ScienceSchoolHouse’s new Discover! Science Library for grades 6-8 and 9-12, have the following features and components:
- Interactive multimedia tutorials: Each Unit includes up to 200 screens with text and pictures/illustrations plus interactive exercises and lots of video clips. All core text is fully narrated (with an on/off option). Built to pedagogically correct standards with appendices for advanced research.
- Two text levels: Students can toggle between grades 9-12 and grades 6-8 text levels or stay at one of the two text levels throughout. All vocabulary checked for age appropriateness.
- One 30-minute, high-resolution, digital video associated with each Unit, with content indexing and one-click navigation.
- Quizzes for the students and Test Banks for teachers.
- Teacher’s Guides and state and national curriculum correlations on our website.
System Requirements
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7+, Firefox 10+, Safari 4+, Opera 9+
Quizzes and Test Banks
Manual
Interactive Exercises
- 1_2 Periodic Table
- 1_5 Mineral Identification
- 1_11 The Rock Cycle
- 2_6 Rock ‘n Roll
- 5_2 The Farm
- 5_12 Surface Coal Mining
Movies and Animations
- 1_3 Atoms
- 1_6 Mars on Earth
- 2_3 Landslides
- 2_4 Crustal Age
- 2_5 Volcano Activity from 1960 through 1995
- 3_3 The Grand Canyon
- 4_2 Subduction
- 5_1 Energy Use
- 5_2 Alternative Energy Sources
- 5_4 Solar Power
- 5_8 Wind Power
- 5_12 Coal Mining
- 5_13 Natural Gas Formation
- 5_14 How Oil Forms
- 5_15 Nuclear Power
- 5_16 Mining & Reclamation
Interactive Multimedia Tutorial Tables of Contents
Chapter 1: Minerals and Rocks
Explore the fascinating world of beautiful mineral crystals and discover the three rock groups that make up our entire planet.
- 1.1 What are Minerals?
- 1.2 Minerals are Matter
- 1.3 Structure of Atoms
- 1.4 How Minerals are Built - Bonding
- 1.5 Mineral Identification
- 1.6 Minerals and Rocks
- 1.7 Rock Groups
- 1.8 Igneous Rocks
- 1.9 Sedimentary Rocks
- 1.10 Metamorphic Rocks
- 1.11 The Rock Cycle
Chapter 2: Igneous Rocks
A look at the so-called “rocks of fire” -- igneous rocks. Understand the differences between lava and magma, and between igneous rocks that form at the surface and those that form deep in the Earth.
- 2.1 Igneous Rocks - At the Surface
- 2.2 Igneous Rocks - At Depth
- 2.3 Igneous Rocks - Erosion and Uplift
- 2.4 Crustal Abundance
- 2.5 Extrusive Igneous Rocks
- 2.6 Intrusive Igneous Rocks
Chapter 3: Sedimentary Rocks
Learn how loose bits of existing rock, soil, and organic debris are laid down in layers and eventually form sedimentary rocks that blanket the Earth.
- 3.1 Sediments
- 3.2 Organic Debris
- 3.3 Sedimentary Rocks
- 3.4 Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
- 3.5 Chemical and Biochemical Rocks
Chapter 4: Metamorphic Rocks
Learn how heat, pressure, and fluids change existing rocks into metamorphic rocks, and about the new minerals that form.
- 4.1 Metamorphic Rocks
- 4.2 Subduction Zones
- 4.3 Texture, Composition, and Fabric
- 4.4 Foliated Metamorphic Rocks
- 4.5 Nonfoliated Metamorphic Rocks
Chapter 5: Renewable and Non-renewable Resources
Discover Earth’s bounty -- renewable and non-renewable resources -- from solar, wind and other alternative energy sources to fossil fuels. Learn about conservation, reclamation and the four “R’s”.
- 5.1 Stop and Think about Energy
- 5.2 What is Renewable Energy?
- 5.3 Alternative Energy Sources
- 5.4 Solar Energy
- 5.5 Hydroelectric Power
- 5.6 Tidal Energy
- 5.7 Geothermal Energy
- 5.8 Wind Energy
- 5.9 Biomass Energy
- 5.10 Non-renewable Resources
- 5.11 Fossil Fuels
- 5.12 Coal - Buried Sunshine
- 5.13 Oil and Natural Gas
- 5.14 Where Do You Find Oil and Natural Gas?
- 5.15 Nuclear Energy
- 5.16 Mining and Reclamation
- 5.17 Conservation
- 5.18 One Voice - Recycling
- 5.19 The Four R’s
Note: Appendices A, B and C are common to all Discover! titles.
Appendix A: Scientific Method
- A.1 The Need to Know
- A.2 What Makes Science Different?
- A.3 Induction
- A.4 The Scientific Method
- A.5 Hypothesis and Deduction
- A.6 Experiments and Observation
- A.7 Acceptance of Hypotheses
- A.8 Theories and Laws
- A.9 The Cycle of Scientific Inquiry
- A.10 Scientists Build Models
- A.11 Scientific Theories and Revolutions
- A.12 Scientists Doing Science
- A.13 Open Communication
- A.14 Ethical Responsibilities
- A.15 Role of Technology
- A.16 Science and Society
Appendix B: Measurement Systems and SI Units
- B.1 The Need for Common Units
- B.2 Some Old Units of Measurement
- B.3 Problems with Different Measurement Systems
- B.4 The SI (Metric) System
- B.5 Basic Units of SI
- B.6 Derived Units
- B.7 More Derived Units
- B.8 Decimal Multipliers
- B.9 SI Prefixes
- B.10 Scientific Notation
- B.11 Large and Small Numbers
- B.12 Exact and Approximate Numbers
- B.13 Precision Measurements
- B.14 Significant Figures
- B.15 Scientific Notation and Precision
- B.16 Accuracy and Precision
- B.17 Dangers of Many Digits
- B.18 Working with Scientific Notation
Appendix C: Careers in Science
- C.1 Careers in Science
- C.2 Careers in Geology
- C.3 Careers in Oceanography
- C.4 Careers in Atmospheric Science
- C.5 Careers in Astronomy
- C.6 Geological Field Safety
Appendix D: Mineral Groups
- D.1 Introduction - Mineral Groups
- D.2 Feldspars
- D.3 Micas
- D.4 Quartz
- D.5 Olivines
- D.6 Pyroxenes
- D.7 Amphiboles
- D.8 Clay Minerals
- D.9 Native Elements - Metals, Semimetals, Nonmetals
- D.10 Carbonates
- D.11 Oxides
- D.12 Sulfides
- D.13 Sulfates
- D.14 Halides
- D.15 Hydroxides
- D.16 Phosphates
- D.17 Other Minerals
Appendix E: Mineral ID Tables
- E.1 Mineral Identification
- E.2 Mineral ID Charts
- E.3 Mineral ID Chart - Hardness and Luster
- E.4 Mineral ID Chart - By Breaking and Special Features
- E.5 Mineral Properties
- E.6 Rock Identification
xMedia Movie
The Reelfoot Rift (27 min.)
Lying beneath the cities of the American midlands is the Reelfoot Rift, a hotbed of seismic activity. Follow the rift from its formation millions of years ago, to the havoc it wreaked in 1811, and finally to the threat it poses today.
- Introduction - New Madrid Seismic Zone
- New Madrid Quakes of 1811 - +8 Temblors
- Mississippi River Disruptions
- Reelfoot Lake Created
- Largest Area of Quake Damage on Earth
- Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 - 8.3 on Richter Scale
- Plate Tectonics
- Plates' Cores or Cratons are Rigid
- North American and Pacific Plates
- Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989
- Soft Sand and Mud React to Seismic Waves
- Mississippi Valley Sediment
- Many Large Cities are in the New Madrid Earthquake Zone - Damage Potential High
- Gas and Oil Pipelines Are Also at Risk
- When Will Next Earthquake Occur?
- San Andreas Fault - A Different Geology
- Scientists Must Probe Rock Beneath Mud
- Reelfoot Rift - Earthquake Activity
- Epicenters in Deep Faults
- Area was Formed 500 Million Years Ago
- Tectonic Forces Cause Earthquakes
- Where and When - Next Major Earthquake
- This Area Would Suffer Major Damage
- Sand Blows
- Lateral Spreading - Land Sliding
- Shaking Damage
- Memphis Most Vulnerable
- Modern Earthquake Building Codes Adopted
- Summary