An ancient artifact depicts what we see in the sky at different times — the sun during the daytime and different stars during the nighttime — but it is missing a piece.

Playing the role of astronomers, students help a team of archaeologists figure out what the missing piece of a recently discovered artifact might have depicted. As they learn about the sun and other stars and the movement of Earth, students can explain what is shown on the artifact and what might be on the missing piece.

Chromatography is a process for separating mixtures. Some solids dissolve in a salad dressing while others do not. Oil and vinegar appear to separate when mixed in a salad dressing.

In the role of food scientists working for Good Food Production, Inc., students are introduced to the idea that all matter is made of particles too small to see, and that each different substance is made of particles (molecules) that are unique. They are then challenged to solve two problems: One problem requires them to separate a mixture, and the other requires them to make unmixable substances mix. Students are challenged to use the particulate model of matter to explain their work to the CEO of the company.

East Ferris, a city on one side of the fictional Ferris Island, is experiencing a water shortage, while West Ferris is not.

The cities of East Ferris and West Ferris are located on different sides of a mountain on the fictional Ferris Island. East Ferris is having a water shortage while West Ferris is not. As water resource engineers, students learn about the Earth system to help figure out what is causing the water shortage problem and design possible solutions, including freshwater collection systems and proposals for using chemical reactions to treat wastewater.

The jaguars, sloths, and cecropia trees in a reforested section of a Costa Rican rain forest are not growing and thriving.

Students engage as ecologists as they figure out why the plants and animals in a failing area of the Costa Rican rain forest ecosystem aren’t growing and thriving. They use what they know about matter and energy flows in ecosystems to make arguments about the cause of the problems in the ecosystem and to make recommendations for ecosystem restoration.