Mascil Project
Sports Physiology and Statistics
If I want to build up my heart, where should I start? Science scholars use statistics in a sports physiology setting during an insightful experiment. Groups measure resting and active heart rates and develop a scatter plot that shows the...
Serendip
Using Models to Understand Photosynthesis
Is your class in the dark about photosynthesis? Shed some sunlight on an important biological process with a thoughtful activity. After answering questions to help determine their level of knowledge, learners work with chemical equations...
Serendip
Cell Vocabulary Review Game
Can science scholars describe a nucleus without mentioning DNA, or a chloroplast without mentioning the color green? Test their organelle understanding through an exciting card game. Groups take turns guessing the correct organelle or...
Serendip
Photosynthesis Investigation
Can scientists increase the rate of photosynthesis to help clean the air? Scholars complete an experiment determining net photosynthesis. Then, they apply knowledge from the activity to design their own investigations of the factors that...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Drug Adherence and Resistance
The FDA approved more than 25 drugs to treat HIV—and often people must use them in combination. One of the largest challenges with these medications happens due to patient error. Class members use an interactive to learn about drug...
Physics Classroom
Color Filters
Filters provide amusing changes to images in applications other than just Instagram! High school pupils apply their knowledge of colored filters to three different interactive sets of puzzles. They identify light colors that pass through...
Physics Classroom
Color Pigments
Objects contain pigments that selectively absorb a wavelength of light, and our eyes only observe a very small range of these wavelengths. Scholars apply these two facts to three different activities. They identify the pigment in an...
Physics Classroom
If This, Then That: Color
The dress color debate of 2015 taught the importance of understanding how we see light. Scholars view a shirt under two different colored lights and then must predict what color the shirt will appear under a third light. They apply color...
Physics Classroom
Light Intensity
Light intensity varies by the strength of the light bulb as well as the distance to the light bulb. Pupils apply these concepts independently at first. They must solve for the light intensity as either the distance or the wattage of the...
Physics Classroom
Spectrum
Scholars relate each of the colors in the spectrum, except indigo, by comparing their frequencies, wavelengths, and energy levels. Then, they compare each section of the electromagnetic spectrum when considering the same three variables.
Physics Classroom
Total Internal Reflection
Scholars work through three different activities applying their knowledge of total internal reflection (TIR). First, they simply identify which diagrams create TIR and which don't. Next, they match different types of boundary behaviors...
New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 13
The six instructional shifts in this workshop definitely move math and science teachers' understanding of instruction. The workshop, 13th out of a series of 15, asks participants to examine sample tests and to look at how the six...
Physics Classroom
The L.O.S.T. Art of Image Description - Converging Lenses
Magnifying glasses and cameras often use converging lenses, but how do they alter an image? Pupils discover a lens, axis, and object arrow before identifying four characteristics of the resulting image. They label the location,...
Physics Classroom
Law Enforcement - Refraction
Pupils apply their knowledge of refraction to four different sets of challenges. Each of the first three focus on one variable's impact on the direction of bending. The fourth combines variables for greater challenge.
Physics Classroom
The L.O.S.T. Art of Image Description - Curved Mirrors
We see curved mirrors every day in spoons, rear-view mirrors, stores as a safety measure, make-up mirrors, and in novelty stores. Scholars explore the changes to an image based on the curve of the mirror, the location of the image, and...
Physics Classroom
Who Can See Who?
While only briefly mentioned in most Physics books, plane mirrors and their applications offer the basics necessary for future studies. While working through an interactive, pupils demonstrate knowledge of both reflection and its forms....
Physics Classroom
Law of Reflection
Reflection seems simple to understand, but without a complete understanding, pupils struggle with ray diagrams, specular versus diffuse reflection, total internal reflection, and image formation. An engaging interactive provides three...
Kenan Fellows
Sensors in Chemistry
The Environmental Protection Agency monitors sensors to track air pollution and set clean air standards. Enthusiastic young scientists use similar sensors to gather data in their area and then apply the gas laws and conservation of...
PBS
NOVA RNA Lab Lesson Plan
Scholars learn the differences between RNA and DNA through discussion, virtual labs, worksheets, and video quizzes. They build their knowledge of molecular biology with support from video clips and handouts.
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – Soil
Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...
New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 11
You'll C-E-R a difference in classroom achievement after using a helpful lesson. Designed for economics, civics, government, and US history classes, participants practice using the CER model to craft arguments about primary and secondary...
New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 4
Why is it important to use precise language? Participants explore this question in the fourth activity in a series of 15 on effective instruction. Perfect for all content areas, the activity promotes appropriate language choice through...
PBS
RNA VirtuaLab Game
Molecular engineers play with RNA to develop new therapies that could save lives. Young scientists fold RNA into specific shapes using the pairing rules. They apply knowledge about the relative strength of bonds and shape-shifting RNA...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Human Feet Are Strange
Feet are neat! So, if you've already walked the path of examining animal footprints with your class, put them in the shoes of early humans! A well-designed lesson incorporates video, discussion, and hands-on learning to demonstrate how...