In this activity, students explore the effect of chemical erosion on statues …
In this activity, students explore the effect of chemical erosion on statues and monuments. They use chalk to see what happens when limestone is placed in liquids with different pH values. They also learn several things that engineers are doing to reduce the effects of acid rain.
Students are introduced to the concept of engineering biological organisms and studying …
Students are introduced to the concept of engineering biological organisms and studying their growth to be able to identify periods of fast and slow growth. They learn that bacteria are found everywhere, including on the surfaces of our hands. Student groups study three different conditions under which bacteria are found and compare the growth of the individual bacteria from each source. In addition to monitoring the quantity of bacteria from differ conditions, they record the growth of bacteria over time, which is an excellent tool to study binary fission and the reproduction of unicellular organisms.
This lesson is one to two hours long. It assumes students have …
This lesson is one to two hours long. It assumes students have already learned the basics of molecules and atoms. Using manipulatives, students learn what a balanced equation looks like and how to balance an equation. Additional links are included.There is a teacher plan and a student handout.Materials: colored marshmallows/gumdrops/paper circles (at least 4 colors), toothpicks or spaghetti sticks, napkins optional.
The assignment pre-tests student understanding of the CCD, lysocline, calcareous ooze, and …
The assignment pre-tests student understanding of the CCD, lysocline, calcareous ooze, and the deposition of marine sediments near mid-ocean ridges and ocean basins.
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This lesson plan is written around a brief role-play in which students …
This lesson plan is written around a brief role-play in which students learn about and act out plants and animals in a salt marsh habitat as the tides change.
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Bitesize, animated videos covering many chemical reactions topics, organised into these chapters: …
Bitesize, animated videos covering many chemical reactions topics, organised into these chapters: rates of reactions, equilibrium, redox, electrolysis and energetics through engaging, bitesize animated videos.
This kit is a historical overview of American representations of chemicals from …
This kit is a historical overview of American representations of chemicals from the three sisters to the Love Canal. It compares conflicting constructions about nuclear reactor safety, depleted uranium, Rachel Carson and DDT. Through analyzing diverse historic and contemporary media messages, students understand changing public knowledge, impressions and attitudes about chemicals in the environment.
To increase students' awareness of possible invisible pollutants in drinking water sources, …
To increase students' awareness of possible invisible pollutants in drinking water sources, students perform an exciting lab requiring them to think about how solutions and mixtures exist even in unsuspecting places such as ink. They use alcohol and chromatography paper to separate the components of black and colored marker ink. Students witness first-hand how components of a solution can be separated, even when those individual components are not visible in solution.
This activity is designed to introduce students to the way in which …
This activity is designed to introduce students to the way in which thermohaline circulation and the biological pump influence the distribution of nutrients, oxygen, carbon, and radiocarbon in the Atlantic vs. Pacific Oceans.
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Students are briefly introduced to Maxwell's equations and their significance to phenomena …
Students are briefly introduced to Maxwell's equations and their significance to phenomena associated with electricity and magnetism. Basic concepts such as current, electricity and field lines are covered and reinforced. Through multiple topics and activities, students see how electricity and magnetism are interrelated.
The students participate in many demonstrations during the first day of this …
The students participate in many demonstrations during the first day of this lesson to learn basic concepts related to the forms and states of energy. This knowledge is then applied the second day as they assess various everyday objects to determine what forms of energy are transformed to accomplish the object's intended task. The students use block diagrams to illustrate the form and state of energy flowing into and out of the process.
Students learn about the periodic table and how pervasive the elements are …
Students learn about the periodic table and how pervasive the elements are in our daily lives. After reviewing the table organization and facts about the first 20 elements, they play an element identification game. They also learn that engineers incorporate these elements into the design of new products and processes. Acting as computer and animation engineers, students creatively express their new knowledge by creating a superhero character based on of the elements they now know so well. They will then pair with another superhero and create a dynamic duo out of the two elements, which will represent a molecule.
Simple budgets may be used to estimate the exchange of water in …
Simple budgets may be used to estimate the exchange of water in embayments that capitalize on the concept of steady state and conservation principals. This is especially true for bays that experience a significant exchange of freshwater. This exchange of freshwater may reduce the average salt concentration in the bay compared to seawater if it involves addition of freshwater from rivers, R, and/or precipitation, P. Alternatively, it may increase the average salt concentration in the bay compared to seawater if there is relatively little river input and high evaporation, E. Since freshwater input changes the salt concentration in the bay, and salt is a conservative material, it is possible to combine two steady state budgets for a bay, one for salt and one for water, to solve for the magnitude of the water flows that enter and exit the bay mouth. Students will make actual calculations for the inflow and outflow of water to Puget Sound, Washington and the Mediterranean Sea and compare them to actual measured values.
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In this computer lab, students use satellite imagery, daylength information, and phytoplankton …
In this computer lab, students use satellite imagery, daylength information, and phytoplankton physiology models to calculate annual primary production for an assigned ocean region.
Satellite data is obtained from the NASA Earth Observation website. Students use the analysis tool to determine chlorophyll concentration and sea surface temperature. They also receive a day-length calculator and are asked to model light transmission through the water column. Using step-by-step instructions and proviede equations relating phytoplankton physiology to irradiance and temperature students calculate carbon uptake at discreet locations in the water column. The second half of the exercise involves scaling up to the entire water column, region, and season. Students present their work to the class and evaluate their result using scientific literature. Differences between regions are then discussed by the class.
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The purpose of this brief (~15 minutes) activity is for students to …
The purpose of this brief (~15 minutes) activity is for students to directly observe some of the unique properties of water that are the result of hydrogen bonds, such as capillary action, adhesion, cohesion, and surface tension. Students will compare the behavior of water to that of vegetable oil, a non-polar liquid. I have created an activity handout that can either be given to directly to the students or used as a guide by the instructor. It includes vocabulary terms and a discussion "answer key" that should be edited if given directly to students. There is also an "extension activity" that addresses the concept of immiscible solutions.
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This hands-on activity explores five different forms of erosion (chemical, water, wind, …
This hands-on activity explores five different forms of erosion (chemical, water, wind, glacier and temperature). Students rotate through stations and model each type of erosion on rocks, soils and minerals. The students record their observations and discuss the effects of erosion on the Earth's landscape. Students learn about how engineers are involved in the protection of landscapes and structures from erosion. Math problems are included to help students think about the effects of erosion in real-world scenarios.
During this lab, students learn about the life cycle of corals, including …
During this lab, students learn about the life cycle of corals, including how they grow and reproduce. Students consider the chemistry of seawater and the importance of the symbiotic relationship between corals and zooxanthellae in the formation of coral reefs. They blow CO2 through calcium hydroxide (limewater) to model how respiration assists coral in precipitating calcium carbonate. Students also build on the coral polyp models they made in Lab 2 to demonstrate coral growth, reproduction, and reef formation.
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Corals, like other living animals, require a particular range of environmental conditions …
Corals, like other living animals, require a particular range of environmental conditions to survive. In this lab, students examine sea surface temperature, depth, salinity, and aragonite saturation data to discover coral reefs' favored environments.
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In the previous lab, students explored the characteristics of the ocean environment …
In the previous lab, students explored the characteristics of the ocean environment in which coral reefs thrive. Unfortunately,there are a number of factors, both natural and anthropogenic (resulting from human activities), that can alter the ocean environment and threaten the health of coral reef ecosystems. In this activity, students will examine the three main factors that disrupt corals.
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This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by …
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:
"Sponges are a diverse group of aquatic animals with porous bodies that produce a vast array of natural products, some with important medicinal properties, but their porous body structure also provides ample habitat for symbiotic microorganisms, which can account for up to 35% of their total body weight. Previous studies looking at the unique natural products produced by sponges have rarely taken this close relationship into account, making the extent to which microorganisms actually produce them unclear. To fill this gap, a team of researchers identified the chemical compounds found in the tissues of six sponge species from the Great Barrier Reef and their symbiotic microbes. Several compounds with potential roles in competition and defense against intruding organisms and oxidative stress were specifically attributed to the microbial cells, while the compounds produced by the sponge tissues may provide nutrients to the symbiotic microorganisms and aid in sponge defense..."
The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.
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