Students discuss rocks and other earth materials made up of minerals. They identify minerals by means of their more obvious physical properties such as hardness, luster, color, streak, cleavage and fracture. They arrange a given set of...

Students create a geologic map and cross-section of an area of horizontal sedimentary rocks, exposed in several locations. Map must include a complete key or legend with rock descriptions of the various formations.

Students examine building stones in downtown St. Petersburg in order t study igneous and metamorphic rocks in central Florida ( a huge area consisting solely of sedimentary rock). Each student picks a particular rock type used in a...

Students explore about the structure of Earth's atmosphere and about the stratospheric ozone. They discuss how it is produced and destroyed, where it is located, why it is important, and how it is changing. Students investigate about...

Students use a microcomputer connected to a conductivity probe to measure the total dissolved solids in local area water samples. Students then compare their measurements with others in their class as well as other standard measurements.

Twelfth graders use a microcomputer connected to an ultra-violet sensor to compare the relative blocking power of different SPF sunscreens for the UVB region of the solar spectrum.

Pupils use a microcomputer connected to a light sensor and temperature probe to explore the reflection and absorption of radiation for different surfaces. Students follow instructions in this guided inquiry based lab and are then asked...

Twelfth graders use this game to find minerals given rocks and outcrops in a plausible (but not real) geologic setting. They play without outside encouragement for hours as the world is fun to explore and the scoring system encourages...

Students analyze images of five different soil types from various locations and discuss how climate, vegetation, parent material, topography, and time can contribute to soil characteristics.

Students demonstrates one of the few cases in which geologic solids visibly deform at room conditions. They suspend a weight on a thin wire over an ice cube to observe its effects over time.

Students make small cuts (fracture nuclei) in processed cheese food and then apply stresses perpendicular or parallel to the cuts to see how fractures grow. They make predictions before each experiment and explain their results to the...

Students watch a demonstration using a Slinky during a lecture on basic wave properties. Properties addressed in the demo include wave speed, wave length, amplitude, period, and frequency.

Students investigate Daisyworld, a very simple planet that has only two species of life on its surface - white and black daisies, and bare ground. They construct a Stella model of Daisyworld and perform guided experiments to explore the...

Students use a simple physical model of the Earth, sun, and moon to understand why the moon changes phases from the perspective of Earthly observers. They hold up balls representing the moon in a room with a single light source to see...

Students model the geologic timescale using distance as a metaphor for time. They write a summary of a major event or fossil organism. and station themselves and their summaries along a path within a gymnasium, and present their...

Students examine the influence of the end wall. They find a basin size and wind speed such that a given wall height is overtopped. Then, increase the wall elevation until overtopping stops. Students explain the difference in results.

Students use Excel to explore the geodynamics Model equation for ocean depth around a sea-floor spreading center. They complete an introductory tutorial on Excel for students with no prior Excel experience.

Students research the contributing factors to the Earth's paleoclimate. They determine the relevant climate data and use it to construct a science argument. In the process, they access data, capture images of the data plots, and...

Students, after reading "The Button Box" by Margarette S. Reid, analyze real-world data by surveying a sample space. They predict the generalization onto a larger population utilizing calculators and computers. Students total categories,...

Students differentiate between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. They examine pictures of prokaryotes and eukaryotes and write down the differences between the two. They complete a Venn Diagram on the cells.

Eighth graders explain the functions of various body systems. Using a concept map, 8th graders identify and explain the fuctions of the skeletal, skin, and muscular systems of the body. After completing their concept map, students...

Learners observe pictures of the Titanic sailing and at the bottom of the ocean. They hypothesize the cause of the Titanic tragedy and engage in deeper questioning while one student writes responses on the board. They then work in groups...

Students examine the Florida Panthers through a Web-quest. In this web-based lesson, students find clues that will help them to identify the habitat of the Florida Panther and the history of human activity which threatens these wild cats.

Students define the importance of the properties of quadrilaterals. In this quadrilaterals lesson, students identify the general properties of and compare and contrast the properties of convex and concave quadrilaterals. Students also...