Can we expect our students to work on inventions that have tangible and positive effects on the society, while providing empathetic and empowering learning experiences? Read how one school used purposeful design in PBL, to leverage their education and their classroom experiences to effect change.
As you might have noticed that all our August interactives are live on prepmagic.com. We are constantly listening to our rockstar teachers, and our September updates feature some of the requests that came in at the beginning of the school year. You can send in your requests by filling up this form.
Enzymes - Biological Catalysts
- Investigate how enzymes act as catalysts to control the rate of metabolic reactions.
NGSS: Life Sciences HS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multi-cellular organisms.
Active Transport
- Investigate transportation against the concentration gradient by expending energy.
NGSS: Life Sciences HS-LS1-7. Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy.
Cell Surface Area to Volume Ratio
- Investigate how the surface-area to volume ratio affects the efficiency of a cell to transport material, mitigated by cell division or change in the shape to maintain the optimum area to volume ratio.
NGSS: Life Sciences HS-LS1-4. Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms.
Atomic Number
- Using a periodic table, determine the number of protons and electrons of an element based on its atomic number.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS1-1. Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
Isotopes & Mass Number
- Determine the number of neutrons in an isotope of an element, given its mass number.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS1-1. Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
Average Atomic Mass
- Determine the weighted average atomic mass of an element, based on its isotope abundance.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS1-1. Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
Electron Configuration
- Understand and construct the electron configuration of an element and relate to its position on the periodic table.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS1-1. Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
Half-life of a Radioactive Substance
- Understand the concept of half-life in exponential decay.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS1-8. Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
Position
- Understand, define and compare the position of an object in Cartesian and polar coordinate systems.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS2-1. Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
Vector
- Explore definition of a vector and methods of vector addition.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS2-1. Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
Displacement
- Explore displacement of an object moving in 1-D and 2-D, including plotting of Distance-Time graph, resolution of the displacement vector into its perpendicular components and comparison with the distance traveled.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS2-1. Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
Velocity
- Explore velocity of an object moving in 1-D and 2-D, including plotting of Velocity-Time and Displacement-Time graphs, resolution of the velocity vector and comparison with the speed as a scalar quantity.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS2-1. Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
Acceleration
- Explore acceleration of a moving object and investigate its relationship with velocity and displacement through analyses of different motion graphs.
NGSS: Physical Sciences HS-PS2-1. Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.