This correlation lists the recommended Gizmos for this state's curriculum standards. Click any Gizmo title below for more information.
SC8.1: : In the context of unifying concepts and processes, students develop an understanding of scientific content through inquiry. Science is a dynamic process; concepts and content are best learned through inquiry and investigation. Concepts in Life Systems, Earth and Space Systems, and Physical Systems are taught within the context of the following Unifying Concepts and Processes of Science:
SC8.1.2: : Reproduction and Heredity: Students describe reproduction as a characteristic of all living systems, which is essential to the continuation of species, and identify and interpret traits, patterns of inheritance, and the interaction between genetics and environment.
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.
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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.
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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.
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SC8.1.4: : Diversity of Organisms: Students investigate the interconnectedness of organisms, identifying similarity and diversity of organisms through a classification system of hierarchical relationships and structural homologies.
Dichotomous Keys
Use dichotomous keys to identify and classify five types of organisms: California albatrosses, Canadian Rockies buttercups, Texas venomous snakes, Virginia evergreens, and Florida cartilagenous fishes. After you have classified every organism, try making your own dichotomous key!
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SC8.1.5: : Behavior and Adaptation: Students recognize behavior as a response of an organism to an internal or environmental stimulus and connect the characteristics and behaviors of an organism to biological adaptation.
Paramecium Homeostasis
Observe how a paramecium maintains stable internal conditions in a changing aquatic environment. Water moves into the organism by osmosis, and is pumped out by the contractile vacuole. The concentration of solutes in the water will determine the rate of contractions in the paramecium.
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SC8.1.6: : Interrelationships of Populations and Ecosystems: Students illustrate populations of organisms and their interconnection within an ecosystem, identifying relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Food Chain
In this ecosystem consisting of hawks, snakes, rabbits and grass, the population of each species can be studied as part of a food chain. Disease can be introduced for any species, and the number of animals can be increased or decreased at any time, just like in the real world.
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Observe and manipulate the populations of four creatures (trees, deer, bears, and mushrooms) in a forest. Investigate the feeding relationships (food web) in the forest. Determine which creatures are producers, consumers, and decomposers. Pictographs and line graphs show changes in populations over time.
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SC8.1.7: : The Earth in the Solar System: Students describe Earth as the third planet in the Solar System and understand the effects of the sun as a major source of energy, gravitational forces, and motions of objects in the Solar System.
Comparing Earth and Venus
Observe the motions of Venus and Earth as the planets move around the Sun. Measure the length of a day and a year on Earth and Venus, and compare the length of a solar day to the length of a sidereal day.
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Imagine a gigantic pitcher standing on Earth, ready to hurl a huge baseball. What will happen as the ball is thrown harder and harder? Find out with the Gravity Pitch Gizmo. Observe the path of the ball when it is thrown at different velocities. Throw the ball on different planets to see how each planet's gravity affects the ball.
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Understand the phases of the Moon by observing the positions of the Moon, Earth and Sun. A view of the Moon from Earth is shown on the right as the Moon orbits Earth. Learn the names of Moon phases and in what order they occur. Click Play to watch the Moon go around, or click Pause and drag the Moon yourself.
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Explore our solar system and learn the characteristics of each planet. Compare the sizes of planets and their distances from the Sun. Observe the speeds of planetary orbits and measure how long each planet takes to go around the Sun.
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Survey the solar system, observing the length of a year and the orbital path of each object. The positions of the eight official planets are displayed, as well as one dwarf planet, Pluto. Learn about Kepler's Laws and how planets are classified.
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SC8.1.8: : The Structure of the Earth System: Students examine the structure of the Earth, identifying layers of the Earth, considering plate movement and its effect, and recognizing landforms resulting from constructive and destructive forces.
Plate Tectonics
Move the Earth's crust at various locations to observe the effects of the motion of the tectonic plates, including volcanic eruptions. Information about each of the major types of plate boundaries is shown, along with their locations on Earth.
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SC8.1.10: : The Structure and Properties of Matter: Students identify characteristic properties of matter such as density, solubility, and boiling point and understand that elements are the basic components of matter.
Density
Measure the mass and volume of a variety of objects, then place them into a beaker of liquid to see if they float or sink. Learn to predict whether objects will float or sink in water based on their mass and volume. Compare how objects float or sink in a variety of liquids, including gasoline, oil, seawater, and corn syrup.
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SC8.1.11: : Physical and Chemical Changes in Matter: Students evaluate chemical and physical changes, recognizing that chemical change forms compounds with different properties and that physical change alters the appearance but not the composition of a substance.
Density Experiment: Slice and Dice
Drop a chunk of material in a beaker of water and observe whether it sinks or floats. Cut the chunk into smaller pieces of any size, and observe what happens as they are dropped in the beaker. The mass and volume of each chunk can be measured to gain a clear understanding of density and buoyancy.
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SC8.1.12: : Forms and Uses of Energy: Students investigate energy as a property of substances in a variety of forms with a range of uses.
Energy Conversions
Where does energy come from? How does energy get from one place to another? Find out how electrical current is generated and how living things get energy to move and grow. Trace the path of energy and see how energy is converted from one form to another.
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SC8.1.13: : The Conservation of Matter and Energy: Students identify supporting evidence to explain conservation of matter and energy, indicating that matter or energy cannot be created or destroyed but is transferred from one object to another.
2D Collisions
Investigate elastic collisions in two dimensions using two frictionless pucks. The mass, velocity, and initial position of each puck can be modified to create a variety of scenarios.
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Adjust the mass and velocity of two gliders on a frictionless air track. Measure the velocity, momentum, and kinetic energy of each glider as they approach each other and collide. Collisions can be elastic or inelastic.
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A falling cylinder is attached to a rotating propeller that stirs and heats the water in a beaker. The mass and height of the cylinder, as well as the quantity and initial temperature of water can be adjusted. The temperature of the water is measured as energy is converted from one form to another.
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SC8.1.14: : Effects of Motions and Forces: Students describe motion of an object by position, direction, and speed, and identify the effects of force and inertia on an object.
Distance-Time Graphs
Create a graph of a runner's position versus time and watch the runner complete a 40-yard dash based on the graph you made. Notice the connection between the slope of the line and the speed of the runner. What will the runner do if the slope of the line is zero? What if the slope is negative? Add a second runner (a second graph) and connect real-world meaning to the intersection of two graphs.
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Create a graph of a runner's position versus time and watch the runner complete a 40-meter dash based on the graph you made. Notice the connection between the slope of the line and the speed of the runner. What will the runner do if the slope of the line is zero? What if the slope is negative? Add a second runner (a second graph) and connect real-world meaning to the intersection of two graphs.
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Gain an understanding of Newton's Laws by experimenting with a cart (on which up to three fans are placed) on a linear track. The cart has a mass, as does each fan. The fans exert a constant force when switched on, and the direction of the fans can be altered as the position, velocity, and acceleration of the cart are measured.
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Explore the laws of motion using a simple fan cart. Use the buttons to select the speed of the fan and the surface, and press Play to begin. You can drag up to three objects onto the fan cart. The speed of the cart is displayed with a speedometer and recorded in a table and a graph.
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Recreate Galileo's famous experiment by dropping objects off the Tower of Pisa. You can drop ping pong balls, golf balls, soccer balls or watermelons. Objects can be dropped in air or no air, with or without a parachute. The speed of each object is shown on a speedometer and a graph.
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Investigate the motion of an object as it falls to the ground. A variety of objects can be compared, and their motion can be observed in a vacuum, in normal air, and in denser air. The position, velocity, and acceleration are measured over time, and the forces on the object can be displayed. Using the manual settings, the mass, radius, height, and initial velocity of the object can be adjusted, as can the air density and wind.
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Go on an African safari and observe a variety of animals walking and running across the savanna. Videotape the animals, and then play back the videotape to estimate animal speeds. Which animals run fastest?
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Students assume the role of a scientist trying to solve a real world problem. They use scientific practices to collect and analyze data, and form and test a hypothesis as they solve the problems.
