StemScopes Grade 6 (2020)

Cell Types

Explore a wide variety of cells, from bacteria to human neurons, using a compound light microscope. Select a sample to study, then focus on the sample using the coarse and fine focus controls of the microscope. Compare the structures found in different cells, then perform tests to see if the sample is alive. 5 Minute Preview

Cell Structure

Select a sample cell from an animal, plant, or bacterium and view the cell under a microscope. Select each organelle on the image to learn more about its structure and function. Closeup views and animations of certain organelles is provided. 5 Minute Preview

Cell Types

Explore a wide variety of cells, from bacteria to human neurons, using a compound light microscope. Select a sample to study, then focus on the sample using the coarse and fine focus controls of the microscope. Compare the structures found in different cells, then perform tests to see if the sample is alive. 5 Minute Preview

Circulatory System

Trace the path of blood through a beating heart and the network of blood vessels that supplies blood to the body. Take blood samples from different blood vessels to observe blood cells and measure the levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, sugar, and urea. 5 Minute Preview

Digestive System

Digestion is a complex process, involving a wide variety of organs and chemicals that work together to break down food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate wastes. But have you ever wondered what would happen if some of those organs were eliminated, or if the sequence was changed? Can the digestive system be improved? Find out by designing your own digestive system with the Digestive System Gizmo. 5 Minute Preview

Muscles and Bones

See how muscles, bones, and connective tissue work together to allow movement. Observe how muscle contraction arises from the interactions of thin and thick filaments in muscle cells. Using what you have learned, construct an arm that can lift a weight or throw a ball. Connective tissue, muscle composition, bone length, and tendon insertion point can all be manipulated to create an arm to lift the heaviest weight or throw a ball the fastest. 5 Minute Preview

Water Cycle

Control the path of a drop of water as it travels through the water cycle. Many alternatives are presented at each stage. Determine how the water moves from one location to another, and learn how water resources are distributed in these locations. 5 Minute Preview

Coastal Winds and Clouds

Observe daily weather conditions in a coastal region. Measure temperatures and wind speeds at any location and use this data to map convection currents that form during the day and night. Explain the origin of land breezes and sea breezes. 5 Minute Preview

Coastal Winds and Clouds - Metric

Observe daily weather conditions in a coastal region. Measure temperatures and wind speeds at any location and use this data to map convection currents that form during the day and night. Explain the origin of land breezes and sea breezes. 5 Minute Preview

Comparing Climates (Customary)

Compare average temperatures, precipitation, humidity, and wind speed for a variety of locations across the globe. Explore the influence of latitude, proximity to oceans, elevation, and other factors on climate. Observe how animals and plants are adapted to climate and their environment. This lesson uses U.S. customary units. 5 Minute Preview

Comparing Climates (Metric)

Compare average temperatures, precipitation, humidity, and wind speed for a variety of locations across the globe. Explore the influence of latitude, proximity to oceans, elevation, and other factors on climate. Observe how animals and plants are adapted to climate and their environment. This lesson uses metric units. 5 Minute Preview

Convection Cells

Explore the causes of convection by heating liquid and observing the resulting motion. The location and intensity of the heat source (or sources) can be varied, as well as the viscosity of the liquid. Use a probe to measure temperature and density in different areas and observe the motion of molecules in the liquid. Then, explore real-world examples of convection cells in Earth's mantle, oceans, and atmosphere. 5 Minute Preview

Convection Cells

Explore the causes of convection by heating liquid and observing the resulting motion. The location and intensity of the heat source (or sources) can be varied, as well as the viscosity of the liquid. Use a probe to measure temperature and density in different areas and observe the motion of molecules in the liquid. Then, explore real-world examples of convection cells in Earth's mantle, oceans, and atmosphere. 5 Minute Preview

Conduction and Convection

Two flasks hold colored water, one yellow and the other blue. Set the starting temperature of each flask, choose a type of material to connect the flasks, and see how quickly the flasks heat up or cool down. The flasks can be connected with a hollow pipe, allowing the water in the flasks to mix, or a solid chunk that transfers heat but prevents mixing. 5 Minute Preview

Feel the Heat

Have you ever used a glove warmer to keep your hands warm? How about an instant cold pack to treat an injury? In the Feel the Heat Gizmo, create your own hot and cold packs using various salts dissolved in water and different bag materials. Learn about exothermic and endothermic processes and how energy is absorbed or released when bonds are broken and new bonds form. 5 Minute Preview

Heat Absorption

Shine a powerful flashlight on a variety of materials, and measure how quickly each material heats up. See how the light angle, light color, type of material, and material color affect heating. A glass cover can be added to simulate a greenhouse. 5 Minute Preview

Heat Transfer by Conduction

An insulated beaker of hot water is connected to a beaker of cold water with a conducting bar, and over time the temperatures of the beakers equalize as heat is transferred through the bar. Four materials (aluminum, copper, steel, and glass) are available for the bar. 5 Minute Preview

Roller Coaster Physics

Adjust the hills on a toy-car roller coaster and watch what happens as the car careens toward an egg (that can be broken) at the end of the track. The heights of three hills can be manipulated, along with the mass of the car and the friction of the track. A graph of various variables of motion can be viewed as the car travels, including position, speed, acceleration, potential energy, kinetic energy, and total energy. 5 Minute Preview

Sled Wars

Explore acceleration, speed, momentum, and energy by sending a sled down a hill into a group of snowmen. The starting height and mass of the sled can be changed, as well as the number of snowmen. In the Two sleds scenario, observe collisions between sleds of different masses and starting heights. 5 Minute Preview

Heat Transfer by Conduction

An insulated beaker of hot water is connected to a beaker of cold water with a conducting bar, and over time the temperatures of the beakers equalize as heat is transferred through the bar. Four materials (aluminum, copper, steel, and glass) are available for the bar. 5 Minute Preview

Flower Pollination

Observe the steps of pollination and fertilization in flowering plants. Help with many parts of the process by dragging pollen grains to the stigma, dragging sperm to the ovules, and removing petals as the fruit begins to grow. Quiz yourself when you are done by dragging vocabulary words to the correct plant structure. 5 Minute Preview

Effect of Environment on New Life Form

Using the scientific method, control the environmental conditions for a fictional alien organism in order to learn how the organism responds to changes in conditions. Sunlight, water, and temperature can be varied to determine their effects on the shape of the aliens. 5 Minute Preview

Fast Plants^® 1 - Growth and Genetics

Grow Wisconsin Fast Plants^® in a simulated lab environment. Explore the life cycles of these plants and how their growth is influenced by light, water, and crowding. Practice pollinating the plants using bee sticks, then observe the traits of the offspring plants. Use Punnett squares to model the inheritance of genes for stem color and leaf color for these plants. 5 Minute Preview

Germination

Plant seeds and watch how many sprout. Examine what factors affect germination. Vary the amount of heat, water, and light the seeds get. Practice designing controlled experiments and using the scientific method. 5 Minute Preview

Growing Plants

Investigate the growth of three common garden plants: tomatoes, beans, and turnips. You can change the amount of light each plant gets, the amount of water added each day, and the type of soil the seed is planted in. Observe the effect of each variable on plant height, plant mass, leaf color and leaf size. Determine what conditions produce the tallest and healthiest plants. Height and mass data are displayed on tables and graphs. 5 Minute Preview

Measuring Trees

Measure the height, diameter, and circumference of trees in a forest. Count growth rings to determine the age of each tree. Grow the trees for several years and investigate how growth is affected by precipitation. 5 Minute Preview

Seed Germination

Perform experiments with several seed types to see what conditions yield the highest germination (sprouting) rate. Three different types of seeds can be studied, and the temperature, water and light in the germination chamber can be controlled. No two trials will have the same result so repeated trials are recommended. 5 Minute Preview

Senses

Everything we know about the world comes through our senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. In the Senses Gizmo, explore how stimuli are detected by specialized cells, transmitted through nerves, and processed in the brain. 5 Minute Preview

Chicken Genetics

Breed "pure" chickens with known genotypes that exhibit specific feather colors, and learn how traits are passed on via codominant genes. Chickens can be stored in cages for future breeding, and the statistics of feather color are reported every time the chickens breed. Punnett squares can be used to predict results. 5 Minute Preview

DNA Analysis

Scan the DNA of frogs to produce DNA sequences. Use the DNA sequences to identify possible identical twins and to determine which sections of DNA code for skin color, eye color, and the presence or absence of spots. 5 Minute Preview

Fast Plants^® 1 - Growth and Genetics

Grow Wisconsin Fast Plants^® in a simulated lab environment. Explore the life cycles of these plants and how their growth is influenced by light, water, and crowding. Practice pollinating the plants using bee sticks, then observe the traits of the offspring plants. Use Punnett squares to model the inheritance of genes for stem color and leaf color for these plants. 5 Minute Preview

Inheritance

Create aliens with different traits and breed them to produce offspring. Determine which traits are passed down from parents to offspring and which traits are acquired. Offspring can be stored for future experiments or released. 5 Minute Preview

Mouse Genetics (One Trait)

Breed "pure" mice with known genotypes that exhibit specific fur colors, and learn how traits are passed on via dominant and recessive genes. Mice can be stored in cages for future breeding, and the statistics of fur color are reported every time a pair of mice breed. Punnett squares can be used to predict results. 5 Minute Preview

Mouse Genetics (Two Traits)

Breed "pure" mice with known genotypes that exhibit specific fur and eye colors, and learn how traits are passed on via dominant and recessive genes. Mice can be stored in cages for future breeding, and the statistics of fur and eye color are reported every time a pair of mice breed. Punnett squares can be used to predict results. 5 Minute Preview

Convection Cells

Explore the causes of convection by heating liquid and observing the resulting motion. The location and intensity of the heat source (or sources) can be varied, as well as the viscosity of the liquid. Use a probe to measure temperature and density in different areas and observe the motion of molecules in the liquid. Then, explore real-world examples of convection cells in Earth's mantle, oceans, and atmosphere. 5 Minute Preview

Hurricane Motion

Use data from up to three weather stations to predict the motion of a hurricane. The wind speed, wind direction, cloud cover and air pressure are provided for each station using standard weather symbols. 5 Minute Preview

Hurricane Motion - Metric

Use data from up to three weather stations to predict the motion of a hurricane. The wind speed, wind direction, cloud cover and air pressure are provided for each station using standard weather symbols. 5 Minute Preview

Weather Maps

Learn about standard symbols used in meteorology to construct weather maps. Rain, sleet, snow, temperature, cloud cover, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure can all be recorded at two different weather stations on a map. Describe weather patterns characteristic of high-pressure systems, low-pressure systems, warm fronts, and cold fronts. 5 Minute Preview

Weather Maps - Metric

Learn about standard symbols used in meteorology to construct weather maps. Rain, sleet, snow, temperature, cloud cover, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure can all be recorded at two different weather stations on a map. Describe weather patterns characteristic of high-pressure systems, low-pressure systems, warm fronts, and cold fronts. 5 Minute Preview

Coral Reefs 1 - Abiotic Factors

Explore the abiotic factors that affect Caribbean coral reefs. Many factors can be manipulated in this simplified reef model, including ocean temperature and pH, storm severity, and input of excess sediments and nutrients from logging, sewage, and agriculture. Click "Advance year" to see how the reef responds to these changes. 5 Minute Preview

Coral Reefs 2 - Biotic Factors

In this followup to the Coral Reefs 1 - Abiotic Factors activity, investigate the impacts of fishing, disease, and invasive species on a model Caribbean coral reef. Many variables can be manipulated, included intensity of fishing, presence of black band and white band disease, and the presence of actual and potential invasive species. Click "Advance year" to see the impacts of these biotic changes. 5 Minute Preview

Pond Ecosystem

Measure the temperature and oxygen content of a pond over the course of a day. Then go fishing to see what types of fish live in the pond. Many different ponds can be investigated to determine the influence of time, temperature, and farms on oxygen levels. 5 Minute Preview

Water Pollution

Get to know the four main types of pollution present in the environment, and then look at a variety of real-world examples as you try to guess what type of pollution is represented by each situation. All of the real-world situations can be viewed every day in different parts of the world. 5 Minute Preview

Carbon Cycle

Follow the path of a carbon atom through the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. Manipulate a simplified model to see how human activities and other factors affect the amount of atmospheric carbon today and in the future. 5 Minute Preview

Greenhouse Effect

Within this simulated region of land, daytime's rising temperature and the falling temperature at night can be measured, along with heat flow in and out of the system. The level of greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere at any given time can be adjusted, allowing the long-term effects to be investigated. 5 Minute Preview

Greenhouse Effect - Metric

Within this simulated region of land, daytime's rising temperature and the falling temperature at night can be measured, along with heat flow in and out of the system. The amount of greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere can be adjusted through time, and the long-term effects can be investigated. 5 Minute Preview