Science Resources
The following list features annotated links to great science resources for K-12 science teachers. The resources are organized by general resources, national standards, teaching materials, and specific science topics.
General Resources
Discovery Channel
This site offers lesson plans, activities, worksheets, teaching tools, Web links, and the Discovery Channel TV schedule, as well as materials for purchase. It also has resources, such as a homework helper section, for students.
http://school.discovery.com/
Grolier Online
This site provides an extensive network of educational materials - Web sites, periodicals, current events, teacher resources, bibliographies, reading lists, student activities, and more. Available to anyone from a subscribing school or library, the service provides such resources as science projects, puzzles and games, quizzes, and recipes. From Scholastic.
http://go-kids.grolier.com/
NASA for Educators
This Web site provides features and news, learning resources, Internet resources, multimedia resource, contacts for educators, professional development and student opportunities. See also the Education TV schedule, educational materials, classroom subjects, and express e-mail.
http://education.nasa.gov/home/index.html
National Geographic Education
This site provides lesson plans, maps and photos, professional development, current events, and grants information. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/ professional_development/index.html#ednet
NSTA
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is the largest organization of science educators in the world. The NSTA mission is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
http://www.nsta.org/
PBS Now - Science
This site includes current news stories on science and health issues; action ideas; a photo essay; and lesson plans for high school teachers on global health issues and how wind power works.
http://www.pbs.org/now/science/index.html
The science archive for educators on this site has lesson plans on four topics: global warming, wind power, genetically modified food, and kids and chemicals - facts and laws.
http://www.pbs.org/now/archive_classroom.html#science
National Standards
National Science Education Standards
The National Science Education Standards reflects the contributions of thousands of teachers, scientists, science educators, and other experts across the country. They offer a vision of what it means to be scientifically literate, describing what all students regardless of background or circumstance should understand and be able to do at different grade levels in various science categories. They were produced by the National Research Council in 1995 and published in 1996.
http://www.nsta.org/standards
Teaching Materials
Exemplars: K-12 Science Materials
Exemplars science materials are performance assessment tasks that were created to improve assessment and instruction. They are keyed to national standards and include rubrics and annotated benchmarks. This site also offers a free online newsletter and many materials and resources for purchase.
http://www.exemplars.com/index.php
Magazine: An Ocean of Info
Interested in whales, oil spills, and the health and fate of our oceans? Then check out Oceanus magazine online. The site contains articles and commentary on the meaning and value of ocean research, engineering, and education at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in addition to features on ocean life, climate change, and exploration. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/index.do
Periodic Table
This interactive periodic table provides descriptions of the elements and occasional videos and cartoons. Some chemistry-related items are available for sale.
http://www.webelements.com/
Science Lesson Plans
A list of annotated links featuring the great lesson plans available on the Internet. Selected by nea.org.
http://www.nea.org/webresources/sciencelinks.html
Science Posters
The Wright Center for Science Education of Tufts University has downloadable posters you can print as well as many other science education resources.
http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/svl/posters/posts.html
Web Sites on Specific Science Topics
Ambassadors of the Environment
The Ambassadors of the Environment (AOTE) Web site provides an educational experience designed to help students understand how nature works, appreciate the value of our natural heritage, and become good stewards of the environment. The AOTE site has a Teachers Corner with lesson plans, programs, post-program lesson plans, online slide shows, and more. Although many areas of the site are still being developed, teachers will find a lot of good content here.
http://www.aote.org/index_flash.htm#home
Communications
Have you ever been stumped by a youngster asking you how a cell phone worked? Or what the "am" in AM radio stands for? Now you can send them to the FCC Kidszone, a Federal Communications Commission site aiming to educate today's youth on all things regulated by the FCC. Definitions, descriptions, and the history of cell phones, TV, radio, and the Internet can be found here along with teachers’ and parents' guides to the site. (Federal Communications Commission)
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/kidszone/
Exploring Coral Reefs
If your students have a hankering to do some underwater exploring, then dive into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's coral reef conservation program Web site. Teachers can access lesson plans and curriculum information as well as information on grants for coral reef study, while students can learn about reefs, the ocean, and weather. The education resources section of the site is separated into age levels, with a special section directed at higher education students.
http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/
Einstein's Discoveries
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's major discoveries, which he made in 1905, here are some online resources to learn more about Einstein and his work.
Environmental Studies
Educators itching to get students outdoors can stop by the Hands on the Land site to join a network of classrooms that encourage learning through the environment. This site has resources on using the land as a source for historical, archaeological, and environmental learning. Some areas require registration.
www.handsontheland.org/home.cfm
Feel It in Your Bones
This site delivers no-nonsense, illustrated information on the body's support structure, focusing on areas such as bone structure, bone cells, growth and remodeling, collagen and bone matrix, hormones that affect bone, bone biomechanics, diseases of the bone, and exercise and nutrition. Students from high school to medical school can use this site as a handy biology reference. (American Society for Bone and Mineral Research)
http://depts.Washington.edu/bonebio/ ASBMRed/ASBMRed.html
Interviews with Scientists
Visitors to this area of the National Academy of Sciences Web site can listen to distinguished scientists talk about their research, why they became scientists, and other aspects of their careers. (Listening to the interviews requires free RealPlayer.)
http://interviews.nationalacademies.org/
Jefferson Lab
This site offers reference materials and hands-on activities, games, and puzzles for the classroom teacher. Another part of the site has information for students, including homework helpers. Jefferson Lab is a research facility managed and operated by Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
http://education.jlab.org/index.html
Oceans of Information
Interested in whales, oil spills, and the health and fate of our oceans? Then check out Oceanus magazine online. The site contains articles and commentary on the meaning and value of ocean research, engineering, and education at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in addition to features on ocean life, climate change, and exploration. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
http://oceanusmag.whoi.edu/index.html
Rainforest Conservation
The Rainforest Alliance offers a free, expanded conservation curriculum with unique units for kindergarten through sixth grade. Each unit features three to four comprehensive multidisciplinary lesson plans that meet national standards. Topics covered include the Amazon, the Maya forests, migratory birds, and chocolate. Some materials are available in Spanish and Portuguese. (The Rainforest Alliance)
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/education/
Reptiles & Amphibians - Reviled and Revered
In five lessons, students (grades 3-8) examine misconceptions about herps (the collective name given to reptiles and amphibians), discover how humans have viewed herps throughout history, and catalog the differences and similarities between reptiles and amphibians. Links to other resources are also included. (Smithsonian)
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/ lesson_plans/herps/start.html
Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms
Caffeine, work, or late night TV keeping you up? The fact is, most people don't get enough sleep. This curriculum supplement can be used as a learning tool to understand the basic concept of sleep, biological clocks, disorders, and the consequences of deprivation. Geared toward teaching high school students, this site offers lessons and activities to help link the science of sleep and its effect on everyday life. (National Institutes of Health)
http://science.education.nih.gov/customers.nsf/HSSleep?OpenForm
Sound Science
Why does that annoying song get stuck in my head? This Exploratorium Web site attempts to answer this and other music-related questions by examining the science of music. Through movies and online exhibits, kids of all ages can compose, mix, and play with music in new ways while having fun. Exhibits include "Kitchen Sink-o pation" where you can make your own music in a virtual kitchen.
www.exploratorium.edu/music/index.html
Visible Earth
Search, view, and download the superset of NASA’s images, animations, and data visualizations of Earth at its Visible Earth site. The images are organized into topics that include agriculture, human dimensions, land surfaces, and oceans. You can also search for images by individual country or by various satellites.
http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/
The Water Cycle
This Web site about the water cycle - from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - offers a print-friendly diagram of the water cycle, available in 57 languages. Teachers can download a version without text, with the terms listed below the diagram, to use as an activity with students. The site also includes comprehensive information on ice caps, surface runoff, condensation, water in the atmosphere, oceans, and more.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html
The site is part of the existing Water Science for Schools Web site, the most comprehensive Web site about the water cycle anywhere.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/index.html
Updated September 2006.
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