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Littering Unit

Posted April 29, 2017 by sgibbs

Littering is a type of non-point source pollution caused
 by humans acting independently from each other, however causing a global environmental problem. Controlling this source of pollution is hard to manage despite numerous interventions. Pollution of groundwater, rivers, oceans result from these everyday littering behavior whether intentional or accidental. In this unit we will model a simple form of littering and then ways to reduce it in our community.

Geothermal Energy for StarLogo Nova

Posted August 15, 2016 by turtle

This unit was developed as a Project GUTS after-school club unit. Students learn about geology topics relating to hot springs with mineral deposits, as well as geothermal energy with hot water being heated underground and rising to the surface. Students decode a base model and add their own enhancements.

Fall Introductory Unit for Project GUTS after-school clubs

Posted August 25, 2016 by turtle

The Project GUTS after-school clubs were structured to have 10-12 week units in the Fall and Spring Semesters, with a 4-6 weeks Introduction to StarLogo Nova and computer science concepts, followed by a 4-6 week content unit. This is the curriculum page for the Fall Semester Unit introductory weeks. It assumes students are new to Project GUTS and to StarLogo Nova. If you have repeating students, see the Resources Link to Other activities to Introduce Project GUTS for additional ideas.

Spring Introductory Unit for Project GUTS after-school clubs

Posted August 25, 2016 by turtle

The Project GUTS after-school clubs were structured to have 10-12 week units in the Fall and Spring Semesters, with a 4-5 weeks Introduction to StarLogo Nova and computer science concepts, followed by a 5-6 week content unit. This is the curriculum page for the Spring Semester Unit introductory weeks. It assumes students had participated in the Project GUTS club during the Fall Semester, so might require building some background knowledge and skills for students new to StarLogo Nova.

Archived Material: CS in Science Module 1 (for StarLogo Nova 1.0)

Posted December 2, 2016 by turtle

Archived Material: Module 1 introduces basic concepts in modeling complex systems through hands-on activities and participatory simulations. A scaffolded series of highly-engaging design and build activities guide students through developing their first computer model in StarLogo Nova 1.0, a modeling and simulation environment developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Segregation Model

Posted April 3, 2017 by turtle

This model shows how a small preference for looking like one's neighbors can lead to a segregated society. The unit so far includes the model as a mystery model to be discussed and decoded by students, a partial piece of code with to use for decoding practice, a finished model, some background information, and a link to an on-line resource demonstrating these concepts. We are developing an off-line activity and other curriculum for this module -- stay tuned!

Traffic Unit for StarLogo Nova

Posted April 28, 2017 by sgibbs

This unit engages students in the use of agent-based modeling to look into why we have traffic jams and test ideas to try to improve traffic flow, and demonstrates the use of simulation to solve difficult engineering problems. Specifically we focus on the problem of traffic bottleneck congestion. A secondary goal is to further students’ understanding of the network concept as a way to model real world flows of data and matter.

Emergency Egress

Posted May 8, 2017 by turtle

Emergency Egress is the study of people exiting a building or other social gathering space in an emergency situation. This unit explores models and other ways to analyze the safety of a building and to evaluate which elements may affect how quickly and safely a space may be evacuated. It also discusses the issues of modeling humans in emergency situations.

Sample rubric for ecosystem module

Posted August 4, 2018 by sgibbs

This rubric was previously posted on the Code.org site and many teachers have found it to be helpful. You can save a copy and modify as fits your curriculum.

Shared Resources - Economics

Posted May 10, 2017 by turtle

As the human population grows, it has become increasingly important to understand how humans are impacting the environment and how resources are managed and used. Often, this type of understanding falls under the topic of Sustainability in which the needs of the present population are met without compromising the needs of future generations. In this unit, we look at a variety of resources, through the lens of complex adaptive systems, especially studying feedback and interdependence.

CS in Science Module 4: Chemical Reactions (for StarLogo Nova 2.0)

Posted July 27, 2018 by turtle

This Physical Science module explores chemical reactions: the conditions under which they occur, the evidence that a chemical reaction has taken place, limiting reactants versus reactants in excess, and when chemical reactions stop. The base model for this unit simulates the chemical reaction between silver nitrate and copper. The pacing guide and models have been updated for StarLogo Nova 2.0 (HTML5/JavaScript version).

CS in Science Module 2: Shared Water Resources (StarLogo Nova 2.0)

Posted July 27, 2018 by turtle

In this Earth Science module, students will investigate the importance of ground water and the impacts of water usage on aquifer levels. They will also explore how to model important parts of the water cycle, including evaporation and infiltration of water into different types of soils to recharge the aquifers. This updated resource corresponds to StarLogo Nova 2.0 (HTML5/JavaScript version), a modeling and simulation environment developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

CS in Science Module 3: Ecosystems as Complex Systems (for StarLogo Nova 2.0)

Posted July 27, 2018 by turtle

This Life Science module begins with an exploration of a simple predator-prey model to consider who eats whom—and what happens when one population grows faster than another. Students develop their own model of a local ecosystem and learn about ecosystem dynamics, producers and consumers, and interdependent relationships within an ecosystem. This module has been updated for StarLogo Nova 2.0 (HTML5/JavaScript version, updated 2017).

CS in Science Module 5: Greenhouse Gases

Posted July 27, 2018 by turtle

This Earth Science module explores greenhouse gases and climate change. The global climate system is presented as a complex system with feedback loops and interconnected processes. The goal is to clarify what is known, what scientists believe is happening and how climate change impacts our environment and species. Students use, modify, and customize an agent-based model of the build-up of greenhouse gases and its impact on the climate. This is an alternative to the Module 2: Water Resources

CS in Science Module 1: Introduction to Computer Modeling and Simulation (StarLogo Nova 2.0)

Posted July 27, 2018 by turtle

Module 1 introduces basic concepts in modeling complex systems through hands-on activities and participatory simulations. A scaffolded series of highly-engaging design and build activities guide students through developing their first computer model in StarLogo Nova 2.0, a modeling and simulation environment developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Climate change and agriculture for StarLogo Nova

Posted July 29, 2016 by turtle

Climate change is a significant topic today, and this unit examines some causes of climate change, discusses feedback loops that are important to climate change, analyzes related graphs and considers climate change in New Mexico as it relates to food security.

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