Student teams formulate and complete space/earth/ocean exploration-based design projects with weekly milestones. …
Student teams formulate and complete space/earth/ocean exploration-based design projects with weekly milestones. This course introduces core engineering themes, principles, and modes of thinking, and includes exercises in written and oral communication and team building. Specialized learning modules enable teams to focus on the knowledge required to complete their projects, such as machine elements, electronics, design process, visualization and communication. Examples of projects include surveying a lake for millfoil from a remote controlled aircraft, then sending out robotic harvesters to clear the invasive growth; and exploration to search for the evidence of life on a moon of Jupiter, with scientists participating through teleoperation and supervisory control of robots.
This Immersion Unit provides a coherent series of lessons designed to guide …
This Immersion Unit provides a coherent series of lessons designed to guide students in developing deep conceptual understanding that is aligned with the standards, key science concepts, and essential features of classroom inquiry (as defined by the National Science Education Standards). The Unit's overarching concepts are:- Naturally occurring variations of traits in a population are influenced by genetic and environmental factors and evolve over generations by selective processes.- Science knowledge advances through inquiry.Unit Supporting Concepts:- The variation of organisms within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of the species will survive under changed environmental conditions.- Individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than others to survive and have offspring. Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms and entire species.- Some variation in heritable characteristics exists within every species. One of these characteristics gives individuals an advantage over others in surviving and reproducing, and the advantaged offspring, in turn,are more likely than others to survive and reproduce.- New varieties of cultivated plants and domestic animals have resulted from selective breeding for particular traits.- Scientists differ greatly in whatphenomena they study and how they go about their work. Although there is nofixed set of steps that all scientists follow, scientific investigations usually involve the collection of relevant evidence, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses and explanations to make sense of the collected evidence.- Important contributions to the advancement of science, mathematics, and technology have been made by different kinds of people, in different cultures, at different times.In Immersion Units, students learn academic content by working like scientists: making observations, asking questions, doing further investigations to explore and explain natural phenomena, and communicating results based on evidence. Immersion Units are intended to support teachers in building a learning culture in their classrooms to sustain studentsĺŐ enthusiasm for engaging in scientific habits of thinking while learning rigorous science content.The first step of this unit engages students in developing a class criteria for effective record-keeping in science by guiding an inquiry into scientists' notebooks.The unit includes very complete implementation instructions (Teacher's Guide pages), student pages, and formative and summative assessments.Students investigate:- how variation within a population is influenced by environmental factors- how environmental factors influence reproductive success in a populationThis unit was developed through the large Math and Science Partnership project called System-wide Change for All Learners and Educators (SCALE), involving a collaboration among Los Angeles School District educators, California State University science and education faculty, and UW-Madison SCALE staff.
This is a teacher facilitated, but student driven inquiry activity about the …
This is a teacher facilitated, but student driven inquiry activity about the structure and function of cells. Students will be using their computers to research and compile their newfound information and visuals into a Google Slides Presentation to share with their peers.
This is a lesson that will introduce students to the social, economic, …
This is a lesson that will introduce students to the social, economic, and environmental impacts of our current food system. This includes food waste, food deserts, agricultural land use, and the environmental impacts of diet choices.
In this lesson, students will learn about what type of information we …
In this lesson, students will learn about what type of information we can learn from photographs. They will draw conclusions about the past through exploration of photos and explain how people can learn more about their family history through the use of historical records.
Paul Andersen explains how populations experience exponential. He begins by address the …
Paul Andersen explains how populations experience exponential. He begins by address the major players; N (population size) and r (growth rate). He models population growth in rabbits through four generations. He then shows you how to use a spreadsheet and then algebra to predict future populations.
Students read an article titled "The Sixth Extinction" by Niles Eldredge on …
Students read an article titled "The Sixth Extinction" by Niles Eldredge on past mass extinctions and the current rate of loss of species. The instructor can choose from a suite of activities which include having students respond to discussion and extension questions about the article, write an essay on the article defending Eldredge's view, create an extinction chart, and debate the actions of stakeholders faced with an endangered species vs. human water needs scenario. Students will need to research additional references to complete the activities and be prepared to defend their positions.
Species extinction is happening at an alarming rate according to scientists. In …
Species extinction is happening at an alarming rate according to scientists. In this lesson, students are asked to consider why extinction is a problem that we should concern us. They are taught that destruction of habitat is the main reason many species are threatened. The lesson explores ways that engineers can help save endangered species.
Facing the Future interdisciplinary curriculum provide educators with the educational materials and …
Facing the Future interdisciplinary curriculum provide educators with the educational materials and resources they need to ignite their students’ interest in complex global issues while helping them achieve academically. They have these four goals: • Understand global issues and sustainability in a way that shows the connections between population, environment, consumption, poverty, conflict, and other global issues • Develop a global perspective • Learn critical thinking skills • Be inspired to take personal action
In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students explore brain injuries …
In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students explore brain injuries called concussions: what they are, how they occur, the challenges in diagnosing them, and ways to protect yourself from them.
This lesson is a presentation of famous scientist throughout history where the …
This lesson is a presentation of famous scientist throughout history where the students will learn and take notes about the contributions and discoveries made in science.
This Farming Fast Plants activity introduces a classroom investigation that is easily …
This Farming Fast Plants activity introduces a classroom investigation that is easily adaptable for all grade levels and designed to engageteachers and students as investigators. The activity has the practical outcome of producing an abundant supply of Fast Plants seed for future classroom use and for sharing with other teachers. The central question of the activity is ĺŇHow many seeds can your students produce from each seed planted?ĺÓ
This four-page handout explains the key steps to follow when caring for …
This four-page handout explains the key steps to follow when caring for Wisconsin Fast Plants (Brassica rapa) throughout their life cycle, from sowing through harvesting seeds. This handout includes information about the materials needed, methods for tending and caring for your plants, and troubleshooting tips.
This PDF chart provides an organizational guide for recording student data as …
This PDF chart provides an organizational guide for recording student data as observations, measures(estimates), counts and descriptions on the growth, development, and reproduction of up to 5 Fast Plants (Rapid Cycling Brassica Rapa or "RBR"), and statistical summaries of the data. Data from individual student charts can be aggregated into class or group data charts or a spreadsheet for further display and analysis. These student data can then serve as the basis a deeper understanding of the nature of phenotypic variation, providing a basis for investigating the inheritance of a target characteristic and examples of its variation.
Description and links to computer simulations that allow students to perform genetic …
Description and links to computer simulations that allow students to perform genetic crosses quickly. Students can use these simulations to test their genetic models developed from experiments done in the classroom with actual Fast Plants. These simulations were developed in 2000-2001 by Tom Whitaker and were tested successfully by hundreds of students at Madison West High School in Madison, Wisconsin as part of a new approach to genetics used by the Biology I team.
Description: This is an investigation describing the procedure for looking at a …
Description: This is an investigation describing the procedure for looking at a seed pod from a mature Fast Plant with a dry pod by sandwiching the pod between layers of clear tape, then exploring the sibling seeds. Questions that might be considered:- In how many ways can you describe the pod (the mother)? Are the pods from one plant more like each other than they are like the pods from other plants? What about the siblings from a single pod? - Do all the seeds in a pod have the same father? - How much variation is there within and between families of Fast Plants? - How much does the environment affect the variation in Fast Plants, e.g. the number of seeds per pod, style length, plant height, days to first flowering, etc? - Is there any relationship between the length of the seed pod and its position on the maternal plant?
Students conduct experiments to determine the flow rate of faucets by timing …
Students conduct experiments to determine the flow rate of faucets by timing how long it takes to fill gallon jugs. They do this for three different faucet flow levels (quarter blast, half blast, full blast), averaging three trials for each level. They convert their results from gallons per second (gps) to cubic feet per second (cfs).
All of us have felt sick at some point in our lives. …
All of us have felt sick at some point in our lives. Many times, we find ourselves asking, "What is the quickest way that I can start to feel better?" During this two-lesson unit, students study that question and determine which form of medicine delivery (pill, liquid, injection/shot) offers the fastest relief. This challenge question serves as a real-world context for learning all about flow rates. Students study how long various prescription methods take to introduce chemicals into our blood streams, as well as use flow rate to determine how increasing a person's heart rate can theoretically make medicines work more quickly. Students are introduced to engineering devices that simulate what occurs during the distribution of antibiotic cells in the body.
Working individually or in groups, students explore the concept of stress (compression) …
Working individually or in groups, students explore the concept of stress (compression) through physical experience and math. They discover why it hurts more to poke themselves with mechanical pencil lead than with an eraser. Then they prove why this is so by using the basic equation for stress and applying the concepts to real engineering problems.
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