Resources (1-20 of 26)

1. Superhydrophobicexpialidocious: Learning About Hydrophobic Surfaces

   06 May 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Jenny Willis, NNCI Nano

   This is a two-part lesson. In Part 1, the teacher will choose one of two lessons on hydrophobic materials. These lessons let students experiment with materials that have used chemicals to create hydrophobic materials. In Part 2, students will use pieces of Teflon to physically create a...

2. Achoo! Pollen Does More than Make Us Sneeze

   18 Mar 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Holly Leddy, NNCI Nano

   Harness the power of a scanning electron microscope to let students see that pollen is more than just the yellow dust that makes us sneeze sometimes! Students will learn to use scale bars to interpret size on microscope images, thus meeting math as well as science standards. Using that...

3. Introduction to Back Propagation

   13 Feb 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Mauricio Segovia

4. What's the Smallest Thing You Know? A Size and Scale Activity

   10 Feb 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Joyce Allen, NNCI Nano

   This lesson is designed to have elementary level students develop an understanding of size and scale.  It uses the book What’s Smaller Than A Pygmy Shrew? by Robert E. Wells to help students see that a pygmy shrew is among the tiniest of  mammals and that a ladybug is even...

5. What's in your Neighborhood: a size and scale activity

   07 Feb 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Marilyn Garza, NNCI Nano

   This activity gives students a sense of size and scale using their classroom and their neighborhood as a frame of reference. The activity focuses on measuring length, for this is the most common feature when presenting nanoscale structures or nanoscale science. Understanding size and scale is...

6. The Metric System from Big to Small

   29 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Joe Donahue, NNCI Nano

   This interactive lesson will review the metric system and relate the size and scale of objects to various metric units, including the very small nano-scale. The activity is best done in groups of 3-4 students and requires the groups to make measurements and convert them to the metric system.

7. Size and Scale: Learning about Measurement

   28 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Nancy Healy, NNCI Nano

   Using images of objects and the SI unit of measurement, students will visualize the order of numerical properties of objects from the nanoscale to visible scale using exponents and decimals. Students will make size comparisons of objects. Students will develop an understanding of how small a...

8. The Micro and Macro Worlds Around Us

   23 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Marilyn Garza, NNCI Nano

   This activity focuses on scale and the importance of using scale bars, for this is the most common feature when presenting nanoscale structures or nanoscale science. Understanding size and scale is fundamental to learning about nanotechnology as size defines the nanoscale . ...

9. Using Media to Explore Social and Ethical Issues in Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies

   23 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Deborah Bassett, NNCI Nano

   This lesson introduces students to social and ethical issues related to  nanotechnology. The lesson demonstrates possible social issues through case studies using popular films, books, and news stories. The lesson is intended to stimulate discussion about social and ethical issues related...

10. Noodling Around: Powers of Ten

    21 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Marilyn Garza, NNCI Nano

    This activity develops a K–12 student’s skills in measurement by using a pool noodle to measure objects. The activity encourages students to consider features that are useful when developing or using a measurement tool. This lesson introduces scale by demonstrating scales as factors...

11. Shrink Me: A Size and Scale Lesson

    21 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Marilyn Garza, NNCI Nano

    This activity focuses on measuring length, for this is the most common feature when presenting nanoscale structures or nanoscale science. Understanding size and scale is fundamental to learning about nanotechnology as size defines the nanoscale (1-100nm in one dimension). Size is often divided...

12. SI System and Nanoscale Science

    21 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Linda Duke, NNCI Nano

    This two-part unit provides activities for students to learn about the metric system of measurement. A connection to the nanoscale is made by having students read the How Stuff Works article –“How Nanotechnology Works” and answer questions about the article. Further...

13. Modeling Self Assembly Middle School Version

    15 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Roquel Stanley, Angela Berenstein, NNCI Nano

    This is the middle school version of a more complex high school lesson. There are two activities in this lesson, the Fly Prison and the Water Maze.  The Fly Prison is a hands-on modeling activity designed to introduce students to the area of nanotechnology and give them a basic...

14. How Big is a Nanometer?

    13 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Chantelle Smith, Paul Longwell, Stephen Stilianous, NNCI Nano

    The purpose of this activity is to help students conceptualize the magnitude of a nanometer compared to other metric units of length. At the end of this activity, students will be able to state the size of a nanometer, convert between nanometers and other metric units of length, and give...

15. Learning Set on Size, Scale, Function and Measurement Systems

    13 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Brett Criswell, David Oertner, NNCI Nano

    This activity is designed to be used at the 9th grade level in a general science or physical science class setting in conjunction with a unit on measurement. However, it is flexible in design and could easily be adapted to other grade levels in other classes. 

16. Big vs. Little - Micro to Nano

    02 Jan 2020 | | Contributor(s):: Ellie Devine, Lisa Perazone, NNCI Nano

    This is a five part lesson dealing with size and scale. Elementary children will explore the concept of size by comparing and categorizing objects, then constructing various sized structures.  The lesson is designed to begin their understanding of big and small which will be important as...

17. Taking a Closer Look at Objects

    11 Jan 2017 | | Contributor(s):: Georgia Institute of Technology, NNCI Nano

    For students to understand their world they often need to use tools to gather information.  Some tools will help them see parts of their surrounding world that they would otherwise miss. These tools include magnifying glasses and microscopes. ...

18. Right Tool for the Job

    11 Jan 2017 | | Contributor(s):: Joyce Palmer Allen, NNCI Nano

    The purpose of this lesson is to encourage students to think about how using tools helps them gather information about the world around them.  This is especially important at the nanoscale, where the objects are too small to be seen and the information we gather depends on the tools that...

19. What's the Smallest Thing You Know?

    11 Jan 2017 | | Contributor(s):: Joyce Palmer Allen, NNCI Nano

    The book What’s Smaller Than A Pygmy Shrew? by Robert E. Wells helps students see that a pygmy shrew is among the tiniest of  mammals and that a ladybug is even smaller.  But in the book, they will also find even smaller things that they ordinarily do not see.  This is the...

20. Introduction to Creative Problem Solving in Nanotechnology

    10 Jan 2017 | | Contributor(s):: Joseph Nunn, NNCI Nano

    This lesson serves as an introduction to the field of nanotechnology by discussing its real-world implications in light of current economic issues and conditions.  The lesson is performed using the Creative Problem-Solving format and serves as a method to encourage debate on current topics.