GEOLogic: How Much of the State is Wet
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to match up students with their home state, and their states with the area and percentage of area of surface water that they contain, as well as where each of the states rank nationally in terms of water area. Students are given clues from various perspectives to help them deduce
GEOLogic: How Well Do You Know Your National Parks and Memorials
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. Using a game show format, this exercise asks students to associate historical figures with a particular National Park or Memorial, as well as the number of points each student contestant scored on the show. This activity is appropriate for a high school science class or an introductory level undergraduate geoscience
GEOLogic: Lagerstatten and Unique Fossils
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to match up several unique fossils with the sites and locations where they were found, as well as their geologic age. This activity is appropriate for a high school science class or an introductory level undergraduate geoscience course, and can be given as an in-class assignment
GEOLogic: Museums and their Dinosaur Displays
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to match five top museums with two fossils that they have on display based on clues presented from various points of view. This activity is appropriate for a high school science class or an introductory level undergraduate geoscience course, and can be given as an in-class assign
GEOLogic: Stream Discharge Rates - Rappahannock River Station
This webpage from SERC features GEOLogic questions, which are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this example, students are asked to convert measurements in cubic feet per hour (cfh) to cubic feet per second (cfs) and then match up the names of the researchers measuring the flows at the river station with the correct flow rate. There is also a second part in which stude
GEOLogic: State Fossils
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to identify states with their state fossil and the year in which it was declared, based on clues given from various points of view. Learning goals, context for use, teaching tips, materials, assessment tips and related resources are provided.
GEOLogic: The Big Five Mass Extinctions
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to match up the five largest mass extinction events with their relative dates, approximate duration, and severity (percentage of species that became extinct) based on clues given from various perspectives. This activity is appropriate for a high school science class or an introdu
GEOLogic: The Three Stooges and Their Pet Dinosaurs
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to match up each of the Stooges with their favorite group and species of dinosaur based on clues given about which order and group each Stooge prefers. This activity is appropriate for a high school science class or an introductory level undergraduate geoscience course, and can b
GEOLogic: Volcanologists
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to resolve how many days each of five volcanologists spent at a given volcano and what day they started for the volcano. There is also a second part where students are asked to do some additional research about volcanoes on the web. This activity is appropriate for a high school
Christian Aid: Primary Teacher's Resources
Download or order easy-to-use Primary assemblies, classroom activities and games to help pupils engage with world issues and reflect on their own role as global citizens.
Christian Aid: Secondary Teacher's Resources
Download or order easy-to-use Secondary assemblies, classroom activities and games to help students engage with world issues and reflect on their own role as global citizens.
Star Library: What Makes the Standard Deviation Larger or Smaller?
The activity is designed to help students develop a better intuitive understanding of what is meant by variability in statistics. Emphasis is placed on the standard deviation as a measure of variability. As they learn about the standard deviation, many students focus on the variability of bar heights ...
What's For Dinner? Teaching Arctic Food Chains (Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears Podcast Episode 5)
We already know why polar bears don't eat penguins, but what do they eat? In this episode, we'll share a simple activity that opens a window to understanding a unique ecosystem as one example of a food chain - the Arctic Ocean.
Science as Investigation: A First Majors Course Teaching the Process
The first laboratory course biology majors take should challenge their expectation that biology is the mere memorization of knowledge. Rather, it should introduce them through experience to the scope and limitations of scientific investigation. Following a brief introduction to epistemology and the nature and goals of science, this course provides students with a developing understanding of scientific thinking, methodology, and experimental design. During the final unit of the course students de
Spot-Overlay Ames Test of Potential Mutagens
This protocol represents a cost-effective modification of the Ames Test that allows students to investigate the mutagenic potential of various common substances. Potential mutagens are tested using well-characterized auxotrophic strains of Salmonella typhimurium. By analyzing the results, students determine if any of their compounds may be mutagenic. Follow-up experiments are designed to determine the dose response of these potential mutagens. Using this protocol, we have achieved reproducible r
The Use of Aquatic Research Microecosystem in the Biology Teaching Laboratory
This exercise should give students an understanding of the processes of photosynthesis and respiration as well as the concepts of succession, diversity, and energy utilization by observing and comparing control and experimental microecosystems.
The Use of Fossils in Interpreting Past Environments
The earth's environment has changed dramatically over the past 4.5 billion years. A comparison of the remains of fossilized and recent organisms, associated with an understanding of geological processes (both past and present), allows scientists to interpret what ancient environments were like. This exercise was developed to help students understand (1) how past environments are determined and (2) how paleontological specimens illustrate such concepts as evolution, extinction, adaptation, paleob
What I Could Teach Darwin Using "Darwin 2000"
A laboratory to demonstrate the use of the "Darwin 2000" website to train undergraduates to use online molecular databases and analysis tools, fostering their understanding of how genes and proteins evolve.
Biodiversity and Human Health: A Guide for Policymakers
Produced by the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, this guide summarizes the consequences of biodiversity loss for human health. The guide examines threats to global supplies of food and fresh water, exposure to formerly rare diseases and opportunistic infections, and loss of important sources of medicines.
Earth Science and Technology Week
Since October 1998, the American Geological Institute has organized this national and international event to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth Sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth.
