Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 09:42:35 -0400 Reply-To: "Information from & about the U.S. Department of Education publications & more." <[log in to unmask]> From: "Winters, Kirk" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: New Learning Resources in Science & Math Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" TWELVE NEW LEARNING RESOURCES in science & math have been added to FREE. They're described below. FREE makes finding federal learning resources easier: http://www.ed.gov/free ==== Math ==== "MathDL" provides Java applets, interactive modules, & Flash presentations for studying numerical & graphical solutions of differential equations, parametric representations of curves, conic formulae, Euler's analysis of the Genoese Lottery, Van Schooten's ruler constructions, Riemann sums, & how to use calculators (for introductory statistics students). (NSF) http://www.mathdl.org/ ======= Science ======= "Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues" offers annotated references to articles, books, films, & websites for the study of nuclear issues. Topics include fission & fusion, nuclear power & waste, plutonium & tritium, arms control & proliferation, weapons programs of various countries, particle accelerators, the Manhattan Project, Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, & hundreds more. Historical & scientific overviews of the Atomic Age are provided. (NSF) http://alsos.wlu.edu/ "Curiosity Creates Cures: The Value & Impact of Basic Research" introduces the work of basic biomedical scientists -- scientists who seek answers to key biological questions like how cells talk to each other, how biological machines fold into their active shapes, & how genes are regulated. Topics include Alzheimer's disease, anthrax, flu vaccines, Nobel Prize winners, & more. (NIH) http://www.nigms.nih.gov/curiosity/ "Decoding the Past: The Work of Archaeologists" introduces students to archaeology -- the study of material remains to learn about past human experiences. This lesson (Grades 3-8) discusses the challenges of an archaeologist: locating a site that will yield clues about the people who once lived there, conducting excavations, & more. Students identify "artifacts" from a contemporary setting, describe the function of each artifact, identify methods for dating soil layers, & interpret soil profiles. (SI) www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/decoding_the_past/ "Making Friends with Franklin" introduces students to the world of Ben Franklin & other natural philosophers at a time when the word "science" had not yet entered our language. Portraits of Franklin's colleagues, an overview of his life, & experiments showing how electrical charges attract & repel are part of this lesson (Grades 3-8). (SI) www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/franklin/start.html "Minerals, Crystals, & Gems: Stepping Stones to Inquiry" introduces students to mineral science & the scientific process -- observing things, forming hypotheses, & drawing conclusions. Students watch crystals grow, go on a scavenger hunt for minerals, & create a classroom exhibit of rocks & minerals (for Grades 3-8). (SI) www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/minerals/ "Plants & Animals, Partners in Pollination" helps students see how plants & animals interact to accomplish pollination. Students (Grades 3-8) identify plant & animal parts involved in pollination, connections between pollination & food production, relationships between pollinators & the plants they pollinate, & ways flowers have adapted to encourage pollination. (SI) www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/partners_in_pollination/ "Reciprocal Net" is a database used by crystallographers to store information about molecular structures. Images of molecules can be manipulated in 3D. Learn about molecules of minerals & gems, biochemicals, ions & elements, medicines, insects, plants, & space. (NSF) http://www.reciprocalnet.org/ "Reviled & Revered: Toads, Turtles, Snakes, Salamanders, & Other Creepers & Crawlers" examines misconceptions about herps (the collective name given to reptiles & amphibians), how herps have been viewed throughout history, & how reptiles & amphibians are similar to & different from one another. (SI) www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/herps/start.html "Science & Technology" offers 11 lesson plans for Grades 3-8 on minerals & gems, Ben Franklin, spiders, archaeology, oceans, pollination, reptiles & amphibians, & more. (SI) www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/science_technology.html "Under the Spell of ... Spiders!" looks at physical features & unusual habits of these arachnids -- their two main body parts, their eyes, senses, sensitivity to vibrations, silk webs, how they catch & eat their prey, & how they reproduce (for Grades 3-8). (SI) www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/under_spell_spiders/ "Water Science for Schools" examines dozens of water topics: what makes water water, how much water is there on earth & where, how water quality & stream flow are measured, the water & water-use cycles, national maps showing how water is used by state, surface & ground water, pesticides in ground water, aquifers, & glaciers & icecaps. Available in Spanish. (USGS) http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/ Acronyms ~~~~~~~~ NIH -- National Institutes of Health NSF -- National Science Foundation SI -- Smithsonian Institution USGS -- U.S. Geological Survey =========================================================== To subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) EDInfo, address an email message to: [log in to unmask] Then write either SUBSCRIBE EDINFO YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLASTNAME in the message, or write UNSUBSCRIBE EDINFO (if you have a signature block, please turn it off) Then send it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Past EDInfo messages: http://www.ed.gov/MailingLists/EDInfo/ Search: http://www.ed.gov/MailingLists/EDInfo/search.html =========================================================== Contributors: Audrey Huang, Howard Perlman, & others Editors: Peter Kickbush & Kirk Winters ----------------------------------------------- Please send any comments to [log in to unmask] Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main EDINFO page

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