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Alternate activities to introduce Project GUTS

Sometimes, teachers have a students who have already participated in Project GUTS introductory activities, and want to use something different, or want another activity to expand a lesson. Below are links to some alternate activities, both hands-on and on-line, for you to explore.

Traffic Patterns for StarLogo TNG

Why do traffic jams form?

Each year the number of paved miles grows by roughly 20,000 miles. When traffic gets too congested, traffic engineers must consider changes to existing roads or intersections. This unit engages students in interactive activities to explore pattern formation in complex systems, and in the use, modification, and creation of agent-based models to conduct experiments on simple virtual traffic systems, to study whether proposed road changes will the desired effect.

Math Challenges in StarLogo TNG

This activity reviews the use of angles, heading, x, y, and z coordinates, and random ranges in StarLogo TNG. It corresponds to the coding challenges for StarLogo Nova (see related link). .

Bumper Turtles for StarLogo TNG

A coding activity to introduce students to conditional logic -- this version follows the "Pixelated Paths" activity and builds the model in Star Logo TNG. 

Painted Turtles for StarLogo TNG

An fun introductory coding activity in StarLogo TNG using the random blocks, which demonstrates the power of parallel programming by simultaneously using many turtles to create patterns on the screen. For StarLogo Nova, see this activity in CS in Science, Module 1.

Walk & Turn for StarLogo TNG

In this activity, students will participate in an activity called “Walk & Turn”, will see a computer model based on the same activity. Of particular interest is the interleaving of activity types; live off-line activities and computer simulations, and the juxtaposition of real and virtual worlds. Following the activity students will use the CAST to analyze the activity as a complex adaptive system. For this activity using StarLogo Nova, see CS in Science, Module 1.

Swords and Shields

Swords and Shields is an interactive simulation game which teaches students some of the basic ideas of complex adaptive systems. After playing, you can show the students a model of the game in StarLogo TNG or StarLogo Nova to discuss basic concepts of agent-based modeling. Try it, it's fun! See also the variation to this activity in Resources, and see the related activity of TryAngles.

Opinion Dynamics with StarLogo TNG

Does Your Opinion Count? 
People form opinions on topics from current styles to political issues to product preferences, and often our opinions are based on information from others, rather than on our own experience. In this unit, we explore Opinion Dynamics as an aspect of human society that can be studied as a complex adaptive system. Here, agents representing humans can influence and be influenced by other agents both directly (one-on-one) and on a more global scale (advertising, etc).

Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in StarLogo TNG

What do we know about climate change? This unit discusses climate change: what it means, what the difference is between climate and weather, and evidence of climate change. It also discusses the global climate system as a complex system with feedback loops, and the current state of the art in the computational modeling of climate change. Our goal is to clarify what is known, what scientists guess is happening, and how climate change impacts our environment and species.

Water as a Shared Resource for StarLogo TNG

As the human population grows, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how humans affect the environment and to consider how we are using and managing our limited resources. This unit examines water as an important resource to be shared and managed to ensure its future availability.

This unit explores water as a shared resource using StarLogo TNG. For the related unit using StarLogo NOVA, see CS in Science Curriculum Module 2.

Social Networks for StarLogo TNG

How are people connected?  Humans are inherently social and have relationships far more complex than the random encounters often seen in agent-based modeling. These relationships can vary in strength and meaning – we see social networks that range from kinship networks, friendship networks to contact networks used in the study of epidemiology. The primary goal of this unit is to engage students in simple interactive activities to explore social network concepts and to model those concepts.

Pollution Unit for StarLogo TNG

What can we do about pollution in our town?  In this unit, students learn about pollution and the spread of contaminants from a point source. Some collect traffic data outside their schools and ask how many trees are needed at their school to maintain acceptable CO2 levels—even as traffic flow fluctuates and traffic jams form. With computer modeling, they investigate possibilities.

Epidemiology for StarLogo TNG

How do diseases spread?  In this Project GUTS unit, students research contagious diseases and customize a computer model to explore how disease — or gossip, bullying or fashion— might spread within their school or neighborhood.

The primary goal of this unit is to engage students in simple interactive activities to explore epidemiology concepts, and in the use, modification, and creation of agent-based models to conduct experiments on simple contagion.

Emergency Egress for StarLogo TNG

In the case of fire, how do we plan for safe exit? After learning how a fire marshall evaluates buildings for safety, students model how people would exit a building in the event of an emergency. Are more exits needed? Can everyone get out safely? This unit engages students in interactive activities to explore human behavior during emergencies and egress concepts, and in the use, modification, and creation of agent-based models to conduct experiments on simple emergency egress situations.

Ecosystems for StarLogo TNG

What keeps an ecosystem in balance? Students begin with a simple predator-prey model to consider who eats whom—and what happens when one population grows faster than the others. The primary goal of this unit is to engage students in simple interactive activities to explore ecosystems concepts, and in the use, modification, and creation of agent-based models to conduct experiments on simple virtual ecosystems.

An example resource