Science, Society, and America's Nuclear Waste: Ionizing Radiation, Unit 2. Teacher Guide. Second Edition.

This guide is Unit 2 of the four-part series, Science, Society, and America's Nuclear Waste, produced by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. The goal of this unit is to convey factual information relevant to radioactivity and radiation and relate that information both to the personal lives of students and to the management and disposal of nuclear waste. Particular attention is focused on the nature of ionizing radiation, radioactive decay, and half-life. The first section of Unit 2 includes four lesson plans about radiation detection, exposure, and half-life. The second section provides further background information and includes five lesson plans that explore the biological effects of ionizing radiation. Activity sheets for students and transparencies for the lesson plans and background notes are included in the third section followed by the unit test. Answers keys and a glossary are also included. Contains 17 references. (DDR)