Free Resources for Science Teachers
Howard
Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) offers an interactive website for the
primary grades, Cool Science for Curious Kids, at http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience.
HHMI also offers BioInteractive, which provides virtual labs and other interactive
activities. Visit http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive.
Free
science fair projects can be found at the newly launched http://www.free-science-fair-projects.net,
which includes award-winning projects from students all over the world. Students
are also encouraged to enter the 2006 Virtual Science Fair Projects Contest;
for details, visit http://www.free-science-fair-projects.net/2006summersciencefaircontest.html.
The Wright
Center for Innovative Science Education at Tufts University offers
fellowship opportunities for teachers of elementary and high school science,
workshops for teachers and free posters and curriculum materials on request
by teachers. Some materials are available on-line for free download. Materials
range from Space Science and Cosmic Evolution to the Physics of Music and Ben
Franklin and Electrostatics. Visit http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center
to learn more.
Amazing
Space, an astronomy and space science education program,
uses Hubble Space Telescope's scientific findings to create free, online materials
designed for K–14 students and educators. For more information, visit
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu.
The SouthEast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEA-COOS) Virtual Waves Classroom, an online resource, offers free materials for learning about many aspects of waves. Available are a "Making Waves" poster, lesson plans, real-time data, and interactive models. For more information, see http://seacoos.org/Community%20and%20Classroom/WavesClassroom.
The Last
Journey of the Leatherback is a 27-minute film about the plight of
ancient sea turtles that features appearances by leading marine scientists.
The video is available free, along with a teacher kit, to teachers and educational
organizations. For more information, visit http://www.seaturtles.org/teachers.cfm.
Urban
Bird Studies is a set of free projects to study birds living in cities.
Students across the continent can participate through classrooms or on their
own to help scientists by counting birds and reporting their data. The projects
are simple and inquiry-based, each with easy-to-understand questions of interest
to the scientific community. Data submitted to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
are used for scientific and general-audience publications. All information is
provided on the website. In July, "Celebrate Urban Birds!" through
science, art, writing, and more. Free printed materials are available when you
sign up on the website. Visit http://www.urbanbirds.org
to learn more about Urban Bird Studies and Celebrate Urban Birds!
SENSORSCITY,
a NASA remote-sensing site, enables
students and teachers from anywhere toprogram the city’s elements themselves
and remotely receive information and data from the city. To learn more, visit
http://www.marshall.edu/LEGO/RTI-SENSORSCITYdoc.html.
Carolina E-Tips can deliver
customized electronic newsletters on life science, biotechnology, AP® Science,
physical science, STC® Update, and more to your desktop. Each newsletter includes
a feature article, classroom news and tips, lesson plans, product updates, and
other information. To sign up for one or more of Carolina's electronic newsletters,
go to http://www.carolina.com/newsletter/joinpart_1.htm.
Court TV has developed, in
cooperation with NSTA, two new online forensic science units. Download this
free standards-based curriculum supplement at
http://www.courttv.com/forensics_curriculum.
National
Science Digital Library (NSDL) is a digital library of exemplary resource
collections and services, organized in support of science education at all levels.
Starting with a partnership of NSDL-funded projects, NSDL is emerging as a center
of innovation in digital libraries as applied to education, and a community
center for groups focused on digital-library-enabled science education. Consult
http://www.nsdl.org for more information.
The Digital
Library for Earth Science Education (DLESE) focuses on Earth sciences. DLESE
lets users annotate some of the digital resources with tips, suggestions for
using the resources in addressing concerns like diversity, and other review-like
comments. Visit http://www.dlese.org for
more information.
Project
Oceanography is a live television program designed for middle school science
students. Each week during the school year, you can learn about various ocean
science topics right in your classroom. Programs are taught by real scientists
and feature a call-in question-and-answer session at the end of each lesson.
Tune in direct from the satellite; contact us about local cable channel access
and videotapes; or watch past programs right from the web at http://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/index.html.
Mad
Science offers a free teacher's resource package with each workshop purchased.
Enhance your science curriculum with a hands-on experience for students from
preschool to sixth grade. Visit http://www.madscience.org for more information.
Conservation
Central (National Zoo) is a habitat education program that explores the
temperate forest, home of the giant panda and black bear, through online activities.
See http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Education/ConservationCentral
for more information.
Bloodlines: Technology Hits Home
allows you to step into the lives of six people at the center of ethical
dilemmas and decide for yourself how to resolve difficult conflicts. You will
see how your opinions compare to those of others at the end of each case. Visit
http://www.pbs.org/bloodlines
to learn more.
The K–12
School Technology Buyer's Guide includes detailed company profiles
on more than 3,750 school technology vendors. Visit the K–12 School
Technology Buyer's Guide at http://www.eschoolnews.com/bg/index.php.
Pics4Learning
is a copyright-friendly image library for teachers and students. The Pics4Learning
collection consists of thousands of images that have been donated by students,
teachers, and amateur photographers. Unlike many internet sites, permission
has been granted for teachers and students to use all of the images donated
to the Pics4Learning collection. Formerly known as PhotoShare, a recipient
of the ComputerWorld Smithsonian Award, Pics4Learning is a partnership
between Orange County Public Schools Technology Development Unit of Orlando,
Florida, and Tech4Learning, Inc. Click http://www.pics4learning.com
for more information or to view images.
Partnership
for Learning produces The Tutoring and Academic Enrichment Guide. It lists
10 signs that can indicate to parents that their child needs a tutor, discusses
the different kinds of tutoring available, and provides four steps for finding
an excellent tutor. The guide also includes comparison charts, self-tests, cost
estimates and hands-on advice for saving money, suggestions for identifying
learning disabilities, tips on monitoring student progress, and a pullout guide
to finding a tutor. Click http://www.partnershipforlearning.org/files/TM-3922%20LrnGuid1st%20final.pdf
to download the guide.
Powerful Practices in Mathematics
& Sciences: Research-Based Strategies for Teaching and Learning
features in-class research conducted through the National Center for Improving
Student Learning and Achievement in Mathematics and Science at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. The research-based CD-ROMs present classroom episodes
that demonstrate the use of modeling, generalization, and justification to strengthen
students' learning and understanding of complex mathematics and science ideas.
Visit http://www.learningpt.org/msc
to order.
The National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), the International Society
for Technology in Education (ISTE), Apple Computer, and AT&T have joined
forces on a project designed to promote accomplished teaching with technology.
The Digital Edge Learning Interchange is an online library featuring
National Board Certified Teachers exhibiting exemplary teaching. Each exhibit
includes an introduction, lesson plan, video clips, student work samples, assessment
tools, resources, research, and teacher reflection. Click http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/deli
for more information.
Video
Placement Worldwide makes an ever-growing list of high-quality educational
videos and teaching materials available to educators and youth leaders. This
list is updated and changes as new programs are added or existing programs are
discontinued. Visit http://www.vpw.com
for more information.
TrackStar helps instructors organize and annotate websites for use in
lessons. The resource list remains visible, allowing the user to easily stay
on track. It is a searchable database of teacher-designed internet-rich lessons.
Visit http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/index.jsp
for more information.
RubiStar can help the teacher who wants to use rubrics but does not have
the time to develop them from scratch. While many teachers want to use rubrics
or are experimenting with writing them, they can be quite time-consuming to
develop. RubiStar provides generic rubrics that can simply be printed and used
for many typical projects and research assignments. RubiStar is unique because
it provides these generic rubrics in a format that can be customized: Teachers
can change almost all suggested text in the rubric to make it fit their own
projects. Consult http://rubistar.4teachers.org
for more information.
The 21st Century Skills MILE Guide was created by the Partnership for
21st-Century Skills to allow educators and administrators to measure the progress
of their schools in defining, teaching and assessing 21st-century skills. This
hands-on tool can help schools integrate 21st-century skills with basic skills
for a stronger, more effective curriculum that successfully prepares today’s
students for tomorrow’s workplace. Visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2004-06/P21_MILE_Guide.pdf
to download this guide.
iLoveSchools.com is a free matchmaking service—for education! Teachers
request materials and supplies, while school supporters search for a school
in need of their gifts of money, new or used goods, or other educational supplies.
Supporters can search by school name, location, requested item, or economic
profile to find the school most in need of donations. Supporters also can register
their favorite schools to receive instant notification of any requests made.
iLoveSchools.com supports any institution that educates children, including
preschools, home schools, and private schools, as well as more than 95,000 public
schools already in the database. Visit http://iLoveSchools.com for more information.
www.FetchBooks.Info
aims to provide the best shopping tools for book buyers. FetchBook.Info
is completely independent and contains no promotional material or ads. Because
it does not prefer any bookstore for any reason, it can be totally objective.
Every book price comparison is done in real time, checking dozens of bookstores.
You can use the service to find used books (used textbooks, used college books,
cookbooks) and new books in any subject. Its engine scans used bookstores, discount
bookstores, and any other online bookstore found on the site. The site is constantly
adding new bookstores to the scanning engine to ensure it locates the cheapest
books. Visit http://www.FetchBooks.Info to use the
service.