The NASA 'Why?' Files: The Case of the Electrical Mystery. Program 3 in the 2000-2001 Series.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has produced a distance learning series of four 60-minute video programs with an accompanying Web site and companion teacher guide. This teacher guide accompanies the third video in the series. The story line of each program involves six ethnically diverse, inquisitive schoolchildren who meet in a treehouse. They seek the solution to a particular problem, and the NASA "Why?" Files series follows them through the steps of their investigation and final conclusion. In this program, many neighborhoods lose electrical power during a severe storm. After the storm, the treehouse detectives notice that the houses across the street from them remain without power, even though power was quickly restored to all other residences. In this part of the series, students learn about static electricity, sources of power for electricity, and components of a circuit. The teacher guide includes a program overview as well as geography, science, mathematics, and educational technology concepts as related to the National Standards. Each 15-minute program segment is described along with objectives, key vocabulary, suggestions for the most effective use of the videos and Web site in the classroom, and resources. In addition, each segment is accompanied by activities and worksheets. (PVD)