3 - High School Archives - Page 6 of 16

Join us in this episode of Into the Outdoors episode, we learn about vessels! What are they? How can they be safely operated?

Being out on the water is a great way to get into the outdoors. And learning to be out there safely can be half the fun. Watch as the Into the Outdoors Adventure Team members Phoebe and Zack head to Sheboygan, WI, to talk to the US Coast Guard and other boat safety experts. Join them as they embark on an adventure to discover the ins and outs of operating a vessel.

Find links to the Into the Outdoors @Home topic videos. These custom learning videos are designed to share with your entire classroom. you'll also find other educational content, including custom lesson activities that blend peer-driven learning and hands-on activities.

In this Into the Outdoors episode, we learn about fishing with a spincaster, boater safety, and how to catch a fish like a pro. Watch as Into the Outdoors Adventure Team members Solomon and Gracie work through everything you need to know to get started as they spend a day on the water. Come along for the fishing adventure and the fun! Are you ready?

Find links to the Into the Outdoors @Home topic videos below. These custom learning videos are designed to share with your entire classroom. You’ll also find other educational content, including custom lesson activities that blend peer-driven learning and hands-on activities.

The information in our video and on this page was made possible by our educational partners.

Join us in this Into the Outdoors episode as we welcome the elk back to Wisconsin! But wait...maybe you didn’t even know they left?

Elk were completely eliminated in Wisconsin for over 130 years due to unregulated hunting and loss of habitat, but in recent years, restoration programs, conservation groups and Native tribes have worked together to successfully reintroduce elk to wilderness areas where they once roamed.

Watch as Adventure Team members Zach and Aubrey investigate what makes these animals important to the Ojibwe tribes, and how conservation, treaty rights and public lands played a role in their return.

In this Into the Outdoors episode and related Into the Outdoors @Home topic videos, we learn how and why the Ojibwe tribes worked so hard to bring the elk back to Wisconsin. We also learn about Native American Treaty Rights and their impact on the elk reintroduction.

The information in our video and on this page was made possible by our educational partners.

Why had few people in the United States before 1900, ever heard of the pea-sized yellow beans called "soybeans", much less eaten them? Discover the answers by watching this Serious Science video and reading the information below. And to take this learning adventure into your classroom, have your teacher download the free Lesson Activity at the bottom of this page so everyone can share in the fun of this inquiry based learning.

But this amazing little legume from East Asia has been creatively processed into edible staples – think tofu and soymilk – and ate by the Chinese for thousands of years. Soy foods from China have slowly grown in popularity in the United States in the past several decades. Today, soy foods have joined the ranks of spaghetti and tacos as popular ethnic cuisines in mainstream America. The reach of soy goes far beyond adding soy sauce to our stir fry’s and stocking edamame on our supermarket shelves.

More than any other plant, soybeans have shaped our lives by revolutionizing the way we eat, travel, grow food, and build cars and homes. But how can one little bean have this big of an impact?

Well let's find out by watching this video. Or better yet, let's share the video with the whole classroom then take it to another level with the companion Lesson Guide.

Plus, the educational partner noted below supported the video and lesson guide content here for all of us to learn from. They also offer other learning opportunities on their website. Educators are encouraged to evaluate and consider their science sources. So click on their logo to discover more!

Did you know that soybeans are actually native to Asia, where they’ve been grown and eaten for over 5000 years? Discover this and more by watching the four Parts of Soybean Science from the Into the Outdoors episode reveal the scientific and technological impact of soybeans on agriculture and industry. It explores how properties in the legume seed can be converted into a wide variety of products used in industry and its impact on society. The free companion classroom Discussion Guide at the bottom of this page let's everyone learn together, so have your teacher download it.

Soybeans finally made their way to America in the late 1700s when sailors loaded the lower compartment of ships with heavy bags of soybeans. The soybeans were cheap and helped stabilize the ship on rough seas. Once ships arrived in America, they offloaded the soybeans, loaded new cargo and then set sail back out on the high seas. By the 1800s, American farmers began growing soy and some even started making soy sauce out of them. But it took one very special American chemist to help people realize the amazing secrets of soy. His name was George Washington Carver.

George Washington Carver developed ideas about crop rotation that were based on the idea that plants need certain vital nutrients to grow, like nitrogen, which they get from the soil. There’s a limited amount of nitrogen in the soil. Once the plants use it up, it needs to be replenished in the soil, and that’s where soybeans save the day. Unlike most plants that only take nitrogen from the soil, legumes can convert nitrogen from the air into nitrogen in the soil. The process is called "nitrogen fixation" and is just one of the science subjects covered in this video and classroom lesson guide series.

Plus, the educational partner noted below supported the video and companion lesson content here for all of us to learn from. They also offer other learning opportunities on their website. Educators are encouraged to evaluate and consider their science sources. Click on their logo to discover more!

Why do 3 million people in the WORLD die each year of water-related diseases? Discover the answers by watching the four parts of this science show and reading the information below. And to take this learning adventure into your classroom, have your teacher download the free Discussion Guide at the bottom of this page so everyone can share in the fun of this inquiry based learning.

It's all part of Knowing Your H₂O – like where it comes from and if it's safe to drink.

The whole thing begins with the water cycle that our water sources depend on. It's broken into three major stages. The first stage is evaporation. As the sun’s energy heats the surface of lakes, rivers, plants and soil, the water turns into "water vapor." After it rises up into the sky, winds push the water vapor through the atmosphere until... it forms into the next stage – condensation. That forms clouds. When air currents cool the clouds, water vapor particles combine to form water droplets or ice particles, and once they get too big, gravity takes over, and they fall as precipitation.

All that's cool, but how does precipitation get into the water wells that many people and cities depend on for water supplies?

The hydrologic cycle is the continuous movement of water on, above and actually below the surface of the Earth. So water falling from the sky collects on the Earth, and eventually it infiltrates the soil and the bedrock surface to become part of the aquifer. And to have an aquifer, you basically need three things: number one is you need porosity, in other words you need the interstitial spaces that the water can be stored in. Number two you need permeability, which is basically the connection of those pore spaces. Then number three is obviously you need water to saturate the pore spaces in the rock.

People in rural areas often have their own well that pumps the ground water to the surface. Cities also have wells and pumps – big ones and lots of them!

Now that you've got some solid (or liquid) background on H2O, you can either dive into more information on the "Lean More" link below, or kick back and watch the four parts of the video. Make a big splash in school by having your teacher download the free Discussion Guide below so the entire class can get "wet behind the ears" with their brainy knowledge of H2O.

Plus, the educational partner noted below supported the video and lesson content here for all of us to learn from. They also offer other learning opportunities on their website. So click on their logo to discover more!

How many glaciers advanced across the landscape and retreated back? Discover the answers by watching the four parts of this science show and reading the information below. And to take this learning adventure into your classroom, have your teacher download the free Discussion Guide at the bottom of this page so everyone can share in the fun of this inquiry based learning.

All this glacial activity started about 2.5 million years ago, and ended about 12,000 years ago. During that time, we had four major periods of glacial activity that shaped and reshaped our land surface. When the ice sheets finally retreated, they left behind some really interesting features. So in the end, the glaciers changed much of our surface geology. And it's the geology of the land that affects a great many things in our lives today - from the water we drink to what forests grow where. The coolest news of all is that some scientists think we may be living in an "interglacial period". Should we consider getting out our cross country skis?

The four parts of Trailing Ice Age Mysteries from Into the Outdoors and their companion Discussion Guide below, will help guide you and your classroom into unlocking many of the ice age mysteries the glaciers left behind. This is seriously COOL science, so just chill.

The video here and following information are designed as an introduction and companion to the four (4) lesson activities at the bottom of this page from our educational partners at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.

Scientists around the world agree that climate change is impacted by humans burning fossil fuels. Then there's ozone, methane and sulfur dioxide adding to today's air pollution soup. Yet carbon dioxide, released from the constant burning of fossil fuels to produce energy, remains the 500-pound gorilla lurking in the atmosphere. From fossilized wood (coal), to natural gas (methane), to the assortment of refined fuels made from crude oil, the energy they produce powers almost every fragment of society. Essentially everything you see moving or lighting up is powered in one way or another from burning fossil fuels. Nope, there's no free carbon dioxide ticket when you turn on the TV or use your cellphone either. Chances are that your electricity to power them also comes from burning one or more fossil fuels - not to mention the various fossil fuels used to manufacture those items and countless other products we use daily.

If you asked most people on the street what fossil fuels are made from, you might be surprised at the answers. See and hear some for yourself by watching the video quiz on this linked "Energy Science" page or the third video thumbnail on the right. The answers you'll hear might be funny or unsettling. It's logical to imagine that solid or liquid fossil fuels might be formed from something that was solid or liquid. Makes sense, right? But the science behind their formation is the same today as it was hundreds of millions of years ago when most fossil fuels were being formed.

All life, including fossils and their preserved carbon, came primarily from CO2 in the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. (See the linked video above on Decoding Photosynthesis to get a fresh perspective on that science.) Despite that fact, when many people see a tree or a plant, they think that the solid parts came from the soil, water, or nutrients in the ground. Though they played a role, the carbon-based materials in the plant were formed using carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that's converted to plant cells using the energy of the sun. This process of photosynthesis also accounts for creating the base of the food web in our oceans too - and was also the key in the formation of most ancient lifeforms that make up natural gas and crude oil.

Now that you're armed with all this knowledge, your logical question might be, Alright, so how can decoding the different CO2 life cycles of various fuels offer us insights to solutions for the future of the planet? Well, that's what the video here and linked classroom lesson activities can help you discover. You really didn't expect us to tell you all the answers. Besides, we'd feel horrible cheating you out of the thrill and enlightenment of self-discovery with your peeps.

So watch the video above as your primer to become familiar with the topic, then share the free linked lessons from our educational partners with your teacher and classroom. Also check out our "Bioenergy Careers Callout" video. To discover more about our collective energy future, explore the websites of our key partners here in energy education to expand your energizing journey.

The Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) supports the energy-related research of more than 100 faculty and scientists on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. As a nationally-recognized, interdisciplinary research institute, they; 1) Discover and deploy innovative energy technologies and public policy solutions, 2) Provide a public forum in which to learn about and discuss energy challenges, 3) Engage industry in high-impact research collaborations.

The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with Michigan State University as a major partner, and is one of three bioenergy research centers established in 2007 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) was created to promote energy education in Wisconsin schools. With support from Alliant Energy, Madison Gas & Electric, We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, WPPI Energy, and Xcel Energy, KEEP leverages teacher education to improve and increase energy literacy in Wisconsin's K-12 schools as a means of contributing to statewide energy savings.

If you drive or ride in a car, then you burn gasoline, right? And it’s likely blended with some stuff called ethanol. So it only makes sense that you really should know what both of those fuels are made from, and maybe even how they’re made.

Natural gas also plays a vital role in your life, especially if you want to heat your home, office or school this winter. So what is it, really? And how’s it different from gasoline?

First, gather your friends or family around the computer and have everyone get ready to write down their answers on separate sheets of paper. Now start playing the video, and get ready to hit the “pause button” (II – lower left on video player screen) after one of our Energy Investigators asks one of the critical energy questions. Then have everyone write down the question and their IQ answer.

Once everyone writes their answer, resume playing the video to see what these people filling up their vehicles at the gas station had to say. Then pause the video again and start a fun debate about who has the right answer and why. When you’re ready for the next question, move on and explore all the different areas of your energy savvy.

But when you’re finished playing the quiz, will you really know all the correct answers? Maybe not. And will you be qualified to intelligently discuss the pros, cons, or science behind each critical energy question? Fear not, friend. Answers to all of the questions and so much more await you with only a few clicks of your mouse. Simply go back to the Energy Science icon on the homepage, and choose the most logical topic to discover the real science that drives your everyday world.

Also, take a moment and explore the Energy category landing page that explains much more about our energy education program. The video there is the same energy quiz found on this page. And stay tuned to both your television and online for our upcoming episode and classroom science videos on The reality, science and solutions to, SHAPING OUR ENERGY FUTURE.

Now that you’re thinking about biofuels… What’s your definition of a “biofuel”? And what do you think biofuels are used for?

Most of the fuel we burn in our cars and trucks is made from ancient sequestered solar energy that was converted into crude oil millions of years ago. Check out the other topics in our Energy Science category to learn more about the science of hydrocarbons. But up to 10 percent of that blended fuel actually contains modern renewable solar energy that’s been converted into what’s called ethanol, which is a type of biofuel that can help cars and trucks run cleaner and more efficiently.

If you studied photosynthesis, you know that plants, like corn, use solar energy in the chloroplasts in their leaves to covert atmospheric carbon dioxide, water and nutrients into carbohydrates; the starches and sugars that make up the plant. And during the process, plants give off oxygen, which is vital to us mammals.

In corn plants, it’s the corn seeds or kernels that have the greatest concentration of carbohydrates. That’s why they feed it to fatten livestock and poultry. Each kernel contains 62% starch, 20% protein and fiber, 15% water, and 4% oil. And it’s that converted and stored solar energy that ethanol refineries use to make ethanol. But that’s no easy feat. It requires serious science and technology as you’re about to discover as you watch this video.

For fun, also take a moment and check out the jazzed ethanol industry careers video on the right. Then, click the link of our educational partner here to dig even deeper into the science of ethanol production.