In the third lesson of four on Ancient Greece, students simulate trade between Greek city states and their colonies. The overall goal is for the Greek traders and colonists to travel to new territories, trade resources, and as a result build an empire and spread Hellenistic culture. Through the examination of the goods exchanged, students gain a basic understanding of specialization in the various areas of the Mediterranean Basin. Key questions: Why did the Greeks acquire colonies?; How did Greek culture diffuse throughout the Mediterranean world?; What were the effects of the diffusion of Greek culture?

This is a remix of the Exploratorium Teacher Institute's Agar Cell Diffusion resource. It offers an alternate recipe for the cell blocks using plain gelatin instead of agarose gel.

Link to original resource: https://goopenva.org/courses/agar-cell-diffusion

Movement of ions in and out of cells is crucial to maintaining homeostasis within the body and ensuring that biological functions run properly. The natural movement of molecules due to collisions is called diffusion. Several factors affect diffusion rate: concentration, surface area, and molecular pumps. This activity demonstrates diffusion, osmosis, and active transport through 12 interactive models.

The second of three lessons on Eastern Hemisphere, students learn how physical environment influences human activities. Silk roads connected Europe with China and other areas of East Asia by overland routes. Deserts and mountains posed obstacles for travelers and merchants. Students examine physical maps of the area and determine which routes would best avoid obstacles. They compare the routes they have chosen with the overland and maritime routes of the time period. Key questions: How did physical geography influence the trade routes of the silk roads? Why Europeans traded with China? What are the costs and benefits of cultural interaction?

Third of three lessons on the changing European borders, students learn about diffusion of the Black Death. The spread of the Black Death illustrates interaction as people, goods, and ideas move through both time and space. The Black Death decimated the population of Europe in the 1300s. Key questions: Where did the Black Death originate? How did the Black Death arrive in Europe? How did the Black Death affect life in Europe?

Learn about semipermeable membranes. If you put eggs and sand through a colander, would they both fall through? Probably not. Only the sand would actually pass through the holes of the colander because the eggs are too large. The colander acts as a semipermeable membrane, allowing some materials through but not others. Let's explore some other semipermeable membranes -like what surrounds our cells to help keep our bodies working and healthy. And eggs are like giant cells. They are a perfect thing to use to explore the science of semipermeable membranes, osmosis, and diffusion. We'll even experience a cool chemical reaction when we place an egg in vinegar. What do you think will happen when this chemical reaction is complete? Developed for grades 6-8 and correlated with Virginia Standards of Learning.

The first of two lessons on Islamic Empires, students examine physical maps and assess the possibility of geographic obstacles to the diffusion of Islam. They also explore connections among locations that are incorporated into the succession of empires. Students tie events and locations together through the creation of an annotated map based on selected events. The lesson concludes with an examination of a concentric circle map that provides a rough estimate of distances among the various locations. Key questions: How has physical geography influenced the expansion of the Islamic Empire? Why and how did Islam diffuse so rapidly?

Insert channels in a membrane and see what happens. See how different types of channels allow particles to move through the membrane.