This Web site is based on a printed publication of the same title. Because middle school teachers receive most of the limited number of printed supplements, this online version was created for people outside the grades 6–8 community.
The supplement consists of five student lessons, which are accessed through the Teacher’s Guide section of the Web site, and the multimedia student activities, accessed through the Web Portion of Student Activities page. The Web-based activities for students are only one part of the curriculum. The lessons provide the framework for both the hands-on classroom activities and the Web-based activities that make up the curriculum.
Rare Diseases and Scientific Inquiry—developed with the NIH Office of Rare Diseases Research—is a creative, inquiry-based instruction program designed to promote active learning and stimulate student interest in medical topics. It aims to help students develop these major science-literacy goals:
- to experience the process of scientific inquiry and develop an enhanced understanding of the nature and methods of science and
- to appreciate the role of science in society and the relationship between basic science and human health.
Recommended Setup
PC
- Pentium III 600 MHz IBM Compatible with Windows 2000 or higher, with 256 MB RAM
- Browser compatibility: Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or higher, Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
MAC
- G4 Macintosh with Mac OS 9 or newer, with 256 MB RAM
- Browser compatibility: Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or higher, Safari 3.0 or higher
General
- Screen resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels
- 56 kbps modem or high-speed Internet connection
- Free hard drive space: 10 MB
- Browser settings: JavaScript enabled
- Adobe Reader, downloadable for free from http://www.adobe.com
Navigation Overview
- Main—The main opening page
- Getting Started—A brief overview of the objectives of this curriculum supplement and the technical instructions for the use of this Web site
- Student Activities—The portion of the student activities that are Web-based
- Teacher’s Guide—Information for teachers, including an introduction, lesson plans, references, and resources
- Web Portion of Student Activities—Interactive material for students
- About NIH, ORDR, and BSCS—Information on the National Institutes of Health, the Office of Rare Diseases Research, and BSCS
- Glossary—Brief definitions of key words
- Map—Web site map
- Contact—Contact the NIH Office of Science Education
The following Web address takes you directly to the home page of the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Science Education, which provides access to a variety of resources for teachers and students, including NIH publications: http://science.education.nih.gov.
*PDF files require
Adobe Acrobat
