Educational Links for Science
- "Cycles of the Earth and Atmosphere" should enhance the learning climate:
This web site, created by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in collaboration with teachers, contains teacher-crafter classroom activities designed to enhance middle schoolers' skills in science and math. "Cycles of the Earth and Atmosphere" builds the excitement of scientific discovery into the curriculum, along with the basic concepts middle school students are expect to master. Topics include climate, the greenhouse effect, global climate change, the ozone, and the atmosphere as a while. Each section provides background materials and several classroom activities that let students become hands-on participants in the scientific discovery process. One animation on the site demonstrates how manufactured chemical computes known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) destroy the earths protective ozone shield CFC molecules rise into the stratosphere, where Ultraviolet radiation breaks them apart, releasing chlorine, which then attacks and destroys an ozone molecule by knocking it off one of its oxygen atoms. The site's content grew out of a series of summer workshops, in which 40 teachers worked with more than 60 scientists from NCAR and its parent organization, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. "The site is designed to be a work horse for teachers," says project director Sandra Henderson. According to Henderson, everything on the site is aligned with the national standards for science and math education, which form the framework upon which most state and district standards are built. The site is a great resource for earth science teachers who want to use the web to bring unique learning opportunities into their classroom.
- "Ocean Explorer" Plumbs the mysteries of the sea: Teachers and students can dive deeper into our world's ocean with this site from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "Ocean Explorer" enables teachers and students to follow along with current government expeditions, learn about oceanographic exploration technologies, and become acquainted with many of the awe-inspiring life forms living beneath the waves. Visitors can explore the ocean floor learn about creatures that make their home in the sea, and go back in time to understand how technology and oceanic exploration have changed throughout the years. There is also a virtual library of reference materials where students and teachers can further their underwater education. In the site's "Explorations" section, students and teachers can follow timelines and underwater images that will take them chronologically through many of the great ocean expeditions of past and present. The "Gallery" contains a wealth of underwater images and audio files that bring many of the sea's mysterious inhabitants to life. Also an online calendar lists up-coming ocean-related events. At a time when 95 percent of the world's oceans remain unexplored, it is NOAA's hope that this site will encourage students to want to learn more.
- Action Bioscience: This non-commercial, educational web site aims to help middle and high school students and teachers understand how developments in bioscience research can affect everyone. The site provides articles by scientists, educators, and students grouped according to seven topics: environmental science, biodiversity, genomics, biotechnology, evolution, new frontiers, and bioscience education. Each article is accompanied by lesson plans and links to other relevant web sites to enhance bioscience teaching.
- Chem4kids: Chem4kids offers an easy to follow tutorial for chemical reactions. There's also a link to Stoichiometery. The site offers a link to activities that can help students understand the interaction of chemicals.
- Climate Discovery Teacher's Guide: Teacher’s guide is a complete, ready-to-use study of the Earth’s climate system. It includes several well-developed, standards-based units that are geared toward grades 5-9.
- Cow's Eye Dissection: This site allows the viewer to dissect a cow eye as well as a follow-up interactive program that teaches about each part of the cow's eye. Very Cool!
- Earth From Space: Site offers users spectacular satellite images of conditions and events on the Earth. Five sections of the exhibit are: Living Planet, Water and Air, Structure of the Land, The Human Presence and Satellite Technology. Lesson plans are appropriate for grades 5-12
- eCYBERMISSION: eCYBERMISSION challenges students to be all they can be.
- ENC: This site offers advice to help school personnel manage the process of integrating math and science standards into the district curriculum and classroom instruction.
- Exploratorium: Iron Science Teacher: The Iron Science Teacher site is not only interesting and entertaining but it offers science teachers some fun and engaging ideas for the classroom. The demonstrations are created around a particular ingredient such as a plastic bag, a milk carton, or a nail. The archive of competitions is grouped by topic such as household items, holidays, kitchen items, desk items and the recycling bin. Some of the particular items used include candles, chocolate, pumpkins, corks, Jello and water bottles. Included is a link to the entire archive that goes all the way back to 1999.
- Franklin's Forecast: This site offers a list of sites that provide current weather information for regions around the world and links to explanations about weather phenomena. Students can also learn about how technology is used today to forecast weather.
- Fun Science Gallery: Projects include instructions for making telescopes, microscopes, batteries, sidereal indicators, and several other instruments. Some of these are for high school level students, but elementary level projects are available at the Science Experiments for Environmental Educational Biology link.
- Get Body Smart: REVIEW: A+
Get Body Smart is a fine resource for anyone interested in learning more about the human anatomy and physiology. Visitors to the site can view detailed instructional diagrams, drawings, and other items related to the skeletal, muscular, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, and urinary systems of the human body. Within the sections, users can view illustrations of the various anatomical parts and read through the tutorials to learn about each system. The site also features quizzes. Teachers, students, healthcare professionals, and others can “use the free tutorials and quizzes in Get Body Smart to help explain the body's complex physiological interactions and illustrate its important anatomical landmarks."
- International Space Station: An Interactive Reference Guide: This reference guide begins with a fascinating introduction featuring a docking animation and then moves to Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke explaining the various activities that make up the Station’s mission. The bulk of the material is divided into three sections: How the Crew Lives, How It Works, ISS 360 Tour. How the Crew lives offers videos demonstrating how the crew eats, sleeps and exercises as well as a video of Commander Fincke explaining how they live in this space. How it Works offers information on how the Station is operated, how it was built and how it is supported. Included is also a link to .PDF files on various topics that can be downloaded. The 360 tour allows visitors to take a virtual tour of the Station and get an up-close look at the interior and exterior of the Station. Additionally, there is a music video with in-flight scenes of space scientists and their daily activities.
- Learninggscience.org: A free and open learning community for sharing newer and emerging tools to teach science. Select an area of science and then select concept to see what is new in science world.
- Miami Museum of Science-Make a Weather Station: Step-by-step directions on how to make a barometer, rain gauge, thermometer, anemometer and other basic weather tools to compliment your weather station. In addition, the site provides an assortment of weather experiments that your students can do.
- Museum of Paleontology: Based at the University of California at Berkeley, this museum offers a variety of online exhibits on geologic time, the patterns and diversity of life, and evolutionary theory. It also includes K- 12 resources with classroom activities, lessons, and information tours such as "Getting into the Fossil Record."
- National Science Teachers Association: Source for professional development.
- National Sea Grant Library: Digital Libraries: This site provides a wealth of information and resources on marine topics. The subject categories include coastal hazards, diving safety, global warming, harmful algae, marine careers, seafood safety/foodborne illnesses, and, perhaps most interesting to teachers, the education section. The materials cover a broad range of topics and grade levels. Some of the gems here include a resource guide for environmental and marine science teachers, wetland activities, a resource guide for oceanography, and coastal processes: developed for elementary, middle, and high school teachers, The "marinated" classroom: a sourcebook of aquatic activities for the elementary classroom and another for the secondary classroom, water on the web: integrating real-time data into educational curricula over the internet and coastal capers: a marine education primer. Additionally, an Ask the Librarian section is available with answers to some of the more interesting questions they ha ve received and an email link to the librarian in case you have further questions.
- Net Frog: Students will undoubtedly delight in the images, movies, text, and interactive exercise. In addition, you many want to take advantage of the Web sites resource links which includes online discussions and follow-up activities.
- Pieces of Science: Students and teachers can explore the history and evolution of science through "Pieces of Science," an online gallery of educational resources related to 16 science artifacts. From Benjamin Franklin's lighting rod, to the stars as seen by the crew of Apollo 8, to the first genetically cloned sheep. This site from the Franklin Institute Science museum in Philadelphia and the Science Museum of London combines a number of significant science achievements into one virtual, interactive gallery.
- Rader's Chem4Kids: Rader's Chem4Kids provides a basic introduction to chemistry. Topics covered at the site include Reactions, Elements, Atoms, Matter, Biochemistry, and Et Cetera. Chem4Kids has a lot of text, plus a few helpful diagrams. The explanations are clear and accessible and make the URL worth a visit for strong readers with an interest in chemistry. Other features include downloads, quizzes, flash cards, and additional activities. Also don't miss Rader's other sites: Biology4Kids and Geography4Kids.
- Science NetLinks:
- Science NetLinks: Lessons are organized by Project 2061 benchmarks, which outline what all students should know in science and mathematics by the end of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12. Creative lesson plans include studying data to decided whether cultural behavior determined who survived the Titanic disaster-and who didn't.
- Science Toys You Can Make With Your Kids: The creations here are geared to the high school level or to those working in a guided science club experience. They demonstrate fascinating scientific principles in magnetism, radio, thermodynamics, aerodynamics, light and optics, and biology. Some, like the solar hot dog cooker, can be done with lower grade levels. Each of the experiments has diagrams and photos accompanying the procedures.
- SpaceDay.com: Launch a space shuttle desing project with spaceday.com.
- The Franklin Institute Science Museum: This site offers some of the best educational resources and interactive multimedia exhibits on the Web, including "The Heart: and Online Exploration;" "Earthforce," on erupting volcanoes; and "Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man" - his life as a scientist, inventor, printer, statesman, philosopher, musician and economist. The site also offers monthly educational features such as "open-ended math problems" for middle school students.
- The Science Page:
- The WWW Virtual library: Science fairs: This site is a great listing of science fairs in many places, including national, international, local and even virtual science fairs. This si a wonderful site for those interested in starting a science fair, and just as good for those already involved. Great modeling for teachers and students which to share their experiments and projects.
- U.S.South Pole Station: REVIEW: A+
The U.S. South Station site is a special report on the research underway at the NSFÂs Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station that sits at the EarthÂs axis, atop a constantly shifting continental ice sheet several miles thick. Visitors to the site can explore why the South Pole is a unique place for studying astronomy, air and ozone, seismic science, off-world simulations and life sciences and view photographs, diagrams and videos of the new station and how it was constructed. The video tour provides a look at the challenges of living and working in such a forbidding environment and how the challenges are overcome. Included are photographs, videos, illustrations, stories about the station and its crew, a fact sheet of information on the instruments used, a timeline of important dates in South Pole exploration, and a live Webcam.
- WeatherEye Teacher's Lounge: The weather education web site was designed to be used in classrooms. It includes weather lessons, projects and more.
