National Wildlife Federation
Get Your Techno On
Desert regions are hotter for multiple reasons; the lack of vegetation causes the sun's heat to go straight into the surface and the lack of moisture means none of the heat is being transferred into evaporation. This concept, and other...
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Illuminating Climate Change: Connecting Lighting and Global Warming
Students analyze energy usage and connect energy usage to fossil fuel consumption. In this global warming and pollution lesson, students what fuels are used to generate electricity and how much CO2 each fuel produces, then graph the...
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Trout Pond
Middle schoolers demonstrate the use of iteration, recursion and algebra to model and analyze a changing fish population. They use graphs, equations, tables, and technological tools to investigate the effect of varying parameters on the...
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Establishing a Baseline Ecology of a Creek Ecosystem
Students investigate the physical, chemical and biological parameters necessary to establish an ecological baseline. Establishing an ecological baseline not only shows the ecological characteristics of a creek but makes the possible...
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Water, Water Everywhere?
Students discover the relationship between water availability and population growth. They change variables in a computer model using a worksheet to guide their hypotheses and conclusions. In small groups they choose a country undergoing...
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The Cost of Smoking
Students explain the financial and life expectancy costs of smoking using a computer model to enter and adjust parameters to collect data in the form of a table. They analyze the data collected and determine the true cost of smoking.
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A Solar Project
High schoolers make predictions about the global temperature of the earth and to see how this is dependent upon a number of variables. Students visualize how changing parameters can impact the global temperature of the earth.
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Name That Tune
Integrating technology and music can be a snap with lessons like this one! Kids in a junior high band class took to the Internet to download and practice playing their instrument with a computer generated back up band. They practice...
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A Child's Place in Time and Space
First graders visit each room of an online virtual museum in order to study transportation in the United States through time.
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How Texas is Planning To Manage Its Water
Students research water management strategies in Texas. They analyze projected demand for water in the year 2050, interpret graphs and tables and then discuss the data as part of a written report. They research and map the locations of...
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Communism and Containment
Students "discover" top secret documents that describe the "Patriot" program. They are assigned the task of educating the American people about the threat of Soviets taking over America, including the key points of the Truman Doctrine...
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Actual Airflow vs. Ideal Airflow: Stalls
Students use 3-D modeling techniques to observe the characteristic signature of the stall condition apparent on an airfoil at high angles of attack. They use FoilSim to compare the above with ideal airflow.
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Math: Will The Airplane Get Off the Ground?
Students use data from real-life models to calculate and compare the force required for an airplane of a given weight to become airborne. They use a graphing calculator to evaluate data and use the World Wide Web to access data.
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Space Program Spin-Offs
Students brainstorm types of accommodations needed for space travel. They create a table of categories for these accommodations and work in groups to research the categories. Each group puts together a five minute presentation to present...
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Using 3-D Models for Code Validation with FoilSim
Students use FoilSim to complete the activity to create tables of data sets comparing the lift values for a 3-D model of a symmetrical wing section to the values predicted by the FoilSim software.
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Wing Area Effects Problem Set
High schoolers read an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook on lift and an explanation on the FoilSim software package given below. They use FoilSim to evaluate the relationship between wing area and lift.
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Water: On the Surface and in the Ground
Students explore the differences between surface water and ground water. They collect data using maps and graphs and investigate a Texas river basin and a nearby aquifer. They complete a written report including maps and data regarding...