Freshwater Ecosystems
with Specimens

Use inquiry and scientific practices to observe a fresh water organism and determine its needs for survival. Work in the field to develop an understanding of the biotic (macro invertebrates) and abiotic (water chemistry) factors which affect the stability of an ecosystem. In addition students will demonstrate their ability to gather and organize data electronically as well as apply scientific information in order to support a position about the quality of the fresh water ecosystem.

Predator/Prey
Interactions

Investigates migratory birds and the impacts of habitat fragmentation on nest location and rearing young among predators. You'll conduct your own investigation of what makes the most successful nesting habitats and report on your findings. There is also an extension activity exploring how populations within an ecosystem change and depend on each other

Investigating Electromagnetism

Investigates migratory birds and the impacts of habitat fragmentation on nest location and rearing young among predators. You'll conduct your own investigation of what makes the most successful nesting habitats and report on your findings. There is also an extension activity exploring how populations within an ecosystem change and depend on each other.

Sleuthing Through the
Rock Cycle (1)

SherRock Holmes and the Case of the Mystery Rock Samples

Sleuthing Through the
Rock Cycle (2)

SherRock Holmes and the Case of the Changing Rocks

How Do You Know What
the Stars are Made of?

Investigation how detailed observations of light from distant stars can tell us a large variety of information about them.

Can You Orbit a
Black Hole?

Students explore gravity's impacts in the forms of escape velocities and Kepler's Laws. Using these concepts black holes and some of their unique properties are explored, culminating with students determining the mass of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Modeling Earthquakes in the Lab

Explore the possibility of predicting earthquakes using a model of slipping and sticking tectonic plates called the "earthquake machine."

The Inverse Square Law and the Scale of the Universe

This sequence explores how light can also be used to determine distances, focusing on Cepheid variables as standard candles. In addition to using the inverse square law of light, the Doppler effect is described to determine the speed of an object. Student observations of both of these phenomena in distant galaxies lead to their discovery Hubble's Law and the expansion of the Universe.

Explore how we make measurements of distant objects, objects so far away and so large that we can't measure them directly and have to use geometry and indirect measurements. This sequence is designed to introduce the use of angles to measure distances to nearby astronomical objects only.

Using geometrical measurements, students replicate ancient experiments (using some modern technology) to determine the sizes of the Earth, Sun, and Moon along with the distances to the Sun and Moon.

Freshwater Ecosystems In Class

Use inquiry and scientific practices to observe a fresh water organism and determine its needs for survival. Work in the classroom to develop an understanding of the biotic (macro invertebrates) and abiotic (water chemistry) factors which affect the stability of an ecosystem. In addition students will demonstrate their ability to gather and organize data electronically as well as apply scientific information in order to support a position about the quality of the fresh water ecosystem.

Biomes and Climate

Investigate the differences and meanings of biomes, and how changes in our environment can change biomes endangering the plants and animals that live there.

Predator/Prey Interactions Nest Experiment

Conduct your own investigation of what makes the most successful nesting habitats and report on your findings.

Predator/Prey Interactions Population Dynamics

An extension activity exploring how populations within an ecosystem change and depend on each other.

Predator/Prey Interactions Human Impacts

Investigates migratory birds and the impacts of habitat fragmentation on nest location and rearing young among predators.

Conservation of Energy

This Sequence is on the Law of Conservation of Energy. Two of the activities involve using applets from PhET and two use probes (position and force). Two of these activities involve investigating energy in a spring system and two involve energy in a gravitational system both ignoring and involving friction effects.

Measuring Beyond the Moon to the Stars

This Sequence will explore how astronomers can use simple measurements of distances and motions to discover and study the distances to moons, planets, and stars. Through a set of modular activities we begin with geometrical distance measurements on Earth and build out to astronomical distances.

Plate Tectonics

Delve into plate tectonics and the forces that both shape our Earth and lead to ground-shaking disasters.

Predator/Prey Interactions (Overall)

Investigates migratory birds and the impacts of habitat fragmentation on nest location and rearing young among predators. You'll conduct your own investigation of what makes the most successful nesting habitats and report on your findings. There is also an extension activity exploring how populations within an ecosystem change and depend on each other.

Radioactivity

Investigates Radioactivity

Seasons

An inquiry into the causes of the seasons, including concepts of planetary tilt, day length, intensity of sunlight, and Sun-Earth distance.

Understanding Motion (Part 1)

Introduces students to graphs of simple motion. Students use position vs. time graphs to understand and calculate the velocity. The difference between speed and velocity is also introduced.

Understanding Motion (Part 2)

Students explore motion with constant acceleration by looking at position vs. time and velocity vs. time graphs for objects rolling up and down a ramp, freely falling objects and objects falling with air resistance.