SC.912.P.10.11

In this lesson, students are presented with the problems facing the disposal of high-level nuclear waste produced at nuclear power plants along with the government agencies that regulate the nuclear waste. After learning about several disposal options, students research the pros and cons of one of these options and present their findings to the class. The class "votes" on which option they would choose if they were part of a government agency that regulated nuclear waste disposal and discuss current disposal options being debated among various government regulatory agencies.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will work collaboratively to investigate the current use of fission as an energy source in various nations across the world, as well as the safety risks associated. They will also explore the potential of fusion as a future energy source and how their assigned nation/organization interacts globally with the scientific community to further its progress.

Type: Lesson Plan

This activity teaches students how to determine the age of an atom using an onion, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Aliens from another planet left these items on our planet and need our assistance determining their age. Based on the number of layers or half lives of the "elements," the students will be able to determine their age. The students will also be able to differentiate between the three types of radioactive decay and understand why radioactive elements are harmful.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will collect data using inexpensive split peas and black beans in order to model how to calculate the amount of a radioactive element remaining after a specific number of half-lives have passed. Students will then use this data to outline and create a response to a scenario-based writing prompt.

Type: Lesson Plan

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. What is that extremely bright light in the sky? It's a supernova: the result of a massive star collapsing in on itself. This explosion is more than just a pretty sight; it is the main source of the elements that make up our planets and all the other objects in the night sky.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text is intended to support reading in the content area. Nuclear power has become a suggested solution to the issue of energy dependence, but what exactly is nuclear power? This article focuses on the many aspects of nuclear power including how it's created through fission and harnessed for electricity. Discussion of the pros and cons of nuclear energy and storage methods is also covered.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. The article describes how radioactive materials can be spread by biological vectors, such as tumbleweeds and rabbits, from decommissioned nuclear sites and nuclear waste storage facilities.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This text explains the difference between radioactivity (including radioactive decay, half-life, etc.) and radiation, and the connection between the two.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. Some new findings about atomic nuclei may help astrophysicists create more realistic simulations of supernovae thus allowing us to see how heavier elements are formed in stars.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text is intended to support reading in the content area. This article from the American Chemical Society reviews the basics of radioactivity and transmutation as well as the history of discovering elements.

Type: Text Resource

This is a virtual manipulative to understand beta decay. In the Beta decay process, a neutron decays into a proton and an electron (beta radiation). The process also requires the emission of a neutrino to maintain momentum and energy balance. Beta decay allows the atom to obtain the optimal ratio of protons and neutrons.

Type: Virtual Manipulative

This virtual manipulative will help you to understand the process of alpha decay. Watch alpha particles escape from a polonium nucleus, causing radioactive alpha decay. See how random decay times relate to the half life.

Type: Virtual Manipulative

Complete this virtual manipulative to gain a better understanding of nuclear fission. Study the basic principles behind chain reactions and a nuclear reactor.

Type: Virtual Manipulative