|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
These lesson plans for middle school and high school teachers are designed to take up no more than one or two class periods. Videotapes for schools, libraries, and other institutions are available for purchase online through ShopPBS for Teachers. All SECRETS OF THE DEAD programs can be taped off-the-air and used for educational purposes.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Media-Enhanced Lesson Plans: |
|
|
|
|
To Build A Bridge
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle school science (6th=8th grade physical science)
Students explore the different facets that must be considered to design and construct a bridge. They start with a look at materials vs. design and then end up with a brief look at some of the ethical concerns of engineering projects.
|
Identifying Viruses
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle/high school science (8th -10th grade biology)
Students learn the story of the 1918 influenza pandemic and about the use of electrophoresis and DNA fingerprinting to identify an unknown, using UPC barcodes to represent the DNA banding patterns.
|
Where Has All the Carbon Gone?
by Viki Babcock
Level: high school science (9th-10th grade physical science)
Students learn about carbon-14 dating, perform an analogous activity to solve a mystery, and then analyze the validity and reliability of certain science practices.
|
What Floats Your Boats?
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle/high school science (8th-10th grade physical science)
Students learn about the some of the historical innovations that were used during the Battle of D-day. They are then challenged to design their own creations, while at the same time learning about buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle.
|
Making Faces
by Viki Babcock
Level: high school science (9th-10th grade biology/forensics)
Students learn about the archaeological and DNA evidence in support of the Amazon Warrior Women myth and then try their skills at forensic facial reconstruction from skulls. |
Digging for the Truth
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle/high school science (8th-12th grade forensics)
Students simulate digging for forensics evidence at a crime site. Each group is provided with a different medium containing evidence. Students must choose the appropriate tools to use, and then determine if what they've found is relevant to the crime and how it relates.
|
One Foot, Two Foot ...
by Viki Babcock
Level: high school science (9th-10th grade biology)
Students learn first-hand the advantage of walking upright versus walking on all fours. They also learn about new fossil evidence indicating that our hominid ancestors may have been bipedal at a much earlier date than previously believed.
|
Well, It's Not Rocket Science... or Is It?
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle or high school science (7th-10th grade physical science)
Students learn about World War II's influence on the development of rocket science through video, Web site and a simple hands-on activity.
|
Fire
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle school science (6th- 8th grade physical science)
Students learn about the nature of fire and the history of our current understanding about fire, through video, teacher demonstration and online research.
|
The Power of Potions
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle/high school science (7th-10th grade chemistry)
Students learn the science behind some traditional Zulu medicinal plants and mushrooms used by warriors. They perform a simple paper chromatography lab as an introduction to chemical separation and identification.
|
The Tooth Behind Stonehenge
by Viki Babcock
Level: high school science (9th-10th grade physical science/forensics)
Students are introduced to forensics dentistry and the use of isotope analysis with this lesson plan that investigates the information revealed from isotope concentration found in the tooth enamel of a skeleton from Stonehenge.
|
What Really Happened at Jamestown?
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle/high school science/social studies (6th-12th grade forensics)
Students explore one of four different, supported reasons behind the mysterious deaths that occurred in the early days of the colony of Jamestown and present their knowledge in a jigsaw-type format.
|
When You're Hot, You're Hot
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle school science (6th-8th grade physical science)
Students are introduced to endoscopic and thermal imaging technology through this Web site and by studying and "creating" their own thermographs.
|
Inherited Immunity
by Viki Babcock
Level: high school science (9th-10th grade biology)
Students learn about incomplete dominance inheritance by learning about the survivors of the Black Death and completing Punnett Squares. They also discover an important link between this ancient disease and the current menace of AIDS.
|
Of Fungus and Witches
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle/high school science (7th-10th grade biology)
Students are introduced to the kingdom of Fungi via an exploration of what may have caused the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. Students learn about the historical impact of a particularly toxic fungus, before taking a more in-depth look at this fascinating kingdom.
|
Bio-Chemical Weaponry
by Viki Babcock
Level: high school science/social studies (9th -12th biology)
Students are introduced to a mysterious murder that was the result of a potential weapon of biochemical warfare. They are then assigned to work as "advisors to the White House" as they investigate and report on other agents of possible mass destruction.
|
Scuba Science
by Viki Babcock
Level: middle/high school science (6th-10th grade chemistry)
Students learn about the sinking of the Andrea Doria via the Web site and then explore the science of the gas laws involved in scuba diving through a variety of hands-on activities.
|
Get Started:
Each of these great lesson plans is enhanced with video clips from SECRETS OF THE DEAD and an interactive activity for your students. Select a lesson title from the left column to read a description of the lesson plan and find out which grade levels and standards it covers. Grade levels listed are suggestions only, as each lesson is adaptable to any level.
For 3,000 lesson plans and activities, visit PBS TeacherSource
|
|
|
|
|
About the Author:
Victoria Babcock lives near St. Louis, Missouri, where she has taught science for 10 years, including high school biology, botany, zoology, and physical science, and middle school general science. She has started and coached Academic Teams at the high school level. Before becoming a public school teacher, Victoria was involved in informal science education as part of the St. Louis Science Center's Outreach team.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
