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Investigate underwater worlds and the life that inhabits these aquatic and marine ecosystems ranging from the Great Lakes to the Caribbean Sea. From crystalline diatoms to the exquisite senses of the shark, your students will discover the rich biodiversity of life uniquely adapted these habitats and the importance of oceans and lakes to the health of our planet.
Investigating Anatomy: Fish Dissection
Grades 7 - 12| 90 minutes long
Explore the anatomy of fish and learn the basics of dissection in this hands-on lab. Students work in small groups as they identify and investigate specific organs, body systems, and the unique adaptations of fish.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F8.1, F8.2, F 8.6, F 12.11, F 12.12
ESP in the World of Fish
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 7 - 12| 45 minutes long
Investigate the extra sensory organs that fish use to locate their food and navigate in their surroundings. Students will focus on the anatomy of sharks and freshwater species to understand how electrical impulses and vibrations are sensed underwater.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F 8.1, F 8.2, F 8.7, 12.6, F 12.11, F 12.12
Underwater Prints: A Great Lakes Food Web
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 6-8 | 90 minutes long
Discover the complex community interactions found within an aquatic ecosystem through screenprinting. Roll up your sleeves as you learn to pull your own screens to create a food web of the Great Lakes region to take home.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F8.8, F8.9
Environmental Science: B 8.8
Art: C8.6, E 8.1, E 8.2, E 8.4, G 8.1, I 8.7
A Fish’s Guide to Adaptations
Grades 5 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Discover the diverse world of fishes by studying their adaptations to specific environments. Investigate morphology, buoyancy and coloration to understand the biodiversity and interactions of the underwater world.
***Behind the scenes tour optional for $1/student (occurs after lab activity)
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F8.2, F8.7
Environmental Science: B 8.2
Fish In and Out of the Bowl
Grades 3 - 8 | 90 minutes long
Explore aquatic environments and learn how to mimic the natural world in an aquarium you get to take back to your classroom. Through a series of investigations, students will learn about the life requirements of fish and how to replicate them in an artificial environment. A behind the scenes tour with our aquarium staff will complete this lab activity.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F 4.1, F 4.4, G 4.1, F 8.6, F 8.8
Environmental Science: B 4.4, B 4.5, B 8.1, B 8.6, B 8.22
Keying Into Classification
Grades 3 - 5 | 45minutes long
Students investigate scientific classification while learning how to design and utilize dichotomous keys the in “field.” Focusing on fish identification and utilizing Discovery World’s Reiman Family Aquarium, students will put this important skill into practice.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F 4.4, D 4.2
Introduce your students to the largest system of freshwater on our planet, the Great Lakes. Activities engage students in exploring water’s chemical and physical properties, quality and quantity, availability and distribution, uses, and history as well as investigating human impacts on freshwater systems highlighting issues facing the Great Lakes. Programs help students build a strong understanding of the dynamic role of freshwater resources in their lives and the life of their community.
Environmental Indicators and Water Quality Monitoring
Grades 9-12 | 90 minutes long
Participate in a comprehensive investigation of a freshwater ecosystem as you engage in water quality testing, organism identification, and environmental indicators used to assess the quality of a water system.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science A 12.5, E 12.4, F 12.8
Life Below the Surface
Grades 7-12 | 90 minutes long
Explore population mapping and behavioral studies in the Discovery World Aquarium. Find out how scientists use these studies to access ecosystem health in the field. Students use data collection, observation and analysis to understand interactions of an underwater community.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F 8.2, F 8.7, F 8.8, F 8.9, F 12.5, F 12.6
Mathematics: B 8.2, B 12.2, E 8.1, E 8.4, E 12.1
Tipping Point to Toxicity
Grades 7-12 | 45 minutes long
Learn how high toxicity levels and bio-magnification affect humans and the environment by studying toxins that pose problems in the Great Lakes. Students take part in simulated environmental investigation to pinpoint the source of pollution fouling an industrialized area.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: C8.2, C8.3, C 8.4, C8.5, C8.6, C8.9, F8.8, G8.2, H8.3, F12.8
Environmental Science: A8.5, B8.5, B8.8, B8.10, B8.18, B8.21, B12.3,B 12.18 C12.1, D8.5
What’s In the Water?
Grades 6-8 | 45 minutes long
Identify contaminants in water samples using chemical testing and monitoring methods. This lab introduces water quality testing techniques and helps students understand what pollutants are in our water supply and their effect on the environment.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: A 8.2, A 8.3, A 8.6, B 8.6, C 8.2, C 8.3, C 8.4
Environmental Science: B 8.5, B 8.15, B 8.19
Mathematics: D 8.3
Social Studies: E 8.3
Lay of Land: Way of Water
Grades 4-6 | 45 minutes long
Students model and replicate landforms while investigating the dynamics of watersheds. Understand how landforms and their physical characteristics affect the flow and distribution of water over the planet.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: C 4.2, D 4.3, F 4.4
Social Studies: A 4.9, A 8.6
Bubble Science
Grades 3-5 | 45 minutes long
Explore 3-D molecular models and experiment with bubbles to learn the science of surface tension. Through these experiments, students are introduced to the skills necessary to design effective scientific experiments while focusing on the identification and control of variables.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science C 4.2, C 4.5, C 8.3, C 8.6, D 8.2, D8.3
Immersion Presents: Monterey Bay 2008
March 2-7, 2008
Discovery World hosts this program on the ecosystem of Monterey Bay in partnership with Immersion Presents from Mystic, Connecticut. Join a team of scientists via telepresence as they explore the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and its estuaries, kelp forests and submarine canyon ecosystems. The research scientists will collect information on the marine resources of the sanctuary and the role that currents, shared habitats and key species play in linking the sanctuary to the rest of the ocean world.
Life at the Extremes investigates the amazing adaptability of organisms to extreme conditions. Life at the Extremes labs help students discover the wide diversity of survival adaptations adopted by organisms that thrive in extreme environments. Labs complement studies in chemistry, physics, and biology and help to provide a greater understanding of the diversity of life on Earth. Programs also introduce students to the technologies that enable humans to explore beyond our survival zone both physically and remotely.
Fueling Life
Grades 9-12 | 90 minutes long
Investigate light and chemical energy as fuel for life. Examine how life has evolved adaptations and processes to harness energy. Students learn how sunlight, sulfuric acid, and methane provide energy for organisms in extreme environments.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: B 12.4, C 12.5, D 12.4, D 12.10, F 12.7, F 12.11, E
12.2
Environmental Science: B 12.3, B 12.4
Work Under Pressure
Grades 9-12 | 45 minutes long
Learn about SCUBA and other equipment needed to dive and work under water. Investigate how diving affects the human body through nitrogen narcosis and sensory distortions. Students are also introduced to a variety of careers involving SCUBA.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: A12.5, D12.9, F12.2, G12.2
Extremophiles: Life on the Edge
Grades 9-12 | 45 minutes long
This hands-on wet lab examines extreme environments and the adaptations organisms have evolved to survive there. Students discover life’s limitations and clues to the possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science A 12.1, B 12.2, D 12.4, D 12.6, F 12.2, F 12.6, F 12.10,
F 12.12
Intro to the World of Chemistry
Grades 6-9 | 45 minutes long
Work with acids and bases to explore what happens during a chemical reaction. This activity lets students investigate neutralization, exothermic and endothermic reactions while encouraging a basic understanding of chemical equations and thermodynamics.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: C 8.4, C 8.6, D 8.1, D 8.2, D 8.3, D 8.4, D 12.1, D
12.4, D 12.6
Colors of the Sea
Grades 5-8 | 45 minutes long
Observe the affects water and depth have on light absorption and the colors that we see. Students will explore ocean zones, bioluminescence, and adaptations of deep sea organisms.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: C 8.4, C 8.6, F 8.9, D 8.4, D 8.8
Environmental Science: B 8.8
All About the Sun: UV Protection
Grades 5-8 | 90 minutes long
The sun gives off much more than just visible light. Learn that ultraviolet radiation is part of the sun’s spectrum of non-visible light. Explore and design head coverings for protection from the sun.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: B.8.3, D.8.8
Deep Sea Technology
Grades 4-8 | 45 minutes long
Investigate the technology that allows humans to venture deep below the surface of the sea into an unseen world. Students explore how submersibles use buoyancy to move on the water’s surface and travel to the depths.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: D 8.1, G 8.2
Social Studies: A 8.1
Cave Formation
Grades 7-12 | 45 minutes long
Venture into the world of caves. Perform limestone dissolution experiments while investigating classic cave formation through the calcium carbonate process. A video segment with Dr. Hazel Barton, microbiologist featured in the IMAX film Journey into Amazing Caves, describes the role of micro-organisms in cave formation.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science E.8.2 E.8.4, F.8.7, F.12.12
Dream Big, Think Small is a wide-ranging study of the micro and molecular world. Design at the nano-level is changing the way we study the world, make products, and how people will practice medicine and engineering in the future. Labs amplify studies in chemistry, physics, engineering, and mathematics providing experiences that help students explore health-related subjects as well as the field of nanotechnology including new forms of coatings, materials, and devices.
Micro-arrays and Gene Expression
Grades 9-12 | 90 minutes long
Discover the structure and function of DNA while learning the concepts that doctors and scientists use to analyze differences in gene expression of various types of cells. Students conduct wet and dry lab simulations that explore micro-array technology to study gene expression in cancerous and healthy cells.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F 12.1, F 12.3, F 12.4
Technology Education: A 12.7
Message in a Bottle: DNA Extraction
Grades 7-12 | 45 minutes long
Solve the mystery of individual genetic makeup while discovering your DNA, its structure, functions, and importance. Students gather, spool, and craft their own DNA into a souvenir necklace to take home.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F 8.1, F 8.4, F 12.3, F 12.4
Genotypes, Phenotypes, and Blood Types
Grades 7-12 | 45 minutes long
Investigate the science of heredity and genetics through blood typing. Student type synthetic blood samples and use the basic rules of genetics to solve a case of disputed inheritance.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F 8.1, F 8.4, F 12.3, F 12.4
Nanotechnology at Work
Grades 7-12 | 45 minutes long
Discover the new science of nanotechnology and develop an understanding of measurement at the nano-scale. Students learn about technologies and products created at the atomic level using new applications of chemistry, physics, and engineering.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: B 8.1, B 8.3, B 8.5, B 8.6, D 8.3, D 8.4, G 8.7, H 8.3,
A 12.1, B 12.4, D 12.1, G 12.3, G 12.4
Put Your Finger On It
Grades 6-8 | 45 minutes long
Investigate the science of forensics in this hands-on lab. Fingerprinting, hair analysis, and DNA sequencing are explored as students work to solve a mock crime and learn the techniques and methods of scientific criminal investigation.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: B 8.3, F 8.4, G 8.2, G 8.3, G 8.7
Cells Through the Eyepiece
Grades 5-8 | 45 minutes long
This hands-on lab introduces students to the building blocks of life through the use of microscopes. Students observe and compare plant and animal cells under magnification, and learn slide preparation techniques to view their own cells.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science B 8.1, F 8.1, F 8.3, G 8.7
NewSpace explores the tools and practices of architecture, urban planning, and building construction by learning about measurement, mathematics, technical drawing, and model building. Students learn about design, human and environmental factors, new materials and building techniques. NewSpace is the perfect complement to studies in human systems, sociology, architecture, and product design. Explorations range from the personal to the urban world looking towards the future of human habitation.
Environmental Influences on Shelters
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 9 -12 | 90 minutes long
By designing and building a model shelter intended to meet a specific environmental condition, students explore building materials from around the world and are introduced to how the environment influences the construction of the places in which we live.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design—D.12.3
Scale and Ratio
Grades 6 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Explore principles of measurement, ratio, and proportion and their use in architecture and building design. Students learn blueprint making and discover scale modeling techniques used to plan architectural designs.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Math: B.8.5 D.8.2 D.8.3 Art. E.8.2 E.8.4 H.8.4 H.8.5 Science:
B. 8.3, G.8.1
Understanding the Built Environment
Grades 6 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Recognize the basic structural forms of architecture including arches and post and beam construction. Students are challenged to create and carry out experiments to test the strength of these forms and learn where they are best utilized in architectural design.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Math: C 8.1, C.8.3 Science: A. 8.7, G. 8.1, G.8.4
Maps and Topography
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 5 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Students construct and practice using different types of topographic maps. They are introduced to people and fields that use these maps, and why they use them.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design – H.8.5
Math – D.8.1
Social Studies – A.8.1
Tension in Architecture
Grades 6 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Explore the architectural trend of tensegrity and design a tensile structure by shaping materials and using the advantage of the reactive force of tension.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science—D.8.5
Future of Community Design
Grades 5 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Learn about what elements make a good neighborhood including roads, major buildings, parks, natural geographic features, and town centers. Students use their knowledge to design a model community of the future.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design – D.8.3
Environmental Education—B.8.10
Science—G.8.3
Measurement in the everyday sense means assigning a number to an object to quantify it. Measurable attributes include such diverse concepts as consumer price indices, speed, duration of an experiment, or the volume of a liquid or a gas. Accurate measurement and estimation skills are essential to developing logical hypotheses in scientific research. Discovery World’s Measurement initiative focuses upon the use of a variety of tools including the human body, precision technology, and those traditionally used.
Measuring the Earth
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 9 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Eratosthenes, a Greek mathematician, was the first to measure the circumference of the Earth. Learn this early method of calculating the Earth’s circumference as well as other techniques for measuring distance.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics: A 12.3, B 12.6, D 12.3
Tree Measurement
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 5 - 8 | 90 minutes long
How tall or wide is that tree? Learn how to measure large objects. Investigate measurement of the trunk, crown, and height of a tree using vertical and horizontal measurement.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics: D 8.1, D 8.2, D 8.4
Estimation and Precision Measurement
Grades 5 - 8 | 90 minutes long
Compare estimation and precision measurement. Use non-invasive body measurement techniques to estimate lengths. Explore precision measurement and its use in science and data collection.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics: D 8.3, D 8.4
Scale and Ratio
Grades 6 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Explore principles of measurement, ratio, and proportion and their use in architecture and building design. Students learn blueprint making and discover scale modeling techniques used to plan architectural designs.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics: B 8.5, D 8.2
Art: E 8.2, E 8.4, H 8.4, H 8.5
Science: B 8.3, G 8.1
Wearable Architecture
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 7 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Build a 3-D model of your head and learn about the fields of human physiology, statistics, and anthropometry—the study of human dimensions. Learn how these techniques are used to create and personalize the items we design and wear.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics: D 8.1, D 8.2, D 8.3, D 8.4, E 8.1, E 12.1
Life Jet engages youth in study of economics, entrepreneurship, and the skills needed to achieve personal and economic wealth. Life Jet fosters the mindset necessary for innovation and entrepreneurship. Through Life Jet programs, students learn how to take risks to build the world according to their own vision. Life Jet helps students identify personal motivations and interests preparing them to bring their ideas and innovations to the marketplace or turn their passions and dreams into a career.
The Math of Inflation and Baseball
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 9 - 12 | 45 minutes long
In 1931, Babe Ruth made $80,000 per year. Was he overpaid or underpaid
according to today’s standards? Answer this question and others
using the consumer price index and your new understanding of inflation.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Social Studies—D.8.2, D.8.6, D.12.2
Logo Workshop
Grades 8 - 12 | 2 hours long
Learn how professionals create the visual identity for companies by exploring the principles of logo design. Students design and create their own brand identity as they crack the code and learn how great logos can communicate ideas instantly and effortlessly.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art and Design Education:
C.8.1, C.8.2, C.8.3, C.8.4, C.8.5, C.12.1, C.12.2, C.12.3, C.12.4,
D.8.1, D.12.1, E.8.2, E.8.5, E.12.2, E.12.5, G.8.1, G.8.4, G.12.1,
G.12.4, I.8.7, I.12.7, K.8.4, K.12.4
Interviewing and Public Speaking Techniques
Grades 7 - 12 | 3 hours long
Learn the basics of speaking on-camera and how to conduct an interview in the digital production environment of a television studio. Using virtual news sets and pre-written scripts on current topics, students learn how to read from tele-prompters, speak effectively, and properly use body language to convey confidence. Students also learn the basics of conducting an interview including researching the subject, developing insightful questions, listening, speaking, and how video cameras are part of the process.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
English Language Arts:
C.8.1, E.8.3, E.12.3
Art and Design Education:
E.8.2, E.8.5, E.12.2, E.12.5, F.8.7, G.8.4, G.12.4, I.8.7, I.12.7,
K.8.4, K.12.4
Information and Technology Literacy:
A.8.1, A.8.5, A.12.1, A.12.5, D.8.1, D.8.2, D.12.1, D.12.2
Theatre Education:
B.8.3, B.8.6, B.12.3, B.12.5, E.8.7, E.12.10
How to Make $
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 7 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Learn how to make $ with your ideas. Realize the power of young people and their ideas. Understand the role of entrepreneurs and innovators in our economy.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Business—E.8.1, E.8.2, E.8.3, E.12.1
Marketing—A.8.1, A.8.3, A.8.4, A.12.2,
Advertising and Marketing
Grades 7 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Of all retail purchases 31% are made by teens. Explore the effects of advertising and marketing of products on spending habits. Create a product campaign aimed at reaching teens.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Business—F.8.2, F.8.3, F.12.7
Marketing—D.8.1, D.8.5
Idea Generator
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 7 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Brainstorming is a technique for generating new ideas on a topic, usually a problem that seems hard to solve. The rules for brainstorming are designed to help people be creative and spontaneous in their thinking so that as many ideas as possible are generated.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
English—C.8.3, C.12.3
Product Design
Grades 5 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Industrial designers are artists who plan manufactured products. Explore the processes used to design useful, safe, and appealing products. Redesign common items to improve its function, feel or appearance.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art and Design—C.8.1, C.8.2, E.8.2
The Print and Publishing Lab is a place to explore visual communication, the science of conveying and understanding ideas and information. The lab is fully equipped with digital resources as well as a screenprinting production area.
In learning to convey information in a clear and creative way, students
gain deeper understanding of the information for themselves.
Logo Workshop
Grades 8 - 12 | 2 Hours
Learn how professionals create the visual identity for companies by exploring the principles of logo design. Students design and create their own brand identity as they crack the code and learn how great logos can communicate ideas instantly and effortlessly.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art and Design Education:
C.8.1, C.8.2, C.8.3, C.8.4, C.8.5, C.12.1, C.12.2, C.12.3, C.12.4,
D.8.1, D.12.1, E.8.2, E.8.5, E.12.2, E.12.5, G.8.1, G.8.4, G.12.1,
G.12.4, I.8.7, I.12.7, K.8.4, K.12.4
INK IN A BLINK
Grades 6 - 12 | 2 Hours
Roll up your sleeves and jump right into this hands-on screenprinting activity. Learn all about the screenprinting process, then start expressing yourself in a new and exciting way. This course can readily be customized and adapted to fit into an existing unit or to supplement a larger project.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art and Design Education:
C.8.1, C.8.2, C.8.3, C.8.4, C.8.5, C.12.1, C.12.2, C.12.3, C.12.4,
D.8.1, D.12.1, E.8.2, E.8.5, E.12.2, E.12.5, G.8.1, G.8.4, G.12.1,
G.12.4, I.8.7, I.12.7, K.8.4, K.12.4
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Grades 8 - 12 | 2 Hours
Become your own media outlet as you and your students design and publish your own glossy publication. Learn the principles of print design then explore the process of digital layout & publishing. Create an attractive and enduring document of your students’ work. This course can be readily customized and adapted to fit into an existing unit or to supplement a larger project.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
English Language Arts:
E.8.1, E.8.3, E.12.1, E.12.3,
Art and Design Education:
C.8.1, C.8.2, C.8.3, C.8.4, C.8.5, C.12.1, C.12.2, C.12.3, C.12.4,
D.8.1, D.12.1, E.8.2, E.8.5, E.12.2, E.12.5, G.8.1, G.8.4, G.12.1,
G.12.4, I.8.7, I.12.7, K.8.4, K.12.4
Information and Technology Literacy:
A.8.1, A.8.5, A.12.1, A.12.5, D.8.1, D.8.2, D.12.1, D.12.2
Drawing as a Second Language™ takes a new look at visual communication and teaches budding artists, up-and-coming scientists and motivated entrepreneurs techniques they can use to communicate their ideas. With a focus on drawing in careers both inside and outside the art world, this program reveals that everyone from architects to zoologists can benefit from improving their drawing skills.
Drawing Tricks of the Trade
Grades 7 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Learn the tools and techniques used by the pros to turn their ideas for new buildings, products, films an even business plans into images they can share. Once revealed, these tricks directly improve a student’s ability to draw and communicate.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design: A.12.6, C.8.1, C.8.4, C.8.6, C.12.4, D.8.4, D.12.4,
E.8.2, G.8.1, G.8.4, H.8.5, H.12.1, K.8.4, K.12.4, L.8.2, L.12.2
Mind Mapping
Grades 7 - 12 | 45 minutes long
A good map can show a place, a concept or an idea. Learn a host of map-making skills that reveal maps aren’t just handy on road trips; they can help teach students to interpret information and communicate through visual communications.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design: B.8.1, B.12.1, E.8.4, E.12.4, G.8.1, G.12.1, H.8.5,
H.12.5
Instructions through Pictures
Grades 7 - 12 | 45 minutes long
A picture says a thousand words. In this lab, students learn to put that saying to the test. By exploring the visual cues and direction-giving techniques used by the experts, young people will discover the secrets to giving wordless instructions to their peers, their community and to people around the world.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design: B.8.1, B.12.1, B.8.6, B.12.6, E.8.4, G.8.3
Storyboarding Techniques
Grades 7 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Video games, movies, TV commercials and comic books all begin by putting pen to paper and creating a storyboard. The methods the pros use to create these essential illustrations teach students how to organize, inform and tell a story.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design: B.8.1, B.12.1, B.8.6, B.12.6, E.8.4, G.8.3
Biomimicry is the design and engineering practice of finding solutions from Nature’s example. The practice of biomimicry suggests that the solutions to many of our design and engineering challenges can be found in the study of nature, from imitating natural forms to using natural processes and ecosystems as models. Explorations include: green chemistry, industrial ecology, biomaterials, biomimetics, and biomechanics. Biomimicry labs engage students in critical thinking, design research and problem solving.
Biomechanics of Joints
Grades 9 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Learn about the interdisciplinary field of biomechanics––the study of the motion of all living things. Students explore the range of motion of their wrist, elbow, and shoulder to help them understand the way we move.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics D 12.2
Biomimicry: Looking to Nature
Grades 7 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Take a look into the world around you to find inspiration and answers to today’s design and engineering challenges. Students explore some of the basic techniques used by industry to create environmentally friendly and sustainable products modeled on Nature’s designs and processes.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: B 8.3, B 8.6, C 8.1, C 8.10, F 8.2, G 8.2, G 8.3, G
8.5, G 8.6, G 8.7, A 12.1, A 12.5, B 12.4, G 12.3, G 12.5
Animal House
Grades 6 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Discover the concept of biomimicry and how knowledge of animal and insect behavior can influence our understanding of architecture. Students investigate some of the structures these creatures build and adapt their designs as they create architectural models.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: C 8.1, C 8.10, F 8.2, F 8.7, G 8.3, A 12.5, B 12.4,
G 12.3
Environmental Science: D 8.5
Discovery World’s Sustainability initiative is an interdisciplinary examination of the complex relationship of economics, society, and the environment. Sustainability programs accelerate awareness of issues facing society and the development of sustainable alternatives. Activities focus on emerging efforts in green design, renewable resources and energy, systems thinking, and innovative product design. The program introduces students the challenges of a sustainable future and the approaches, framework, and ingenuity that will build that sustainable future.
Renewable Power
Grades 4 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Students investigate the environmental impact of energy use while exploring concepts of renewable energy. By constructing a model electrical generator, participants gain an understanding of how energy is captured and converted into electricity.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: G 8.3, H 8.2, A 8.8, G 8.4
Environmental Science: B 4.3, B 4.12, B 8.12
Technology Education: A 12.2, B 8.6, D 8.3, D 8.5, B 8.4
Trash: Full Circle
Grades 5 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Explore the life cycles of every day things from soccer balls to cell phones. Students take a deeper look at the processes of production and disposal and apply a systems’ approach to discover new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: A.8.8, D.8.4, F.8.10
Environmental Education: B.8.5, B.8.10, B.8.15
Archaeology: the Distant Mirror
Archaeology: the Distant Mirror is an archaeological exploration into human innovation and creativity through time. This initiative investigates ancient and marine archaeological sites through distance learning programs as well as urban and personal archaeology in on-site labs. Students learn the methods used to interpret material culture left behind by past cultures, engage in archaeological research processes, use tools and technologies that extend the range of human perception, and identify themselves as agents of change for the future.
Penetrating the Past: GPR Technology
Grades 9 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Explore ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology used by geophysical archaeologist, Meg Watters, to peer into the past. Students learn to set up a grid with transect lines to visualize the world beneath their feet and discover how technology is used to explore and preserve our history.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: G 4.1, G 8.7, G 12.4
Mathematics: A 4.1, A 8.1, A 12.1, D 4.2, D 8.3, D 12.2
Technology Education: D 4.5, D 8.5, 12.5
Leave Your Mark
Grades 4 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Learn how archaeologists use rock art to construct pictures of the past using the science of relative and absolute dating as well as personal perception. Students craft their own natural pigments, design their own mark, and learn how future generations may view the images we leave behind.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: B 4.2, B 8.6, B 12.3, B 12.4
Social Studies: B 4.1, A 8.9, B 8.1, B 8.4
Diving into the Past: The Fundamentals of Underwater Archaeology
Grades 4 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Immerse yourself in the world of underwater archaeology. Students learn the steps of archaeological discovery and excavation while focusing on the tools of the trade such as Side Scan Sonar, Magnetometers, suction devices, ROV’s, and SCUBA equipment.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: G 4.1, G 4.4, G 8.3, G 8.7, G 12.1, G 12.4
Mathematics: C 4.3, C 4.4, C 8.1,D 4.1, D 4.3, D 8.4,D 12.1
Social Studies: A 4.1, A 4.5, A 8.1, A 12.9, B 4.1, B 4.2, B
4.8, B 8.8, B 12.2
Technology Education: D 4.2, D 4.5, D 8.5, 12.5
Tools, Time, and Culture
Grades 6 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Investigate the science of archaeology and piece together the puzzle of our past by dating artifacts using relative and carbon dating techniques. Students explore tools such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and side scan sonar and learn their application in discovering artifacts and undocumented sites.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: B 8.6, D 8.3, D 8.8
Social Studies: B 8.1, B 8.4
Finding the Place: Old and New Technologies
Grades 6 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Learn to record and map key features on a shipwreck while experiencing a simulated dive on the deck of The Challenge, an exhibit in our Aquatarium. Explore the rewards and challenges of underwater archaeology with Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: F 4.4, G 8.6, G 12.1, G 12.2
Mathematics: C 4.1, C 4.4, C 8.1, C 8.5, C 12.1, C 12.5,
D 4.1, D 4.4, D 4.5, D 8.3, D 8.4, 12.1, D 12.4
Social Studies: A 4.4, B 4.1, B 4.8, B 8.8, B 12.2
Discovery World’s Robotics initiative explores the design, creation, and programming of robots while applying computer science, mechanical and electrical engineering, and the art of invention. The study of robotics builds foundations in applied science and technology. Students examine the design of mechanical movements and automation applications used in industry and space and underwater explorations. Robotics amplifies studies in physics and computer science and helps students discover how invention and research are used to create the tools of the future.
Gears in Motion
Grades 7 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Explore how gears are used in everyday objects from bicycles and cars to clocks and DVD players. This hands-on activity lets students work with gears, gear rotations, and gear ratios as they build a simple drive train to propel a model vehicle.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics: B 8.5, B 12.2
Advanced Electronics
Grades 6 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Use electrical circuit breadboards, multi-meters, and other electronic tools to explore electronic circuit design. Building and testing circuits helps students learn how electricity powers and controls many items they use everyday.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: D 8.8
Introduction to Robotic Programming
Grades 4 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Discover how robots interpret information while reacting to their surroundings and other stimuli. Students write and install programs that help their robot to travel and move through an obstacle course.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Technology Education: A 4.1, A 4.3, A 4.4, A 4.5, A 8.7, B 8.2
Simple Machines
Grades 3 - 5 | 45 minutes long
Discover the physics of simple machines and the science of mechanical advantage. Students conduct investigations and construct models utilizing each of the six simple machines.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: C 4.2, C 4.4, C 4.5, G 4.4
Simple Circuitry
Grades 3 - 5 | 45 minutes long
Delve into the foundations of electrical engineering through experiments focused on atoms, electricity, electric current, and conductivity. Students build their own simple circuits to take home.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: C 4.2, D 4.8
Helmets and Handbags delves into innovation and product design through the study of human physiology, portable containers, and head coverings and protection. Students learn about human measurement, make product prototypes, and investigate the relationship between the human body and the build and natural environment. Helmets and Handbags programs complement studies in thermodynamics, human biology, sociology and anthropology and provide foundations in product design and innovation. Inquiry ranges from the person and urban to ancient culture.
Biomechanics of Joints
Grades 9 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Learn about the interdisciplinary field of biomechanics––the study of the motion of all living things. Students explore the range of motion of their wrist, elbow, and shoulder to help them understand the way we move.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics D 12.2
Wearable ARCHITECTURE
Grades 7 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Build a 3-D model of your head and learn about the fields of human physiology, statistics, and anthropometry––the study of human dimensions. Learn how these techniques are used to create and personalize the items we design and wear.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics: D 8.1, D 8.2, D 8.3, D 8.4, E 8.1, E 12.1
Helmet Design Project
Grades 7 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Build a 3-D model of your head and learn about the fields of human physiology, statistics, and anthropometry––the study of human dimensions. Learn how these techniques are used to create and personalize the items we design and wear.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Mathematics: D 8.1, D 8.2, D 8.3, D 8.4, E 8.1, E 12.1
The Strongest Grocery Bag
Grades 7 - 12 | 45 minutes long
Plastic bags carry our groceries everyday. Exactly how strong is your plastic grocery bag? Design experiments to find the answer.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design—C.8.7
Science—C.8.3, C.12.3
How Many Books?
*Available Spring 2008
Grades 5 - 8 | 90 minutes long
Explore ergonomics and the strength of materials. Design a backpack to comfortable carry the books you need. How many books can you carry?
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design—C.8.7
Science—F.8.1
Math—D.8.1
The Prototyping Lab enables students to transform ideas into objects. Computers equipped with the latest software and high-tech hardware help students to fabricate 3D prototypes from 2Ddesigns. Students are introduced to the process of prototyping using materials such as cardboard, paper, acrylic, and other plastics. Materials are scored, cut, formed, and manipulated using a range of machines and techniques including laser cutters, 3D printers and sample cutters, vacuum forming and computer numeric control (CNC) milling.
The Power of Light
Grades 9 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Explore refraction with parabolic lenses and mirrors. Students learn to measure the focal point of a parabola and how to control the convergence and divergence of light. Students investigate the law of reflection and its effect on the perception of images. Activities conclude with products created on the Versa laser cutting machines.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Science: C.12.9
Math: C.12.1, C.12.2
Mechanical Puzzles
Grades 9 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Students explore the history, categories, and types of mechanical puzzles. Using the tools of the Prototyping Lab, students create their own laser cut puzzles. Students are introduced to design analysis, critical and creative thinking.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art and Design Education: C.12.1, C.12.2, E.12.2, H.12.4
Information and Technology Literacy: A.12.1, A.12.3, D.12.1,
D.12.2
3D Modeling in SolidWorks
Grades 9 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Learn the fundamentals of 3D drafting and explore the different ways to create solid 3D models of objects. Students customize their own modifications to supplied working designs using SolidWorks software. This activity introduces students to the issues of mechanical design and manufacturing through hands-on exploration.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art and Design Education: C.12.1, C.12.2, E.12.2, H.12.4
Information and Technology Literacy: A.12.1, A.12.3, D.12.1,
D.12.2
GREEN PLASTIC
Grades 5 - 8 | 45 minutes long
Create a batch of biodegradable plastic while investigating organic polymers. Students will learn about bio-plastics and compare them with standard petroleum-based plastics. Shape the plastic by using molds of organic structures created in the Prototyping Lab.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art: B.8.7, C.8.7
Science: D.8.3, F.8.10
Scale Design
Grades 5 - 8 | 90 minutes long
Discover the importance of precise measurement and accurate information as it pertains to product design. Students learn how scale models are created and how this information is used to fabricate products. Students gain hands-on experience using tools such as calipers and laser measurement.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art: C.8.2, E.8.4, H.8.5
Math: D.8.2, D.8.3, D.8.
Portrait Sketch
Grades 7 - 12 | 90 minutes long
Learn how computers interpret and render images by scanning in a high-contrast drawing or photograph. Students explore how different machines and programs render the same image on different materials. The session concludes with the students’ images being transferred onto acrylic with the Versa Laser cutters.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards Addressed:
Art & Design: C.8.1, C.12.1, C.8.4, C.12.4
Technology: B.8.2, B.8.3
