Nanotechnology: spying on atoms. (Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies).

Close viewers of the movie Minority Report saw it mentioned in a newspaper headline. It's also been a topic in Spiderman, Star Trek, The X-Files and science fiction books such as Michael Creighton's Prey. And nanotechnology--or the science and technology of building electronic circuits and devices from single atoms and molecules--has begun making its way into K-12 science classrooms.

National Science Foundation grants support about 1,300 nanotechnology research projects, with researchers being encouraged to create K-12 education plans and activities, says Manny Van Pelt, an NSF spokesman.

"It is a technological revolution, because it's changing the way people work and the way they use information," says Anna Waldron, director of education at Cornell University's Nanobiotechnology Center. But there's not yet mention of it in science standards, she says, adding that it started cropping up in schools in the late-'90s.

Despite the long name, "it's something that's very accessible to students," says Wendy C. Crone, an assistant professor in the department of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Children in the early grades who have learned about atoms as building blocks can do activities aimed at realizing just how small nano really is, Crone says. One example: Cut a paper in half numerous times until you can no longer cut, and then learn how many more cuts you would have to make to get to the world of nano. Around middle school, the term nanotechnology can be introduced, she says. For more advanced students, nano is a good addition to lessons on DNA sequencing, Waldron says.

Nano is critical to a number of fields, including physics, chemistry and engineering, Crone explains. "Because it's the future direction of science and engineering, we need to make sure K-12 and the public are aware of nano study."

Web Sites on Nano in K-12

Exploring the Nanoworld: www.mrsec.wisc.edu/edetc

Materials World Modules: www.materialsworldmodules.org

Nanobiotechnology Center: www.nbtc.cornell.edu/education

Nanokids: www.nanoartworks.com/homepage.htm

Nanoscience Instruments: www.nanoscience.com/education