Jennifer Richards, Assistant Professor

• Cyber Security W539: staying safe while surfing the web – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • This lesson focuses on the importance of being safe while online. Youth are spending more and more time online, and it is important for them to have a solid knowledge of how to deal with certain situations should they arise while surfing the world wide web.
• Hooks and Ladders W772: salmon migration – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • Salmon are a nutritious food source and an important part of the food chain, but the Gulf of Maine population is endangered due to dams and overfishing. They used to migrate in large numbers from the Atlantic Ocean to North American rivers, but only a few still return to North America now. People can help salmon reach their spawning grounds by removing or modifying dams.
• Experimental Design W542: defining independent and dependent variables – Intermediate (Grades 6th – 8th)
  • This lesson introduces students to the concepts of experimental design and variables within a scientific experiment. Students have the opportunity to design a classroom experiment and identify different variables within their experiment.
• Wild Adaptations W773: understanding causes and effects of ecosystem change – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • Students will examine various animal and plant adaptations, highlighting how they use these adaptations to meet various environmental requirements. Students then apply their knowledge by providing adaptations for a specific plant or animal to meet changing ecosystem requirements.
• Nobody Trashes TN W459: environment – Intermediate (Grades 6th – 8th)
  • Litter is a major environmental problem worldwide, and the latest “Nobody Trashes Tennessee” campaign from the Tennessee Department of Transportation empowers citizens to make positive changes in their communities to create a safer, more beautiful state.
• What’s Shakin’? W408: making butter to demonstrate changes in matter – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • This lesson helps to reinforce the scientific concepts related to changes of states in matter. In this lesson, students see firsthand the change of state of heavy whipping cream into butter. Students will form a hypothesis predicting what they think will happen and then record their observations in a science journal.
• Sun S’Mores W434: understanding the engineering design process – Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
  • In this lesson, students will take part in a hands-on activity that challenges them to use the engineering design process. This lesson presents students with a problem, and then asks them to work as a group to determine the best plan for solving that problem. In this lesson, the problem is that students need to con- struct an oven that is strictly powered by solar energy.
• Building Bridges W474: an introduction to engineering design process – Intermediate (Grades 6th – 8th)
  • This lesson introduces students to the basic concepts of genetics. Students will explore dominant and recessive genes, as well as phenotypes and genotypes of humans and llamas. Students will learn to complete basic Punnett squares and identify what genes would be expressed based on the genetic combinations.
• Embryology W458 – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • The purpose of this activity is to teach students about embryology as well as give an introduction to poultry science. An embryo is an animal or plant in its earliest stage of development. “–ology” is derived from the Greek word, “logos,” which means study. Embryology is the study of a plant or animal in its earliest stag- es… in this case the baby chick.
• The Triboelectric Scale W460: understanding energy transfer and the triboelectric scale – Intermediate (Grades 6th – 8th)
  • This lesson focuses on energy transfer through static electricity and the Triboelectric Scale. Students are introduced to how static electricity is transferred between objects and where those objects fall on the Triboelectric Scale. Students also learn the basics of a Van de Graff generator and how energy is transferred from it.
• It’s like building a better mousetrap W477: an introduction to adaptive designs – Intermediate (Grades 6th – 8th)
  • This lesson introduces students to the concept of adaptive designs. Adaptive designs are used to aid people and often take a “not normal” approach to the way items are used. In this lesson, students create an adaptive design for a pair of glasses, as well as establish a working definition of adaptive design.
• The Food We Eat W535: understanding food chains and food webs – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • This lesson introduces students to the concept of food webs and food chains. Students explore producers, first-, second-, and third-level consumers and the roles those organisms play in an environment. Students also learn how all these organisms fit together to form a food web made up of smaller food chains.
• Fun with Friction W390 – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • Friction is the resistance that a moving object meets when it is in contact with another object. It could be said to be a gripping force between two surfaces. Friction slows movement. It can also generate heat. The amount of friction will depend upon what the two contacting surfaces are made of and how hard they are pressed together.
• Think like a scientist W400: formation and revision of hypotheses – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • This activity is designed to teach ideas about the nature of science. It contains no specific science content knowledge. In this activity, students gather information and work toward a closer approximation of a sentence. There is built-in ambiguity and several reasonable answers are possible.
• What’s Flowing W407: an introduction to electrical circuits – Intermediate (Grades 6th – 8th)
  • This lesson gives an introduction to electrical circuits and how they work. In this lesson, students will model how electrons flow in a circuit and will then have the opportunity to construct their own circuit using a battery, wire and flashlight bulb.
• Let’s Learn About Chickens W391: an introduction to the poultry project – Beginner (4th  & 5th Grades)
  • Poultry is defined as any domestic bird raised specifically for meat and egg consumption. This definition can include chickens, turkeys, ducks, quail and others. Poultry is the second most-consumed meat in the world, next to pork. It is a very important part of Tennessee’s economy because it creates 27,000 jobs and raises about $6.5 billion (2016). Today, we will focus on the most popular type of poultry, the chick- en. Let’s learn about chickens and some poultry activities you can be involved in through 4-H!
• Physical and Chemical Changes W401 – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • A physical change is any change in a substance’s form that does not change its chemical makeup. Examples of physical changes are breaking a stick or melting ice. A chemical change, or chemical reaction, occurs when atoms of a substance are rearranged, and the bonds between the atoms are broken or formed. During a chemical reaction, the structure or composition of the materials change. When a chemical change is complete, the resulting substance(s) is/are different from the original substance(s). As a result of a chemical reaction, new substances with new properties are formed.
• Roller Coaster Physics W420: an introduction to engineering and design – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • Roller coasters are fun, especially for children. In this lesson, students will learn about the physics of roller coasters. They will design a roller coaster out of pipe insulation and duct tape that a marble will roll down continuously once released. Students will be responsible for designing, constructing, testing, and analyzing their structures.
• The Green Life W398: plants and photosynthesis – Beginner (4th & 5th Grades)
  • This lesson will focus on three broad topics: six basic plant parts, the requirements needed for plant growth, and photosynthesis. The six basic parts of the plant include the roots, stems, leaf, flowers, fruit and seeds. Each performs a specific function that helps the plant. The requirements needed for plant growth include room to grow, right temperature, sunlight, water, nutrients, air and time.
• To Move or Not to Move W402: introduction to potential and kinetic energy – Intermediate (Grades 6th – 8th)
  • This lesson serves as an introduction to potential and kinetic energy and the differences between them. It us- es both scientific inquiry and mathematical skills to increase learners’ knowledge of these types of energy and energy transfer. This lesson is designed to be used with sixth-grade students.