Science Links
Menageries, zoos, and botanical gardens have been around for a very long
time. The first records of such parks where exotic animals and plants
were kept date from more than 4,000 years ago, in the Egyptian and Mesopotamian
empires. The rulers of these ancient lands were proud of their gardens
and zoos. They set out on extended expeditions to distant lands to bring
back animals and plants, and they hired and trained expert keepers to
make sure the exotic life forms were kept healthy and able to breed.
Some of the modern world's most useful animals and plants were first collected
and grown by ancient zoo-keepers. The first four chickens in Egypt were
the proud possessions of Pharaoh Tuthmosis III.
Today, the purpose and mission of zoos is changing in important ways:
http://www.nwf.org/nwf/intlwild/zoos.html:
Should animals be kept in zoos? The Born Free Foundation says no: http://www.bornfree.org.uk/
The pioneering space station concepts of the mid-1950's
don't look much like the erector-set habitat in orbit today. Read
about Werner von Braun's early designs for an outpost in space and how
he advocated his ideas to the public 50 years ago. FULL STORY at: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast26may_1m.htm?l=NzMwMjk2IGpqZGVicm
FAVVNBLk5FVCBTTkdMSVNUIMvutHEkI4Ch
The latest images of Io from NASA's Galileo spacecraft
reveal a bizarre world of hot volcanoes, sulfurous snowfields, and slip-sliding
mountains.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast19may_2.htm?list
Sue at the Field Museum: http://www.fmnh.org/sue/default.htm
in mid-May 2000, the world's most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton
was unveiled at Chicago's
Field Museum. Take a virtual field trip to meet Sue, who was named after
her finder. Get Sue's vital
statistics, learn how she was discovered, see how the scientists and engineers
prepared and mounted her frame, and take a good, close look at her amazing
skull. Students will also enjoy the downloadable word puzzles and
flip books.
Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Do you use current events to demonstrate the relevance of science in daily
life? Science Daily brings you all of the day's major science headlines
so you don't have to do the research yourself. On the front page, you'll
find today's highlighted stories. Or, select a topic -- such as health
and medicine, earth and climate, or fossils and ruins -- to get more specific
news. There's also an image gallery and discussion boards.
Personality: What Makes Us Who We Are?: http://www.learner.org/exhibits/personality/
This online exhibit from the Annenberg/CPB Exhibit Collection peels
back the layers of one's personality to examine reputation, behavior,
thoughts and feelings, and the unconscious. The exhibit also considers
genetic and environmental causes of behavioral traits. Be sure to stop
at the special activities, which allow students to take personality and
inkblot tests.
Arty the Part-Time Astronaut: http://www.artyastro.com
This site uses Flash animation and sounds to add a colorful, interactive
dynamic to your
space-science curriculum. After the introduction, follow the "Travel"
link to visit each planet in the solar system, explore a comet, or learn
about the Hubble Space Telescope. Then check out the "Activities"
and "Games" sections for terrific ways to drill what your students
just learned.
AfriCam: http://www.africam.com/
Here's a unique opportunity to study the flora and fauna of the African
continent. The folks at AfriCam have installed more than a dozen Webcams
around Africa to capture the sights and sounds of a safari. Visit a particular
location, or follow black eagles, hyenas, leopards, and other animals.
There's even an offshore wreckage cam! A variety of field guides help
you interpret what you're seeing, and news highlights fill you in on what's
happening environmentally around the world.
In April 2000, scientists were predicting that current La Niņa conditions would persist, but in May 2000 data from Earth-orbiting satellites show that it may be on the decline. Is it too soon to revise the 2000 hurricane forecast? http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast18may_1m.htm
Lately, sky watchers have been seeing some unusual
sights -- red, green, yellow and purple lights in the sky that usually
arrive about two days after a big solar storm. What's going on? They're
the Northern Lights. Lessons and activities include Aurora Art,
the Northern Lights Mystery, and a Soda-bottle Magnetometer.
For more information, please visit Thursdays
Classroom Archive.
Students can learn more about the Moon and the famous illusion that
makes the Moon appear larger when it's near the horizon by making an edible
Moon Munchie spyglass, calculating Loony Basketball Math, and reciting
"Full Moon Wherewolf" homonym poetry. For more information,
please visit Thursdays
Classroom Archive.
Frogland: http://allaboutfrogs.org/froglnd.shtml
This site is stuffed with cool information about frogs. Learn weird
but true frog facts, try pronouncing "frog" in different languages,
or check out the "Teachers' Corner" for activities and projects.
NASA's Athena: http://www.athena.ivv.nasa.gov/index.html provides instructional information and activities related to space, weather, earth, oceans, and astronomy. There's a searchable database and a host of links.
Biology4Kids: http://www.kapili.com/biology4kids/index.html
On the Biology4Kids site, students can get a solid explanation of key
concepts and terms related to cells, chemistry, ecology, and the techniques
of scientific study. For each of these sections, Biology4Kids posts corresponding
quizzes.
Be sure to check out Plantspot: http://www.kapili.com/plantspot/index.html, a virtual garden that contains photos of plants from around the world. There are samples of plantlife from across the planet with some pictures and one or two plant factoids. On each page you will learn the plant's common name, scientific name, where you can find it and a few little facts about its background. Some of them you see every day and some you may never see again. Walk through the gardens with the Section Tour or use one of the locators and browse through the plants.
Astronomy for Kids: http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/
Students will have a great time studying astronomy on this crisp, clean
site. In addition to basic information about planets, astronomy-related
puzzles, and fun facts, this site includes monthly sky maps that can help
students recognize constellations and stars in the spring sky.
Chem 4 Kids: http://www.chem4kids.com/
Does chemistry seem a little advanced for third graders? Not necessarily.
This terrific site explains key
chemistry principles in elementary terms. Though the information may be
too dense for kids to comprehend all at once, you can easily break the
material into sections according to the site's well-organized units.
Take your kids on an online trip to Everglades National Park. Visit their Web site at: http://www.nps.gov/ever/home.htm to learn about the ecosystem, fire management, endangered species, and conservation efforts underway in Florida's Everglades.
Windows to the Universe: http://www.windows.umich.edu/
An excellent presentation from the University of Michigan. Let students
explore the solar system with games, images, fun facts, myths, and news
about the sun, the planets, asteroids, and comets. Select from Beginner,
Intermediate, and Advanced levels of difficulty.
The Why Files: http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/index.html
Current events meet science on the Why Files Web site. Check the
Why Files for weekly explanations of the science and technology behind
the news. Or search the archive to understand last month's headlines.
Glacier: http://www.glacier.rice.edu/
Glacier is an inquiry-based project that can be integratated into a typical
middle school earth, ocean, and space science curriculum. Educators and
researchers from Rice University and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Initiative
describe their expeditions to Antarctica and provide breathtaking photos
of this chilly continent. Terrific content can help you teach your
students how Antarctica affects the world's weather, geology, and oceanography.
Extinct isn't always forever. Not if a species isn't really gone. Before 1938 you would have learned in paleo-history classes that the Coelacanth was an early fish, living hundreds of millions of years ago. But then in 1938 a fisher in South Africa pulled one up from the ocean. More have been found since. This site tracks that history and current efforts to keep the Coel from actually disappearing. http://www.dinofish.com
Geo-Mysteries: http://www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries
Explore the mysteries that lie underground with Geo-Mysteries. Hosted
by The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, this site includes a geological
timeline complete with fossils, fast facts about rocks and fossils, tips
for field trips, and a set of three mysteries students can solve with
the help of Rex, the Dino Detective.
The Discovery Kids Adventure List: http://kids.discovery.com/KIDS/thelist.html
The Discovery Adventures list page is packed with 61 mini-learning adventures
for students. Some science-related suggestions include learning the bones
of the body and paper making. There are also a number of non science-specific
activities, such as researching a hero or learing to say 'thank you' in
different languages. Some of these adventures could easily be used
as
in-class activities, while others would make interesting homework assignments.
Science: Structures Around the World: http://www.exploratorium.edu/structures/index.html
Introducing elementary students to the fundamentals of scale and structure
is fun with this Exploratorium feature. The site showcases 10 simple
experiments your students can perform in the classroom. Click on an activity
to arrive at a description and rationale for the project, detailed instructions,
a list of easy-to-find materials, and discussion questions.
| 3M Collaborative Invention Unit | self-directed lessons, great for individual or group work, assignments off-line with links for help |
| Ask a Geologist | ask about volcanoes, earthquakes, mountains, rocks, maps, ground water, lakes, or rivers, a geologist answers |
| Beakman's Electric Motor | step-by-step how to build an electric motor |
| Best Ever Compost | step-by-step how to make a compost pile |
| Bill Nye the Science Guy's Nye Labs Online | things to do in science, coordinated by show and by subject |
| Building Stones of the Nations Capitol | This site tells aobut the stones used to construct the buildings of Washington, D.C. |
| Burpee | seed catalogue company, recipes, growing tips |
| Center for Educational Resources (CERES) Project | classroom-ready online activities, NASA data search engines, and distance learning courses for K-12 teachers.. Learning activities include inquiries and collaborative "spacequests" and are categorized by NASA themes, grade level, and duration. |
| Children's Butterfly Site | tells life cycle, pictures of butterflies |
| Cincinnati Zoo | has field guide for plants and animals, can send in pictures and pictures are placed on website, has weekly game of identifying plant or animal |
| CLEARWATER Hudson River Sloop | details about cleaning up the Hudson River, how to go on Clearwater |
| Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | pictures, games, puzzles, information on animals |
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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute invites curious kids to explore biology, on screen and off screen, especially good for younger elementary grade school children |
| Drew | bibliography of Richard Drew, inventor at 3M |
| Earthquakes | causes, history, predicting, measuring |
| Earthshots: Satellite Images of Environmental Change | clickable map with maps and pictures of changes in the environment around the world |
| Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education | many varied teacher resources, not only for math and science teachers |
| Electromagnetic Spectrum | NASA site that tells about all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum |
| Ewe II | inquiry-oriented activity "places students in the position to ask great questions, seek out the answers, develop new relationships, and take a stand on a current hot issue: cloning.", Case Study approach to WebQuests, warm-up activites, instructions for teachers, forums, and grading rubrics |
| Exhibts collection - Garbage | learn about waste disposal habits of average Americans and solutions to solve problems related to garbage in the environment, included are an interactive Hazardous Waste quiz, problem-solving exercises, related resources, and much more. |
| Fabulous Funnels | lesson plan with Meteorology, Mathematics, Language Arts and U.S. Geography, grades 9-12 |
| Food Guide Pyramid | interactive |
| Frontiers of the Sea | interactive journal with pictures and sound, from National Public Radio |
| Garden.com | gardening tips by month, tours of gardens, tips about different plants |
| Geologic Story of the Ocoee River | rock study in Ocoee River Gorge in Cherokee National Forest of southeastern Tennessee |
| THE GIRAFFE - TALLER THAN A HOUSE? | facts about giraffes, with printable coloring page |
| Glacier Field Station | US government site, tells about bears, wolves, butterflies, geology, etc. of Glacier National Park |
| HABITATS Resource List | WNET hand picked Web sites and on-air programming with information about the past, present and ever changing places people live (and lived). |
| How Things Work | "Think of this site as a radio call-in program that's being held on the WWW", mainly science oriented |
| The Hudson River Museum | schedule of programs for museum and planetarium |
| Insectclopedia | for students learning about insects and how they fit into various ecosystems, lots of images, lessons (all sorts) and Cuisine (look under Hobbies) |
| International Dark-Sky Association | IDA's goal is to stop the adverse environmental impact of light pollution and space debris |
| International Wolf Center | facts, pictures about wolves |
| Introduction to the Mesozoic Era | especially good for middle school students |
| Invention of the Week | archived, history of invention, related links |
| KidsHealth | answers to commonly asked health questions |
| Living
With Risk: The Human Element of Natural Disaster |
original lesson plan that includes Science and Language Arts for grades 5-10 |
| Look, Learn, and Do | science projects to make with household materials, science books to read online, history of some common things |
| Medical Antiques | early medical items: surgical, medical, dental instruments from 1800's to early 1900's. Information about collecting medical and dental antiques presented as educational project |
| Mount St. Helen's | eruptions of Mount St. Helens: past, present, and future, geology, pictures |
| Museum of Dirt | dirt from all kinds of places, indexed |
| Museum of Science and Industry | in Tampa, Florida, has exhibits, educational programs to attend |
| Mystic Aquarium | follows 2 released pilot whales, can make own map also, movies available |
| NASA Human Spaceflight | View the International Space Station and much more from this comprehensive Spaceflight site developed by NASA. Included are real-time trackings of the station, status reports and news releases, a video and image scrapbook, and mission recaps. Also, see how your school can participate in NASA's Educational Outreach Programs. |
| National Data Buoy Center's Science Education Pages | answers to basic weather related questions |
| National Hurricane Center | continuously watches tropical cyclones over the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Eastern Pacific May 15 through November 30 |
| The National Inventors Hall of Fame | bibliographies, easy to use |
| National Student Research Center | links to sites about science projects, science fairs, judging, science fairs on internet |
| Natural Aggregate-A Primer | slide show telling what aggregate is and how it is used |
| NOAA -- The National Marine Sanctuary Program | National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's site devoted to preserving and maintaining marine sanctuaries, education, and science for grades 7-12 |
| North
American Amphibian Monitoring Program |
part
of a global effort to study and conserve amphibians, includes ways for teachers and families to participate |
| Our Savage Planet in the News | original
lesson plan that includes Science and Language Arts for grades 5-10 |
| Puzzling Planet | lesson plans, questions with links to help answer questions, wNetSchool site |
| Science Friday | go online, tune in to NPR's Talk of the Nation to explore the week in science with host Ira Flatow, see what is scheduled and learn how to participate |
| The Science Spot | for K-12 educators and students, includes ideas for classroom activities and a place to exchange information. |
| Steve's Ant Farm | cameras on live ants, ant facts, postcard to send, movie, etc |
| Sunrise Sunset Calendar | enter city or latitude and longitude lines and get sunrise and sunset times |
| TeachWeb | Free unit plans for K-3 grades dealing with plants, farm animals,and butterflies |
| The Tech Museum: Discover; Interactive Exhibits | interactive exhibits to learn about science and technology projects such as satellites and DNA |
| Then
and Now: Public Health from 1900 to Today |
lesson
plan that includes Social Studies and Language Arts for grades 7-12 |
| Think Space | ThinkQuest project about solar systems, stars, galaxies, universe, astronomers |
| This Dynamic Earth | online book of plate tectonics, including how people learned about it, with pictures and drawings |
| Tobacco Ad Parodies | lesson plan and samples of student work |
| Toledo Zoo | Toledo, Ohio zoo with calendar of events, latest happenings and exhibits |
| An Uplifting Experience | lesson plan for science and language arts for grades 4-6. |
| Vision for Your Future | Teacher and student section, lesson plans with worksheets, quizzes, free poster available |
| Volcanoes Online | everything about volcanoes and how the earth is formed, including games, lesson plans, comics |
| Water Ways Resource List | Web sites and on-air programming hand-picked by Channel 13 with information about almost every aspect of water and water use |
| Where is Mir Space Station? | shows current location of Mir |
| WHY DO YOU WEIGH LESS IN THE WATER? | experiment exlaining bouancy, displacement, density for young children |
| The Yuckiest Site on the Internet | bugs, worms, gross body facts |