This article explores how statistics can be interpreted in different ways to …
This article explores how statistics can be interpreted in different ways to yield different conclusions. It describes the outcome and discussion of two class activities. In the first, the results are interpreted to "show" that taking a group rather than an individual perspective is ultimately beneficial to the individual. In the second, a variation is added "showing" that telling the truth is better that lying. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
In this activity, students learn about the advantages of the metric system, …
In this activity, students learn about the advantages of the metric system, by comparing the ease of calculation and conversion between the English and metric systems of measurement. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION, EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE Mission: Maple Leaf …
PHYSICAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION, EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE Mission: Maple Leaf takes you on a journey across time and space! Save the Planet Tontar by helping Ed the Robot complete a series of puzzles by taking a trip through some of Canada’s greatest scientific and technological achievements. Given Canada’s vast and varied landscape, natural resources and diverse population, what can we teach the rest of the universe… and beyond?
ABOUT THE SCIENCE What do computerised braille, the egg carton, pacemakers, AM radio, and snowmobiles have in common? They were all invented in Canada! Thousands of years ago, Canada’s Indigenous community overcame the challenges of how to farm in Canada's climate and how to communicate and trade without a commonly spoken language. They created ways to travel across the landscape, medicines to keep healthy and even games, like the forerunner to lacrosse. As early European settlers came to Canada, they learned from the indigenous People and built upon their ingenuity across the fields of health/medicine, transportation, communications, and agriculture. Back in the Steam Age (1830-1880), Canadians helped to automate the harvesting of crops, and even invented the lightbulb. The Electric Age from 1880-1920 saw a number of world-changing innovations coming from Canadian soil such as the creation of early sonar and radio. The snowmobile, walkie-talkie and electric wheelchair were just some of the inventions of the Automobile Age (1920-1950). The Television Age in 1950-1980 saw Canada making strides in the fields of space exploration and in medicine. During and since the PC Age (1980-2000), computer programming, nanotechnology, high-tech agriculture and virtual reality have benefited from Canada’s expertise. Canadians young and old are still having an amazing and long lasting impact on the world. What’s next?
In this online card game, players prepare five important NASA Earth missions. …
In this online card game, players prepare five important NASA Earth missions. The object of the game is to be the first to complete three of five missions. A mission is completed when all four of its required components have been supplied. Each mission needs a rocket, an orbit, a spacecraft, and a science objective. There are different kinds of each of these components; each mission needs a different combination of the components. The game is based on real NASA Earth missions: Aqua, Aura, CloudSat, IceSat, and Terra.
In this activity, student teams design small-scale physical models of hot and …
In this activity, student teams design small-scale physical models of hot and cold planets, (Venus and Mars), and learn that small scale models allow researchers to determine how much larger systems function. There is both a team challenge and competition built into this activity. Experimental findings are then used to support a discussion of human outposts on Mars. The resource includes an experimental design guide for students as well as a handout outlining a method for the design of controlled experiments, and student data sheets. Student questions and an essay assignment are provided as classroom assessments. This is Activity A in the second module, titled "Modeling hot and cold planets," of the resource, "Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate?" The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.
In this activity, students pose several hypotheses for what will happen if …
In this activity, students pose several hypotheses for what will happen if you continue heating or supplying energy to the hot and cold planet models (Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Earth) and then test their hypotheses using a spreadsheet based radiation balance model. The activity supports investigation of a real world challenge, experimenting with life support conditions for Mars at an Arctic outpost. The interactive model runs are conducted using a Java applet. This resource includes student worksheets, assessment questions and a teacher's guide. This is Activity B in module 2, Modeling hot and cold planets, of the resource, Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.
In this activity, students explore the importance of adequate sampling strategies when …
In this activity, students explore the importance of adequate sampling strategies when conducting a scientific investigation. They are tasked with determining the average temperature of the Earth, using data sets easily found on the Internet, and determine the kind and size of sample necessary to calculate a representative average. The resource includes a student data sheet and an authentic assessment for the module, where students discuss the establishment of a habitation site on Mars. This is Activity C in module 2, titled "Modeling Hot and Cold Planets," of the resource, Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.
The purpose of this kinesthetic activity is for students to learn the …
The purpose of this kinesthetic activity is for students to learn the relative motions of the Earth, Sun and Moon. Awareness of these different motions is needed to develop an understanding of the causes of the day/night cycle, the seasons and the cycle of lunar phases. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
Do you ever wonder how a greenhouse gas affects the climate, or …
Do you ever wonder how a greenhouse gas affects the climate, or why the ozone layer is important? Use the sim to explore how light interacts with molecules in our atmosphere.
In this activity, students compute the strengths of the gravitational forces exerted …
In this activity, students compute the strengths of the gravitational forces exerted on the Moon by the Sun and by the Earth, and demonstrate the actual shape of the Moon's orbit around the Sun. The lesson begins with students' assumptions about the motions of the Moon about the Earth and the Earth about the Sun, and then test their understanding using an experimental apparatus made from a cardboard or plywood disk and rope. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
This module focuses on the population of mountain gorillas living in the …
This module focuses on the population of mountain gorillas living in the central highland area of Africa. The module looks at human activity around the gorilla habitat and how that activity is threatening the survival of the remaining gorillas.
In this activity, students learn about the changing configuration of the continents …
In this activity, students learn about the changing configuration of the continents over geological time resulting from plate tectonics. Using a map pair, students measure the difference in distance between continents 94 million years ago and today, and calculate the speed at which the plates have moved. The resource includes the images and a student worksheet. This is an activity from Space Update, a collection of resources and activities provided to teach about Earth and space. Summary background information, data and images supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site.
Build your own system of heavenly bodies and watch the gravitational ballet. …
Build your own system of heavenly bodies and watch the gravitational ballet. With this orbit simulator, you can set initial positions, velocities, and masses of 2, 3, or 4 bodies, and then see them orbit each other.
This poster highlights a variety of Earth science careers, featuring short biographies …
This poster highlights a variety of Earth science careers, featuring short biographies from 13 NASA Earth explorers, including scientists, engineers, educators and more. The poster also includes information about NASA's unique perspective on the Earth, one educator's story about how he uses NASA Earth science data and materials in his middle school classroom, and a collection of classroom activity suggestions.
The purpose of NASA's Earth Observatory is to provide a freely accessible …
The purpose of NASA's Earth Observatory is to provide a freely accessible publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet. The focus is on Earth's climate and environmental change. The site is divided into six main sections: Data and Images, Features, News, Reference, Missions, and Experiments. The Data and Images, Features, and Reference sections are each subdivided into sections for Atmosphere, Oceans, Land, Life on Earth, and Heat and Energy. The missions section explains all of the current NASA missions, and the Experiments section contains activities related to the topics covered in the other sections. Information provided in these pages includes text, photographs, animations, maps, and datasets. The site also includes a glossary, "ask a scientist" feature, and links to current news stories.
The purpose of NASA's Earth Observatory is to provide a freely-accessible publication …
The purpose of NASA's Earth Observatory is to provide a freely-accessible publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet. The specific focus of this Earth Observatory website is natural hazards. Earth scientists around the world use NASA satellite imagery to better understand the causes and effects of natural hazards. The goal in sharing these images is to help people visualize where and when natural hazards occur, and to help mitigate their effects. Natural hazards that are emphasized include dust and smoke, wildfires, floods, severe storms, and volcanoes. In addition, each week the site highlights major natural hazard events occurring around the globe. Links to satellite imagery and informational text concerning the natural hazard and image interpretation are included. The site also offers a link to unique imagery, such as earthquakes, droughts, and landslides, and features the latest unique imagery events around the globe.
This collection of visualizations was made from Landsat imagery. Many of these …
This collection of visualizations was made from Landsat imagery. Many of these visualizations are designed to show changes in our environment through time. Subjects include glacial retreat, urban growth, landforms and coastlines, floods, fires, deforestation, volcanism, and others.
A study of the geology of Mars should reveal answers to such …
A study of the geology of Mars should reveal answers to such questions as how Mars developed into the planet we see today and what accounts for the differences and similarities between Earth and Mars. Visitors to this site can learn about ancient magnetism recently discovered by the Mars Global Surveyor that suggests the planet was once more dynamic and Earth-like with a magnetic field shielding the surface from cosmic radiation. They can read about the importance of studying the age and composition of Martian rocks, particularly those rocks and minerals which might have been formed in the presence of water. This is part of NASA's presentation of four science goals for its Mars Exploration Program, a science-driven effort to discover whether Mars was, is, or can be, a habitable world.
This is a hands-on lab activity about the composition of salt. Learners …
This is a hands-on lab activity about the composition of salt. Learners will explain the general relationship between an element's Periodic Table Group Number and its tendency to gain or lose electron(s), and explain the difference between molecular compounds and ionic compounds. They will then use household materials to build a model to demonstrate sodium chloride's cubic form and describe the nature of the electrostatic attraction that holds the structure of salt together. Background information, common preconceptions, a glossary and more is included. This activity is part of the Aquarius Hands-on Laboratory Activities.
Navigational tools and methods of early voyagers provide the background and contrast …
Navigational tools and methods of early voyagers provide the background and contrast to the satellite images and models used today. Students complete mapping activities based on historical data from Columbus and Blith. Students will also use a computer model of ocean currents to investigate the movement of objects drifting on the ocean surface. Note that this is lesson one of five on the Ocean Motion website. Each lesson investigates ocean surface circulation using satellite and model data and can be done independently. See Related URL's for links to the Ocean Motion Website which provide science background information, data resources, teacher material, student guides and a lesson matrix.
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