Learn the pros and cons of genetically modified (GM) crops, and cast your vote on whether they should be grown. From the FRONTLINE/NOVA: Harvest of Fear Web site.

This site is a must see for any lesson or unit on biotechnology! It is a companion to the PBS video "Bloodlines: Technology Hits Home," although it can certainly be used without the video. It's a fantastic site that will challenge students to think about their opinions in several ethical dilemmas. There is a timeline of genetic and reproductive technology and more.

Students act as civil engineers developing safe railways as a way to strengthen their understanding of parallel and intersecting lines. Using pieces of yarn to visually represent line segments, students lay down "train tracks" on a carpeted floor, and make guesses as to whether these segments are arranged in parallel or non-parallel fashion. Students then test their tracks by running two LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robots to observe the consequences of their track designs, and make safety improvements. Robots on intersecting courses face imminent collision, while robots on parallel courses travel safely.

In this lesson, students will learn the basics of 3D modeling in OnShape by following a tutorial video and designing a part for a time machine.

Estimated time required: 2-3 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: 3D Modeling Software, Digital Fabrication Tools, Laptop/Desktop, Tablet.

In this lesson's activity, students will use OnShape to design and 3D Print their own Smartphone Case.

Estimated time required: 2-3 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: 3D Modeling Software, Digital Fabrication Tools, Laptop/Desktop, Tablet.

In this lesson students will use the Revolve Tool in OnShape to design complex circular parts, and they will create their own Custom Rims for an electric car.

Estimated time required: 2-3 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: 3D Modeling Software, Digital Fabrication Tools, Laptop/Desktop, Tablet.

In the year 2050, robots are everywhere—they clean our houses, build our products, and even wash the dishes. Since a robot is made up of multiple moving parts, in this lesson, students will learn how to create multiple parts in OnShape, then put them together in an assembly.

Estimated time required: 2-3 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: 3D Modeling Software, Digital Fabrication Tools, Laptop/Desktop, Tablet.

Students are presented with a short lesson on the Coulter principle—an electronic method to detect microscopic particles and determine their concentration in fluid. Depending on the focus of study, students can investigate the industrial and medical applications of particle detection, the physics of fluid flow and electric current through the apparatus, or the chemistry of the electrolytes used in the apparatus.

This nonfiction article, written for students in grades 4-5, explores lichens: a partnership between an alga and a fungus. Modified versions are available for students in younger grades.

Students apply concepts of disease transmission to analyze infection data, either provided or created using Bluetooth-enabled Android devices. This data collection may include several cases, such as small static groups (representing historically rural areas), several roaming students (representing world-travelers), or one large, tightly knit group (representing urban populations). To explore the algorithms to a deeper degree, students may also design their own diseases using the App Inventor framework.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores how the Inuit of northern Canada, Inupiat of arctic Alaska, and Sami of northern Europe survive in a harsh environment. Instructional resources introduce students to these groups and their cultures.

This article assembles free resources from the Peoples of the Arctic issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.

Students explore their peripheral vision by reading large letters on index cards. Then they repeat the experiment while looking through camera lenses, first a lens with a smaller focal length and then a lens with a larger focal length. Then they complete a worksheet and explain how the experiment helps them solve the challenge question introduced in lesson 1 of this unit.

Through this lesson and its associated activity, students explore the role of biomedical engineers working for pharmaceutical companies. First, students gain background knowledge about what biomedical engineers do, how to become a biomedical engineer, and the steps of the engineering design process. The goal is to introduce biomedical engineering as medical problem solving as well as highlight the importance of maintaining normal body chemistry. Students participate in the research phase of the design process as it relates to improving the design of a new prescription medication. During the research phase, engineers learn about topics by reading scholarly articles written by others, and students experience this process. Students draw on their research findings to participate in discussion and draw conclusions about the impact of medications on the human body.

This activity is a hands on investigation in which students will construct, and launch a trebuchet.

Students explore the physics utilized by engineers in designing today's roller coasters, including potential and kinetic energy, friction, and gravity. First, students learn that all true roller coasters are completely driven by the force of gravity and that the conversion between potential and kinetic energy is essential to all roller coasters. Second, they also consider the role of friction in slowing down cars in roller coasters. Finally, they examine the acceleration of roller coaster cars as they travel around the track. During the associated activity, the students design, build, and analyze a roller coaster for marbles out of foam tubing.

In a class demonstration, the teacher places different pill types ("chalk" pill, gel pill, and gel tablet) into separate glass beakers of vinegar, representing human stomach acid. After 20-30 minutes, the pills dissolve. Students observe which dissolve the fastest, and discuss the remnants of the various pills. What they learn contributes to their ongoing objective to answer the challenge question presented in lesson 1 of this unit.

Student groups use a "real" 3D coordinate system to plot points in space. Made from balsa wood or wooden dowels, the system has three axes at right angles and a plane (the XY plane) that can slide up and down the Z axis. Students are given several coordinates and asked to find these points in space. Then they find the coordinates of the eight corners of a box/cube with given dimensions.

In this lesson students will become Planet Defenders! They will identify personal and systemic actions to help protect our natural environments through a read aloud and follow-up discussion. They will also use the AR application Arcadia Earth to observe, interact with, and play out scenarios to analyze the outcomes of different actions on the natural world as a whole and on particular ecosystems.Students will be able to differentiate between garbage, recycling, or compostable objects.

Estimated time required: 1 class period.

Technology required for this lesson: Laptop/Desktop, Smartphone.