Make Students Think Again

Nature...so natural. So resourceful. So threatened! Surely, some resources remain? Yes, but it's being destroyed at an alarming rate. In this lesson, we'll look at exactly what natural resources are and the rate at which they're being used. How bad is it? "The developed countries of the world hold 25% of the world's population, but consume 75% of all energy, 85% of all wood products, and 72% of all steel produced. Americans consume the most of all, even more than people in other developed c

Bundle includes lessons in ppt format that have been converted to swf format. (Flash files. These are not editable powerpoints.) List of powerpoint swf lessons: 1. Comparing the Accuracy of Model Predictions to Actual Observations (20 slides) 2. Case Study #1: Deforestation (31 slides) 3. Describing Recurring Patterns in Nature (20 slides) 4. Detecting Changes in Water Systems Using Six Indicators (20 slides) 5. Dynamic Changes to Stable Systems Ex: Homeostasis and Tectonics (17 slides

Bundle includes lessons in ppt format that have been converted to swf format. (Flash files. These are not editable powerpoints.) List of powerpoint swf lessons: 1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Models To Simulate Processes (21 slides) 2. Analyze Direct and Indirect Observations (19 slides) 3. Analyze Physical Patterns of Motion To Draw Conclusions and Predict (20 slides) 4. Changing One Part of A System Changes the Whole (20 slides) 5. Communicating the Results of Investigation

Ever tried to put together something like furniture or a bicycle or a computer, and end up with a piece - or pieces - left over when you were finished? I bet you found out that they weren't "extras". These parts were necessary to the whole weren't they? That's the focus of this lesson. Consider this: would removing that cute little red cord in the left of this computer below make a difference to the system as a whole? What if we removed that white knobby thing below at the top of the torso

Is a carved stone wheel technology? Yes! Technology is a broad concept that deals with how a species uses tools. As well as its knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects their ability to control and adapt to its environment. Throughout the twentieth century the uses of the term have increased to the point where it now encompasses a number of "classes" of technology: 1. Technology as Objects: Tools, machines, instruments, weapons, appliances - the physical devices of technical performan

MODELS: Useful or not? Of course they're useful. There are advantages and disadvantages of using them to simulate outcomes however. Before we begin bashing models - which we won't - it's always helpful to have an idea of what exactly you're critiquing. Let that be a life lesson for you as well! Thrown in for free, even! If you're going to say something is not worthy, you need to have some criteria to judge it by and most important - give reasons why! "Just because..." is not a reason. Ever. Mo

What's an experimental design you say? Furthermore, what process are we using to critique it? As you know, if you're going to critique something, you must have something to base your criticism on. As the title of this lesson indicates, we'll be looking at the elements of experimental design and critiquing it. Well look at a specific design and it's elements then decide if it followed the steps or not. Scientists all over the world use a common process for performing their experiments. This pro

Consider This: It's your responsibility to mow the lawn. To liven things up, you decide an experiment is in order, so you measure the grass length before you cut it at two spots - in the shade and in an unshaded area. When you get around to next mowing the lawn, you measure again, and see that the shaded area did not grow as tall as the unshaded area. Can you conclude anything from this? Can anything be inferred from this data? What is inferring anyway? Good question! In this lesson we will l

Models are the Building Blocks of Science You know what a model airplane is. Advertisers manipulate you with models, and models determine your success in business or school. Because the scientific method is a way to think about models, if you are to understand the scientific method, you must be able to recognize models when you see them and appreciate their limitations. Models as Building Blocks and Substitutes The model is the most basic element of the scientific method. Everything done in s

We'll look at how change is measured in science. We'll look for patterns of change in nature and in human-made systems. In this lesson, we'll look at three examples of how quantitative data is used to interpret change in systems. Been wondering what quantitative means? It describes a type of data that can be measured. See below for examples of how quantitative data can be expressed. Is there another type of data? Yes. And there's a lesson on that later on! It's coming, be patient. The funda

In this lesson we will look at what it takes for a model to operate, that is, what resources are necessary. For example, if we applied the universal system model to something like food production, we would need to know everything necessary for getting the food to your table - from planting the seed to packaging to cooking to purchasing to maybe even the display. The resources list can go on and on. And on. At some point, only essential ones are listed. For example, would you list rubber as a r

Consider this: You have a farm. Cows, chickens, sheep, etc. One day you notice some of your cows have turned pink. You decide to investigate. Is it an indicator or something else going on on your farm? Obviously it's a sign of something amiss. Perhaps in the grass they eat, or on the soil, or from the other animals. In this lesson, we'll look at how physical and biological indicators of water systems reflect changes in these systems. In our example, the cows were our indicator that there had

Case studies are the study of a person, a small group, a single situation, or a specific "case". It involves extensive research, including documented evidence of a particular issue or situation -- symptoms, reactions, affects of certain stimuli, and the conclusion reached following the study. Sounds like they are stories, why are they useful for science? Case studies are one of several ways of doing social science research. Rather than using large samples and following a rigid protocol to exam

* Ever seen gravity? * When subatomic particles smash into each other, what paths do they take after the collision? * Can you hear a block of Uranium? When we observe the world and universe around us, it can be done in one of two ways: directly or indirectly. The difference between the two is exactly what you'd imagine: Direct Observation is when behavior or events are observed while something is happening. Indirect Observation is when you're are not present at the event or si

We're critiquing the design process in this lesson, so it would behoove us to find out what the design process is, wouldn't it? When scientists set about designing something, they usually follow the steps involved in something known as the Engineering Design Process. There are a couple variations of this process, but for the most part, the steps are the same. Other disciplines may use different processes, but they all have a lot in common. Want to design something? Check out the process firs

What is a recurring pattern? Recurring pattern? Just a pattern that repeats itself over and over and over again. What's a pattern? A pattern is a theme of reoccurring events or objects that repeat in a predictable manner. Patterns occur - and recur - in nature all the time. In fact, scientists use the recurring patterns they observe around them in the world and in the universe to explain and describe order. Get outside and look around you. Or cozy up to the plant next to you and inspect its lea

You're in for a treat, folks! We're looking at the size of objects. That is where they fit on a scale relative to other things and ways to measure them. As you'll see, there are two ways to measure something - with numbers or words. How we measure things and what we use to measure them depends on a couple factors - how accurate and precise the measurements need to be, the purpose for the measurements, and what will be done with the measurements, for example. If you're going to compare an atom

Once the experiments are over and the conclusions are drawn, then what?? Most of the time, the results are published in a scholarly journal or scientific journal. There are a lot of scholarly and scientific journals out there. And they all contain results of experiments. Once the experiments are over and the conclusions are drawn, then what?? Most of the time, the results are published in a scholarly journal or scientific journal. There are a lot of scholarly and scientific journals out ther

Is a car a system? Yes! When the driver of a race car sees a need for improving the performance of his (or her - thanks to Danica Patrick) car he might suggest that his road crew look at the suspension. The crew then takes the car apart and tries to 'improve' the suspension, but until the car is put back together and tested by the driver no one will know whether the work on the suspension will have played a role in improving the car. The system here is the race car and one of its parts is the s

We've seen that there are stationary physical patterns in nature. But what about non-stationary patterns? Do they exist? "Of course!" you're thinking, otherwise we wouldn't have this lesson. You're right - about the non-stationary and the lesson part. Physical patterns of motion can also be analyzed to draw conclusions or make predictions. We can study patterns of motion in systems from the very large, like the solar system, to the very small, like atomic motion, and use the data for prediction