Students simulate operating an iron mine, from choosing property to writing an environmental impact statement to setting up the mining operation. Chocolate chip cookies (with the chocolate chips representing iron ore) are used for this experiment. Students are challenged to operate the most profitable and environmentally sound mine they can.

In this video from the Science and Technology Chat series, take a tour of a re-created Nevada gold mine to learn about mining techniques.

This video segment, adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, introduces the latest research on a system of neurons that plays a part in how people relate to each other.

In this video segment adapted from Hope in a Changing Climate, learn how an environmentally devastated ecosystem has been restored, benefiting both the local economy and global efforts to fight climate change.

In 4th grade, students will compare and contrast a variety of mixtures including solutions that they can make indoors. In 5th grade students will create mixtures and note the physical properties of each of the ingredients within.

STUDENT ACTIVITY - 4th - TXThis is a distance-learning lesson students can complete at home. The student will compare and contrast a variety of mixtures, including solutions, that they can make outdoors. This activity was created by Out Teach (out-teach.org), a nonprofit providing outdoor experiential learning to transform Science education for students in under-served communities.

Under the Unity and Diversity DCI, students are asked to evaluate data comparing similarities in developing embryos across different organisms. While this is a classic component of understanding evolution, the modern, real-world reason to learn it is to understand the why and how of using model organisms like zebrafish. Students will learn about how model organisms have been used to find treatments to medical problems in the past, how they are used and selected now, and will be able to draw their own conclusions about the similarities among vertebrates vs. other types of animals. This is a stand-alone lesson/investigation but it would be a great bridge between genetics and evolution and could connect to 7th-grade content. This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

This article describes a number of creative projects that incorporate art and literacy skills into a science unit on biomes and ecosystems.

In this lesson, students will demonstrate an understanding of the transfer of matter (energy) in various ecosystems by constructing a model food chain. In the food chain, students must show how an ecosystem provides energy from a producer to the consumers and ending with a decomposer. The students will begin by working in groups to compete with their peers by sorting food chain picture cards (producers, consumers, decomposers of an ecosystem) in the correct order. Students will be assessed at the conclusion of the lesson with a multiple choice exit ticket quiz. This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

IDS.410J Modeling and Assessment for Policy explores how scientific information and quantitative models can be used to inform policy decision-making. Students will develop an understanding of quantitative modeling techniques and their role in the policy process through case studies and interactive activities. The course addresses issues such as analysis of scientific assessment processes, uses of integrated assessment models, public perception of quantitative information, methods for dealing with uncertainties, and design choices in building policy-relevant models. Examples used in this class focus on models and information used in earth system governance.

In this activity, candy models are used to demonstrate the features of the Earth, including its internal structure and layers. Students learn why models are essential in Earth science and answer questions about how their candy models do and do not compare with the actual Earth.

This course introduces the concepts and applications of navigation techniques using celestial bodies and satellite positioning systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS). Topics include astronomical observations, radio navigation systems, the relationship between conventional navigation results and those obtained from GPS, and the effects of the security systems, Selective Availability, and anti-spoofing on GPS results. Laboratory sessions cover the use of sextants, astronomical telescopes, and field use of GPS. Application areas covered include ship, automobile, and aircraft navigation and positioning, including very precise positioning applications.

This lesson is an introduction to the history and use of the scientific concept of the mole.

In this interactive activity from ChemThink, learn about covalent molecules and how the VSEPR theory predicts the shapes of covalently-bonded molecules.

Created by the Concord Consortium, the Molecular Workbench is "a modeling tool for designing and conducting computational experiments across science." First-time visitors can check out one of the Featured Simulations to get started. The homepage contains a number of curriculum modules which deal with chemical bonding, semiconductors, and diffusion. Visitors can learn how to create their own simulations via the online manual, which is available here as well. The Articles area is quite helpful, as it contains full-text pieces on nanoscience education, quantum chemistry, and a primer on how transistors work. A good way to look over all of the offerings here is to click on the Showcase area. Here visitors can view the Featured simulations, or look through one of five topical sections, which include Biotech and Nanotechnology. Visitors will need to install the free Molecular Workbench software, which is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Students will design and conduct an experiment to see how temperature can affect the particle motion of water. The students will test molecular motion in different temperatures of water by adding food coloring to the water and observing the motion of the water molecules. This investigation will allow the students to see the movement of food coloring in water and how an increase or decrease in temperature will affect that movement. This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

This video from Nature features the start of the monarch butterflyŒë_í_Œ_ northward trek.

This video segment follows neurophysiologist Allen Counter as he studies an epidemic of hearing loss in Moriussaq, Greenland, one of the quietest places on Earth. Footage from NOVA: "Mystery of the Senses: Hearing."

This video segment adapted from NOVA relates the dramatic story of vulcanologists trying to predict the timing of the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines.

This interactive activity adapted from A Science Odyssey Web site helps you visualize different types of plate tectonic activity and shows the impact this activity has on Earth's surface.