Students learn the meaning of preservation and conservation and identify themselves and others as preservationists or conservationists in relation to specific environmental issues. They use Venn diagrams to clarify the similarities and differences in viewpoints. They see how an environmental point-of-view affects the approach to an engineering problem.

Free Online Math Games, Cool Puzzles, and More. Also check out out language, memory, jigsaw, geography and science games on the site.

These games support student development of the concept of ordered pairs as they play to win each game.

This is a set of three, one-page problems about how astronomers use coordinate systems. Learners will plot a constellation on a coordinate plane and/or plot the route of Mars Science Lab (MSL aka Curiosity) on the surface of Mars. Options are presented so that students may learn about the MSL mission through a NASA press release or about the coordinate plane by viewing a NASA eClips video [7 min.]. This activity is part of the Space Math multi-media modules that integrate NASA press releases, NASA archival video, and mathematics problems targeted at specific math standards commonly encountered in middle school.

An interactive applet and associated web page that describe the concept of the coordinate plane (Cartesian Plane). The applet shows the plane, its axes, origin and related controls. The user can drag a point around and see the coordinates change, and click anywhere to create new points. The origin can be dragged to emphasize or eliminate certain quadrants. The grid, axis pointers and coordinates can be turned on and off. The coordinate display can be turned off to permit class exercises and then turned back on the verify the answers. The applet can be printed as it appears on the screen to make handouts. The web page has a narrative description of the concept. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

A brief refresher on the Cartesian plane includes how points are written in (x, y) format and oriented to the axes, and which directions are positive and negative. Then students learn about what it means for a relation to be a function and how to determine domain and range of a set of data points.

An interactive applet and associated web page that describe the concept of a point in coordinate geometry. The applet show one point initially, but clicking anywhere adds more. As the points are dragged, the coordinates are seen to change. The grid, axis pointers and coordinates can be turned on and off. The coordinate display can be turned off to permit class exercises and then turned back on the verify the answers. The applet can be printed as it appears on the screen to make handouts. The web page has a narrative description of the concept, including the definitions of abscissa, ordinate, coordinates, ordered pair. The applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

An interactive applet and associated web page that demonstrate the concept of coplanar objects - those that lie in the same plane. The applet presents two planes. In one plane there are two rectangles that can be dragged around and which lie in the same plane always. The other is a rectangle that can be dragged but always lies in a plane orthogonal to the first. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

This lesson introduces students to the idea of biomimicry or looking to nature for engineering ideas. Biomimicry involves solving human problems by mimicking natural solutions, and it works well because the solutions exist naturally. There are numerous examples of useful applications of biomimicry, and in this lesson we look at a few fun examples.

An interactive applet and associated web page that provide step-by-step instructions on how to copy a line segment using only a compass and straightedge. The animation can be run either continuously like a video, or single stepped to allow classroom discussion and thought between steps. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

An interactive applet and associated web page that provide step-by-step instructions on how to divide a line segment into any number of equal parts, using only a compass and straightedge. The applet starts with a given line segment and ends with that segment divided into n parts. In the applet n=5, but the construction works for any n. The animation can be run either continuously like a video, or single stepped to allow classroom discussion and thought between steps. The text on the page has printable step-by-step instructions. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

An interactive applet and associated web page that provide step-by-step instructions on how to copy a given triangle using only a compass and straightedge. The animation can be run either continuously like a video, or single stepped to allow classroom discussion and thought between steps. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

This week, Stan Muller teaches you the basics of copyright in the United States. Copyright law is territorial, so we're going to cover the system we know the most about, and that's the US. Stan will talk about what kind of ideas can be copyrighted, who can get a copyright, and what protections the copyright grants. We'll also talk about the always contentious and seemingly ever-growing term of copyright. Stan will also teach you about the low bar for creativity, which means that original work doesn't have to be all that original, and he'll also touch on the problems with copyright in the modern world.

Copyright & Creativity for Ethical Digital Citizens is a full K-12 suite of resources for teaching copyright, fair use, public domain, and Creative Commons. They have free resources for educators, which include:
• in-class lesson plans
• plug-n-play lesson slides
• independent learning videos
• visual aids
• a professional development course for teachers
All resources were developed on a nonprofit basis with input from independent educators, academic copyright experts, and online civil liberties advocates.

Stan Muller teaches you a few things about copyright enforcement, and talks about the exceptions to copyright enforcement. While there are several, the one you've probably heard of is Fair Use, and it's a pretty tricky one. We'll try to explain it, and teach you just why fair use is so loosey goosey.

This lesson takes advantage of students' interest in music and audio sharing. Students investigate multiple perspectives in the music downloading debate and develop a persuasive argument for a classroom debate.