Earth System Science (Lab 1): Think Globally, Act Locally

Students are introduced to four major components of the Earth system: the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and pedosphere. They start to apply this knowledge as they visit the local study site to identify elements of these four spheres and infer connections among them. The investigation concludes with students making predictions about ways that a change in the characteristics of one component of their study site might affect the characteristics of other components.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Data Set

Construction of the Cell Membrane

Students will be able to study the structure of the cell membrane by constructing it using the correct molecules. Through building the molecular structure of the cell membrane, the student will learn the makeup and the basis for cell membrane function, as well as identify and locate the membrane porteins of a cell wall.

Material Type: Interactive, Simulation

Author: Barbara Liang

Skeletal System

The purpose of these pages is to quiz your knowledge on the structures of the skeletal system.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Interactive

Author: James Strauss

Heredity Mix n Match

Students randomly select jelly beans (or other candy) that represent genes for several human traits such as tongue-rolling ability and eye color. Then, working in pairs (preferably of mixed gender), students randomly choose new pairs of jelly beans from those corresponding to their own genotypes. The new pairs are placed on toothpicks to represent the chromosomes of the couple's offspring. Finally, students compare genotypes and phenotypes of parents and offspring for all the "couples" in the class. In particular, they look to see if there are cases where parents and offspring share the exact same genotype and/or phenotype, and consider how the results would differ if they repeated the simulation using more than four traits.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Author: Mary R. Hebrank

1964 Alaska Earthquake

This video adapted from the Valdez Museum & Historical Archive, explores what happened during the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 through original footage, first-person accounts, and animations illustrating plate tectonics. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.

Material Type: Lecture

Authors: National Science Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Virtual Plants

Computer simulations of the structural development and growth of individual plants in 3-D space. Students will learn plant structure in an interactive format.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Interactive, Simulation

Author: Jim Hanan

Debris Dilemmas

View the video ̢ĺŰĺĎTrash on the Spin Cycle̢ĺŰĺ to discover what causes huge quantities of garbage to end up on the most remote islands in the world and how this garbage affects wildlife.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Monarch Migration

This video from Nature features the start of the monarch butterflyŒë_í_Œ_ northward trek. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.

Material Type: Lecture

Authors: Canon, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, SC Johnson, WNET

Trucking and Thinking Newton's First Law Of Motion

This activity is a classroom activity where students predict and test Newton's First Law of Motion as it applied to the movement of cargo in the bed of a truck.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Peter Jacobson

Inside the Brain: An Interactive Tour

The human brain is in many ways a fantastic and enigmatic part of the body, and only within the past few decades have scientists begun to understand its many nooks and crannies. When the brain is beset with any number of neurological conditions, it changes in a myriad of ways. This website, provided by the Alzheimer's Association, provides an interactive tour of the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease. The tour contains sixteen interactive slides, and each slide contains informative text that provides background material. The first seven slides contain a bit of background information about the brain, such as what the brain is composed of and how it functions.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Interactive, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Photosynthesis

A learning module on photosynthesis enhanced with colorful graphics, questions for review, and additional links.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Diagram/Illustration, Lecture, Lecture Notes, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: M. J. Farabee

Simple Machines

This is an online activity about simple machines. Learners will try their hand at putting these amazing devices to work. They will use several simple machines to "build" a tree house. This an excellent activity to demonstrate how science-particular, simple machines-are at work in our every day lives.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Diagram/Illustration, Game, Interactive, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: COSI

How do cancer cells behave differently from healthy ones?

This video lesson is on the details of cancer cell growth. How do cancer cells grow? How does chemotherapy fight cancer (and cause negative side effects)? The answers lie in cell division. George Zaidan explains how rapid cell division is cancer’s "strength" -- and also its weakness.

Material Type: Assessment, Lecture, Lecture Notes

Author: George Zaidan

Brain Geography

Which part of your brain controls your ability to swallow? Your instinct to survive? And how do all the brain's parts function cooperatively? Find out with this interactive feature from the NOVA: "Coma" Web site. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive

Authors: National Science Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Reactions in Chemistry

Reactions in Chemistry is an eight-part workshop for the professional development of high school chemistry and physical science teachers. The workshop blends chemistry content, history, and technological applications with a range of classroom lessons to provide teachers with updated knowledge and new approaches to pedagogy. Teachers will see diverse classes doing hands-on lessons and labs and will hear teachers reflect on their own practices. The on-camera teachers meet in roundtable discussions about teaching strategies and the particular challenges of helping students connect the content to their own lives. The programs also present the work of industrial and forensic chemists and researchers.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Lecture, Lesson Plan

Biology: Taxonomy and the Tree of Life

This 13-minute video lesson looks at the science of taxonomy and where humans fit into the tree of life. [Biology playlist: Lesson 62 of 71].

Material Type: Lecture

Authors: Khan, Salman

Are You In Control?

This lesson teaches the engineering method for testing wherein one variable is changed while the others are held constant. Students compare the performance of a single paper airplane design while changing the shape, size and position of flaps on the airplane. Students also learn about control surfaces on the tail and wings of an airplane.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Authors: Alex Conner, Geoffrey Hill, Janet Yowell, Malinda Schaefer Zarske, Tom Rutkowski

Sex Determination: More Complicated Than You Thought

From something as small and complex as a chromosome to something as seemingly simple as the weather, sex determination systems vary significantly across the animal kingdom. Biologist and teacher Aaron Reedy shows us the amazing differences between species when it comes to determination of gender.

Material Type: Lecture, Lesson Plan

Authors: Aaron Reedy, Buzzco Associates

AC / DC: What's the Difference?

This animated essay from the American Experience Web site explains the difference between alternating and direct electric current and offers in-depth explanations about the role played by a battery, light bulb, wire, and generator. Grades 6-12. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive

Authors: National Science Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Rated MPG for Confusion: Using Gas Mileage to Learn Graphing and Data Analysis Skills

This case study follows a family's dilemma about how to save money on gasoline. Should they keep their SUV and trade in their Corolla for a hybrid sedan? Going from 28 (Corolla) to 48 (Hybrid) miles per gallon (MPG) should really save money on gas. That's a change of 20 MPG! Or, should they keep their Corolla and trade in their SUV for a minivan? The SUV gets about 13 MPG while the Minivan gets 17 MPG. Students learn how to analyze fuel efficiency in terms of "gallons per miles" driven instead of miles per gallon, and gain graphing and data analysis skills. An extension activity also relates fuel efficiency to greenhouse gas emissions. The case was developed for use in a high school general science course. It could be adapted for use in introductory physics, chemistry, algebra, or environmental science courses at the high school or college level.

Material Type: Case Study

Authors: Alan Gleue, Carolyn Pearson, Claudia Bode