Similarity
This page summarizes the basic concept and vocabulary of sequence similarity searching. It is included for those new to the field who may not appreciate the importance of this technique in biology, who lack the vocabulary to understand the BLAST guide and tutorial or who require a basic rather than a sophisticated understanding of the methods involved. Sections include introduction, premise, terms, general approach, the BLAST algorithm, quantification, gaps, significance, and databases. Users ca
Water Vapor Protocol
The purpose of this activity is to measure the total precipitable water vapor (column water vapor) in the atmosphere above an observer's site. Students point a GLOBE/GIFTS water vapor instrument at the sun and record the voltage readings from a digital voltmeter. They observe sky conditions near the Sun and perform the Cloud Protocols. Intended outcomes are that students understand the concept that the atmosphere prevents some of the sun's light from reaching Earth's surface, how water vapor mea
Illustrating Hillslope Diffusion with Physical and Numerical Models
In this lab exercise, students use hillslope evolution to examine how numerical theories are developed, how we might test this theory with an analog model, how numerical models are constructed and the limitations of numerical modeling. They do this by collecting hillslope data, constructing a model, and running the model to simulate sand hillslope evolution. Learning goals, context for use, and teaching tips and materials are provided.
This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics
In the early 1960s, the emergence of the theory of plate tectonics started a revolution in the earth sciences. Since then, scientists have verified and refined this theory, and now have a much better understanding of how our planet has been shaped by plate-tectonic processes. We now know that, directly or indirectly, plate tectonics influences nearly all geologic processes, past and present. Indeed, the notion that the entire Earth's surface is continually shifting has profoundly changed the way
Constitutional Issues: Separation of Powers
This lesson explores the important Constitutional mechanism providing for the separation of powers of government among three branches so that each branch checks the other two. Lesson plans use the New Deal to help teach this concept.
Politics in 60 seconds. Disaster politics
Dr Vanessa Pupavac defines a polical concept in 60 seconds for those with a spare minute to learn something new. This videocast focusses on disaster politics as a political concept.
Warning: video does contain bloopers and out takes.
May 2010
Suitable for Undergraduate study and Community education
Dr Vanessa Pupavac, School of Politics and International Relations
Dr Vanessa Pupavac is a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Nottingham. She has previously worked for the U
Politics in 60 seconds. Corruption
Professor Paul Heywood defines a polical concept in 60 seconds for those with a spare minute to learn something new. This videocast focuses on corruption as a political concept.
Warning: video does contain bloopers and out takes.
May 2010
Suitable for Undergraduate study and community education
Professor Paul Heywood, School of Politics and International Relations
Professor Paul Heywood is Sir Francis Hill Professor of European Politics. He graduated with an MA in Politics (First Class) fro
Imagination, Creativity And Entrepreneurship
This is a course about the courage to create, and to risk making mistakes in the quest for ideas that lead to a true innovation of a product, service or process. Creativity is the central focus, which might be defined as "the application of a person's mental ability and curiosity to discover something new. The act of relating previously unrelated things." More specifically, we are concerned with capitalist creativity, which means that solutions must be generated that are profitable and reflect b
Nuclear Decay
This lesson provides an overview of basic atomic structure and the concept of radioactive decay. Topics include the particles that make up an atom, binding forces, and the concept of isotopes. There is also discussion of decay methods and half-life.
