This video segment adapted from NOVA relates the dramatic story of vulcanologists trying to predict the timing of the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines.

Join a group of middle-school students on a visit to a laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where they experiment with "mystery mud" and learn about the relationships between magnetism, particle motion, and changes in the state of matter.

In this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, find out about the discovery of a new building material, the carbon nanotube, whose physical properties could theoretically enable the creation of a 22,000-mile elevator to space.

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, an early astronaut's experiences teach students that Newton's third law of motion—for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction—applies both on Earth and in outer space.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, NASA learns hard lessons from the first American attempt to do work while "walking" in space. The video also explores Newton's third law of motion.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, MIT engineer Dava Newman is working to replace today's bulky, inflated space suits with a radical, sleek design that may one day allow astronauts to walk easily on Mars.

Nitrogen, one of the most abundant elements in the universe, is essential to life. This interactive activity adapted from the University of Alberta provides an overview of the nitrogen cycle.

This video segment adapted from FRONTLINE looks at nuclear fission as an energy source that can be used to generate electricity.

This brief video segment produced for Teachers' Domain features time-lapse video of a sunrise and a sunset.

This video segment adapted from Shedding Light on Science illustrates how light changes speed, and thus direction, in a process known as refraction.

This is an art project where oil paints and water is used. Students will have already explored the densities of oil and water.

A free, open-access organic chemistry textbook (volumes I and II) in which the main focus is on relevance to biology and medicine. This is a PDF version of a wiki project called Chemwiki at the University of California, Davis. There are also supplementary materials, such as PowerPoint slides and a solutions manual available for this textbook at the Chemwiki website.

This video segment adapted from NOVA explains the origin of the elements and how scientists use unique element profiles to identify supernova types.

This video segment adapted from NOVA follows the Apollo 15 astronauts as they collect samples of ancient rock from the Moon's crust, whose discovery helps lead to a radical new theory about the Moon's origin.

In this interactive activity from ChemThink, examine the basic properties of matter at an atomic level and consider how various atoms affect the way a substance behaves.

Students design and carry out a procedure to find the percentage of sugar in bubble gum, which then easily translates to percent composition for chemical analysis.

In 1950, Percy Julian was one of the few African Americans with a Ph.D. He was Chicago's man of the year and a groundbreaking scientist. But it wasn't an easy road. Denied teaching positions and the target of death threats, Julian struggled to get ahead in a racially hostile world. Learn more about Percy Julian's contributions to science and civil rights. These resources, adapted from NOVA: Forgotten Genius, explore how Julian revolutionized chemistry with the first synthesis of a chemical compound, as well as the challenges he overcame as an African American facing legalized segregation.

This lesson is designed to teach high school students about the trends found in the four main families (groups) on the periodic table: Alkali Metals, Alkaline Earth Metals, Halogens and Noble Gases.  Students will work in groups of three to complete a family sketch for their assigned chemical family.  They will go over the family members and trends/characteristics found within each family.  They will create a "day in the life" description of their family along with sketching a family portrait.   

This interactive periodic table developed for Teachers' Domain provides detailed information about the chemical properties of elements and illustrates the electron configurations that determine those characteristics.

Lead students to understand general reactivity patterns of elements on the periodic table through experiment design, data collection, and data analysis. Resource links to a Google Doc.