This investigation focuses on how electric forces and energy are connected to …
This investigation focuses on how electric forces and energy are connected to molecules. Students will explore various simulations to build their understanding of the relationships among electric forces, energy, and the relative distance of two atoms. They will also explain the energy transfers that occur when molecules form and break using the concept of conservation of energy (developed in previous investigations). This investigation builds towards NGSS PEs MS-PS1-1 and HS-PS1-4.
Students will build upon the model of atomic structure that they developed …
Students will build upon the model of atomic structure that they developed in the previous investigation. In addition, they will explore the forces involved in maintaining an atom's structure and the effect that introduction into an electric field has on electron distribution. Students will extend their conceptual model of electrostatic interactions to include 1) electron transfer as the mechanism for how an object becomes charged and 2) shifting electron distribution to explain how neutral objects can be attracted to both positively and negatively charged objects. This investigation helps build toward NGSS PE(s): HS-PS1-1 and HS-PS1-3.
In this unit, students will explore the issue of ocean acidification by …
In this unit, students will explore the issue of ocean acidification by investigating the effects of increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in air and water, researching the impacts of acidity on living organisms, and developing and revising models of how these components interact. By the end of the unit, models will be used to support student explanations of ocean acidification and to explore and test ideas for decreasing its environmental impact upon Earth's oceans and the organisms that live there. This unit builds toward NGSS PE's: MS-LS2-3 and MS-ESS2-1.
Students will use the Hurricane Explorer model to explain and predict how …
Students will use the Hurricane Explorer model to explain and predict how the path and strength of a hurricane can change due to sea surface temperature, surrounding atmospheric pressure systems, and proximity to land. Students also investigate real-world case studies to consider and articulate factors that influence the risk and impact of hurricanes including scientific factors (winds, flooding) and social factors (people and infrastructure) on a local and regional scale. Finally, students will explore the effect of rising global temperatures on hurricanes and be able to answer the guiding question: How will hurricane risks and impacts change over the next 100 years?
Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are used to produce oil and natural …
Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are used to produce oil and natural gas from non-porous rock formations. Use this model to explore how such wells are drilled and fractured to release methane from a layer of shale. Like every energy-extraction process, there is the potential for contamination. Use the model to explore how contamination of aquifers might happen during the hydraulic fracturing process.
Explore the polar molecule interactions known as hydrogen bonds. Despite the "bond" …
Explore the polar molecule interactions known as hydrogen bonds. Despite the "bond" name, hydrogen bonds are a special type of dipole-dipole interaction. Hydrogen bonds between two molecules (or within portions of a larger molecule) when hydrogen atoms bonded to highly electronegative atoms (such as nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine) interact with electronegative portions of a different molecule or within the same molecule. Hydrogen bonds are particularly important in stabilizing large macromolecules, such as proteins and DNA.
Intermolecular attractions are responsible for everything from the temperatures at which substances …
Intermolecular attractions are responsible for everything from the temperatures at which substances boil to the power of your immune system in recognizing pathogens and the climbing ability of geckos! Feel the strength of London dispersion and dipole-dipole attractions, explore how intermolecular attractions affect boiling point and solubility, and investigate the special role of hydrogen bonds in DNA. Finally, design your own antibody based on intermolecular attractions.
Explore how states of matter are related to the strength of intermolecular …
Explore how states of matter are related to the strength of intermolecular attractions. The three common physical states of matter are solid, liquid and gas. All matter is made up of atoms, which make up molecules. Atoms and molecules can be weakly or strongly attracted to each other. The way that large molecules interact in physical, chemical and biological applications is a direct consequence of the many tiny attractions of the smaller parts.
This investigation introduces students to system dynamics modeling. It assumes that students …
This investigation introduces students to system dynamics modeling. It assumes that students have completed Introduction to Static Equilibrium Modeling as a pre-requisite.
This activity introduces fundamental characteristics of biological macromolecules. It supports the short …
This activity introduces fundamental characteristics of biological macromolecules. It supports the short version of the Lipids and Carbohydrates activity as well as the Proteins and Nucleic Acids activity. This is not a full activity, and is not meant to be used by itself.
The microscopic world is full of phenomena very different from what we …
The microscopic world is full of phenomena very different from what we see in everyday life. Some of those phenomena can only be explained using quantum mechanics. This activity introduces basic quantum mechanics concepts about electrons that are essential to understanding modern and future technology, especially nanotechnology. Start by exploring probability distribution, then discover the behavior of electrons with a series of simulations.
This investigation will introduce students to systems, systems modeling and computational thinking …
This investigation will introduce students to systems, systems modeling and computational thinking using static equilibrium modeling with SageModeler. This (or the 5-day version of this activity) is a pre-requisite for Introduction to Dynamic Modeling. This 2-day version jumps into student modeling more quickly and relies more heavily on the teacher to scaffold concepts of systems, modeling, and SageModeler.
This investigation will introduce students to systems, systems modeling and computational thinking …
This investigation will introduce students to systems, systems modeling and computational thinking using static equilibrium modeling with SageModeler. This (or the 2-day version of this activity) is a pre-requisite for Introduction to Dynamic Modeling. This 5-day version has more scaffolding of the concepts of systems, modeling, and SageModeler built into the student activity, but still requires teacher guidance.
Learn how to graph the inverse of a series of discrete and …
Learn how to graph the inverse of a series of discrete and continuous. Also learn how to determine whether the inverse of a function is also a function.
Watershed Awareness using Technology and Environmental Research for Sustainability (WATERS) The WATERS …
Watershed Awareness using Technology and Environmental Research for Sustainability (WATERS)
The WATERS project is developing and researching a student-centered, place-based, and accessible curriculum for teaching watershed concepts and water career awareness for students in the middle grades. This 10-lesson unit includes online, classroom, and field activities. Students use a professional-grade online GIS modeling resource, simulations, sensors, and other interactive resources to collect environmental data and analyze their local watershed issues. The WATERS project is paving a path to increased access to research-based, open access curricula that hold the potential to significantly increase awareness of and engagement with watershed concepts and career pathways in learners nationwide.
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. The software is licensed under Simplified BSD, MIT or Apache 2.0 licenses. Please provide attribution to the Concord Consortium and the URL https://concord.org.
There are billions of galaxies filled with billions of stars. Each star …
There are billions of galaxies filled with billions of stars. Each star has the potential to have planets orbiting it. Does life exist on some of those planets? Explore the question, “Is there life in space?” Discover how scientists find planets and other astronomical bodies through the wobble (also known as Doppler spectroscopy or radial-velocity) and transit methods. Compare zones of habitability around different star types, discovering the zone of liquid water possibility around each star type. Explore how scientists use spectroscopy to learn about atmospheres on distant planets. You will not be able to answer the module's framing question at the end of the module, but you will be able to explain how scientists find distant planets and moons and how they determine whether those astronomical bodies could be habitable.
What farming practices can maintain good soil quality? Use the model to …
What farming practices can maintain good soil quality? Use the model to compare the effects of different landscapes, different crops, different tillage strategies, and climatic factors on soil quality and erosion rate. Watch the graphs to see how much topsoil is left in each zone and compare the erosion rates. Watch the soil quality indicator in the model to determine how different management plans affect soil quality.
Isaac Newton's famous thought experiment about what would happen if you launched …
Isaac Newton's famous thought experiment about what would happen if you launched a cannon from a mountaintop at a high velocity comes to life with an interactive computer model. You are charged with the task of launching a satellite into space. Control the angle and speed at which the satellite is launched, and see the results to gain a basic understanding of escape velocity.
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