Lessons

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  Comparing Species through the Fossil Record

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students begin to understand how physical features noted in the fossil record provide clues about the evolution of species.
• 

  The Ecology of Your Skin 1: Bacteria that Live on the Skin

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students explore the concept of interdependence of life in the context of our relationship with bacteria.
• 

  The Ecology of Your Skin 2: The Microbial World Is an Olfactory World

  9-12  
  This lesson introduces students to the olfactory world of our bacterial symbionts.
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  The Ecology of Your Skin 3: The Body Food Connection

  9-12  |  Hands-On
  In this lesson, students perform an exploration of bacteria in milk to see how they can get cheese-like results from body bacteria.
• 

  Frosty the Snowman Meets His Demise: An Analogy to Carbon Dating

  9-12  |  Hands-On
  This lesson will help students understand how scientists use carbon dating to try to determine the age of fossils and other materials.
• 

  Green Roof Design

  9-12  
  In this student-centered learning model, students work collaboratively in small teams to design a heat- and water-conserving “green roof” of plant material for an urban apartment building.
• 

  Immigration

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students will explore some of the effects that immigration in the United States has had on immigrants and American society as a whole.
• 

  The Invisible Kingdom

  9-12  |  Video
  This lesson helps students develop an understanding of the characteristics and diversity of microbial life.
• 

  A Mendel Seminar

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students learn about Gregor Mendel's discovery of a process of biological evolution: how recessive and dominant traits are passed on.
• 

  Simulating Climate Change Research in Grasslands

  9-12  |  Video
  In this lesson, students learn about organism interactions and how those interactions shift in response to climate change, especially in grassland communities.
• 

  Skin Cancer 1: Exposing Healthy Skin to the Sun

  9-12  |  Interactive
  In this lesson, students develop an understanding of the science behind keeping skin healthy.
• 

  Skin Cancer 2: Types, Prevention, and Detection

  9-12  |  Interactive
  In this lesson, students develop an understanding of skin cancer and its different types, how it can be detected, and how it can be prevented.
• 

  Variation in Human Skin Color

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students explore the factors that control variation in human skin color and the implications of this information for human society.
• 

  The Wild Trees

  9-12  |  Audio
  This lesson addresses the diversity of scientific research in the context of the story of how researchers learned about the giant redwoods in Northwestern California.

Tools

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  Cell Size and Scale

  6-12  |  Interactive
  This simple interactive from the University of Utah's Genetic Science Learning Center gives you the opportunity to see how various small things compare to one another.
• 

  From Cell to DNA

  9-12  |  Interactive
  This animation takes you through a tour of a typical human cell, moving from larger to smaller cell structures (i.e., from nucleus to chromosomes to DNA strands and their bases).
• 

  Gravity Launch

  3-12  |  Interactive
  Gravity Launch is an interactive activity that allows you to virtually launch a rocket into space to see how the force of gravity can pull an object toward the earth and moon.
• 

  Peanuts & Crackerjacks

  9-12  |  Interactive
  This tool teaches basic economics through the economics of professional sports (baseball, football, basketball, and hockey).
• 

  Oil Refining: A Closer Look

  9-12  |  Video
  This resource contains a video and an interactive explaining how petroleum was formed and how it is processed.
• 

  Science Update Podcasts

  6-12  |  Audio
  These daily, 60-second radio features cover the latest discoveries in science, technology, and medicine.
• 

  SCI: Skin Cancer Investigation

  6-12  |  Interactive
  This interactive gives students the opportunity to learn about skin cancer diagnosis and prevention.
• 

  The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers

  6-12  |  Video
  From the makers of NOVA, every two weeks, Secret Life premieres another set of videos about a new scientist or engineer, who happens to have a secret.

Science Updates

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  Asparagus Odor

  6-12  |  Audio
  Chances are there's a kind of food you like that at least one friend finds disgusting, and vice versa. The same goes for smells. And while many factors undoubtedly affect our personal tastes, this Science Update examines how scientists are learning that things simply smell and taste different to different people.
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  Gecko Feet

  6-12  |  Audio
  This Science Update explains how scientists are trying to create artificial microfibers that act like gecko feet.
• 

  Modern Leeching

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, hear why leeches are still used in hospitals today.
• 

  Thinnest Material

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, learn about the world's thinnest material was created using nanotechnology.
• 

  Vibrating Insoles

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, learn how vibrating insoles could help seniors keep their balance.
• 

  Wheelchairs

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, hear how exchanging technology with some of the world's poorest countries is helping to build better wheelchairs.