Physical Science
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Career share and compare
These discussion prompts encourage students to discuss and compare the work and background of two SN 10 scientists to explore the varied paths to becoming a successful researcher.
- Tech
Digital circuit design
Students will practice designing an integrated circuit that can accomplish a simple task. The activity will help students understand that digital circuits are composed of logic gates made up of transistors.
- Computing
Many Moore transistors?
After watching a video about transistors, your class can use these discussion prompts to analyze transistor technology and predict future trends in computer processing.
- Tech
Pushing computers to the limit
Students will answer questions based on the Science News article “Computer chip milestone reached.”
- Earth
Eyes across the globe
Students will learn about three global monitoring networks and the types of scientific data collected by each. Additional prompts encourage students to consider the purpose of these networks.
- Chemistry
Atoms, ions and isotopes, oh why?
Students will use a PhET Interactive Simulation to understand the definitions, similarities and differences of elements, ions and isotopes. Then students will explore the Science News journalism archive to find current science research examples that apply these concepts.
- Chemistry
A nuclear whodunit
These questions, based on the Science News article “Radioactive cloud traced to Russia,” ask students to identify a series of events and list and evaluate evidence.
- Chemistry
Chirpy jerky
Students will test insects' nutrient compositions and compare that data with similar data from conventional snack foods.
- Life
Move into a hermit crab’s shell
These discussion prompts connect concepts including energy, competition, adaptation, speciation, natural selection and chemical and physical changes to a real-world example.
- Ecosystems
Surveying the hermit crab housing market
Students will answer questions based on the Science News article "Hermit crabs are drawn to the dead."
- Chemistry
The Periodic Table: A nuclear view
Students will learn how interactions among the protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus affect the properties and stability of chemical elements, and how these properties could inform the creation of future elements.
- Physics
Journey to the center of the Earth
After thinking through concepts related to processes in the Earth's core, students will use these prompts to create a diagram of the geodynamo.
