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a side profile of a young man sitting in a classroom taking notes at a desk. He is looking at another young man next to him, who is also writing. Overlaid over the second student are animations suggesting computing, algorithms and artificial intelligence

Homework Help? ChatGPT is Poised to Disrupt Education

Playing around with ChatGPT is enormously fun, and the technology can be useful. But there are pitfalls too. In this Guide, students will learn about AI and the benefits and challenges posed by the chatbot.

Cultural Connections for Species at Risk

In the face of habitat loss and pollution, more species around the world are threatened by extinction. But how should conservation resources be allocated? In this activity, students will debate whether the allocation of conservation resources should consider the cultural significance of a species.
A shoreline in southern Louisiana shows green marsh grass where it meets still water

Shores Still Reeling from 2010 Oil Spill

Soil erosion happens naturally and through human actions. In this activity, students will explore how an oil spill changed Louisiana’s coastline, and they will look for examples of landscape features that were created by erosion and examples of human-caused erosion in their area.

Cascading effects of erosion

Students will discuss a disastrous event that led to erosion and use the event to contextualize the impact of erosion on humans and the ways humans increase and decrease erosion. Learning Outcomes: Determining examples of erosion and its positive and negative impacts on humans and analyzing an example of a human-induced ecosystem disruption and understanding how it caused erosion in the ecosystem over time.

Curbing Climate Change

The emissions of greenhouse gases through human activities are changing the world and making it warmer. But there are technologies and strategies that can reduce these emissions and slow climate change. In this activity, students will research methods of reducing carbon dioxide production and removing carbon from the atmosphere and present on their findings.

The Past, Present and Future of Spaceflight

Have you ever wondered how the people who get to fly in space are chosen? The path to becoming an astronaut has changed a lot over the years. In this activity, students will learn about the space travelers of the past and present — and consider a future where the diversity of astronauts better reflects the diversity of all of humankind. Students will use their creative writing skills to imagine this future.
The Pantheon in Rome still stands including its soaring dome.

Chemists Crack the Code to Ancient Roman Concrete

The ancient Romans built concrete structures that have stood for thousands of years. In this Guide, students will learn how scientists experimented to make Roman-style concrete — without causing explosions!

Write a scientific question based in history

In this quick activity, students will write a scientific question to learn more about a historical artifact. Learning Outcomes: Asking scientific questions
A line of wind turbines disappearing into the distance with an out of focus wheat field in the foreground.

The Road to Net-Zero

Human activities pump a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and those emissions are driving climate change. In this guide, students will review greenhouse gases and their sources and learn about ways to reduce emissions.

How to make the future climate-friendly

Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “It’s possible to reach net-zero carbon emissions. Here’s how,” which explores various solutions to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. A version of the article, “The road to net-zero,” appears in the January 28, 2023 issue of Science News.
A photo of six old fashioned golden weight in a line from the smallest weight to the left and the biggest weight on the right, all on a black background

The Metric System Has Gained New Prefixes

In this guide, students will learn about new measurement prefixes, work with those prefixes in metric conversions and create their own units of measure.

New prefixes for the metric system

Students will answer questions about a Science News article that explores new prefixes for the metric system. A version of the article, “The metric system gains new prefixes,” appears in the January 14, 2023 issue of Science News.