The transit of Venus is a rare astronomical event that has been well documented throughout history. The most recent transit occurred in June of 2004, and the one before that took place more than 100 years earlier in 1882. This site from the South African Astronomical Observatory provides information and first-hand observations of the 1882 event from Wellington, South Africa. Just prior to the event, an observatory was erected at the Huguenot Seminary for girls, and some of the historical observations made from that site in 1882 are provided here for your perusal.

In this physics activity, learners build their own rockets out of film canisters and construction paper. Learners discover how a chemical reaction (from a mix of water and Alka-Seltzer) creates gas pressure to propel the craft. The activity explores the three states of matter and Newtonäóťs Laws of Motion.

A video from the Extreme Ice Survey in which Dr. Tad Pfeffer and photographer Jim Balog discuss the dynamics of the Columbia glacier's retreat in recent years through this time-lapse movie. Key point: glacier size is being reduced not just by glacial melting but due to a shift in glacial dynamics brought on by climate change.

This activity lets you program your 'robot' (a willing friend) to pick up and dispose of some 'toxic waste' using as few commands as possible. Learners create command cards (Turn Left, Right, Forward 1, etc.), mark out a simulation area on the floor, and try to get the "robot" to dispose of something that serves as "toxic waste" into something that serves as a "containment vessel" - in as few steps as possible. Strategy, predication and cooperation are all part of this activity.

This web site hosts the materials for an annual middle school competition that consists of four physical science experiments centered on a mystery. The experiments are designed for small groups in a classroom or after school setting. Each of the experiments gives students a clue to solve the mystery. The current year's competition is available to join and the materials from previous years are available for download.

This web site has links to the materials for the 2006 Physics Quest middle school competition, hosted by the APS. The 2006 lesson covers static electricity, conductors and insulators, heat, and optics. These are connected to the life and science of Benjamin Franklin. The experiments are designed for small groups in a classroom or after school setting. Each of the experiments gives students a clue to solve the mystery.

Includes information about the Academy of Natural Sciences educational programs: teacher resources, information for planning field trips to the museum and women in the natural sciences.

This case was developed for use in the first semester of a sophomore organic chemistry laboratory to illustrate how a combination of techniques is usually required in the identification of chemical compounds. It involves a murder mystery with a forensic twist. Students are told that two bodies have recently been recovered from two different lakes. Due to a mix-up at the morgue, the coroner's office is unable to determine which body came from which lake. The students' task is to develop a methodology to solve this mystery as well as determine whether the deaths were the result of murder or mishap. The case could also be used in instrumental analysis courses or adapted for a non-majors course in the general education curriculum.

This 440-page report explores how students in pre-K through grade 8 learn mathematics, with a focus on number and operations, and recommends how teaching, curricula, and teacher education should change to improve mathematics learning. (A 39-page summary, Helping Children Learn Mathematics, is catalogued separately.) The authors identify five interdependent components of mathematical proficiency and describe how students develop this proficiency. The report presents a portrait of mathematics learning: research findings on what children know about numbers before they arrive in pre-K and the implications for instruction; details on the processes by which students acquire mathematical proficiency; what is known from research about teaching for mathematics proficiency and developing proficiency in teaching. Visitors to this website may read the full text online, download a copy (pdf), or purchase a hard copy.

The Mariners' Museum's curriculum guide with teaching activities that address maritime discoveries from ancient times to Captain Cook's 1768 voyage to the South Pacific. One of four online expeditions. Age of Exploration curriculum includes lesson plans, vocabulary, links to related sites, reference material, video, biographies of famous explorers, and more. Lessons include latitude and longitude, creating a compass, an astrolabe, and a globe, identifying the parts of a ship, plus 7 more.

In this activity (page 1 of PDF), learners will construct an air cannon by cutting a hole in the bottom of a bucket and stretching a garbage bag over the other end. Then, they aim the cannon at a paper target and try to knock it over by giving the plastic bag a good whack. Learners also experiment with hole size to make the cannon more effective. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV: Forecasting.

A unit designed to teach the history of aerodynamics, to develop some fundamental mathematical skills relating to the field of aviation, and to study the history of flight, including the first transatlantic flight, the Wright Brothers, and supersonic flight (old and new). Math criteria include the computation, concepts, and problem solving of velocity; acceleration, speed, distance traveled, and time. Includes 20 word problems.

This activity (located on page 3 of the PDF) is a full inquiry investigation into Bernoulliäóťs principle and airplane wings. Learners will design and build their own airplane wing models out of Styrofoam, record their mass, and then use a fan to measure the äóěweightäó change when air flows over the wing. Results from testing other wing shapes and sizes are then measured to chart relationships between lift and wing size and shape. Relates to linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Balloon Fiesta.

This website illustrates the Alaska Quaternary Center's (at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks) commitment "to the promotion of interdisciplinary research and the enhancement of interdisciplinary instruction in Quaternary sciences." Users can view images of the field work and learn how to obtain quaternary data from the AQC Quaternary Research Geodatabase.

A list of mathematics journals with articles on the Web and a list of Web sites for printed journals, with tables of contents of issues, abstracts of papers, actual papers, information about submissions and subscriptions, etc. See also the Annual Listing of New Journals in Mathematics file, which notes newly established journals devoted to papers in mathematics, organized by year.

This experimental activity is designed to develop basic understanding of the relationship between the angle of light rays and the area over which the light rays are distributed, and the potential to affect changes in the temperature of materials. Resources needed to conduct this activity include a flashlight, cardboard, protractor and ruler. The resource includes background information, a pre-activity inquiry exploration for students, teaching tips and questions to guide student discussion. This is chapter 4 of Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9. The guide includes a discussion of learning science, the use of inquiry in the classroom, instructions for making simple weather instruments, and more than 20 weather investigations ranging from teacher-centered to guided and open inquiry investigations.

In this arts and crafts activity about animals and animal characteristics, learners will design animal hats and role-play as animals. Through this dramatic play, learners will practice and develop problem solving, cooperation, symbolic thinking, language and personal expression skills. Use the suggested open-ended questions to encourage learner reflection about their animal hat and animals in general.

This collection contains animations of a nuclear chain reaction, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. It also showcases interactive models of the first atomic bombs and simulation of the "Nuclear Winter" effect.

NASA argues that new observations may upset theories about how solar explosions create and destroy antimatter. Users can view the many colorful animations and short movies obtained from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI).

This case study looks at how the scientific process really works, particularly in respect to evolutionary biology. Using the example of the discovery of the platypus, the lesson ties in easily with biology or zoology courses. The case study and teaching notes may be downloaded in PDF format. The site also includes a section for instructor feedback where general comments may be read and contributed.

In this engineering activity, young learners investigate multi-level buildings. Learners observe buildings in their neighborhood and then, using simple household materials, create their own multi-level models. This activity (page 4 of the PDF) is part of the Curious George "Under Construction" lesson plan, which includes several activities that explore building engineering. Activities are connected to fiction and non-fiction books and include family extension projects.

This paper describes the application of findings from the National Science Foundation's project on Computational Thinking (CT) in America's Workplace to program assessment. It presents the process used to define the primary job functions and work tasks of CT-Enabled STEM professionals in today's scientific enterprise. Authors describe three programs developing CT skills among learners in secondary and post secondary programs and how the resulting occupational analysis was used to review these programs. The article presents ways this analysis can be used as a framework to guide the development of STEM learning outcomes and activities, and sets of directions for future work.

Spreadsheets across the Curriculum Activity. Student build spreadsheets that allow them to estimate pi using the same iterative process as Archimedes.

This video segment adapted from NOVA features a variety of scientific perspectives on the age old question, "Are we alone in the universe?" Animations make vivid the improbability that we could intercept a radio wave signaling extra terrestrial intelligence.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM) has been quite the authority on this unique region of the United States for well over 50 years. With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), they have been able to create this extensive digital library which documents the area's landforms, animals, plants, minerals, and landscapes. On the homepage, visitors can search the entire collection, and they may also wish to browse the collections, which include sections like "Animals", "Minerals", and "Biotic Communities". The "auto-suggestion" feature is a nice touch, as it suggests possible species and names, such as "salamander" and "eagle". Each entry contains a high-quality photograph, a detailed description, and other relevant information. The site also includes a section of "Kids' Pages", a FAQ area, and an area for those who might wish to contribute to the project.

This collection contains documents about arms control, nuclear deterrence and nuclear proliferation. Principle documents include: The Baruch Plan, Churchill' s "Iron Curtain" Speech, Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace Speech, Sec. of Defense McNamara's "No Cities" Speech, Sec. of Defense McNamara's "Mutual Deterrence" Speech. The collection also contains documents about recent nuclear events in North Korea, India and Pakistan.

In this activity, learners design miniature cars. Learners can create a telephone car, soccer car, merry-go-round car, or any other theme car they can imagine. Learners can also choose to construct moving sculptures to ride inside, motorize the car, build an obstacle course, and/or have a mini art car parade.

This question and answer service for math students and their teachers offers a searchable archive all about math history and famous mathematicians at the elementary level.

This question and answer service for math students and their teachers offers a searchable archive all about numbers and number sense at the elementary level.

In this engineering activity, learners will get acquainted with the basics of wind energy and power production by fabricating and testing various blade designs for table-top windmills constructed from one-inch PVC pipe and balsa wood (or recycled materials). This lesson plan is divided into three parts. In Part I, learners explore outdoors and examine where wind comes from. In Part II, learners review the power equation and wind as an energy resource. Finally, in Part III, learners work in groups to construct and test their wind turbines. During each section, learners can view video segments that are linked to this resource.

The science of astrobiology is concerned with the question of whether or not life exists on other planets. These activities were adapted for use in afterschool programs with ages 5-12. Astrobiology consists of eight activities, each of which may be completed in about one hour. Astrobiology: Science Learning Activities for Afterschool was produced by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) as a part of a 18 month study and demonstration project funded by NASA.

This Astronomy Picture of the Day is a photograph of Robert H. Goddard with the first liquid-fueled rocket that he successfully launched in 1926. Text and links provide further information.

This outdoor activity/field trip requires a place where minnows swim, such as a local pond or brook. Learners are challenged to find out how minnows respond to various fishing lures, then design and test the most effective minnow attractor. The instructions offer suggestions for low-tech fishing poles made with thin wire and a twig, bamboo cane, or dowel stick.

The impact of natural disasters is made vivid in this video segment adapted from NOVA. A small town in Iceland, prepared for recurrent avalanches, is devastated when one takes a new and damaging path.

In this engineering activity, learners design their own board games. Learners brainstorm the various components of board games, conduct research using well-known games, and then design and prototype a game. The learners' games must meet a "client's" requirements -- the games must be designed for first and second graders, must work with two to four children, and must take less than 15 minutes to play.

This BBC Web site comes loaded with interactive multimedia features on evolution and the animal kingdom. Users can view 3-D images as well as video and audio clips of prehistoric creatures, play an interactive evolution game, and much more. The Web site also includes dozens of comprehensive, downloadable lessons plans and worksheets for students age 7-14 (click on Teachers to access these materials). The lesson plans encourage offline investigation and problem solving, but also provide links to relevant features within the Walking with Beasts Web site. The use of certain online features, with their engaging visuals and interactive design, should make these lesson plans especially appealing to students.

In this physics crime lab or demonstration, learners pretend they are criminologists and must find the "muzzle velocity" (speed of the bullet as it leaves the gun) of a gun used to commit a crime. Learners build an apparatus to fire a dart from a plastic toy gun into the open end of a cut-off plastic water bottle which has been stuffed with a plastic bag and suspended as a pendulum. Knowing the mass of the dart, the mass of the water bottle-bag combination, and the vertical rise of the water-bottle bag combination with the dart in it, simple energy and momentum considerations are used to find the muzzle velocity of the dart.

In this physics activity, challenge learners to make and race a balloon-powered car. Learners construct the body out of a paper cup, wheels out of wooden spools. and fuel tank out of a balloon. Demonstrate motion, forces, and kinetic and potential energy.

In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF), learners will construct a model hovercraft out of an empty spool and a piece of cardboard. A balloon provides the air pressure through the spool and a hole in the cardboard to lift the hovercraft off the table surface. Further experimenting with different sizes and shapes of cardboard can develop the best design. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Luge.