Find Resources

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 6: Decoding & Modifying the model

In this lesson students will be modifying the model of the molecular beam experiment to make a collision between different molecules. This time we will use hydrogen peroxide or H2O2 molecules instead of water molecules. Students will decode the model and make changes to the model‘s setup and collision code to model the collision and reaction. They will test the accuracy of the model by checking to see if the proper number and ratio of products were produced.

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 2: Colliding Turtles Playground

In this lesson students engage in creating, modifying and testing collisions and reactions (cause and effect) processes as instructions. Playgrounds are Google Slides with code blocks that students use to arrange and then act out as the computer processing the instructions. The concepts of ratios and examining ratios before and after collisions are made explicit.

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 3: Decoding & Modifying a Collision Model

In this lesson students see a StarLogo Nova model of turtles colliding. Then they look under the hood of the model to see if they recognize any of the code blocks being used. (*Students are often surprised to see that the code they generated in the playground is actually used to run the model!) Students identify where in code the ratio is being produced and what the ratio of turtles is before and after the collision. Finally, students get to pick a ratio they want to produce and modify the mode

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 4: Matter and Properties of Water

In this lesson students learn about matter and properties of matter. Then conduct two experiments (that can be done at home) and develop a mental molecular level understanding of water. This lesson prepares students for the next two lessons in which they will be modeling the breakdown of water into its component atoms.

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 5: Molecular Beam Experiments

In this lesson students explore a model of a molecular beam experiment in which two water molecules collide at high speed and break apart into their component atoms. In analyzing the ratios of hydrogen and oxygen produced by the collision, students notice that there is something wrong. Investigating the code of the model leads to the discovery of a problem that students can fix. Students can test their solution to fixing the model by running the model and seeing if it produces the components in

MSM Unit 3: It’s Getting Hot in Here

summary

MSM Unit 2: Clean Water

This unit spans across 6th grade math and science content.

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 1: Introducing Ratios

In this lesson students will participate in two activities then create their own ratio puzzles. In the first activity, they will learn about parts-to-parts ratios and complete an embedded assessment. In the second activity, they will learn about parts-to-whole ratios and complete another embedded assessment. In the third activity, students will create their own ratio puzzles to share. Throughout the lessons, the language of ratios is reinforced.

Screen shot from model showing projectile motion

Modeling Change

This contributed curriculum physics unit introduces and builds models to explore concepts of independent and dependent change, constant and variable x and y change, gravity, and projectile motion. Each lesson contains detailed instructions on how to build each model, and links to base models and completed projects. Modeling Change Lesson 1 is also uploaded as an independent resource (since it can serve as an alternative introduction to StarLogo Nova).

Urban street covered with litter, from Project GUTS powerpoint

Littering Unit

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.

Photo of Love Parade stampede in Germany, 2010, from www.telegraph.co.uk

Emergency Egress

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.

Painting, "Children's Games" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Shared Resources - Economics

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.

Screen shot of code from completed model

Alternative Intro to StarLogo Nova - Modeling Change Lesson 1

The first part of the Modeling Change Unit can be used as a fun stand-alone programming activity for students unfamiliar with StarLogo Nova. It guides students to build a model that use keyboard controls to change the two-dimensional location of agents (in section 1a) and change other traits including the third dimension (z), shape, color, and heading (in section 1b).

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

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).

Middle School Dissolving Salt Chemistry Module options

This lesson was developed to be used with two stand alone models developed by GUTS as alternatives to the Chemistry Module 4. This is aimed at middle school students. This pairs a hands on lab activity with the CS models to explore the strengths and weaknesses of CS models of physical changes at an introduction to chemistry level. Students decode the models and make changes including adding and testing variables.

Decoding a Model - Dissolving of NaCl in Water

Start of a lesson on dissolving a solid in water by decoding on a model.

CS in Science Curriculum (binder) compatible with StarLogo Nova 2.0

This is the pdf of the complete CS in Science curriculum. Print copies can be ordered from Mimeo.

Modeling molecules is solids, liquids, and gases

This model simulates intermolecular forces and lets people change the temperature using a slider. At high temperatures, you can see the molecules fly around as a gas, with occasional collisions. With lower temperatures they condense to a liquid, and even lower they freeze to a solid.

Looking at particles with StarLogo Nova

This lesson uses StarLogo Nova to explore how particles move from gas to liquid to solid depending on the setting of the heat slider.

Traffic Unit for StarLogo Nova

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.

Search for "[keyword]" across the whole site.

If you can't find what you're looking for, send us a comment about what you were expecting to find.