This is a lesson about visual spectra. Learners will explore different ways of displaying visual spectra, including colored "barcode" spectra, like those produced by a diffraction grating, and line plots displaying intensity versus color, or wavelength. Students learn that a diffraction grating acts like a prism, bending light into its component colors. The activity is part of Project Spectra, a science and engineering program for middle-high school students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System.

Students are introduced to different ways of displaying visual spectra, including colored "barcode" spectra, like those produced by a diffraction grating, and line plots displaying intensity versus color, or wavelength. Students learn that a diffraction grating acts like a prism, bending light into its component colors.

Students simulate disease transmission by collecting data based on their proximity to other students. One option for measuring proximity is by having Bluetooth devices "discover" each other. After data is collected, students apply graph theory to analyze it, and summarize their data and findings in lab report format. Students learn real-world engineering applications of graph theory and see how numerous instances of real-world relationships can be more thoroughly understood by applying graph theory. Also, by applying graph theory the students are able to come up with possible solutions to limit the spread of disease. The activity is intended to be part of a computer science curriculum and knowledge of the Java programming language is required. To complete the activity, a computer with Java installed and appropriate editing software is needed.

Students examine their schoolyard for litter and graph its spread. Using TIGed Collaborations, your students can share their results with other students around the world and discuss what the causes might be for any differences.

This task addresses an important issue about inverse functions. In this case the function f is the inverse of the function g but g is not the inverse of f unless the domain of f is restricted.

This task requires students to recognize the graphs of different (positive) powers of x. There are several important aspects to these graphs. First, the graphs of even powers of x all open upward as x grows in the positive or negative direction. The larger the even power, the flatter these graphs look near 0 and the more rapidly they increase once the distance of x from 0 excedes 1.

This exploration can be done in class near the beginning of a unit on graphing parabolas. Students need to be familiar with intercepts, and need to know what the vertex is.

In the summer of 2015, filmmaker Scott Parker travelled to the great plains of southern Saskatchewan to produce 10 short documentary films based on community-generated ideas. Subjects, themes, even interview questions were all selected using significant community input, and each film was screened with the participants for their feedback and final approval.

It is important to think about all of the things in our life that we can be grateful for. So often we tend to focus on the negative things in our life and forget about all the blessings we have each and every day. Our blessings do not need to be huge to make us appreciate our lives. They can be as small as: a smile from someone, hot chocolate, our pet greeting us at the door, a cozy blanket, a visit from a friend.
Focusing on the good things we have in our life, instead of the challenges we face, can change our perspective to being more positive. When we have a positive outlook on life, life is automatically better!
Some things we can do to help us see the positives in our life are:
- Write in a Gratitude Journal - Take a few minutes each day to write down 4 or 5 good things about your day.
- Write a letter - Think about someone who is important in your life. Write down all of the things that you appreciate about them. Then deliver the letter to that person and enjoy their reaction.
- Visit Someone you Appreciate – Spend some time with someone you like and let them know all the reasons why you like them.
- Use Your Manners – Being polite to others by saying “Thank you,” “Sorry,” “Your welcome” or “That was nice of you” can drastically change how others feel about you, and thus make you feel better about yourself. Being kind to others is as important as being kind to ourselves.
- Take a Gratitude Walk – Go for a walk and make a special effort to appreciate everything you see, hear, smell, taste and touch.

The following is a journal for gratitude. It can be printed off for students to fill out. It includes gratitude, happiness, being grateful, etc.

This is a gratitude journal that your students can use to help build an understanding of themselves.

This journal was created by Sue Mills, a Sun West Counselor, to help us find the good in everyday.

Time can seem to go very fast and we forget the little things that make us happy. This activity can help you be mindful of all the things that we are grateful for. Make a paper chain to decorate your home or classroom.

Gratitude Prompts & Resources
As one of the 9 Character Development traits within the CharacterStrong PurposeFull People (elementary) curriculum, enjoy these resources & activities centered on Gratitude. Download your copy today!

"Gratitude scavenger hunt. My kids love to “hunt for treasure” and pretend with me! Believe me, my husband is often standing from afar laughing at us as we enter “imagination land”. Scavenger hunts help kids to become aware of the simple things in nature they can be grateful for. We’ve made a free printable that you can download of the scavenger hunt."

Students learn about water poverty and how water engineers can develop appropriate solutions to a problem that is plaguing nearly a sixth of the world's population. Students follow the engineering design process to design a gravity-fed water system. They choose between different system parameters such as pipe sizes, elevation differentials between entry and exit pipes, pipe lengths and tube locations to find a design that provides the maximum flow and minimum water turbidity (cloudiness) at the point of use. In this activity, students play the role of water engineers by designing and building model gravity-fed water systems, learning the key elements necessary for viable projects that help improve the lives people in developing communities.

In a multi-week experiment, student groups gather data from the photobioreactors that they build to investigate growth conditions that make algae thrive best. Using plastic soda bottles, pond water and fish tank aerators, they vary the amount of carbon dioxide (or nutrients or sunlight, as an extension) available to the microalgae. They compare growth in aerated vs. non-aerated conditions. They measure growth by comparing the color of their algae cultures in the bottles to a color indicator scale. Then they graph and analyze the collected data to see which had the fastest growth. Students learn how plants biorecycle carbon dioxide into organic carbon (part of the carbon cycle) and how engineers apply their understanding of this process to maximize biofuel production.

Water travels... a lot. In fact, the water cycle is amazing and takes water all over the planet by using evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina shows us how the water cycle works and how you can create a mini water cycle right in your own kitchen!