In this lesson, students investigate whether other parts of the world are changing and getting hotter just like Colorado.
This video segment adapted from NOVA features a variety of scientific perspectives on the age old question, "Are we alone in the universe?" Animations make vivid the improbability that we could intercept a radio wave signaling extra terrestrial intelligence.
The year is 2032 and your class has successfully achieved a manned mission to Mars! After several explorations of the Red Planet, one question is still being debated: "Is there life on Mars?" The class is challenged with the task of establishing criteria to help look for signs of life. Student explorers conduct a scientific experiment in which they evaluate three "Martian" soil samples and determine if any contain life.
SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students discover how climate change could be making extreme winter weather worse.
SCIENTIST NOTES: This is a great lesson that explains key drivers of winter storms. Students will learn about the polar vortex and lake effect snow and how they influence the jet stream, air circulation, and polar and mid-latitude climates. The cascading effect is worrisome, especially in vulnerable communities. The class activity will inspire students to communicate ways communities could respond to these weather events. The videos, materials, charts, and datasets embedded in the lesson were fact-checked, and this lesson has passed our science review process.
POSITIVES:
-Connecting climate change and extreme winter weather can feel counterintuitive, which will challenge students' critical thinking skills.
-The lesson provides many opportunities for students to share ideas with their peers.
-This lesson can be taught in an environmental science class.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Advertisements may play before some of the videos.
-Students should be familiar with climate change, the difference between weather and climate, and the various types of extreme weather.
-Teachers should make it clear that on average, global temperatures are rising even if there is sometimes more extreme cold and snowy weather.
-Teachers should make sure students understand that this lesson is not about if anthropogenic climate change is real. Instead, this lesson is looking at the specific connections between climate change and the polar vortex and lake effect snow.
DIFFERENTIATION:
-For students who may need more support in the Investigate section, classes can create their explanations of the polar vortex and lake effect snow together.
-This lesson could be split over two class periods. In the first class, students would complete the Inquire section and the first half of the Investigate section about the polar vortex. In the second class, students would complete the second half of the Investigate section about lake effect snow and the Inspire section.
This activity engages students in learning about ways to become energy efficient consumers. Students examine how different countries and regions around the world use energy over time, as reflected in night light levels. They then track their own energy use, identify ways to reduce their individual energy consumption, and explore how community choices impact the carbon footprint.
Students will complete this survey that determines their personal and household contributions to atmospheric Carbon dioxide by using information about their previous year's consumption. They will understand that Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas produced by the combustion of fossil fuels, and that its production can be minimized by taking personal steps to conserve.
Are Southern Hemisphere seasons more severe because of the eccentricity in Earth's orbit? Created by Sal Khan.
This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:
"It’s a feared moment for every scientist: the discovery that years of painstaking research has led to results that can't be repeated. Many think that poorly characterized antibodies have contributed to this reproducibility crisis more than any other laboratory tool. A new study published in Molecular Cell supports this hypothesis, at least in the context of chromatin immunoprecipitation. Although accurate ChIP interpretation depends on near-perfect antibody specificity, the report shows that many of these reagents are far less capable than their advertising suggests, which calls into question several widely accepted paradigms on genomic regulation. The study focused on histone post-translational modifications; specifically all three methylation states of lysine 4 on histone H3. Through ChIP experiments, H3K4 methylation has been strongly linked to transcriptional control..."
The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.
Argon
The bag itself was immediately recognizable in that the ALSJ long has had a page devoted to what the astronauts referred to as a McDivitt Purse.
Artists are often particularly keen observers and precise recorders of the physical conditions of the natural world. As a result, paintings can be good resources for learning about ecology. Teachers can use this lesson to examine with students the interrelationship of geography, natural resources, and climate and their effects on daily life. It also addresses the roles students can take in caring for the environment. Students will look at paintings that represent cool temperate, warm temperate, and tropical climates.
In this lesson students will: Identify natural resources found in particular geographic areas; Discuss ways in which climate, natural resources, and geography affect daily life; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists have made in their representations of the natural world; Make personal connections to the theme by discussing ways they can be environmental stewards; Identify natural resources found in particular geographic areas; Discuss ways in which climate, natural resources, and geography affect daily life; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists have made in their representations of the natural world; Make personal connections to the theme by discussing ways they can be environmental stewards.
Coloring sheets provited by NASA.
An activity book all about the Artemis mission.
This unit, in which students prepare to observe arthropods in their field site's different microhabitats, helps set the stage for a discussion on the ramifications of habitat loss. It's designed to be completed in four or more sessions and has comprehensive curriculum materials for teachers, including activity tips and an overview of the microhabitats in a temperate forest. The unit is designed to answer the following two target questions. What microhabitats exist at our site? Do different arthropods occur in different microhabitats?
Students learn how forces are used in the creation of art. They come to understand that it is not just bridge and airplane designers who are concerned about how forces interact with objects, but artists as well. As "paper engineers," students create their own mobiles and pop-up books, and identify and use the forces (air currents, gravity, hand movement) acting upon them.
Grade level: graduate students, advanced undergrads, persons with analyzed research results
Course length: 1 semester, 4-6 months
Objective: This course empowers scientists to engage with their own data, each other, and the public through art. Through collective brainstorming, prototyping, and feedback from professional artists, students will create a project that expresses their own research through any artistic medium of their choice. The course typically culminates in a public art exhibition where students interact with a general audience to discuss their research, art, and what it means to be a scientist.
In this book, Sanjoy Mahajan shows us that the way to master complexity is through insight rather than precision. Precision can overwhelm us with information, whereas insight connects seemingly disparate pieces of information into a simple picture. Unlike computers, humans depend on insight. Based on the author's fifteen years of teaching at MIT, Cambridge University, and Olin College, The Art of Insight in Science and Engineering shows us how to build insight and find understanding, giving readers tools to help them solve any problem in science and engineering. (Description courtesy of MIT Press.)
Nebraska Honors Program
CLC Expanded Learning Opportunity Clubs
Arts Around the World Club Curriculum
Spring 2019
Grade Level: Kindergarten through second grade
Ideal Number of Attendees: 7-15 students
Goal of Club: Increase the cultural and global awareness of students
Resources: Various Pinterest ideas
Content Areas: Social Studies and Arts
Final Products: Weekly crafts that are related to the country being studied
Introduction to Club: This Arts Around the World club introduces students to other countries
and cultures through engaging crafts
Length of Club: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Tips and Tricks: Have extra activities (such as coloring pages or worksheets) available for
children who finish at a faster pace, and watch for students who are becoming distracted.
This article discusses how to use murals as an interdisciplinary, cooperative activity to blend science, art, and math concepts.
This article and slide show from the New York Times, features several scientists from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, who study the effects of thawing permafrost in Alaska.