Activities

Click on the name of the topic to preview the objective and key concepts for each activity.

  • Astronomy
    • Cosmic Collision: The Fate of the Milky Way
      Objective Students explore what happens when galaxies collide and learn the ultimate fate of the Milky Way.
      Concepts Galaxies, star formation, intergalactic collisions, tidal tail, history of astronomy

    • What Is a Planet, Anyway?
      Objective Students find out about the debate over Pluto's role in the solar system and the definition of a planet.
      Concepts Solar system, planet, dwarf planet, asteroid, exoplanet, Kuiper Belt, reflectance, brown dwarf

    • Sunspots and Geomagnetic Storms
      Objective Students explore the relationship between sunspots and space "weather" phenomena such as geomagnetic storms and auroras.
      Concepts Sunspots, solar cycle, coronal holes, geomagnetic storms

    • Lunar and Solar Eclipses
      Objective Students learn the relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon during lunar and solar eclipses.
      Concepts Lunar eclipse, solar eclipse, umbra, penumbra, partial vs. total lunar eclipse, path of totality, solar corona, annular vs. total solar eclipse.
  • Atmosphere
    • Acid Rain
      Objective Students explore the chemistry, sources, and effects of acid rain. They also learn how the problem can be reduced.
      Concepts Acid rain, acids and bases, pH scale, wet vs. dry deposition, chemical reactions of sulfur and nitrogen compounds

    • Photochemical Smog
      Objective Students learn the chemistry of photochemical smog. They also explore the severity of the smog problem in their area and what can be done about it.
      Concepts Chemistry of photochemical smog, air quality index, air pollution, ozone

    • Fossil Fuels and the Greenhouse Effect
      Objective Students explore the relationship between the burning of fossil fuels, the greenhouse effect, and global warming.
      Concepts Greenhouse effect, global warming, fossil fuels, climate and climate change, infrared radiation

    • UV Light, CFCs, and the Ozone Layer
      Objective Students learn how stratospheric ozone protects us from ultraviolet radiation and find out about the effects of CFCs on the ozone layer.
      Concepts Ozone layer, ozone "hole", ultraviolet radiation, chemistry of CFCs, total ozone mapping spectrometer

    • Melting Ice, Rising Seas
      Objective Students explore the effects of rising temperatures on the cryosphere and global sea level.
      Concepts Cryosphere, global warming, glaciers, sea ice, ice shelves, temperature vs. sea level
  • Drought
    • Twentieth Century Droughts
      Objective Students will look at the Palmer Drought Severity Index to find out when the most severe drought occurred in the United States over the past century.
      Concepts Drought, climatic variation, Palmer Drought Severity Index
  • Earthquake
    • Earthquakes in Your State
      Objective Students explore where earthquakes occur in relation to Earth's tectonic plates, as well as the seismic history of their local area.
      Concepts Plate tectonics, earthquakes, seismic faults, magnitude

    • Seismic Waves
      Objective Students compare and contrast different kinds of seismic waves, including P, S, and L waves
      Concepts Seismic waves, P wave, S wave, primary vs. secondary wave, surface wave, focus, epicenter, seismograph, triangulation

    • Movements of Earth's Plates
      Objective Students explore past movements of Earth's tectonic plates. They will also calculate possible future movements along the San Andreas Fault.
      Concepts Plate tectonics, Pangaea, San Andreas Fault

    • Tsunamis: Earthquakes Deadly Partners
      Objective Students learn the stages involved in the formation of a tsunami. They also find out about current technology for tsunami monitoring and alerts.
      Concepts Tsunamis, initiation, amplification, runup, tsunami bores, edge waves, DART monitoring system
  • Fauna
    • Nowhere to Run: Impact of Climate Change on Wildlife
      Objective Students examine how global climate change impacts wildlife.
      Concepts Global climate change, climate change fingerprints and harbingers, population, range
    • Sonar and Marine Mammals
      Objective Students will explore the possible links between underwater sonar tests and marine mammal strandings.
      Concepts Active sonar, passive sonar, echolocation, marine mammal stranding

    • Invasive Species Case Study
      Objective Students will learn about the impact of invasive species via a case study of the spread of zebra mussels in the United States.
      Concepts Invasive species, natural range, distribution map, population density, ecosystem

    • Endangered Species in Your State
      Objective Students will find out about endangered and threatened animals in their state. They'll also explore the reasons for the species' decline.
      Concepts Species, endangered species, threatened species, habitat, conservation

    • The World's Coral Reefs
      Objective Students learn about the biodiversity of coral reefs and examine some of the problems facing the reefs.
      Concepts Biodiversity, coral reefs, coral bleaching, polyp, cnidaria, sessile organisms

  • Fire
    • How Wildfires Affect an Ecosystem
      Objective Students learn how fire impacts animals and plants. They will learn that fire destroys animals' habitat and food supply. They'll find out that fire can sometimes also have favorable effects for some species.
      Concepts Ecosystem, food web, plant reproduction, community interactions
  • Flood
    • Hurricane Katrina's Impact on the Gulf Coast
      Objective Students view satellite photos to explore the impact of floods from Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast states.
      ConceptsAnalysis of satellite imagery, levees and flood control

    • Monitoring River Levels
      Objective Students discover how to find current and historical river flow and flood information. They'll also learn which rivers and streams are currently at-risk of flooding.
      Concepts Watershed, drainage systems

    • Floods From Tsunamis
      Objective Students interpret tsunami wave data such as amplitude and arrival time to understand the power of floods unleashed by the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami. They also analyze satellite images of damages from the floods.
      Concepts Tsunami wave amplitude, tsunami arrival time, interpreting satellite data and images
  • Flora
    • The World's Shrinking Rainforests
      Objective Students will explore the rich biodiversity and natural resources of tropical rainforests. They'll look at the reasons for their destruction and will find out what can be done to save them.
      Concepts Deforestation, tropical rainforest, biodiversity, land use vs. conservation

    • Phytoplankton
      Objective Students will learn about phytoplankton and the role it plays in the transfer of energy in marine ecosystems.
      Concepts Phytoplankton, chlorophyll, photosynthesis, food chain, global climate change

    • Toxins Found in Microscopic Flora
      Objective Students become familiar with five types of poisoning caused by protist toxins. Working in teams, students will diagnose fictitious patients based on their symptoms.
      Concepts Protists, flora, toxins, biological magnification
  • Health
    • Evolution and the Bird Flu Virus
      Objective Students investigate the process of natural selection and explore how it may appy to the bird flu virus.
      Concepts Evolution, natural selection, variation, differential reproduction, genetic code, codon, mutation types, viral evolution, H5N1 avian flu strain

    • Diseases Spread From Animals to People
      Objective Students will explore various infectious diseases that spread from an animal population to humans.
      Concepts Epidemics, zoonoses, disease agents

    • The Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke
      Objective Students will learn about the health risks linked to secondhand smoke and explore the science behind these risks.
      Concepts Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), carcinogen, respiratory tract infections, asthma

    • Cellular Invaders
      Objective Students will learn how the body's cells respond to cellular invaders such as bacteria.
      Concepts Immune response, white blood cells, macrophage, phagocytosis, chemotaxis

    • Mercury in the Environment
      Objective Students find out about how mercury gets into the environment and the health problems it causes for humans and wildlife.
      Concepts Mercury contamination, toxic waste, food chain and web, energy pyramid, mercury's effects on the nervous system

    • Preparing for a Trip
      Objective Students learn about different ways diseases are transmitted. They also explore how some diseases are common in certain geographical regions.
      Concepts Disease-causing microorganisms, disease transmission, vaccines
  • Hurricane, Cyclone, and Typhoon
    • Making Hurricane Predictions
      Objective Students explore the kinds of data scientists look at to make predictions about hurricane frequency and intensity.
      ConceptsAccumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index, sea surface temperature, barometric pressure, wind shear, prevailing winds

    • Hurricane Katrina Diary
      Objective Students look at satellite images to track the growth and evolution of Hurricane Katrina from a disorganized tropical depression to a Category 5 storm.
      ConceptsHurricane wind speed and barometric pressure, hurricane growth and evolution, analyzing satellite imagery

    • Exploring Hurricanes
      Objective Students learn how and where hurricanes form, how they're structured, and how they move. They will also track hurricanes of the past and fly into the eye of a virtual hurricane.
      Concepts Hurricane, tropical storm, tropical depression, wind shear, relative humidity, sea surface temperature
  • Oil Spill
    • Oil Spill Preparation and Recovery
      Objective Students explore how government agencies prepare for oil spills and implement recovery plans after a spill has occurred. They'll also find out the kinds of coastlines most vulnerable to spills as they interpret sample ESI maps.
      Concepts Oil spill impact, habitat, ESI maps, oil clean-up technologies
  • Radioactivity
    • Radiation and You
      Objective Students learn about the various natural and man-made sources of radiation in the environment. They will also calculate their own annual dosage of radiation.
      Concepts Atomic structure and stability, ionizing vs. non-ionizing radiation, alpha, beta, and gamma rays
  • Severe Storm
    • Exploring Weather Maps
      Objective Students explore how changes in air pressure and movements of weather fronts are related to the development of storms. They'll also learn to interpret information on weather maps.
      Concepts Air pressure, humidity, dew point, air masses, fronts, wind, storm, tornado

    • Thunder and Lightning
      Objective Students learn about the causes of electrical disturbances in the atmosphere. They also find out about different kinds of lightning and the connection between thunder and lightning.
      Concepts Lightning, positive and negative charge buildup, stepped leader, visible stroke, cloud to ground, intra-cloud and inner-cloud lightning, lightning detection technology, thunder

    • El Niño and Weather Extremes
      Objective Studetns explore the relationship between El Niño and global weather extremes such as droughts and floods.
      Concepts El Niño, La Niña, upwelling, floods, droughts, sea surface temperature and precipitation patterns, climate
  • Tornado
    • The Scoop on Tornadoes
      Objective Students find out how tornadoes form and where they're most likely to occur. They'll also look at common myths about tornadoes and learn what to do if they're ever around when one strikes.
      Concepts Tornadoes, steps in tornado formation, tornado frequency, weather fronts, waterspouts, dryline, Doppler radar

    • Tornado Density and Effect by State
      Objective Students learn how tornado frequency and intewnsity vary by region of the country. They'll also explore the concept of "weighting" tornado data according to state population and area.
      Concepts Tornadoes, Fujita-scale, scientific notation, ratios
  • Tropical Storm
    • Exploring Hurricanes
      Objective Students learn how and where hurricanes and tropical storms form, how they're structured, and how they move. They will also track hurricanes of the past and fly into the eye of a virtual hurricane.
      Concepts Hurricane, tropical storm, tropical depression, wind shear, relative humidity, sea surface temperature
  • Volcano
    • Kilauea: The Birth of Igneous Rock
      Objective Students go on a virtual tour of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano to see an example of how some igneous rock is formed. They'll learn about the volcano's features and history and will find out what is currently going on there.
      Concepts Igneous rock, lava flows, crater, caldera, aa, pahoehoe

    • Volcanoes and Plate Tectonics
      Objective Students find out where recent volcanoes have erupted and learn that volcanoes occur along the edges of Earth's tectonic plates. They will also explore the differences between convergent, divergent, and transform plate boundaries.
      Concepts Volcanoes, plate tectonics, subduction, convergent boundary, divergent boundary, transform boundary, hot spot volcano


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