Using students' step length to understand the relationship between distance, speed and acceleration. Includes graphing of data and interpretation of graphs.
The information presented in each ActionBioscience.org article has been correlated to the U.S. National Science Education Standards (NSES). Articles may be listed below in more than one category of the standards and educators may determine other curricular applications for the articles.
Although there is a great deal of historical information about aerodynamics that could be discussed here, we purposely narrowed the stream of resources to those that encourage students to experiment with technological design and function.
Welcome to the exciting world of aeronautics. The term aeronautics originated in France, and was derived from the Greek words for “air” and “to sail.” It is the study of flight and the operation of aircraft. This educator guide explains basic aeronautical concepts, provides a background in the history of aviation, and sets them within the context of the flight environment (atmosphere, airports, and navigation).
The activities in this guide are designed to be uncomplicated and fun. They have been developed by NASA Aerospace Education Services Program specialists, who have successfully used them in countless workshops and student programs around the United States. The activities encourage students to explore the nature of flight, and experience some real-life applications of mathematics, science, and technology.
The subject of flight has a wonderful power to inspire learning.
"Apples to Atoms" is a collection of activities focused on important concepts underlying nanoscience, developed for middle school science and math students. Each of the four chapters (Size and Scale, Measurement, Microscopy, and Surface Area to Volume Ratios) contains a series of linked activities, and readings which provide context for the concepts developed in the activities. Suggested assessment items are also included. The chapters are inter-related, but are designed so they may be taught independently or in any order.
Atmosphere Applet: This program lets you study how the properties of the atmosphere change with altitude. You can study the atmosphere of either the Earth or Mars. The equations used in this program are taken from the ICAO standard day model for the Earth and from some curve fits of the Martian atmosphere gathered by the Global Surveyor spacecraft. Using the airplane graphic you can select an altitude, or you can type an altitude into the input box.
The program instantly outputs a selected property and displays the local temperature and pressure on gauges You can output the temperature, pressure, density, local speed of sound, Mach number for specified velocity, or the ratio of aircraft lift to the lift on Earth at sea level. Input and output can be given in either English or metric units.
We use motion detectors and a bowling ball to find relationships velocity, mass, and energy.
Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears is an online professional development magazine which focuses on preparing elementary teachers to teach polar science concepts while also integrating inquiry-based science and literacy instruction. The project draws on research showing that an integrated approach can improve student achievement in science, as well as in reading comprehension and oral and written discourse abilities. Ultimately, the project seeks to bring the polar regions “closer to home” for elementary teachers and their students.
Students become familiar with lunar phases by locating and then graphing the Moon phase of their own birthdays. After listening and discussing lunar myths and legends they create their own Birthday Moon Stories.
A 90 minute laboratory experiment utilizing observations and reasoning regarding the Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy.
Students investigate whether a bowling ball will float or sink in an aquarium of water after measuring the ball and determining the density. This is meant to be an investigative inquiry of the concepts of density and significant figures.
Students plot and analyze NASA data to determine the period of an invisible planet orbiting a wobbling star.
The Chemical Industries resource pack is a set of curriculum-aligned resources for physical science teachers. It covers the petrochemical, fertiliser, chloralkali, and battery industries, and their links to electrochemistry, chemical equilibrium, and other sections in the science syllabus. The pack contains animations, practical videos, quizzes, worksheets and answers, posters, and a detailed periodic table.
The resources selected for this publication will help your students understand chemistry at work, using examples that will spark their interest. A basic understanding of chemistry concepts and terminology will prepare them for more abstract studies.
This is a laboratory exercise designed to allow students to further investigate the light spectrum. This lab is used to have students view the light spectrum first hand as opposed to using lecture alone.
This lab activity is designed to allow students to experience what an increase in mechanical advantage means. Students determine the mechanical advantage of three pulley set-ups. Students also measure the work input and output, then calculate the efficiency. Finally, students determine the relationship between the mechanical advantage and the efficiency of the pulleys.
Successful completion of this cooperative learning activity requires the active involvement of the individual, the small group and the entire classroom (collaboration). The goal is to make a simple task as complicated as possible by constructing a single complex machine.
This site, maintained by the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wyoming, contains four QuickTime videos of actual crystal growth. To access the videos, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on any of the downloads that are available. These videos enhance understanding of the processes involved in crystallization.
In this short lab, students observe the movement of an air bubble in a small level, attached to a toy truck, as it is moved from a stop, to a steady speed and back to a stop. This gives a visual to the concepts positive acceleration, zero acceleration and negative acceleration.
This magnetism teacher’s guide is one of four activity guides—plus a background guide for teachers—that provide students with the opportunity to build on science concepts related to Earth’s magnetism and its changes, as detected by THEMIS magnetometers located in schools across the U.S. The four activity guides have been used in different types of classes, from physical science and physics classes, to geology classes and astronomy classes. The excitement of actually participating in the THEMIS project helps motivate the students to learn challenging physical science concepts.
The background guide for teachers, the THEMIS GEONS Users Guide describes the important role that terrestrial magnetism plays in shaping a number of important Earth systems. It also explains the basic operating principles behind magnetometers—particularly the system you are now in the process of using to investigate magnetic storms at your school.
Earth’s Magnetic Personality is the fourth and final guide, which was developed with the goal that students can work directly with the THEMIS magnetometer data. The guide covers vectors, the x-y-z magnetometer plots, creating a prediction for aurora using the magnetometer data, calculating the total magnetic field strength and observing it over months, and the waves in Earth’s magnetic field excited by large magnetic storms.
