Web Sites to Help Teach Science

Many of the helpful science web sites that are available also work well with interactive whiteboards. To find some of these science resources, I again searched three of my favorite sites that continue to add quality web sites to their collections: the Ohio Resource Center, TeachersFirst.com, and the Ohio Treasure Chest of Technology Resources.

OHIO RESOURCE CENTER FOR MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND READING
http://ohiorc.org/
The Ohio Resource Center for Mathematics, Science, and Reading continues to add new resources to their collections. Their review process assures that their recommendations are worth considering.

The Thinkfinity site includes resources from several science organizations such as
• Science NetLinks, American Association for the Advancement of Science
• National Geographic Xpeditions and
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Each of these organizations offers lesson plans and teaching materials through their own websites and through Thinkfinity.

Nitrogen Cycling: Manure in the Mix
http://www.ecologycenter.org/tfs/lesson.php?id=13510
ORC Resource Number #9389
Grades 9-12
Use this resource to provide an overview of the nitrogen cycle. An accompanying article on the impact of animal waste on the nitrogen cycle and a diagram that asks users to identify components of the nitrogen cycle are useful.

Great Gravidity
http://insected.arizona.edu/gg/default.html
ORC Resource Number #10640
Grades 9-12
Students conduct a research project and analyze the data obtained. The project involves setting up and observing an aphid habitat.

Informal Science Education
Links are provided to botanical gardens, arboretums, science museums, zoos, aquariums, and planetariums found in Ohio.

Cleveland Botanical Garden
http://www.cbgarden.org/Learn/TeachersAndStudents.html

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
http://www.clemetzoo.com/learn.asp

Cleveland Museum of Natural History
http://www.cmnh.org/site/classesandprograms_schoolprograms.aspx

Great Lakes Science Center
http://www.glsc.org/visit/

Ritter Planetarium
http://www.rpbo.utoledo.edu/school.html

Toledo Botanical Garden
http://www.toledogarden.org/content/education/

Toledo Zoo
http://www.toledozoo.org/edzoocation/ed_inzooprogs.html

COSI Columbus
http://www.cosi.org/educators/

Dawes Arboretum
http://www.dawesarb.org/education/outreach.asp

Franklin Park Conservatory
http://www.fpconservatory.org/schooltours.htm

Perkins Observatory
http://www.perkins-observatory.org/

The Wilds
http://www.thewilds.org/education/education_programs.asp

The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art, & Technology
http://www.attheworks.org/foreducators.html

Aullwood Audubon Farm
http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/aullwood/programs.html

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
http://www.cincyzoo.org/Education/index.html

Cox Arboretum & Gardens
http://www.coxarboretum.org/education/k12education.html

National Museum of the United States Air Force
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/education/

Newport Aquarium
http://www.newportaquarium.com/index.cfm?sectionID=74,0,0,0


TEACHERSFIRST.COM
http://www.teachersfirst.com/
TeachersFirst thoroughly reviews sites and makes suggestions for using those sites in the classroom. They also continue to add new, quality sites to their collections.

Planet Science
http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=8920
Grades K to 12
This website has several components, including…
• News: weekly news updates and features
• Randomise: games and online fun
• Sci-Teach: resources for teachers
• Out There: activities, experiments, and online adventures
• Parents: science activities and ideas
• Under 11s: activities for pre-school and primary students
• Next Steps: career information
• Library: recommended web sites
Resources--many which work well with interactive whiteboards--are provided for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Science Literacy Maps
http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=8798
Grades K to 12
See how science and mathematics concepts fit together and how they build upon each other through the grades. When you click on a specific concept, you will find resources for that topic.

Science Clips
http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=8416
Ages 5 to 11
This site features interactive experiments and quizzes. Activities are provided for plants, sound, forces, health, electricity, magnetism, and other topics. These activities work well with interactive whiteboards.

Science Presentations
http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=8138
Grades K to 12
This site has free PowerPoint presentations (provided by teachers) on science, mathematics, language arts, social studies, and the arts topics for grades K-5 and 6-12.

Seeing Science
http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=8401
Ages 11 to 16
This site provides lesson plans for six themes: life, space, materials, food, environment, and light. Topics include anthrax, forces, energy, space rockets, plastics, nanotechnology, microbe growth, acid rain, climate change, electromagnetic spectrum. Each lesson has a lesson plan, student worksheets, and a multimedia section. Many of the activities work well with interactive whiteboards.


OHIO TREASURE CHEST OF TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES
http://www.ohiotreasurechest.org/
The Ohio Treasure Chest continues to add new resources.

EdHeads
http://www.edheads.org/
Grade 2
Interactive educational games and activities include crash scene, virtual hip replacement, compound machines, virtual knee surgery, weather, and simple machines. Multiple lesson plans are available for simple machines and weather. I had fun creating a weather map for the news program!

Weather Symbols
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/weather_symbols/eng/Introduction/default.htm
Grade 2
This interactive site helps students to identify and describe weather, to identify weather symbols and present information in a simple graph, to create a weather forecast, and to identify activities that can be done in different sorts of weather.

Weather Maker Simulation
http://www.iknowthat.com/ScienceIllustrations/weather/weathersim.swf
Grade 2
Create your own weather at this interactive site using the tropical and polar temperatures and the relative humidity. You can choose to read about weather and learn some of the related vocabulary.

The Great Plant Escape
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/gpe.html
Grade 4
Students can help Detective LePlant solve mysteries. In the process of solving the mysteries, the students will learn about plants. After the mysteries are solved, the students can participate in a variety of activities such as growing lettuce indoors or completing a crossword puzzle. The students will have fun learning at this site!

The Life Cycle of Plants
http://www.bgfl.org/plants
Grade 4
Well-done animations illustrate seed growth, parts of a flower, and seed dispersal. Some worksheets are printable.

Zip's Plants
http://www.bgfl.org/zipsplants
Grade 4
Growth of a plant, plant activities, links to plant web sites, pollination, parts of a plant, and a quiz to check what you have learned are the choices at this site. Simple text and illustrations do the teaching here. The site is easy for students to navigate.

Interactive Science Lab - Sound
http://www.iknowthat.com/ScienceIllustrations/sound/science_desk.swf
Grade 8
Create sounds by striking various sizes of glasses at this interactive site. You can choose to read about pitch and volume and learn some of the related vocabulary.

Waves Tutorial - Part 1
http://lgfl.skoool.co.uk/content/keystage4/physics/pc/lessons/uk_ks4_waves_1/h-frame-ie.htm
Grade 8
Learn about types of waves, reflection, refraction, diffraction, and seismic waves in this online tutorial which uses animations and audio explanations.

Interactive Science Lab - Earthquakes
http://www.iknowthat.com/ScienceIllustrations/earthquake/science_desk.swf
Grade 8
Test the effect of earthquakes of various magnitudes at this interactive site. You can choose to read about earthquakes and learn some of the related vocabulary.

Illuminating Photosynthesis
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/media/photosynthesis.swf
Grade 8
Photosynthesis is explained with animations that (1) show the cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide between plants and humans and (2) explain photosynthesis at an atomic level. A short but interesting quiz finishes the lesson.

Image: http://flickr.com/photos/dullhunk/2382303603/
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en