At this site from The Nobel Foundation you can read about V.S. Naipaul, the man who won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Literature. His life and works are discussed in this detailed website,providing video, original texts and speeches and biographic information. Organized into the following sections: "Press Release," "Presentation Speech," "Bio-bibliography," "Nobel Lecture," "Video," "Prose," "Nobel Diploma," "Prize Award Photo," and "Other Resources."

Students learn and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of renewable and non-renewable energy sources. They also learn about our nation's electric power grid and what it means for a residential home to be "off the grid."

Students are introduced to passive solar design for buildings an approach that uses the sun's energy and the surrounding climate to provide natural heating and cooling. They learn about some of the disadvantages of conventional heating and cooling and how engineers incorporate passive solar designs into our buildings for improved efficiency.

Students learn how engineers design devices that use water to generate electricity by building model water turbines and measuring the resulting current produced in a motor. Student teams work through the engineering design process to build the turbines, analyze the performance of their turbines and make calculations to determine the most suitable locations to build dams.

Students learn how engineers harness the energy of the wind to produce power by following the engineering design process as they prototype two types of wind turbines and test to see which works best. Students also learn how engineers decide where to place wind turbines, and the advantages and disadvantages to using wind power compared to other non-renewable energy sources.

Students explore whether rooftop gardens are a viable option for combating the urban heat island effect. Can rooftop gardens reduce the temperature inside and outside houses? Teams each design and construct two model buildings using foam core board, one with a "green roof" and the other with a black tar paper roof. They measure and graph the ambient and inside building temperatures while under heat lamps and fans. Then students analyze the data and determine whether the rooftop gardens are beneficial to the inhabitants.

A short sale occurs when someone wants to sell a home, but owes more on the home than its value. We explore some of the major considerations that go into a short sale in this video. [6:33]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

Various listening examples of native speakers in different dialects describing the house they grew up in in detail. Provides a transcript as well so you can read along. Great way to bring native speakers into the classroom and increase vocabulary!

Various listening examples of native speakers in different dialects describing their houses in detail. Provides a transcript as well so you can read along. Great way to bring native speakers into the classroom and increase vocabulary!

Students use a table-top-sized tsunami generator to observe the formation and devastation of a tsunami. They see how a tsunami moves across the ocean and what happens when it reaches the continental shelf. Students make villages of model houses and buildings to test how different material types are impacted by the huge waves. They further discuss how engineers design buildings to survive tsunamis. Much of this activity setup is the same as for the Mini-Landscape activity in Lesson 4 of the Natural Disasters unit.

Using a household fan, cardboard box and paper towels, student teams design and build their own evaporative cooler prototype devices. They learn about the process that cools water during the evaporation of water. They make calculations to determine a room's cooling load, and thus determine the swamp cooler size. This activity adds to students' understanding of the behind-the-scenes mechanical devices that condition and move air within homes and buildings for human health and comfort.

The Library of Congress presents research materials about the building of the United States Capitol. Conceiving of themselves as inheritors, guardians, and conveyors of Western civilization, our founding fathers slowly built a Capitol that drew upon both American and European emblematic and architectural traditions.

The many forms of housing and shelter that the Metis used are presented. Discussion questions and a bibliography can be found at the end of the article.

Students learn about tsunamis, discovering what causes them and what makes them so dangerous. They learn that engineers design detection and warning equipment, as well as structures that that can survive the strong wave forces. In a hands-on activity, students use a table-top-sized tsunami generator to observe the formation and devastation of a tsunami. They see how a tsunami moves across the ocean and what happens when it reaches a coastline. They make villages of model houses to test how different material types are impacted by the huge waves.

This site from WebMD Health provides an article entitled, "Something in the Air: Airborne Allergens". Includes detailed information on why some people are allergic to certain substances, while others are not. Symptoms of airborne allergies are also discussed, as well as specific airborne allergies (pollen, mold, dust mites, animals, etc.).

A slideshow with tips for keeping your house clean and reducing germs, from your washing machine to office.