How does urbanization affect nonhuman populations, and how can we minimize harmful effects? How does urbanization affect nonhuman populations, and how can we minimize harmful effects? This unit on natural selection and evolution of populations focuses on the phenomenon of increasing urbanization around the world and the impact of that change on nonhuman populations. Students investigate case studies that investigate fragmentation, poison, and proximity to humans as selection pressures that affect the relative fitness of individuals with particular anatomical, physiological, and behavioral traits in a population. Through investigations with complex data sets, they figure out how genetic diversity in a population allows populations to adapt to changes encountered in urban environments.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.

How can we slow the flow of energy on Earth to protect vulnerable coastal communities? Why is the sea level rising, causing some people to have to move? Initial student models in this unit propose a variety of ideas, but it seems like melting polar ice is a likely cause for this global phenomenon. Uncertainty and student concern for the people impacted motivate unit investigations that help students better understand the matter and energy flows that underlie a global phenomenon like polar ice melt and sea level rise.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.

What causes lightning and why are some places safer than others when it strikes? What causes lightning and why are some places safer than others when it strikes? This unit is designed to help students build a deeper understanding of atomic structure and atomic-scale force interactions through exploration of phenomena surrounding lightning and other static interactions. Students engage with stories and data about lightning and investigate a similar phenomenon in water droppers. They further investigate static interactions with various materials, including sticky tape, digging down to the subatomic level. Students apply these ideas back to lightning and further investigate force interactions, developing Coulomb’s law and ideas about polarization that can be applied to other phenomena. They identify electric fields as the source of the large energy transfers in lightning and explain lightning’s sudden behavior using ionization. They consider why structures made of certain materials provide protection from lightning and investigate why bodies of water, most of which contain dissolved salts, are particularly dangerous during storms. Finally, students develop a consensus model and transfer their understandings to the phenomena of airplane radomes and conducting gels used to simulate brains.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.

Why are oysters dying, and how can we use chemistry to protect them? Why are oysters dying, and how can we use chemistry to protect them? This unit is designed to build a deeper understanding about chemical reactions by exploring reversible reactions through exploration of ocean acidification. Students watch case videos, analyze data, and read about how movement of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean makes the ocean more acidic. They consider how oyster die-offs may affect communities that rely on oysters for a food source. Students break down this large scale problem into a few key subproblems so they can use chemistry to try to solve them. They figure out how changes in concentration of H+ ions in water leads to changes in water pH. They use their knowledge of chemical reactions and mathematical thinking (stoichiometry) to determine the amounts of a substance they could use to neutralize acidic water. Students consider engineering trade-offs, criteria, and constraints to use chemistry to develop a design solution at a specific site to address oyster die-offs. They apply their thinking in a culminating task around increasing rates of ammonia fertilizer.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.

How can we design more reliable systems to meet our communities’ energy needs? How can we design more reliable systems to meet our communities’ energy needs? This unit is designed to introduce students to the concept of energy transfer in a relevant and grounded context: the Texas power crisis of February 2021. Students read articles and wonder about the complex social, environmental, and physical realities that led to such a crisis. They figure out how energy transfers between systems from a generator to our communities, and what makes an energy source reliable. This allows the class to model and explain what happened in Texas at multiple scales, from the electrons in the wires to the power companies making difficult decisions to maintain stability. Students consider engineering tradeoffs, criteria, and constraints inherent in making decisions about our energy systems, and apply them in a culminating task: design a reliable energy solution that meets our communities' needs, as articulated by interviews with friends and family members. The task is designed to give students the tools to speak up in their local and global community for a better energy future, one that aligns with their own values, and those of their families.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.

How do forces in Earth’s interior determine what will happen to the surface we see? How do forces in Earth’s interior determine what will happen to the surface we see? This unit is designed to help students build an intuitive understanding of the relationship between energy transfer and unbalanced forces as they explore science ideas related to plate tectonics, radioactivity, convection, and rock formation.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.

How do we use radiation in our lives, and is it safe for humans? How do we use radiation in our lives, and is it safe for humans? This unit begins with a news article about the unconventional use of microwave ovens to store electronics. Students are motivated to test the behavior of a Bluetooth speaker playing music from a device inside the oven when it is not running. They also test what happens when it runs and heats up food. This phenomenon sets the stage for exploring wave behavior, the interactions of matter with electromagnetic radiation, and how we can use these interactions in different technologies to digitize, store and transfer information. ​​Throughout the unit, students use simulations to model field interactions and energy transfer through electromagnetic radiation. They conduct investigations using the microwave oven to explore how different materials interact with microwave radiation, and how the structure of this device affects energy transfer. Students explain how the frequency and amplitude of electromagnetic radiation affects its interactions with matter and evaluate the wave and photon models of electromagnetic radiation. Students obtain and communicate information about the uses of electromagnetic radiation, its safety, and methods of protection. They apply these ideas in a culminating task to evaluate whether 5G technology is safe.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.