In this activity, learners investigate the speed of chemical reactions with light sticks. Learners discover that reactions can be sped up or slowed down due to temperature changes.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
In this investigation, students locate a round or spherical naturally-occurring rock and take notes about its location and their reasons for selecting it. After measuring the rock and assessing some of its properties, they will answer a series of questions to determine the type of environment that would create a round rock, as well as the different types of weathering and components of the rock's internal structure that might contribute to its shape.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive
Students learn about material balances, a fundamental concept of chemical engineering. They use stoichiometry to predict the mass of carbon dioxide that escapes after reacting measured quantities of sodium bicarbonate with dilute acetic acid. Students then produce the reactions of the chemicals in a small reactor made from a plastic water bottle and balloon.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
These lessons link the understanding of concepts in chemistry to skills learned in algebra II. Using systems of equations in solving problems, students are utilizing matrices to balance chemical reactions and direct and inverse variations. This fresh approach reinforces students understanding of the relationship between two disciplines that have traditionally been taught separately.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
This ChemMatters article provides a brief background on smog, then examines the causes of it, efforts to reduce it, and methods used to measure it. ChemMatters is an educational magazine for high school students.
Material Type: Lecture
Students use media resources and an in-class investigation to explore the types of energy within different types of systems. They also use the formulas for kinetic and potential energy to examine the path of a projectile.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
In this interactive activity from ChemThink, learn how ionic bonds are formed and how an ionic bond structure is represented by its formula.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive
This experiment uses the heating of water to explore the concepts of density and volume. Students learn about the transfer of heat energy within the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth's interior, and connect this transfer to differences in density, which in turn result in motion. As part of the investigation, students will also become familiar with the Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive
Are all atoms of an element the same? How can you tell one isotope from another? Use the sim to learn about isotopes and how abundance relates to the average atomic mass of an element.
Material Type: Simulation
In this activity, students organize a set of fossils chronologically and learn to correlate, based on fossil evidence, the stratigraphy of one location with that of an adjacent location. Earth Science Reference Tables are used to identify the epoch of occurrence and the age of each of the fossil specimens. Students will become familiar with the concept of index fossils and understand what makes a good index fossil.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive
Through two lessons and five activities, students explore the structure and function of cell membranes. Specific transport functions, including active and passive transport, are presented. In the legacy cycle tradition, students are motivated with a Grand Challenge question. As they study the ingress and egress of particles through membranes, students learn about quantum dots and biotechnology through the concept of intracellular engineering.
Material Type: Unit of Study
Students learn how crystallization and inhibition occur by examining calcium oxalate crystals with and without inhibitors that are capable of altering crystallization. Kidney stones are composed of calcium oxalate crystals, and engineers and doctors experiment with these crystals to determine how growth is affected when a potential drug is introduced. Students play the role of engineers by trying to determine which inhibitor would be the best for blocking crystallization.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
The purpose of this resource is to develop a classification system for a set of objects and learn about hierarchical classification systems. Any set of objects, such as insects or rocks, may be used as well.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment, Interactive, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
This NetLogo model of leaf photosynthesis shows the macroscopic outcome of the reaction.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Data Set, Lecture Notes, Simulation
This exercise was designed to address student misconceptions about why the Moon exhibits phases. Using a sketchbook, digital camera, or flex cam, a student sits at the center of a darkened room illuminated by a single light source in a stationary position. Stools are set up surrounding the student in the center and other students take those positions, always keeping their faces toward the center. The center student sketches or take pictures of the faces at each of the positions. Substituting a sphere (such as a ball) for the students' faces provides an even more vivid illustration of the shadowing of the sphere and connects directly to the rationale for lunar phases.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive
Students measure the relative intensity of a magnetic field as a function of distance. They place a permanent magnet selected distances from a compass, measure the deflection, and use the gathered data to compute the relative magnetic field strength. Based on their findings, students create mathematical models and use the models to calculate the field strength at the edge of the magnet. They use the periodic table to predict magnetism. Finally, students create posters to communicate the details their findings. This activity guides students to think more deeply about magnetism and the modeling of fields while practicing data collection and analysis. An equations handout and two grading rubrics are provided.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
In this activity the temperature of a reaction is monitored for different concentrations of reactants.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Lecture Notes
Where the tropical ocean meets the sea, a peculiar kind of plant thrives in shallow, salty water. These mangrove plants are incredibly important for shoreline protection and baby fish habitats. In this video, Jonathan investigates life in mangroves by visiting both Caribbean and Pacific mangroves. Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.
Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Lesson Plan
This video adapted from NASA explains how a magnetometer determines magnetic fields around planets.
Material Type: Lesson
This is a lesson about determining planetary composition. Learners will use a reflectometer to determine which minerals are present (from a set of knowns) in a sample of Mars soil simulant. Requires the use of ALTA II spectrometers (which may be borrowed from the Lunar and Planetary Institute or purchased online) and Mars soil simulant. The activity is part of Project Spectra, a science and engineering program for middle-high school students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan
