Free Classroom Materials, Compliments of NSTA

Here are a number of free classroom resources available to you this Fall. Also, take a moment to read the NSTA Science Class Free for All issue published earlier this summer for elementary, middle, and high school teachers: elementary: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2004-06/member_elementary.htm; middle level: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2004-06/member_middle.htm; high school: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2004-06/member_high.htm

Ripley's Freaky Fridays is an online classroom companion program that junior high school science and technology teachers can use with their students. The program includes a guided discussion group at ePALS Classroom Exchange (http://www.epals.com); teachers must preregister to access the ePALS classroom. Live discussions, to be held in the Classroom Companion chatroom on ePALS every Friday from 1–2 PM Eastern Time (10–11 AM Pacific Time), will be led by award-winning science instructors, including NSTA members Marilyn Steneken, recipient of the 2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching, who teaches life science at Sparta Middle School in New Jersey, and Leslie Blanchard, who won the 2002 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching while teaching junior high school science in Iberville Parish, Louisiana. (Blanchard is now the technology facilitator for the Iberville Parish School District.)

Teachers can request a free subscription to unitedstreaming, an educational video-on-demand service proven to improve student achievement in math, science, and social studies. With award-winning video content providers such as the Discovery Channel, Weston Woods, and Sunburst, the service offers more than 22,000 video clips spanning all areas of the K–12 curricula. This free subscription (valid through June 30, 2005) is available to one school in every public school district that does not currently subscribe. Have your school district’s instructional technology coordinator sign up at http://vod.unitedstreaming.com. For more information, e-mail info@unitedstreaming.com, or call 800-261-9200.

The Annenberg/CPB Channel presents Essential Science for Teachers: Earth and Space Science Video Course, a free video professional development course designed to help K–6 teachers gain an understanding of some of the bedrock science concepts they need to teach today's standards-based curricula. Real-world examples, demonstrations, animations, still graphics, and interviews with scientists compose content segments that are intertwined with in-depth interviews with children that uncover their ideas about the topic at hand. Each program also features an elementary school teacher and his or her students exploring the topic using exemplary science curricula. The eight-part course will air on the Annenberg/CPB Channel beginning on September 15. Register now at http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/register_info.html, then download the free print support materials as directed.

The Back to School with Lewis & Clark program’s educational CD-ROM can connect students with the cultural, scientific, and historic legacy of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The National Council of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial will be distributing the CD-ROMs to educators across the country. Made possible by a $320,000 grant from the Qwest Foundation, the CD-ROMs include a curriculum for grades 4–12 designed under the guidance of Robert Archibald, president of the Missouri Historical Society, and a team of educators from St. Louis and Philadelphia. The curriculum allows teachers to easily incorporate the three- to six-lesson units into existing lesson plans and is linked to national social studies and science standards. For more information, visit http://www.BacktoSchoolwithLewisandClark.org.

The Department of Education is re-releasing No Child Left Behind: A Toolkit for Teachers, which was written to clarify for elementary, middle, and high school teachers what it means to be "highly qualified." Copies of the first edition ran out in record time; the demand has prompted the issuance of a second, revised edition. The publication is available online at http://www.ed.gov/teachers/nclbguide/nclb-teachers-toolkit.pdf. To request a free hard copy, complete the form at http://www.edpubs.org/webstore/content/search.asp.

With a membership in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Educator Associate program, K–12 educators will receive educational materials, financial resources, and classroom experiences to improve students’ scientific literacy and advance the arts and sciences of aerospace. AIAA maintains a clearinghouse of aerospace information for all levels, including videos and print materials. Apply for this free membership at http://www.aiaa.org/education/index.hfm?edu=18.

Flinn Scientific’s Student Teacher Survival Kit is for those preparing to become secondary school science teachers. The kit contains demonstration ideas, safety contracts, safety posters, coupons, and the Flinn Chemical & Biological Catalog/Reference Manual sampler. Acquire this and other free materials at http://www.flinnsci.com/Sections/Freebies/flinnFreebies.asp.

Laboratory design information from Flinn Scientific can be found at http://www.flinnsci.com/Sections/LabDesign/labDesign.asp. Resources include lab design articles, floor plans, a checklist, frequently asked questions, website links, and more. Teachers can request a lab design information packet online.

Get your copy of the DVD version of A Private Universe and Minds of Our Own, the award-winning video programs that explores answers to the question: How can students graduate from prestigious universities and not even know some of the most basic ideas in science taught in elementary school? This DVD is being distributed to science educators courtesy of the NASA-SAO Education Forum on the Structure and Evolution of the Universe. Send your name and address to Matt Schneps, Director, Science Media Group, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138; e-mail private.universe@cfa.harvard.edu.

New Physical Science and Engineering collections from WGBH’s Teachers Domain are located at http://www.teachersdomain.org. The site brings WGBH's programming and media material into K–12 classrooms. It provides teachers with new and archival video, primary documents, still photographs, interactive activities, and lesson plans with embedded media—all of which they can use to augment their existing curriculum. Resources are aligned with national and state standards. The launch of the new Physical Science and Engineering collections and a re-launch of the Life Science collection use a new back-end database design that allows resources to be referenced and shared across disciplines.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Federal Reserve have developed a lesson plan at the National Standards level to teach students about the features of the newly redesigned $50 note, which will be issued beginning on September 28, 2004.  It can be accessed on the http://www.moneyfactory.com/newmoney website, via the Youth Education section. If you have any questions, please contact Jill Nolton at 202-530-4730.

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