This illustration shows a close-up of a section of the band of stability and shows the types of decay a radioactive isotope might undergo to become stable.
In this activity, students will learn more about plants by making plaster casts of tree barks to conduct observations of the bark and use the bark patterns to classify and identify trees.
Students will dissect two Barn Owl pellets and compare the data collected from the two pellets. The student worksheets that accompany this lesson require students to: make predictions, perform mathematical calculations, construct a graph, classify bones into types, separate bones by prey type, and draw conclusions about the owl's environment based on the dissection findings.
This experimental activity is designed to develop a basic understanding of the interrelationship between temperature and pressure and the structure of a device made to examine this relationship. Resources needed to conduct this activity include two canning jars, two large rubber balloons, a heat lamp or lamp with 150 watt bulb, and access to freezer or water and ice. The resource includes background information, teaching tips and questions to guide student discussion. This is chapter 5 of Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9. The guide includes a discussion of learning science, the use of inquiry in the classroom, instructions for making simple weather instruments, and more than 20 weather investigations ranging from teacher-centered to guided and open inquiry investigations.
In this activity, the principle of moments is applied to rotating systems to demonstrate the concept of a barycenter, or center of mass, and how objects in orbit around each other move. Students then consolidate this concept by calculating the centre of mass in a number of astronomical contexts.
In this activity, students construct base-two slide rules that add and subtract base-2 exponents (log distances), in order to multiply and divide corresponding powers of two. Students use these slide rules to generate both log and antilog equations, learning to translate one in terms of the other. This is activity C1 in the "Far Out Math" educator's guide. Lessons in the guide include activities in which students measure,compare quantities as orders of magnitude, become familiar with scientific notation, and develop an understanding of exponents and logarithms using examples from NASA's GLAST mission. These are skills needed to understand the very large and very small quantities characteristic of astronomical observations. Note: In 2008, GLAST was renamed Fermi, for the physicist Enrico Fermi.
Students use a simulator to better understand how the positions and motions of the Earth and moon create seasons.
This webpage defines an estuary and provides information about why they are important and how they are being threatened.
CK-12 Basic Physics - Second Edition updates CK-12 Basic Physics and is intended to be used as one small part of a multifaceted strategy to teach physics conceptually and mathematically.
This resource website provides background content information and resources that are helpful to teachers when planning instruction about minerals, rocks, and the rock cycle.
In this activity, students review a study where researchers tested whether bats change their behavior while hunting based on feedback from echolocation. Students will analyze spectograms and corresponding video snapshots which show the physical and acoustic behaviors of bats as they attempt to capture prey and then answer a series of questions based on the data.
This article can be used with the activity "Chemistry in your Bathroom" or independently. In this article students will learn about surfactant, emulsifying agents, and surface tension. This lesson is great for teaching about the difference between hydrophyllic and hydrophobic molecules.
This resource is a part of the Battlefield Earth lesson plan. This resource provides step by step ways for teachers to implement the lesson.
This online module teaches about natural selection and how bacteria can influence natural selection (antibiotic resistance). Dr. Carl Bergstrom manages evolution. From his laboratory at the University of Washington, Carl figures out how to control the evolutionary future of microbe populations, nudging them towards particular destinies and away from others.
Students learn about what is means to be fit, eating well, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight. Text for this article is appropriate for the upper elementary grade levels. A Spanish version of the article and a read-aloud option are also provided on the site.
In this lesson, students discuss and demonstrate the internal structure of the magnet through a kinesthetic activity.
Students will explain the need to reduce the amount of trash they generate, and describe ways in which they can make changes in their actions to support waste reduction.
Explore the ideas and evidence that helped Charles Darwin create his theory of evolution.
Third Grade science unit about inherited traits with a focus on birds.
