"Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;. . ." Why is this guarantee of free speech and a free press the First Amendment to the US Constitution? Why are these rights so essential to a...

As part of their continued investigation of the reporting of the shooting of Michael Brown class members analyze photos of Michael Brown and the social media response to these images. The class then develops a guide they...

One picture but a thousand stories. As a part of a case study of how the death of Michael Brown was reported by professional news sources and on social media class members examine the reactions of various groups to a photograph taken by...

How can social media help or hinder civil dialogue? How can information shared on social media be verified? As the investigation of media reports of the events surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown continues, class members read...

How do greenhouse gases impact temperature? Have your classes use the interactive software to explore different concentrations of greenhouse gases and their effect on climate. Learners can recreate different atmospheric concentrations...

Climate change isn't just about a warming planet; it will affect humans' health, spread of disease, changes in heat waves and droughts, and changes in storms and wildfires. Participants explore global climate change through discussions...

The sound waves of thunder are made when lightning very quickly heats the air surrounding it, expanding faster than the speed of sound. Learners explore waves through their own movement of string or set waves to constantly oscillate....

Beer's Law can be used to measure the concentration of certain compounds in samples of food. In the concentration simulation, particpants change and measure the concentration of different solutions by manipulating various types of...

Just like the old saying goes, "What goes in must come out." This simulation allows pupils to balance chemical equations. The introduction gives three examples before scholars switch to game mode, pick their level, and continue to...

The attempts of journalists to verify the events surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown take center stage as individuals analyze three of the initial newspaper accounts of the story. The whole class discussion then focuses...

Through the analysis of paper chromatography to separate ink from the pen found at the crime scene, learners analyze the different stains and through calculations determine the thief. 

As of April, 2016, more than 28,000 suspected cases of Ebola were recorded in Western Africa with over 11,000 human deaths. Classes discuss the Ebola virus outbreak in 2014 and then groups develop an action plan based on...

Cancerous tissues contain more water than normal tissue, which causes the cancerous tissue to resonate longer on the screen and be seen. High school learners can see how MRIs detect tumors in someone's head. Radio transmitters emit their...

Ionic bonds form from electrostatic energy, allowing for higher conductivity than those seen in covalent bonds. In the simulation, learners add sugar and salt to water and see the effects on concentration and conductivity of their...

Water is the only molecule on Earth that can naturally exist in all three states of matter. The interactive simulation shows different molecules changing states of matter with the addition or removal of heat. Learners then see how...

Did you know when you mix the reactants sulfur, tungsten, and silver, you get the products SWAg? The simulation begins with making sandwiches, to show pupils reactants and products of something familiar. They then can make water,...

Uranium 235 has a half-life of over 700 million years and is the fuel used in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Pupils see the half-lives and decay rates of Carbon-14 and Uranium-238. They also take measurements of these two...

The shape of a molecule is determined by the arrangement of atoms around the central atom and lone pairs of electrons. Scholars build models of molecules using single, double, and triple bonds. They can then see real molecules bond...

Some isotopes are unstable, or radioactive, meaning they will decay over time and turn into another isotope or stable element. In the interactive simulation, participants manipulate elements to create isotopes and gather information....

Class members are challenged to write a neutral news story about the events they observe in a short video. After sharing their stories in groups and discussing the different perceptions, the class concludes with a video of...

As the investigation into the reporting of the events in Ferguson, Missouri, continues, class members consider how bias influences perception, how the tendency is to collect evidence that supports preconceived notions. The big idea...

How does identity influence the way people respond to events? That is the central question class members grapple with as they examine a political cartoon, read a vignette by Sandra Cisneros, watch of video of police officers discussing...

Many of the issues facing 21st Century learners are challenging and even discussing these issues can be a challenge. So how do teachers prepare learners for these difficult conversations? How do instructors create a safe classroom where...

In molecules, bonds rotate about the nucleus due to the repulsion of subatomic particles. In a simulation, learners manipulate the bonds of a molecule to meet the atoms' needs. They can then see the specific molecular shapes of five...