[Catalist] Resource material

[Ray Forma]

I forward the following web resources that may be of interest. Note that I have not fully vetted either source.

ELI: CLIMATE CHANGE CURRICULUM
eli.lehigh.edu/climate-change
Middle school STEM teachers may be interested in this free climate change curriculum developed by the Environmental Literacy and Inquiry (ELI) Working Group at Lehigh University. Designed to take place over 21 days or class sessions, this technology-supported curriculum "focuses on essential climate literacy principles with an emphasis on weather and climate, Earth system energy balance, greenhouse gases, paleoclimatology, and how human activities influence climate change." Throughout the curriculum's six thematic units, students complete inquiry-based lab activities using tools such as Google Earth, a web-based carbon calculator, and a geologic timeline to investigate these interrelated climate change topics. This comprehensive, standards-aligned curriculum provides all the necessary instructional materials and supporting information, including an instructional framework and sequence, assessments (including a pre- and post-test), Google Earth files, videos, PowerPoint files, handouts, and homework readings, as well as resources for students and background information for each topic. ELI advises that these curricular materials work best using Google Earth version 5.2 or newer and Firefox. It should be noted that access to the assessment files requires a login, which interested teachers can acquire for free by emailing a request to the contact email found in the site's footer.

DNADOTS
dnadots.minipcr.com
Biology educators and students, as well as those curious to learn more about genetics, may want to check out DNAdots, a free educational resource created by the team at miniPCR bio. DNAdots offers its visitors "bite-sized, simple explanations of modern genetic technologies," making them excellent ways to gain a better understanding of topics such as personal genetic ancestry testing, DNA barcoding, and gene drives. They are organized into four categories: Sequencing, Gene Expression and Physiology, Genome Editing, and Synthetic Biology. Each DNAdot includes a concise, approachable explanation of what the technology is, how it works, and some of what it means in a practical sense. For those interested in reading more about a particular topic, links to several related articles (also written for general audiences) are included at the end of the explanations. Additionally, DNAdots provides several review questions to check understanding as well as critical thinking and discussion questions. Teachers interested in using DNAdots in their classroom can request answer keys for these questions via email, and each DNAdot can be downloaded as a well-formatted PDF.

Regards,

Ray Forma
50 Harvest Road, North Fremantle WA 6159, Australia
Tel +61 (0) 428 596 938