ISAT

ISAT PRACTICE: Here are some resources that will help you find answers to our ISAT practice questions:

[|CLICK HERE FOR 2011-12 INTERACTIVE ISAT SAMPLE QUESTIONS]

ASTRONOMY: [|Animation page]-- This page has many good animations to help you understand Earth's place in the solar system. Be sure to click on the following animations
 * [[image:http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/shockwave.gif width="16" height="16" link="http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072482621/student_view0/interactives.html#"]][|Lunar Phases Interactive (124.0K)]
 * Everyone is aware that the Moon changes its appearance from day to day. This Interactive will show you why, and allow you to understand how the Moon’s phases are linked to where and when each phase appears in the sky. If it’s sunset, and the Moon is directly overhead, what phase must it be? Is it possible to see the full Moon during the day? What exactly does a “waxing gibbous” Moon look like? Playing with this Interactive will give you a real understanding of how the interplay between Moon, Earth and Sun creates what we see.
 * [[image:http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/shockwave.gif width="16" height="16" link="http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072482621/student_view0/interactives.html#"]][|Seasons Interactive (128.0K)] (answers the question about what part of our orbit would have equal day & night -- NOTE: Be sure to set the angle of the Earth to 23%. Then watch for the SPRING & AUTUMN EQUINOX positions.)
 * That our seasons come from the tilt of Earth’s axis relative to its orbit of the Sun is easy to grasp, once you have used this Interactive. It shows the flow of seasons as the planet orbits the Sun, the angle of the Sun’s rays for a given location on Earth, how temperature varies at that location, and how the Sun’s path varies in the sky by season. Choose from 3 planets to see how their seasons reflect their unique tilts, or customize the tilt. What would “winter” be like if Earth had no tilt? This Interactive will show you.

[|Why do we only see the Orion constellation in the winter?] [|What does the color of a star tell us about the star?]

BIOLOGY: GENETICS:
 * [|Online Punnett Squares] - Did you ever wonder why your puppy turned out to look like his mother? This shows how to figure out what characteristics will be inherited by the offpring (babies) of 2 parents. NOTE: DON'T WORRY ABOUT ALL THE NEW VOCAB WORDS... JUST PAY ATTENTION TO HOW THE LETTERS GET PLACED INTO THE SQUARE & WHAT IT TELLS YOU ABOUT THE DOMINANT (strong) & RECESSIVE (weaker) CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFSPRING.
 * [|Punnett Square Practice]
 * [|Punnett Squares] - This is another basic introduction to help explain what a Punnet Square is

CELLS:
 * [|Plant & Animal Cell images] -- Can you spot the differences between plant & animal cells? (Hint: look at the shapes & also the green organelles inside the elodea plant cells.)
 * [|Cells Alive] -- good animation to help you learn the parts of the cell & their functions. Click on animal or plant cell.
 * [|Cell Analogy example]
 * [|How to Use a Microscope Properly]

FOOD CHAIN:
 * [|Chain Reaction Interactive] -- Learn how plants & animals (herbivores & carnivores) are linked within a food chain. At the end, you get to make your own food chain & test it... then see what happens when 1 of the animals is taken out of the chain. (THIS KIND OF QUESTION ALWAYS SHOWS UP ON THE ISAT)
 * [|Working on the Food Chain] -- This seems like a simple animation but it explains the important parts of the foodchain known as "PRODUCERS," "CONSUMERS" "DECOMPOSERS." Make sure you know what these mean!

GEOLOGY:
 * [|Good interactive for the Rock Cycle] --The rock cycle is a continuous process that occurs over millions of years. It makes new rock, destroys old rock, and recycles the ingredients of the Earth's crust over and over again!
 * [|Interactive Rock Cycle Animation] -- Click the different labels to get pop-up animations that help explain the different parts of the rock cycle.
 * [|Another good animation for the Rock Cycle] -- Don't forget to click the animation images

MAGNETISM & ELECTRICITY:

media type="custom" key="12683702" a simulation of a bar magnet & an electromagnet -- Move the magnet around & observe how the OPPOSITE poles are always ATTRACTING.

CHEMISTRY: media type="custom" key="12683872" a simulation -- set the test for "pH Paper" & then dip the paper into the liquid... When it turns a color, bring it over to the color-scale up at the top of the page to find out the pH of the liquid. Acids will turn red, bases will turn blue.