Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes
Adaptations must be made as environments change. This fabulous presentation features Icelandic icefish, a transparent, scaleless specimen that even has colorless blood. Genetics and adaptations concepts are explored as scientists study...
Curated OER
Making a Surface Coating
Students prepare a nonaqueous surface coating by first making a polymeric resin and then adding an organic solvent. There product is a basic varnish that hardens by loss of organic solvent to the air. Students make a simple paint by...
Curated OER
Ready-Set-Tech: When a Volcano Erupts
Wouldn't it be a blast to uncover the science behind volcanic eruptions? Explore, research, and examine the nature of volcanoes with three fun hands-on projects kids will love. First the class takes to the Internet to research volcanoes....
Curated OER
The Basics: Earth Science
Students define terms and watch a segment from a film. In this scientific theory lesson students work in small groups and draft a theory that was discussed in the program.
Teach Engineering
When Silicon Talks
Explore Snell's Law using thin films. In the fifth installment of a seven-part series, pupils solve a set of problems relating to Snell's Law and use this skill during an experiment requiring the collection of reflective measurements...
Center for Learning in Action
Gases
Explore the properties of gases through one activity and two investigations in which super scientists observe the changes gas makes when encountering different conditions.
Curated OER
Allele and Phenotype Frequencies in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations
In the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, some tiny creatures show just how quickly natural selection can turn a mutation into an advantageous adaptation. Watch a video about rock pocket mice, who show that one small change can make all...
Curated OER
Lesson 23: Reproduction - Day 5: Birth Control
Students with mild to moderate disabilities discuss human reproduction and the importance of preventing pregnancy. They review reproductive anatomy, sexual decision making, and what birth control is. The lesson concludes with a...
National Geographic
Mapping the Shape of Everest
With Mount Everest as the motivator, your earth science class learns about topographic maps. Begin by showing a film clip from The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest, featuring fearsome virtual imagery of a path up world's tallest peak....
Curated OER
Systems, UP, Up and Away!
Learners discuss rockets and how they work. Students research basic information about the Space Shuttle. Learners work in collaborative groups creating "rockets" with empty film canisters. Students launch their "rockets" and record...
Curated OER
Energy Agents in Action
Students share information about energy use and conservation. In this energy use lesson, students work as a production team to make an instructional video about basic energy information. They develop a short survey about energy use that...
Curated OER
"You may now enter the Holodeck."
Students study and make a hologram. In this holography mini-unit, students study the science behind holography and in the culminating activity they create their own holograph. This mini-unit includes six lessons and a culminating activity.
Curated OER
The KAO Telescope
Students explore the basic principles of the operation of the NASA's KAO telescope. They construct a simplified model of it using film canisters and other everyday objects. Step by step directions are included in plan.
Curated OER
Thunderbirds: Forces
Students investigate the concepts of thrust and how rockets are launched into the air. They watch a clip of the television show Thunderbirds, and draw a basic diagram of the Thunderbird ships, labeling it with arrows to identify the...
Curated OER
Happiness is A Warm Puppy
Students investigate dog breeds and write a short story from a dog's perspective. In this dog research and writing lesson, students watch the film, "Dog: The Early Years. They apply critical thinking skills to determine which type of dog...
Curated OER
Polarization
Eighth graders study the basic facts of polarization. In this light waves instructional activity students demonstrate some activities illustrating interference patterns.
Curated OER
How does the Amount of Light Affect a Photogram?
Students observe pictures of themselves using film and discuss how they think the image is processed to produce a photograph. They are introduced to photogram paper comparing it to photograph paper but understanding that no film is...
Curated OER
Cloud Observation and Graphing
Students identify the three major cloud groups. They are introduced to the three main cloud types and spend a week making and recording observations of clouds. Students produce a graph that presents their findings and conduct research...
Curated OER
Design a Pollinator
Students make a scientific drawing of a pollinator with at least five traits that make them well adapted to a given plant(s). They describe in their science notebook the adaptations that make their pollinator well suited to a given plant.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lactase Persistence: Evidence for Selection
What's the link between lactase persistence and dairy farming? Biology scholars analyze data to find evidence of the connection, then relate this to human adaptation. Working individually and in small groups, learners view short video...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Stickleback Evolution Virtual Lab
How quickly do animals evolve? Can comparing different samples of the same fossil answer timeline questions? Scholars use virtual labs to examine fossils and learn about stickleback evolution. They compare pelvic morphology in lakes...
Curated OER
Gravimetric Determination of the Nonvolatile Content of Paint
Here are the instructions for leading your advanced chemists though the process of measuring the nonvolatile components in a sample of paint. No student handout is provided, so you may want to create one based on the procedure explained....
Teach Engineering
Show Me the Genes
Give your class a chance to show what they know. In the last installment of a seven-part series, pupils summarize and review what they have learned in the series. They present their solutions for creating a biosensor to detect cancer...
Lawrence Hall of Science
Photolithography
Examine the use of photolithography in the fabrication of circuit boards and other components. An advanced activity teaches pupils a process for transferring a pattern onto a surface. Using UV light and a light reactive substance,...