This is a great simulator teachers can use to show the greenhouse effect to their students. Offers resources and activities to do with the simulator. It is also translated into many other languages for a wide variety of use.
This lesson allows students to redesign their school to be more eco friendly. Allows the teacher to incorporate math and science together while also creating a visual model of the school.
The class forms a "Presidential Task Force" for a week, empowered by the president to find answers and make recommendations concerning the future of the national power grid. Task force members conduct daily debriefings with their research team and prepare a report and presentation of their findings for the president, using an actual policy document as a guide. Although this activity is geared towards fifth-grade and older students and Internet research capabilities are required, some portions may be appropriate for younger students.
Student teams locate a contaminant spill in a hypothetical site by measuring the pH of soil samples. Then they predict the direction of groundwater flow using mathematical modeling. They also use the engineering design process to come up with alternative treatments for the contaminated water.
Fundamentals of subsurface flow and transport, emphasizing the role of groundwater in the hydrologic cycle, the relation of groundwater flow to geologic structure, and the management of contaminated groundwater. Topics include: Darcy equation, flow nets, mass conservation, the aquifer flow equation, heterogeneity and anisotropy, storage properties, regional circulation, unsaturated flow, recharge, stream-aquifer interaction, well hydraulics, flow through fractured rock, numerical models, groundwater quality, contaminant transport processes, dispersion, decay, and adsorption. Includes laboratory and computer demonstrations.
Fundamentals of subsurface flow and transport, emphasizing the role of groundwater in the hydrologic cycle, the relation of groundwater flow to geologic structure, and the management of contaminated groundwater. Topics include: Darcy equation, flow nets, mass conservation, the aquifer flow equation, heterogeneity and anisotropy, storage properties, regional circulation, unsaturated flow, recharge, stream-aquifer interaction, well hydraulics, flow through fractured rock, numerical models, groundwater quality, contaminant transport processes, dispersion, decay, and adsorption. Includes laboratory and computer demonstrations.
Students discover how tiny microscopic plants can remove nutrients from polluted water. They also learn how to engineer a system to remove pollutants faster and faster by changing the environment for the algae.
This lesson provides students with the chance to grow a product out of mycelium composite. They will analyze the impact on the environment and compare it to a plastic or cardboard alternative.
Corn is one of the best crops for producing biomass for fossil fuels, however it is an annual and needs very fertile soil. To grow corn, farmers add a lot of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to their fields. Other crops, like switchgrass, prairie, poplar trees, and Miscanthus grass are perennials and require fewer fertilizers and pesticides to grow. If perennials can produce high levels of biomass with low inputs, perhaps they could produce more biomass than corn under certain low nutrient conditions.
This resource was evaluated using the HQIM rubric - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XTrjQnltiJHNepi28JGFMjAeYRkHV6p4IuRNaSZ1YQQ/edit?usp=sharing
This activity is an indoor lab investigation where students compare and contrast different growing environments for a lima bean seed and discover the optimal conditions needed for growth.
Instructions from the Father of Fast Plants (written by Dr. Paul Williams) about growing Rapid-cycling Brassica rapa (RBR) sucessfully in a Four Cell System (4CS). This file is one of the mini-booklets from "Paul's Sandbox"--it is made Xerox-ready, containing two sheets that together make four copies of two mini information booklets(each booklet measures 8x12cm).The two pages describe the construction, resourcing of materials, and usage of the 4CS, an alternative growing system to the Film Can System described in the Small Booklet titled "Growing Rapid Cycling Brassica rapa sucessfully, Film Can Growing System (FCS)."
In this lesson, the students will investigate what types of plants and insects they could eat to survive in the Amazon. They will research various plants and/or insects and identify characteristics that make them edible or useful for the trip. The students will create posters and present their findings to the class.
This document provides extensive background information about how Fast Plants grow and develop. The distinction between growth and development is explained. Also discussed is how genetics plus interactions with the environment produce variation during growth and development.
A 32-page booklet, containing complete instructions for activities at each life cycle stage. The booklet also includes important background information about plant physiology and how to grow Fast Plants.A Growth, Development and Reproduction kit is available. You can also conduct all the investigations explained in the booklet using seeds from a packet of Standard Wisconsin Fast Plants seeds (or seeds from Fast Plants you grow yourself) and your own potting mix and growing system.Either way, you'll need to plan for providing adequate light. Learn about all these factors in the How to Grow files on this website.
This activity is a teacher-directed investigation where students observe leeches, create questions and determine which ones are investigable. Together, teacher and students design and carry out a test for their question and record the information in a science notebook.
In this role-playing activity, learners are presented with a scenario in which they will determine whether the Gulf Stream is responsible for keeping Europe warm. They must also address the potential future of the Gulf Stream if polar ice were to continue melting. The students work in small groups to identify the issue, discuss the problem, and develop a problem statement. They are then asked what they need to know to solve the problem.
Controversial issues are complex topics that are grounded in conflicting values or opinions and can result in emotional reactions and public dispute. Schools may avoid difficult issues that could bring forth feelings of fear, confusion, or anger. Addressing these issues, however, can motivate students to learn and make relevant connections to their local and global communities. For students to become active and engaged citizens, they will need civil discourse and reasoning skills, as well as tolerance, empathy, compassion, and an interest in civic knowledge.
Overview of the project with requirements, timeline, and stipends.
Students become “raccoons†to look for one or more components of habitat during this physically involving activity. Students will: 1) define a major component of habitat; 2) identify a limiting factor and 3) recognize the importance for suitable habitat.
This rubric is intended for use as an assets-based tool for finding High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) for use as or within storylines adapted for use by Wisconsin educators and students. The tool is comprehensive and aspirational, combining standards from EQuiP and OpenSciEd, but most of the materials vetted within this space will not meet all criteria because they are not full units. Those using this tool are NOT conducting exhaustive reviews of materials, but providing their opinion on the strengths of the materials in these categories. The intent in developing this rubric was to find Wisconsin-relevant resources to swap in and out of a full HQIM storyline. Please review the open-ended comments to read what we believe to be the strengths of the materials and suggestions for how to use them within HQIM storylines.