VASC Education Guide

Education Guide

One-Hour Programs

Under the Weather
SOL: 3.9b, 4.6

Using an appropriately-sized barbell weight, students will be introduced to standard atmospheric pressure, and they will observe the indications on a barometer to determine pending changes in the weather. Students will collect weather data representing different climates and will identify those readings with the actual pattern of weather or climate represented. Using a model, students will observe the water cycle.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX film Stormchasers.
Ask about our special Wacky Weather Days with 13 News!

Shake, Rattle and Roll
SOL: Science 4.1, 5.1, 5.7 • Social Studies VS.1, VS.2

Students will use real seismic data and satellite images (using the Magic Planet) to understand how plate tectonics create earthquakes and volcanoes. They will discuss the major types of plate boundaries and use the rock cycle to compare and contrast the origins of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Students will study the major features of the ocean, and their relationships to the motions of the plates.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX film Ring of Fire.

Scream Machines
SOL Science 3.1a, c, j, 4.1a, b, 4.2a, c, d, 5.1h

Students will explore the science concepts engineers apply in
building fantastic roller coasters. They will investigate the inertia and force concepts at work in our everyday lives. Students will be introduced to force, motion, and energy through interactive demonstrations featuring gravity, potential and kinetic energy and friction. They work in collaborative teams to design and model a simulated roller coaster ride, and then use the scientific method to improve the performance of their designs.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX film Thrill Ride:
The Science of Fun, the demonstration Master Machines.

Living Planet
SOL: Science 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.9, 3.10, 4.4, 4.5
Social Studies 3.5

Using a terrarium, students will study a closed environment and observe the water cycle in action. They will identify the producers and consumers in a food chain and how energy is transferred. By exploring various habitats and where they are found in the world, they will learn about the interdependency of plants and animals. Students will discover how animals adapt to survive and why photosynthesis is so crucial to life.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the demonstration Virginia’s Natural Resources.

Mad Scientist
SOL: Science 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 5.4
Math 3.14, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 5.11

Students will use the scientific method to perform real experiments. They will conduct preliminary observations and form hypotheses about the materials on which they will experiment. Students will test their ideas with experiments to determine the state of matter of unknown substances, and measure weight, volume, temperature and dimensions. They will perform experiments that combine one or two states of matter which will result in a new state of matter. They will prove that using just their senses is not an adequate method for obtaining results, scientific equipment is needed. They will graph data to show conclusions. They will collect data through observations and use scientific reasoning to draw a conclusion.

Moon Colony
SOL: Science: 3.8, 3.9 C/D, 3.10, 3.11, 4.5, 4.7, 5.7A
History: 3.1

Take a trip to the future as we colonize the Moon. Students will compare and contrast surface conditions of the moon and Earth, and identify the actions required to sustain life in a lunar colony. What obstacles do we have to overcome? Students will identify energy sources that can be used to support a lunar colony.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX films Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D, Destiny in Space, Space Station 3D, the demonstration Space Freeze II and the Space Quest gallery.

30-Minute Demonstrations

Space Freeze II: A Cryogenics Demo
SOL: 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 5.4
(check with education department as an outreach)

Students will learn that two different elements which comprise the largest components of the Earth's atmosphere are gases at normal ambient temperature. They will learn that matter changes state as temperature decreases or increases. Students will predict and observe the results as air-filled balloons are submerged in a container of liquid nitrogen. They will learn the temperature for nitrogen phase change between liquid and gaseous states using both Fahrenheit and Celsius scales.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX film Space Station 3D, Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D, and Destiny in Space, the program
Jr. Space Colony and the Space Quest gallery.

Bring on the Noise
SOL: 5.1, 5.2

Students will listen to (and even see) sound waves pass through different materials. They will experiment with sound waves and explore how to change their frequency and wavelength. Students will make predictions and observe how the pitch of a sound changes with different musical instruments. Students will learn how to transform other forms of energy into acoustic energy, and how we use sound every day.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well the traveling exhibit Zing! (Sept. 27 - Jan. 4).

Mysteries of Flight
SOL: 3.1, 3.2, 3.11, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.4

Students will identify simple machines which compose complex machines, like airplanes. They will discover how aircraft use energy to overcome the force of gravity and how they are made to adjust from the effect of heat from friction. They will explore the forces and principles of flight and how aircraft are similar to natural flying machines like birds and bats.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX films Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag, Straight Up! Helicopters in Action and Magic of Flight, and a tour of the Adventures in Flight gallery.

Robots 2
SOL: 3.2, 4.2, 5.1

What are robots? What are their functions? Can they do everything people can do? Identify the three major parts of a robot. Experiment with various types of robots to see what they can do and how they do it.

Master Machines
SOL: 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2

Students will be introduced to the six simple machines (levers, pulleys, screws, wheels and axles, inclined planes and wedges) and how they can be combined to make complex machines. They will study ordinary tools and vehicles to find out which simple machines they contain. Students will use a simple machine to apply a force and move an object.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX film Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun,
the program Scream Machines.

Gross Science!
Science SOL - 3.4a, 3.5, 4.5c, f

Students will take a close look at the producers, consumers and decomposers of the food chain. Examine owl pellets and see what happens to the rodents an owl eats, learn about mosquitoes and why they bite you and see how phytoplankton makes the underwater world go around. Discover why the world needs dung beetles and dare to eat a grub!

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the program Living Planet (p. 6) and the new traveling exhibit Animal Grossology! (beginning January 30, 2010).

LIGHTen Up
SOL: 5.3

Students will name the colors of the visible spectrum of light. Using a chart, they will identify the relationship between wavelength and color. By observing how the path of a laser beam is altered experimentally by a mirror, a prism and while passing through water, students will discover the principles of reflection and refraction. Students will learn whether an object is transparent, translucent or opaque by observing whether or not light and image passes through the object.

Magic of Electricity
SOL: 4.3

Modeling an atom, students will learn about insulators and conductors by observing the flow of electrons between atoms. Using an energy ball, students will learn about open and closed circuits. By experimentally removing bulbs from series and parallel circuits, students will differentiate between the circuits. To study static electricity, students will observe how a Van de Graaff generator delivers electrical charge to develop an electrostatic force, and how such force attracts or repels objects.

Virginia's Natural Resources
SOL: 3.7, 4.1b, d, 4.8

Explore the rich variety of Virginia's natural resources. Compare the Chesapeake Bay to the area John Smith explored 400 years ago. Learn how precious clean water is to humans and our environment. Do you know your watershed address? How can you help nature clean up the water resources of Virginia? Learn how "we all live downstream."

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the program Living Planet (p.6) and the IMAX films Blue Planet, Dolphins & Whales 3D and Sharks 3D.