Science Sites  

Teacher' Network: Teaching tips, lesson plans and personal best practices from teachers can be found here. Visitors can find concrete suggestions on specific topics such as "Chemistry in Art: Crossing the Curriculum", Setting ups a science center in the classroom, etc.. This site contains hundreds of lesson plans searchable by subject, grade level, and keyword.

www.teachersnetwork.org

Smithsonian's satellite imagery: This website presents views of conditions and events on Earth that are nearly impossible to document from the surg=face of the planet. The interactive site explains how satellite imagery is gathered and how it is used to expand our understanding of life on Earth. It features a virtual exhibition, suggested edcuational resources, and lesson plans and classroom activities that align with National Science standards:

www.earthfromspace.si.edu 

National Geographic podcasts tell the world's story

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts 

Free audio podcasts now make it possible for students to experience an African safari, see the impact of global warming, catch the week's top science and nature news stories, listen to  interviews and world music. 

Animal Project Help:

www.animfactory.com/af_animals_aa.html   is a site with animated animal graphics

Spice up the Animal Project and Research Paper with this amazing site!

THE SOUTHWEST ANIMAL ZOO PROJECT:

http://www.lubbock.k12.tx.us/WebQuests/zoo/index.htm

While populating a new exhibit with indigenous animals, students must first consider habitat, captive space requirements, design, diversity, and appeal factors. They must map out their exhibits using grids, cost budget with spreadsheets, complete habitat worksheets, and finally design their exhibits with their group and present it to the class. Excellent integration of technology.

If you Love Animals-This is the site for you!

exZOOberance

http://www.exzooberance.com/

GRADE LEVEL: K-12

CONTENT: A

"exZOOberance is dedicated to those who love and support the animal kingdom." The site includes a virtual zoo, a photo gallery and much more.

 AESTHETICS: B+

This user-friendly site has a simple layout; the background is a little distracting, but the photos are high quality and presented as thumbnails for quick loading.

ORGANIZATION: A

Material at the site is organized into several broad categories that are clearly linked in the left-side navigation menu. Each category has a hyperlinked index.

REVIEW: A

Anyone interested in animals will enjoy this site. Teachers can take their students on a tour of the three sections of the Virtual Zoo: They Walk, They Swim, and They Fly, with more than 100 species and interesting facts. Or students can view the animals in real time by clicking on the many Animal Webcam links. The animal pictures in the Photo Galleries could be used to create slide shows to supplement an animal unit. Students working on reports will find a wealth of information as well as graphics for multimedia projects, links to the latest news stories about endangered species, animal quotes, and much more. Animal lovers will also find links to other resources about animals.

Animal Diversity Web
University of Michigan provides lots of information on a variety of species.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2005/r0505-04.shtml

GRADE LEVELS
Pre-K-2
3-5
6-8
9-12

SITE URL
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html

CONTENT: A+
Animal Diversity Web is a searchable database of animal natural history, distribution, classification, and conservation biology from the University of Michigan. It includes thousands of photos, descriptions, sound recordings, and other information about individual animal species.

SITE DESIGN: A+
This well organized site can be browsed by animal kingdom or searched by keyword or any combination of descriptors. A top navigation bar leads to other areas of the site. QuickTime is required.

REVIEW:
Science teachers and students looking for help with projects and research papers will find this site to be a rich resource of information. The site uses a multimedia approach to present accurate information about the animal kingdom. Visitors to the site can browse the members of the animal kingdom by clicking on any of the categories. All records have a consistent format and include information, pictures, specimens, sound and classification. Educators will find resources for k-12 teachers as well as college instructors and an opportunity to contribute to the site. Students will want to be sure and check out the special topics link in the top menu bar. It includes “spinning skulls”, QuickTime VR movies that allow users to study detailed images of skulls, teeth, and other important structures by turning them and viewing from all angles. Also included in this section are special aids for learning about mammals and frog calls (a collection of the sounds frogs make).

Biology!

"Action Bioscience" relates developments in science research to everyday life

http://www.actionbioscience.org 

This site provides articles by scientists, educators and students grouped according to 7 topics: environmental science, biodiviersity, genomics, biotechnology, evolution, new frontiers, and bioscience education.

Atlas of the Human Body:

http://www.ama-assn.org/insight/gen_hlth/atlas/atlas.htm 

Fish FAQ:

http://www.wh.whoi.edu/faq/index.html 

Build the Virtual Frog

http://www-itg.lbl.gov/vfrog/builder.html

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12

CONTENT: B+

This site, presented by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been around for a while but is still useful for learning about the organs of the frog and their 3-D spatial relationships.

AESTHETICS: B

The format of the site is very simple and unassuming.

ORGANIZATION: B+

Building the virtual frog can be accomplished right from the main page. It is recommended that users read the Guide before beginning.

REVIEW: B+

"Building a frog can be harder than it looks." The object of the game is to place all the frog's organs in the proper position. If a player gets stuck, the direct link back to the Virtual Frog Dissection Kit allows review of the placement of the organs as well as their functions. This is an interactive site that students may enjoy more than manipulating and studying the organs of a real frog 

RELATED REVIEWS:

Internet: Interactive Web Sites

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/internet.shtml#Interactive%20Websites

Science: Life Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/science.shtml#Life%20Science

Students: Games & Fun Sites

BEN: BiosciEdNet
Biological sciences topics in depth and easily located.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2006/r0206-17.shtml

URL:
http://www.biosciednet.org/portal/

REVIEW: A+
The BEN portal holds a wealth of reviewed resources for teaching and learning about the biological sciences. The more than 76 topics include agriculture, anatomy, bacteriology, biodiversity, botany, cell biology, ecology, environment, evolution, genetics, human biology, microbiology, neurobiology, pathology, respiratory biology, soil biology, toxicology, wildlife science, zoology, and others, covering sixty-one subjects. The learning resources include courses, images, journal articles, animations, audio, Power Point presentations, video, Web casts, and more. For instance, listed under the Teaching Strategies and Guidelines resource type are 283 resources on a wide variety of topics. Topics are listed in alphabetical order covering everything from A Stream Ecosystem in the Classroom to Singing in Biology. Each resource record brings up a brief description that includes title, author, keywords, education information such as audience and pedagogical use, copyright or usage restrictions, and technical information such as file type and size.

Sharks: Myth and Mystery
Monterey Bay Aquarium's exhibit on everything from bat rays to swell sharks.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2005/r1105-21.shtml

REVIEW: A+
This online exhibit from the Monterey Bay Aquarium explores the world of sharks from Africa to the Amazon "through the eyes of different cultures". It includes educational resources, factual information, and interactive activities.

Web sites for Science
www.sciencetimeline.net
www.crimsonbird.com/science/history.htm
www.chemsoc.org/timeline/pages/timeline.html
www.timelinescience.org
www.strangescience.net/timeline.htm

Free Online Frog Dissection Site:

http://www.froguts.com

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12

CONTENT: A+

Froguts is a free virtual online frog dissection that uses photos of frogs recycled from schools. 

AESTHETICS: A+

This interactive site is well designed using Flash technology. Visitors need Flash Player 5.0, which is available at the site.

ORGANIZATION: A+

Navigation through the site is intuitive. Each page has a top navigation bar, and users can navigate through the dissection by clicking on the "Next" button.

REVIEW: A+

Teachers and students will find this a great alternative to frog dissection in an actual lab. Students can choose to navigate through the dissection with or without quizzes and tests. Visitors to the site get an overview of the frog's external anatomy and interactively dissect the frog. Through the frog dissection, pop-up captions explain the steps. The Download area features a handful of lesson supplements as well as a downloadable "Build a Frog" cutout.

RELATED REVIEWS:

Science: Life Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/science.shtml#Life Science

Internet: Interactive Web Sites

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/internet.shtml#Interactive Websites

The American Museum of Natural History in NYC has an amazing virtual tour web site,   www.amnh.org  where you may access all the educational resources of the museum by going to the Kids & Families and Education sections of the home page.

Seminars on Science-  www.learn.amnh.org   is the museums online professional development program and the courses offered bring educators virtually into the museum's collections, laboratories and exhibitions. There are course that explore the life, earth and physical sciences.

Science Bulletins - www.sciencebulletins.amnh.org is another favorite stop which carries current research in astrophysics, earth science and biodiversity.  Short video documentaries introduce world class scientists on the job scientists. 

www.ology.amnh.org is a favorite destinations for 7-12 year old kids because it taps into their innate scientific curiosity.

Eisenhower Math & Science Site:

http://www.enc.org/about/  is a webpage from the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse  (ENC). ENC provides a collection of Math and science curriculum resources. More than 16,000 resources are housed here and growing daily. The collection includes print materials, software and CD-ROMS, kits and manipulatives from free sources of government agencies and professional organizations.  Has a good search engine to save time.  

One up on the human anatomy at “skeletons” 

http://www.eskeletons.org

This site enables students to view in an interactive environment the skeletal anatomy of a human, chimpanzee and baboon. Special educational features include high quality images of bones, labels of all muscles, articulations, and morphological features. A wonderful resource for anatomy and biology teachers.

National Student Research Center encourages students in their efforts at research- much like our authentic science research class. On this site there are examples of student work and excellent links to great science, social studies , language arts and math sites with especially good glossary sites for Physics, Chemistry, and math :

http://www.youth.net/nsrc/webs.html

“What is Photosynthesis?” throws light on an important biological process            http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/education/learn.html

This site is the essential site for teachers who want to impart the significance of this biological process on their students. This site has a series of articles by experts in the field with illustrations.  Biology enthusiasts can use this site to learn about photosynthetic pigments, preparing starch slides, and how photosynthesis rates are measured in nature. This site also has a number of interesting links.

Experience a virtual cardiology lab, or probe the nervous system…

http://www.biointeractive.org/   This site demonstrates various biological processes through animated clips- you may have to download some plug-ins.

Other Science Sites:

1. Safari Camp - educational and fun web sites to explore
2. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/ - butterfly resources as well as painted lady butterfly information 
3. www.spacekids.com
4. www.discovery.com/cams/cams.html
5. www.epa.gov/kids/savespecies.htm – information about endangered species
6. http://www.yucky.com/noflash/roaches/ – a day in the life of a roach, from science kit
7. koko.org - Gorilla that can use sign language - printable student scavenger hunt

No Need for a Fear of Physics with this interactive site:

http://www.fearofphysics.com

GRADE LEVEL: K-12

CONTENT:   A+

"FearOfPhysics.com shows you physics in action. This site is an interactive, highly visual, and non-technical way for you to see the laws of physics in action."

AESTHETICS:   A+

The main page has a simple index layout without glitz and glitter; the concepts are illustrated with neat animated gifs.

ORGANIZATION:  A+

Fear of Physics is easily navigated and user-friendly. The main page is an index of all the resources, and internal pages have a link back to the main page as well as a link to see a different animation.

REVIEW:   A+

This is a painless way for students of all ages to learn about the laws of physics. Young children are always inquisitive about the world around them, and this site helps explain such things as "why things fall" and "how a seesaw works." Older students can use the site independently to learn about such physics concepts as atoms and the Doppler effect. All students will enjoy the interactivity and the visuals. After all, the authors of the site created it so that users could "come and 'play' with the laws of physics for a while." Included is a tool for teachers to create quizzes.

RELATED REVIEWS:

Science: Physics

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/science.shtml#Physics

American Field Guide  :Video Clips Make Science Come Alive!

 http://pbs.org/americanfieldguide/

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12

CONTENT:   A+

The American Field Guide, produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting, features more than 1,400 video clips of outdoor programming from public television stations around the country.

AESTHETICS:   A+

This site has a consistent color scheme and layout that makes it user friendly. Visitors will need RealMedia Player or WindowsMedia Player to view the videos. Both are available for download at the Help section of the site.

ORGANIZATION:  A+

Visitors can easily navigate by browsing the major topic categories or searching by keyword. The topic index appears on the left side of the pages, and a top navigation bar directs users to other areas of the site. Each topic is further divided into sub categories.

REVIEW:   A+

The American Field Guide has a wealth of information and materials that can be used to supplement science and social studies curriculums. It is divided into eight major topics: Plants, Animals, Ecosystems, Human History, Livelihoods, Earth and Space, Public Policy and Recreation. Teacher Resources provides lesson plans that tie the videos into units on such topics as floods, mammals, landfills, and volcanoes. Each unit has several activities that are tied to national standards and include background information, a pre-teaching activity, a classroom activity, discussion questions, and links to relevant resources. The unit and lesson plans are aimed at middle and high school students, but the videos could be easily incorporated into the elementary curriculum. This is a site that science teachers will want to bookmark for future reference.

RELATED REVIEWS:

Science: General Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/science.shtml#General Science

Science: Earth Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/science.shtml#Earth Science

Science: Life Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/science.shtml#Life Science

Science: Zoology

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/science.shtml#Zoology

Ecology Site on Trees-

http://www.gfawesome.org 

CONTENT:   A+

This forest conservation site, part of the larger Global Forest site, has a lot to offer. Teachers will find it to be a valuable resource for curricular materials on forest ecology.

AESTHETICS:   A+

The site is bright, colorful, and engaging. Users will need the latest version of a Java-enabled browser and the Flash plug-in.

ORGANIZATION:  A+

Five main areas of the site are accessible from the navigation menu in the upper left corner of the page. Navigation takes a little extra exploration but is worth the effort.

REVIEW:   A+

GF Awesome is a great resource for planning your ecology curriculum. Use the materials here to help students understand all about our forest system: how it functions, its wildlife, and other facts about nature. The site covers a lot of information, from cool articles to awesome photos to gruesome facts to global weather. Teachers may use the latest research for lesson planning or use the many lessons, activities, and quizzes about trees and their effects on water, air quality, and animals that are offered on the site. Students can identify the trees in their environment by using the Tree Guide, get their questions answered by a forest scientist, or use the site glossary to learn new terms. This is one site ecology teachers will want to bookmark for future reference

RELATED REVIEWS:

Science: Earth Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/science.shtml#Earth Science

Forestry Images

http://www.forestryimages.org/

GRADE LEVEL: K-12

CONTENT:   A+

This site, a joint effort of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and the University of Georgia, provides a large archive of high-quality images "related to forest health and silviculture, with particular emphasis on educational applications."

AESTHETICS:   A+

The site has a simple table layout that uses color to mark the different areas of the site and to separate the lists of links.

ORGANIZATION:  A+

The archive is sorted into six browsable categories and is fully searchable by keyword, subject, photographer, or image number. Visitors can use the top navigation bar to return to the home page or to move within the site.

REVIEW:   A+

Teachers and students will find Forestry Images to be a handy resource for locating images to use in multimedia reports, Web pages, and teaching materials. All 4,500 images are copyrighted by the University of Georgia and can be used for non-profit educational purposes but must be accompanied by the proper citations. Users are asked to register for full download privileges but the registration is free. High-quality images are available in six categories: Forest Plants, Forest Pests, Silvicultural Practices, Invasive Organisms, Wildlife, and People, Places and Scenes. Each of the images is available in a variety of sizes and includes the classification, the photographer's name, and a catalog number.

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/    

	CONTENT: Water Science for Schools from the U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) provides resources and information to teachers and students on just about anything you ever wanted to know about water. It includes maps, pictures, a data library, and more.
	SITE DESIGN: This well designed site is available in both Spanish and English. The main page offers a menu of the main sections of the site. Additionally there is a link to the main water topics that gives descriptions of the sections and a site map (NavGuide) that lists all the enormous amount of content in an index. Clicking on the NavGuide may be the easiest way to find the information you need.
	REVIEW: Water Science for Schools examines a wealth of water topics such as water properties, how much water is there on earth and where, how water quality and stream flow are measured, the water and water-use cycles, national maps showing how water is used by state, surface and ground water, pesticides in ground water, aquifers, and glaciers and icecaps. Other features include an activity center, galleries of maps, pictures, and data as well as a glossary of water terms, links to other water-related sites, and a certificate of completion. A new addition to the site is The Water Cycle, “The most comprehensive Web site about the water cycle anywhere, with a diagram available over 50 languages.” The interactive diagram gives users more information on each of the topics included in the water cycle. Included is a text menu of topics at the bottom of the page, a printer friendly version of the diagram (with or without text) and a diagram where students have to place the terms

Learn About Weather Through An Engaging Site On “Stormy Weather”:

http://www.educationcentral.org/stormy/

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12

CONTENT:   A+

This site provides atmospheric investigations for students to "learn to cope with the devastating impact storms have on the people of the world, today."

AESTHETICS:   A+

This "stormy" site is set in frames. It uses dark backgrounds and sound to enhance the effects.

ORGANIZATION:  A+

The site is organized into six sections that are easily negotiated through the left-side navigation menu. Text links within the pages are clearly marked.

REVIEW:   A+

Integrate technology seamlessly into your curriculum with these engaging activities. Students will not only meet the earth science standards but enhance their technology skills as well. Students begin with the Weather Hotlist to glean important background information, then put together a Weather Scrapbook with the collected text, graphics, and multimedia. Examples and links to information on using the necessary software are available if needed. The Weather Hunt and Storm Sampler are Web activities that help students understand the causes and effects of storms as well as how to read and understand weather maps and symbols. The Perfect Storm WebQuest is built around the book by Sebastian Junger and has students examining the storm from different perspectives. All the lessons involve solving problems, collaborating, using technology, and connecting to the real world.

Use Technology to Figure Out the Phases of the Moon with Kids:

This is from Jill Gough, high school math teacher from Saltsburg, Pennsylvania.

Using the Internet, my students learn the vocabulary of the phases of the moon and predict the function that models the fraction of the visible moon versus the day of the month. Then we use the TI InterActive! web browser to extract the fraction of the visible moon for every day of the month this year from the U. S. Naval Observatory's website, http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/MoonFraction.html. Next, using the graphing environment of TI InterActive!, we set up a scatter plot of the fraction of the visible moon versus the day of the current month. My students can use the label feature to identify the location of the full moon, the region of the graph where the moon is a waxing gibbous, etc. Then they can find the function that fits this data. 

Once they have identified all of the information on the graph and found the function that approximates the data, they can save the data and the graph into the document and finish their report by explaining what they have learned. They can identify and explain each phase of the moon and discuss its location on the graph.

Apollo 11- First Man on Moon Mission

NASA Apollo Mission Summary:

http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo11/ 

Want NASA Photos for your Classroom?

http://www.rsis.com/nasa/default.html 

NASA Apollo 11 Photographs of the Moon Landing Site:

http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo11/A11_LandingSite_viewsfrom.html 

International Space Station:

http://shuttle.nasa.gov/station/index.html  

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/about/index.html

	CONTENT: This site puts NASA's vast collection of educational resources in one easy to use place.
	SITE DESIGN: This site is user friendly and has an option for Text Only and a Non-Flash Version. The resources can be browsed by type, grade level or subject area from the left side navigation menu.
	REVIEW: Teachers are sure to appreciate this easy to use repository of lesson plans and activities from NASA. These materials are reviewed to ensure that they meet the goals of being educationally sound, scientifically accurate, and matched to national education standards. Best of all they are free to be copied and used in the classroom. Materials include bookmarks, classroom activities, educator guides, lithographs, posters and program brochures. The materials are also categorized into seven subject areas: earth science, history, life science, mathematics, physical science, space science and technology. Teachers can also find all materials that are appropriate for their grade level (K-4, 5-8, 9-12, Post Secondary). Below the left side navigation menu, teachers will find links to other grade level appropriate features, learning resources, Internet resources, multimedia resources, contacts for educators and professional development offered by NASA.

Environmental Science: Impact of Pollutants on Antarctica

POP Goes Antarctica

http://literacynet.org/polar/pop/html/project.html

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12

CONTENT:   A+

This site features a research project in which a teacher participates in a polar expedition that explores the effects of POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) on the food chain of Antarctica.

AESTHETICS:   A+

The site has a very professional, neat look with nice graphics and easy-to-read text.

ORGANIZATION:  A+

The left-side navigation menu provides for ease of movement within the site.

REVIEW:   A+

Bring a polar research experience into your classroom in a rich, engaging, and innovative way. In January 2002 teacher Susan Cowles joins a team of scientist from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to research the effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants on the food web of Antarctica. Students can follow along via journal entries and ask questions by e-mail as Cowles travels from Chile to Palmer Station on the Antarctica Peninsula, where she will spend a month working with the scientists as they study POPs. The site includes short biographies and interviews with the team, background information, pictures and information about the locations, and a glossary. Authentic and engaging reading, writing, and math lessons with special notes for teachers are provided in the Learning Activities.

Earth Science teacher- want some fun and interesting links on winter weather?

Winter Lessons

http://www.educationworld.com/holidays/archives/winter.shtml

We shoveled up these activities for teaching about the solstice, winter folklore, snow and ice, more!

Real Time Data Sites

Looking for data in any area that is real and up to the minute?  This site has real time data and visual links you would not believe- don’t miss this site!
Are you looking for real time information to spice up your science lessons, keep your WebQuests current, or fill out student projects and reports? Check out the real time data sites compiled by The Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE). This Web site offers links to real time data in a number of science related categories, including weather and meteorology, space and astronomy, the environment, earth science, animals, oceanography, and world time zones. The sites, which provide information from satellites, Web cams, laboratory experiments, and recently updated reports and surveys, also includes a section on Internet projects that use real time data. Unfortunately, the links have not been updated recently and not all are active. Most of the dead links, however, lead to government or organization sites at which the real time information is still available, even though the original URL has changed. In any event, this site still contains too much hard-to-find information to ignore!

"Ask an Astronomer for Kids" provides answers & photos for 200

questions about astronomy & objects in space.  Topics include

planets, stars, the solar system, comets, asteroids, galaxies, &

the night sky. (NASA)

     http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_kids/AskKids/

"Cool Cosmos" invites students into the world of infrared

astronomy.  Teachers & students may discover light outside the

visible spectrum with these classroom activities, experiments, &

lessons.  The site provides ask-an-astronomer videos, an infrared

astronomy timeline, & more. (NASA)

     http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/

"Dropping in a Microgravity Environment" is a competition for teams

of students to propose, design, & build a science experiment to be

performed in a microgravity drop tower facility.  Representatives

from selected teams will attend an expenses-paid DIME Drop Days in

April 2004 at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.  The

website offers details about the competition, summaries of past

competitions, & archived webcasts of team activities from previous

competitions.  Lesson ideas on microgravity are also provided.

(NASA)

     http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/DIME.html

"Edison Invents" examines several of Edison's inventions -- the

telegraph, telephone, phonograph, & electric light bulb.  Students

can learn about his life & how to create their own light bulb. (SI)

     http://www.si.edu/lemelson/edison/

"ISS EarthKAM" offers thousands of images of Earth & guides for

using them to support instruction in Earth science, space science,

geography, social studies, math, & other subjects.  Images can be

searched by country or geographic feature (island, archipelago,

peninsula, canyon, & others).  Photos were taken by a digital

camera mounted on the International Space Station (ISS) under the

direction & control of students. (NASA)

     http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/index.shtml

"Learn About Chemicals Around Your House" answers questions about

pesticides & toxic chemicals used around the house.  It explains

how to read labels & what to do in case of an accident.  An online

"home tour" invites students to identify pesticides & toxic

substances in a typical kitchen, garage, laundry room, bathroom, &

bedroom. (EPA)

     http://www.epa.gov/kidshometour/toxic.htm

"Online Science-athon" helps students discover the science in their

daily lives.  It is organized around four events:  How Tall Am I?

(grades 2-3), the Marble Roll (grades 4-8), Catching Sunshine, &

the Chocolate Melt.  The site makes it easy for teachers to

incorporate the events into instruction, align learning with

academic standards, & get students investigating their world in

ways that are fun & instructive.  Each event produces class data &

includes questions for exploring student-generated data. (NSF)

     http://scithon.terc.edu/

"Polluted Runoff" provides lessons & activities for studying how

runoff affects streams, how to analyze what's upstream & downstream

from your community (watersheds), & how families can reduce

"nonpoint source" pollution, which results from rainfall or

snowmelt moving over & through the ground. (EPA)

     http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/nps_edu/index.html

"Stories from Space" tells brief stories about the planets, tools

used for exploring space, & "what's in space."  Photos of planets,

stars, telescopes, & space craft are included. (NASA)

 http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_kids/stories_from_space/

"Study of Place" presents two online science units for middle-

school students.  Antarctic Exploration tells the story of Sir

Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to Antarctica & how, when his

ship became icebound & was crushed to pieces, he & his crew

survived before being rescued two years after their journey began.

Ocean Currents Exploration describes how Ben Franklin charted the

Gulf Stream to help speed mail delivery from Europe to the U.S.

(NSF)

     http://www.studyofplace.com/common/Home.cfm

"Visible Earth" is a searchable directory of images,

visualizations, & animations of Earth.  Topics include soils,

clouds, storms, hurricanes, droughts, precipitation, vegetation,

oceans, sea ice, human population, land use, erosion, fires, rocks,

minerals, regions, & countries. (NASA)

     http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/

=============

  Estuary Live

http://www.estuarylive.org

GRADE LEVEL: 3-12

CONTENT:  A+

North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (NCNERR) Education Office takes students on a field trip, via Webcast, to the estuaries of North Carolina.

AESTHETICS: A+

The site has a simple user-friendly format with high-quality photographs. RealPlayer is required for viewing the video.

ORGANIZATION: A

Visitors can easily access all areas of the site from the main page. Users will need to use the Back button on their browsers to return to the home page from some of the internal pages.

REVIEW: A+

Take your students on a field trip to an estuary to learn about tidal flats, salt marshes, dredge spoil areas, sand dunes, and maritime forests. Streaming video is used to allow the team to broadcast live from the site. Estuary Live occurs at only certain times of year, but the site has videos of past field trips, lesson plans, resources for integrating the field trips into the curriculum, and still pictures that are available for classroom use as well as video clips and photographs that can be downloaded for use in class projects. Also included are links to the Waters of Life Video and the Learning from the Waters of Life video series and other useful links.

NeMO: New Millennium Observatory
Site of an undersea observatory at an active underwater volcano.

URL:
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/nemo/index.html

REVIEW: A+
The site of this underwater observatory is Axial Seamount, an active volcano located off the coast of Oregon and Washington where two of the Earth’s tectonic plates move apart causing small earthquakes and sometimes magma intrusions and volcanic eruptions. This Website offers information and resources for studying seafloor animals, hydrothermal vents, mid-ocean ridges, axial volcano, lava flow, and tools and technology. The NeMO Explorer allows students to take virtual tours of the ocean floor with a panorama, fly through and video clips or browse the collection of information related to the research. Additionally, students can choose their dive site and remotely control ROPOS, A remotely operated vehicle used at NeMO, to explore black smoker vents, new lava flows and unusual life forms. Curriculum materials include an introduction and background information, classroom activities, movies and animations, answer keys and additional resources for teachers. All curriculum materials can be used online or download d in your choice of .pdf, html or PowerPoint and used offline.

Thomas A. Edison Papers

http://edison.rutgers.edu/

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12, Advanced

CONTENT:  A

The site is a joint effort of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and others to organize and publish the papers of this well-known inventor.

AESTHETICS: B

This bare-bones site has predominantly text. The documents open in frames, which makes reading them a little difficult.

ORGANIZATION: A

The offerings are categorized and listed in an index on the front page of the site. Users can search the collection by name, date, and document type or by folder/document descriptions. The site provides directions for searching.

REVIEW: A

Anyone interested in researching Thomas A. Edison will find this a great place to begin. This digitized document database includes clippings, patents, and a document sampler that covers Edison's life from 1847-1898. Other resources such as chronologies, bibliographies, motion picture catalogs and maps and images from Edison's early life are also available. Plans are in the works to include the full text of all the print volumes of the papers.

A good Junior High Science site:

Flying Turtle Science and Technology : Explore basic principles of science.

http://www.ftexploring.com/

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8

CONTENT:  A

This site explores energy and other basic science principles in an entertaining format.

AESTHETICS: A

Whimsical, original drawings are used throughout the site to break up the cleverly written text.

ORGANIZATION: B+

A site index is available on the right side of the home page and is repeated on subsequent pages. Links back to the home page are provided. There's no clear-cut navigational pattern, but according to the site, "There are no wrong turns.  You are allowed to wander and to wonder."

REVIEW: A

The Flying Turtle covers all types of energy in nature and human technology and is "dedicated to learning and a simple appreciation of the wonder of life." Written in a creative style that holds the interests of middle school students, it provides basic explanations of how energy controls the way things work in nature. The articles are accurate, easily understood, and thought-provoking. Best clicks for students would be the The Animals Had It First section to explore what they have in common with animals or Energy Changes That Make Thinks Happen to learn what kinds of things happen as a result of the energy change. The Photosynthesis, Energy, and Life section not only gives an explanation of the plant process but includes information on food chains, energy pyramids, and some very cool colored pencil drawings to illustrate the concepts. At "Ask Dr. Galapagos" students can send in their burning questions to be answered.

Geological Field Trip using USGS website:

http://education.usgs.gov/schoolyard 

Schoolyard geology gives teachers lessons and activities to conduct a geologic field trip right in their own backyard- including mapping the schoolyard using USGS's National Map, locating and identifying rocks and learning about geologic processes.

Google enhances its digital maps with video of popular travel destinations and images from Mars!

http://www.google.com/mars 

You can get an interactive view of the Red Planet with the click of a mouse!

Forensics in the Classroom (FIC)
Pupils as Perry Mason. CSI: Classroom Science Investigation!
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2006/r0206-22.shtml 

REVIEW: A+
Court TV has teamed up with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) to present these free curriculum units on forensic science for middle and high school students. "By incorporating key scientific concepts and lab experiments into creative, forensic-based mysteries and activities, FIC provides a way to engage and teach students about the expanding and fascinating world of forensic science."

	CONTENT: Visible Proofs from the National Library of Medicine explores the history of forensic medicine. It includes lesson plans and online activities.
	SITE DESIGN: This well designed site is divided into four main sections: Exhibition, Galleries, Education and Resources. Each section has a left side navigation menu for moving within the area. A top navigation bar leads to the main sections. QuickTime Player or Windows Media Player is required for videos.
	REVIEW: This site is sure to spark the interests of students as well as anyone interested in the area of forensic medicine. The Exhibition section explores the history of forensics from its rise to the technologies of surveillance to the new forensic science to public perceptions. The Galleries include significant cases, technologies, biographies, artifacts, media and exhibition images. For example, in the media gallery visitors can view video clips of an actual autopsy or see medical examiners at work. Technologies explore the key accomplishments in forensics including DNA and toxicology. One interesting case is that of a soldier shot down over Vietnam, laid to rest in the Tomb of the Unknown in 1984. A decade later, thanks to DNA, he was identified as Michael Blassie and his remains returned to his family. The Education section offers three online activities for students that explore forensic developments, techniques and careers. There are also three lesson plans for middle and high school students that promote active learning and explore the stories of people, technology and science that have contributed to the development of modern forensic techniques. Additionally, a resource section offers links to a k-12 bibliography, archived interviews featuring forensic topics, and Web links to other resources.

Mercury Rising: Bearing Witness to Climate Change

http://www.oneworldjourneys.com/climate/

GRADE LEVEL: K-12

CONTENT:  A

This Web site chronicles an expedition by the One World Journeys team into the Monteverde Cloud Forest to study the effects of climate change on our planet.

AESTHETICS: A

The site is interactive, is colorful, and uses high-quality photographs. Flash Player is required.

ORGANIZATION: A

The site features a top navigation bar for moving between the different areas of the site and submenus for moving within each area

REVIEW: A

The One World Journeys team went on a trek through the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica to study the effects of global warning and allowed students and teachers to participate via the Internet. The journey is complete, but the daily journals, photographs, lesson plans, questions and answers that were posed to the team, essays, stories, actions anyone can take to help, and related links are all available for students and teachers to explore. Be sure to check out the Eco-Gallery, "a visual journey through time and change. 

RELATED REVIEWS:

Science: Earth Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/science.shtml#Earth_Science

Internet: Collaborative Projects

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/internet.shtml#Collaborative_Projects

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Incredible Earth Science site:

OVERALL GRADE:  A+

TerraFly

http://terrafly.fiu.edu/

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12, Advanced

CONTENT:  A+

TerraFly is a huge database of digital aerial and satellite images of the entire United States provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.

AESTHETICS: A

This high-tech site is not for the faint of bandwidth. Download times can be significant on a dial-up connection. A Java-enable browser is required.

ORGANIZATION: A+

The site is user-friendly with a simple form where users can type in an address, a ZIP code, or a city in the United States and see the aerial view displayed.

REVIEW: A+

TerraFly claims to "change the way you view your world," and that it does. The site has a satellite link that serves up images of Earth close enough to see city streets and parks. Users can type in any U.S. address, ZIP code, or city and state to take a virtual flyover. The controls allow you to zoom, change fly frames directionally, and apply exact coordinates to zero in on a specific place or street. Teachers could have students download maps of their area to print and use to practice their mapping skills.

RELATED REVIEWS:

Social Sciences: Geography

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/soc_sci.shtml#Geography

Internet: Interactive Web Sites

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/internet.shtml#Interactive%20Websites

Virtual Courseware for Earth and Environmental Science
Online interactive activities for earth science.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

http://vearthquake.calstatela.edu/ 

CONTENT:
This is an interactive site for middle and high school students that Focuses on earthquakes, flooding and global warming. The biology labs are subscription based but there is plenty of free material here to warrant a visit.

http://vearthquake.calstatela.edu/