Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College
Collection of resources from the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College. Whether you're an undergraduate faculty member or a K-12 science teacher our suite of partner projects has materials you can use today. Connect with a community of peers as they share what really works in their classrooms. Explore SERC resources on OERColorado or search the collection directly for new additions. There is a k12 portal and a Teach the Earth portal as well as undergraduate science resources.
After using the historical development of concepts of conserved motion to develop …
After using the historical development of concepts of conserved motion to develop introductory understanding, students are directed to a series of activities to gain a better understanding of momentum, conservation of momenta, angular momentum, and conservation of angular momenta.
The relationship of animals and humans has been the subject of differing …
The relationship of animals and humans has been the subject of differing philosophical views for thousands of years. The controversy continues today in many aspects of contemporary life. Some people believe that a vegan lifestyle is the only moral choice. Others believe that humans should treat animals "humanely," but can use animals and animal products at will, including for biomedical or other scientific research. Others believe that humans have no moral responsibilities for animals and are free to treat animals as they want. Advocates of animal rights believe that animals have legal rights and are members of the moral community. As such, animals should not be used by humans for any purpose. Advocates of animal welfare believe that non-human animals should be treated humanely and without unnecessary suffering, but otherwise are available for humans to use for food, clothing, research, and entertainment.
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Students build a 9 M X 9 M model of an animal or plant cell with cell organelles inside it and give cell tours to Life Science students. May be done as two large groups, or a whole class project.
Students are shown a series of animations in powerpoint. Each powerpoint slide …
Students are shown a series of animations in powerpoint. Each powerpoint slide illustrates a basic concept in reflection and refraction (e.g., Snell's law, Crossover distance, Crossover time, dipping layers, multiple interfaces. As the slides are animated, students see the distance versus time relationships. These slides can be given to students so that they can review the concepts as many times as is necessary. Addresses student misconceptions
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Students will create an animation to represent one of the many feedback …
Students will create an animation to represent one of the many feedback loops that influences climate change. To create their animation, students will use clay, cut paper, whiteboard or other materials commonly found in the classroom. They will make a storyboard, plan a narration, rehearse their animation and then film their animation with stop-motion photography.
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Annotations are short and cannot give detailed information, but they should cover …
Annotations are short and cannot give detailed information, but they should cover these points: 1. The general contents of the work. What does it discuss and how detailed is it? This is the main portion of the annotation. 2. The author's qualifications. Is the writer a trained scholar? A journalist? Someone relating a personal experience? 3. An evaluation of the reliability. Is the information given reliable? Are facts or opinions stressed? 4. The intended audience. Is it for a general reader or a specialist? How much, if any, background knowledge is needed to understand it? Was is easy or difficult to read?
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During this exercise, students compare a series of satellite images taken 3-4 …
During this exercise, students compare a series of satellite images taken 3-4 years apart to investigate the effects of human land use and annotate the images using ImageJ software.
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The Polar Rock Repository at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center …
The Polar Rock Repository at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center offers no-cost Rock Boxes for use by educators in both schools and informal learning environments, such as libraries, scout groups, and Science Olympiad teams. Each box may be borrowed for one month and contains more than 30 representative samples (rocks, minerals, fossils), printed materials for student use (books, descriptions, etc), teacher materials (also available online), and tools to examine the samples. With few exceptions, all of the samples in the boxes were brought back from Antarctica over the past century by U.S. expeditions! A virtual version of the Rock Box may be viewed here. In addition to 3D models of rock samples, high resolution photographs and descriptions are linked.
This exercise focuses on anthropogenic effects on erosion. It could be run …
This exercise focuses on anthropogenic effects on erosion. It could be run as a single lab or as a series of in-class exercises or problem sets. We discussed an article by Hooke and used it as a launching pad for a discussion of back of the envelope calculations. Students then estimate the volume moved by mountain-top removal and how long it might take a river to mobilize that sediment. They estimate the cost for beach nourishment along Florida beaches. They estimate the contribution of local construction projects and road gravel to stream sediment loads. This activity gives students a chance to formulate a problem, make simple measurements, estimate unknowns, and calculate volumes, rates, and costs of various human earth-moving activities. Designed for a geomorphology course Addresses student fear of quantitative aspect and/or inadequate quantitative skills Uses geomorphology to solve problems in other fields
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This lab activity will not only draw on students' real life experiences …
This lab activity will not only draw on students' real life experiences but will also draw on student's previous lab experiences in proper laboratory techniques and data analysis performed in previous activities. The lab will incorporate the use of scientific inquiry methods and strategies while students develop reasonable answers to the questions asked.
In this problem set students are given Rb/Sr and 87Sr/86Sr data for …
In this problem set students are given Rb/Sr and 87Sr/86Sr data for whole rock and mineral samples from three granitic intrusions in the Sierra Nevada. They use these data (in EXCEL) to calculate isochron ages and initial ages for the intrusions and then interpret their results. This problem is intended to teach some spreadsheet skills (linear regressions, graphing) as well as having them think about the use of radiogenic isotopes.
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Application of Oral History to Economics: Family Economic History The assignment will …
Application of Oral History to Economics: Family Economic History The assignment will connect an oral history approach to the examination of economic concepts such as opportunity cost of attending school, economic crises (inflation and unemployment, etc.), and standard of living over time. Particularly, students will interview parents, grandparents, or family members from older generations regarding the types of work they performed, economic decisions they have made, and the economic conditions while they were growing up. The project develops a student's ability to understand and integrate these concepts from a variety of perspectives and real world situation.
This lab exercise provides students with activities utilizing vector operations within the …
This lab exercise provides students with activities utilizing vector operations within the context of the atmospheric and oceanic environments.
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This is a writing assignment on the topic of environmental justice for …
This is a writing assignment on the topic of environmental justice for a philosophy-oriented "Philosophy and the Environment" course. It provides somewhat realist scenarios for students to demonstrate their understanding of several theories and practices emerging from environmental ethical issues including race, class, gender, indigenous peoples, and international law and economics.
In this jigsaw-method activity on subduction zone volcanism, students apply lessons learned …
In this jigsaw-method activity on subduction zone volcanism, students apply lessons learned from four historic eruptions to the volcanic hazards associated with Mt. Rainier in the Pacific Northwest.
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A series of 6 Excel-based projects on the mathematics of biodiversity for …
A series of 6 Excel-based projects on the mathematics of biodiversity for basic college math classes and developmental math classes. Students learn about the structure of biodiversity, the application of many basic data analysis skills, and the use of Excel for analysis and data presentation.
Well Field Practice: aquifer characterization through conducting and interpreting of aquifer pump …
Well Field Practice: aquifer characterization through conducting and interpreting of aquifer pump tests.
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The goal of this experiment is to measure the specific storage Ss …
The goal of this experiment is to measure the specific storage Ss of a balloon, which simulates aquifer elasticity. The experiment is designed to give observational meaning to the variable, increment of fluid content, and the influence of the state of stress on the specific storage. Increment of fluid content is the poroelastic variable defined as the amount of water added to storage per unit bulk volume. It is analogous to quantity of heat added to a unit volume of a material. Specific storage can then be expressed rigorously as the ratio of increment of fluid content divided by the change in head with specified external stress or strain conditions on the REV.
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