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.

In this activity, learners build small indoor paper rockets, determine their flight stability, and launch them by blowing air through a drinking straw. This lesson plan includes procedures for the two part activity, background information, diagrams for making Ares 1 paper rockets, discussion questions, extensions, and black-line masters for learners.

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.

The abacus has been around for several thousand years, and it is an efficient and interesting counting machine. The standard abacus can be used to perform addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication, along with its use in extracting square roots and cubic roots. This site was created by Luis Fernandes, and it explores the wide world of the abacus through illustrations, thoughtful essays, and other items. On the site's homepage visitors can read a detailed introduction to the abacus, look over an interactive abacus tutorial, and learn about the history of the device. In the "Articles, Excerpts and Analysis" area visitors can read about an early encounter between the abacus and an electric calculator in 1946 and a hilarious encounter between famed physicist Richard Feynman and the abacus. The site is rounded out by the "All Things Abacus" area, which includes resources for teachers and photos of Fernandes' impressive abacus collection.

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.

This collection is intended to provide scientific resources and information to help students explore paleontology and learn about research in the field of paleontology. It features a module that explores a variety of current topics in paleontology, including morphology, histology (the study of biological tissues), taphonomy (the study of preservation), and ichnology (the study of tracks and traces). It also addresses ethics issues in paleontology and includes links to some news articles on current research and discoveries.

This activity/demo introduces learners to aerogel, a glass nanofoam. Learners discover how aerogel is made and how well it insulates as well as learn about aerogel's other unique properties. Learners see real aerogel and feel how well it insulates.

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.

This educational project uses online real time data to guide student discovery of the science behind the causes and effects of ground level ozone. Through this project, students will discover what ground level ozone is, what factors contribute to its formation and how breathing ozone affects health. Students will use data and animated maps from the internet to monitor the presence of ground level ozone. Students are challenged to think critically and creatively. Teacher sections include a primer on ground level ozone and tips for utilizing class time. By the end of the project, they will be able to read the Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Index chart, record weather data, create graphs to help visualize or recognize trends, predict when ground level ozone may occur, and use knowledge gained to create awareness about its associated health effects.

During World War Two, a fierce battle between American and Japanese forces on Kwajalein atoll left a trail of debris on the deep lagoon floor. This lagoon now has one of the largest collections of well-preserved aircraft in the world. In this video, as part of the first ever film crew allowed onto this secret military base, Jonathan explores a B-25, F4-U Corsair and Dauntless dive bomber still sitting on the bottom of the ocean, as if ready to take off. Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.

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 Web site is the online companion to the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). The Educational Resources section provides links to dozens of AMNH activities and articles, mainly geared toward elementary school students. Also, the online guide to the exhibit is itself a terrific educational resource. For example, the Dioramas section offers great graphics and informative descriptions of ocean life and the terrestrial animals, like polar bears, that depend upon it. Likewise, users can take a virtual tour of the exhibit in the Ecosystems feature or click on Ocean Life to learn more about marine animals (and a few ancient bacteria).

Dr. David Wake, Curator of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California-Berkeley, and several graduate students have launched AmphibiaWeb, an online database of amphibian biology and conservation. The searchable database currently contains 137 species accounts and eventually will provide information "for every species of amphibian in the world." Species accounts include species descriptions, photos, life history information, conservation status information, and literature references. Although the new resource is still under development, more than 100 species are already photo-illustrated, and over 300 species have range maps; the reference list contains in excess of 500 literature references. In addition to the database, the site offers a section on worldwide amphibian declines and information on how to contribute information to the database.

This award-winning web page is devoted to the study of energy sources, both renewable and non-renewable. It features multimedia content on nine sources of energy: fossil fuels, solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, biomass, hydroelectric, tidal, and ocean waves. Each section is supported with video clips, diagrams, schematics, and images of how the energy source is used to deliver power. The author discusses advantages/disadvantages of each energy source and provides links to additional information for extended learning. The content of this resource is written at a Grade 9 level. Extensive integration of video, diagrams, and schematic drawings makes the collection especially appropriate for accommodating a variety of levels and learning modalities.

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.

This activity, which centers on Antarctica, challenges students to research and create the answers and questions for a game of classroom Jeopardy. The printable six-page handout includes a series of inquiry-based questions to get students thinking about Antarctica and guidelines for conducting additional research, illustrated activity directions and a worksheet that helps students craft their Jeopardy-style answers and questions.

AnthroNotes is an online publication for anthropology educators offering in-depth articles on current anthropological research, teaching activities, reviews of new resources, and summer fieldwork opportunities. The mission of the publication is to more widely disseminate original, recent research in anthropology in order to help readers stay current in the field; to help those teaching anthropology utilize new materials, approaches, and community resources, as well as integrate anthropology into a wide variety of curriculum subjects; and to create a national network of anthropologists, archaeologists, teachers, museum and other professionals interested in the wider dissemination of anthropology, particularly in schools.

This select list of websites, each with a brief annotation, is a sample of what the Internet holds for teachers and students interested in the field of anthropology. The sites are arranged by the following categories: general sources, career-related, archaeology, social/cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, linguistics, area studies, museums, virtual exhibits, electronic publications, and associations.

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.

Archaeopteryx is considered by many to be the first bird, being about 150 million years of age. It is actually intermediate between the birds that we see flying around in our backyards and the predatory dinosaurs like Deinonychus. This site decribes the discovery of the fossil remains and what we have learned from it. The site also contains links for further research.

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. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.

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.