What do plants eat? This unit explores plants and how they make food.
Join Joe as he takes us on a fun investigation into the life of plants. Learn about the types of plants, and how plants survive in their environment. Explore vascular and non-vascular plants through an experiment using the scientific method—and celery! Learn about photosynthesis and dormancy and dive into the parts of plants and pollination. Plants are so important to our lives. Let's get to know them better!
Explore what happens when a force is exerted on a polymeric plastic material. There are many different types of materials. Each material has a particular molecular structure, which is responsible for the material's mechanical properties. The molecular structure of each material affects how it responds to an applied force at the macroscopic level.
Plate tectonics describes how the tectonic plates move due to thermal energy from the mantle. In this activity students will use an online simulation to create a fictional earth. Students will then use their model earth to simulate the various plate tectonic movements, highlighting the location of mountain and volcanic formation during the simulation. Students will then reflect on their simulation and model highlighting the weakness of their model.
The Plate Tectonics module "What will Earth look like in 500 million years?" helps students build a systems view of plate tectonics through focused case studies and interactions with the Seismic Explorer and Tectonic Explorer models. As students explore data about plate boundaries on Earth today, they make connections to what happened in Earth's past. Finally, they use their understanding of how Earth's plate system exists today to make predictions about what Earth may look like in 500 million years.
An interactive to allow for students to visualize what happens at different plate tectonic boundaries. This is a great resource to add to any PowerPoint presentation, reinforcement, or review.
An interactive to allow for students to visualize what happens at different plate tectonic boundaries. This is a great resource to add to any PowerPoint presentation, reinforcement, or review.
Sound is a form of energy that travels in compression waves. Sound is used to communicate thoughts and ideas. The highness and lowness of a sound is called pitch. In this activity, students will create their own instrument that can produce at least two unique pitches. The students will then work independently or with a partner to play a selected school appropriate song that they enjoy listening to using their created instruments. Students will ensure that before playing the song to an audience (the instructor or other classmates) they cite the author or composer of the song verbally and in a written format.
Observe how molecules with hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions move in a mixture of oil and water, and the effects on potential energy.
Explore the role of polarity in the strength of intermolecular attractions. While all molecules are attracted to each other, some attractions are stronger than others. Non-polar molecules are attracted through a London dispersion attraction; polar molecules are attracted through both the London dispersion force and the stronger dipole-dipole attraction. The force of attractions between molecules has consequences for their interactions in physical, chemical and biological applications.
Explore how the types of atoms forming a bond affect the distribution of electrons and overall shape of the molecule.
Pollinators are a vital part of our world and are essential for creating and maintaining habitats that many animals – including us! – rely on for food and shelter. The diversity of pollinators in a particular area is a key indicator of the health of an overall ecosystem. Unfortunately, many pollinators are in trouble, with populations declining significantly around the world. This episode highlights the importance and function of pollinators, with an emphasis on what we can do in our homes and communities to ensure the survival of these important species. For more information and classroom activities, please visit The Wildlife Center of Virginia and VPM UNTAMED websites.
In this group (optional) inquiry lab, students explore the effects of runoff pollution on plants. Part 1 - Observations, Inferences, and Questions*Recommended that the teacher projects the images or prints them in color (if laminated, they can be preserved for future years). In addition, have students work individually first without sharing ideas, then have them share after each section with their group.
In this group (optional) inquiry lab, students explore the effects of runoff pollution on plants. Part 2 - Research*Guiding Questions and Key Provided
In this group (optional) inquiry lab, students explore the effects of runoff pollution on plants. Part 3 - Experimental Design*Sample Provided *Recommended that the students brainstorm types of runoff after their research and each group choose one that is feasible for the classroom environment.
In this group (optional) inquiry lab, students explore the effects of runoff pollution on plants. Part 4 - Write-up*Students use their previous work and data to complete each section of the write-up. They use the guiding documents to construct each part and then can copy them into a single document (provided) or an online journal.
In this group (optional) inquiry lab, students explore the effects of runoff pollution on plants. Rubrics*One rubric can be used for the initial work for the lab, while the other is for the final product (includes self-check before the teacher grades it).
Science Instructional Plans (SIPs) help teachers align instruction with the Science Standards of Learning (SOL) by providing examples of how the content and the scientific and engineering practices found in the SOL and curriculum framework can be presented to students in the classroom.
Many factors influence the success and survival rate of a population of living things. Explore several factors that can determine the survival of a population of sheep in this NetLogo model. Start with a model of unlimited grass available to the sheep and watch what happens to the sheep population! Next try to keep the population under control by removing sheep periodically. Change the birthrate, grass regrowth rate, and the amount of energy rabbits get from the grass to keep a stable population.
Students develop their understanding of the exponential and logistic population growth models by analyzing food poisoning and the recovery of endangered species. Then, students analyze examples where the trends in population size do not match the predictions of the exponential or logistic population growth models because the simplifying assumptions for these models are not true for the population studied. In the final section, students analyze trends in human population size and some factors that have affected and will affect these trends. This activity helps students meet the Next Generation Science Standards.