Planet Quest - NASA, Jet Propulsion Lab, Cal Tech Grades 7
to 12
View a time line of findings and explorations into other habitable planets in the universe. View understandings, pictures, quotes, and other materials available from 500 BC to the present. Use the arrows that appear on the screen to scroll backward and forward. Audio and auto play can be turned on and off along the bottom of the screen. Click on the dots below the time line to jump to discoveries, technology, or thought and culture throughout the time line. Click on "Show Key Milestones" to see a bar graph type image showing key points. 10382
In the Classroom: This site is perfect for an interactive whiteboard or projector. Learning support students and weaker readers will benefit from the audio option. Use the information here as a springboard for other discussions, blog posts, or displays about planets possibly like Earth. Identify how technology and science has changed over the years and the natural laws that were understood prior to the discoveries. Have cooperative learning groups explore a specific section of this site and create a multimedia presentation to share with the class. Challenge groups to narrate a photo (legally permissible) using a site such as Voicethread reviewed here.
Take your students on a trip to the SUN! Look at the Sun closeup from the safety of your computer screen. Observe phenomena such as solar flares and specula's. Watch IMAX movie clips of various aspects of the sun and the chemistry behind the giant fireball. Some of the video clips are from YouTube, so you may have trouble accessing them from school. 10347
In the Classroom: This site is definitely one for your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this in a unit on stars or astronomy. Use in the classroom when discussing various events related to seasons or astronomical events. Use a whiteboard and/or classroom projector to really generate size and awe about the Sun. Students can research characteristics of stars and the differences between the various types. Create multimedia or conventional displays that show size and characteristic comparison among them.
Watch Know - Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi Grades 0
to 12
What is Watch Know? Short for "You Watch, You Know," it provides explanations for students. Finding bits of information to help students can be frustrating as resources are disorganized on the web and may be hard to find.” Watch Know” is a free site that organizes small video clips to help with the understanding of a variety of topics in subject areas. Search by age (3-18+). You can click and drag the age filter to the youngest and oldest ages to include. Videos are also organized by sequence of topics taught. The site is an ongoing project with input from educators and organizations interested in education of children. Registration is not required to view the videos. Creating and saving videos to the site, as well as commenting, require registration. You can monitor site recent changes and additions using the “Change Log.” 10384
In the Classroom: Search for videos relevant to your upcoming units or share the link with older students to search on their own. Use clips as engaging openings to units or as a review at the end. Have students identify the main points in the video and relate it back to class information. Students can use the examples on the site to create their own videos about a topic they have studied that could be beneficial to others.
If you do join the site to submit videos (for more adventurous technology users), we recommend uploading, commenting, and participating in the project (the creation and growth of WatchKnow) as a whole-class collaborative activity. If your students create videos, critique them locally before submitting them to the site as the “bests” from your class.
Looking for a way to introduce inquiry into your science classes? Use case studies to introduce relevant and real-life problems that require students to question and search for information that sheds light on the answer to the questions. Each case study is an interrupted one. Each case study is divided into sections with guiding questions to help ask questions and find pertinent information. Example case studies include: "Driving Can Be Dangerous To Your Health" or "Sweet Indigestion: A Directed Case Study on Carbohydrates." The general topics of the cases include everything from Anatomy & Physiology to Geology to Psychology (and about 20+ other topics). 10313
In the Classroom: Use a case study to introduce a unit and set the tone for what will be learned. As students ask questions, use them to introduce or make sense of the content. For example, the "Sweet Indigestion" case study introduces a type of diet and raises questions about the role of different biomolecules in the structure and functioning of the body. Investigate fuel for body cells, respiration, nutrition, foods around the world, and even cultures and customs. Have access to experts in related fields? Use skype or other technologies to connect students with the outside world. Learn more about skype (reviewed here).
TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for ANY technology user who can "draw" with computer drawing tools. With no registration or email required, you can use this site to "draw" on and label any map available through Google Maps, including maps of the night sky! Create a colorful and personalized map with added scribbles and labels. Your drawing or "Scribble Map" is then available for you to share by URL, email to a friend or teacher, or print (but think of the trees first). Slightly more savvy users can download, save as a kml file (readable in Google Maps or Google Earth), or even embed the map in another site. The tools include sharing the map on Facebook and Twitter, as well. Slightly more savvy users who know how to find the URL for an image on the web can add images to the maps, as well. Drawing tools include lines, circles, place pointers, text labels, and color/size/transparency controls for all tools. This site is not affiliated with Google Maps, but it does include Google Ads on the right side and all the normal controls of Google maps, including satellite, map, terrain, hybrid views and Night Sky. See a sample Scribble Map created by the TeachersFirst editors (drag the map with your mouse!):
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: Users need to have some basic familiarity with computer drawing tools and Google Maps. If you wish to include images in a map annotation, you need to know how to obtain the image URL from an image you wish to pull in from anywhere on the web. If you wish to embed the finished map in your web site, wiki, or blog, you must know how to copy/paste the embed code using that option from the Menu and paste it into your site.
Getting started: Explore the tools and MENU options at the top left when you start out. Try the different Maps views (lower right) and zoom controls. Search for a starter location using the search at the top left, just below the tools. There is no help available, but it is easy to do basic maps. Share, save, etc. by clicking Menu (top left). When you first save a map, it will ask you to create a password for that map to use to edit it later. Note that if you SAVE a map and share it by URL, those accessing it will be able to use the tools and change the map. If you want them to see it without changing it, you will need to embed it in a blog, wiki, or other web site. Students and teachers will want to keep a written record or map URLS and passwords for future reference. When you click to SAVE a map, the site gives you the direct URL for that map. Highlight it and control (on Mac: Command)+C to COPY it and then paste it into a document or electronic note so you do not "lose" it. Model this for students so they do not lose hours of work! Our editors discovered that the map ID can be changed and customized by simply typing in your own choice of ID when you are saving the map. You can also email the map URL to yourself and others. Students who create maps for an assignment can "turn them in" by emailing the URLs directly from this site to the teacher! All they need to do is type in a quick message identifying whose work it is. Teachers can prepare partially-made maps or maps for students to make corrections and changes by giving the students the URL, then having them SAVE the map with a NEW ID. To SAVE the map with a new name and URL, click "Save map" in the menu, then enter your OWN map ID. Students could use a code including their initials, such as SJ12-3-09 for a map made by Sally Jones on Dec 3, 2009. Teachers should PASSWORD their originals so changes can only be saved under a new name. Similarly, if a student saves the map with a map password, they don't have to worry about other students vandalizing their work. But they DO need to remember the password! Wise teachers will keep a class list of maps and passwords for forgetful students! A note from the TF editors; it took us a few moments to figure out that place pointers can be edited by selecting them (arrow tool), then clicking the small pencil!
Safety/Security Concerns: The site collects no information about users and no email address or membership. It does include advertising on the right side, but it you click the "delist" box when first saving a map, ads seems to disappear from that map except for an ad to use Google Adwords. All maps created are public BUT are only accessible if others KNOW the URL. Since this tool shares no "popular" or "latest" maps created by the general public, it is far safer than many user-tools on the web today. Before having students create their own maps on the web, check school policies and obtain written permission from parents. Be sure students do not include digital pictures or information that could identify them from their maps. Since images must come from other web pages, students will not be able to upload an image to include in their map. Using images by URL avoids the problems of copyright, however. Just be sure to teach your students the best practice of giving a credit to the image source in the text of their placemarker of other map annotation.
Possible Uses: in primary grades, make maps of your local community together on your interactive whiteboard as you teach basic map skills. Create your own "key" with symbols you choose for playgrounds, etc. Have students help map locations of favorite playgrounds, grandparents' houses, stores, etc. as they gain basic understanding of map skills. Make sure you allow students to operate the tools! Save the map and share it as a link from your class web site (or embed it there). Keep names generic so it is "safe." Other ideas: natural resource maps, immigration maps, maps of civil war battles day by day, maps of key sites in the life of a famous person, artist, or author. Maps of the settings in a novel, landform maps of a continent or state, "My life" maps of places important to an elementary student's family, annotated watershed maps of pollution sources, maps of the water cycle, maps of constellations in the night sky created by students to demonstrate understanding, maps of a dream community to be built in a vacant area (desert), including the water sources, etc. that will be needed, maps of a redesigned city/town on top of its current map. Teachers can provide map challenges or templates to be completed or corrected, including maps where students must label distances and cardinal directions between points (using map scale and skills). Or provide a teacher-created map with labels in the wrong places for students to correct the landforms, resources, etc. What will YOU do with Scribble Maps?
Looking for different types of calculators? Find them on this interesting site. Choose a button on the calculator corresponding to the subject. Examples of subjects include Medicine, Algebra, Weather, Phonics, Financial, HVAC, Engineering, Weather, and Rocketry to name a few. After the subject is chosen, click on a formula to enter values. Some of the topics offer reference information, not calculations. This is definitely an interesting site to peruse. 10314
In the Classroom: There are many different calculators for students to explore as ways to apply math in real world situations. For example, choose weather and then wind chill. Enter the information and wind chill will be calculated. Enter the information, view the calculated answer, and then have students determine how it is actually calculated. This site is a great find for gifted students to use to further investigate specific topics beyond your “regular” classroom content. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students work with a partner to explore various “buttons” on this interactive calculator. Have the groups create multimedia presentations to share their findings or demonstrate them on the whiteboard as advertisements or infomercials! Have students create online posters on paper or do it together as a class using a tool such as Project Poster (reviewed here or PicLits (reviewed here.
Asteroid Watch - Jet Propulsion Laboratory Grades 3
to 12
Learn about asteroids found in space. Read about background, the recent asteroids close to Earth, and where to view them when viewing the night sky. View news, images, and video of asteroids. Most of the video clips and other interactive have links for Kids and Education offering more sites to explore and classroom ideas. 10311
In the Classroom: The video clips are great for an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use them as a jumping off point for a new topic, to review material, or for class discussion. Many students have questions about asteroids. Learn along with students about the different asteroids that can be found in the night sky. Compare and contrast asteroids with the many other bodies that occur in space. Be sure to visit the Educators link (found from most of the video clips) to find other ideas to use with your class.
What would it be like to visit Mars? Find out with this interactive website that simulates a rover and base camp. Learn about the hostile environment of Mars through the exploration of the simulations. Looking for Mars facts? Click on the button to learn important information. Scrolling your mouse around the interactive screen offers countless pop-ups with more information. Some specific topics include “Mars Base Layout,” “Stairs to Upper Level,” “Personal Hygiene,” and several others. 10226
In the Classroom: This site is ideal for an interactive whiteboard or projector. If individual computers are available, have students work with a partner to explore Mars! After students have time to look through the simulations, provide time for them to create journal entries about what they would do or see if they lived there. Create traditional or multimedia displays to show life on Mars. Use artistic materials to simulate Martian soil or rocks. Why not create a class wiki about the site. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries – check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here. Have cooperative learning groups create online books (with permissible photos) using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here.
Play interesting word, math, and other games with this free site. Specific topics include “Strategy Games and Quests,” “Problems and Brainteasers,” “Zero Gravity,” “Entrapment,” “Junior Edition Games,” and several others.
Membership is not required though members receive additional benefits. Find an interesting activity to try. On its page, click to play the game, read the directions for play, bookmark the specific game, or generate a link for embedding in a website, wiki, or blog. Printable game worksheets that can be customized can also be found on this site. Note: Ads appear along the side and students should be cautioned in clicking on these ads. Teachers should decide whether you are willing tolerate the extensive ads in light of the high-value site content. 10103
In the Classroom: Use these activities for problem solving drills and interest in words or numbers. Many of the activities could also be used for science class, research, or math extension activities. These interactives can be used for review that is both educational and engaging. Save this site in your favorites, as it is useful in many subject areas. Share this link with your students on your class website or wiki.
Looking for simple ways to showcase simple math and science concepts? No money for classroom materials? Look no further. Use these simple instructions for making educational toys using everyday materials. Each toy easily demonstrates concepts that are basic for understanding processes of science. View an unbelievable amount of toys under the following categories: "Amazing Astronomy," "Pumps from the Dump," "Math Magic," "Paper Fun," Tipping Toppling Toys," Motor and Generator," "Electricity and Magnetism," "Newton Unplugged," "Fun with Pressure," "Fun with Light," "Toys from Trash," "Simple Sounds," "Strong Structures," "Flying Toys," "Force Fun," "Spinning Toys," and others. View annotated photos of the construction process or download detailed instructions. This site requires adobe Acrobat. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10135
In the Classroom: Share this site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Use the simple directions and pictures for students to make their own manipulatives. After creating and observing, students can share their observations and the math and science processes can be uncovered. Use these to uncover misconceptions and dispel myths that undermine understanding of processes. Group students to choose one manipulative and present the concept to the class. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create their own “Toy From Trash.” Have the groups create videos to share their “toys” and instructions. Share the video clips using a site such as Teachers.TV reviewed here.
This visually exciting site offers both background information on the planets and a unique way for students to remember the order of the planets. To play the game, students hit the letter key that corresponds to the beginning letter of the planet name whenever the planet, rotating around the sun, hits the "hot zone." The music, flashing lights, planetary movement, and other effects make this activity extremely engaging. Students will love the excitement of this game so much they will not even know they are learning something! This site is up to date (Pluto is not included). Gustav Holst’s famous composition, The Planets serves as the musical accompaniment! The site has some minor advertisements. 10144
In the Classroom: Share HOW to use this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students try out the site on individual computers. Make sure you provide headsets! Be sure to list this site on your class website, blog, or wiki for students to use as a review for their study of planet names, solar system planet order, and speed of rotation. Music teachers can use this site as an example of musical description as students explore the planets. Be sure to turn up the speakers!
Relive the Apollo 11 moon mission in rich multimedia format. Follow the mission in "real time" exactly 40 years later, including all transmissions. For those who are not old enough to remember the 1969 mission, the real experience is powerful. For those who do remember, this site can spark personal commentary and oral history of the historic days during the summer of 1969. Offered by the John F. Kennedy library, this re-enactment started in 40-year-old "real time in July, 2009, but can be accessed and experienced in all or in part at any time after its "conclusion" on July 20, 2009. This is the ultimate "primary source"! 10146
In the Classroom: Bring your class into the space exploration era on a projector or interactive whiteboard (be sure to turn on speakers!). Include this experience as part of a unit on the 1960s, a science study and comparison of technologies since the 1960s, or as part of a unit about the moon. Allow students to explore and navigate the site on their own, then write a "blog post" as an astronaut or a NASA worker in 1969. "Follow" the mission in real time over a period of several days, letting it run on your classroom computer, and assigning different students to report on the day's events. Explore some of the actual flight data in physics class as a practical application of some of Newton's laws. Use this site as a spark for students to collect oral histories on this and other events of the 1960s, using media resources as prompts to talk with family and friends about their recollections.
Download free shareware games to encourage thinking and practice identifying geometric shapes. Many of the downloads are games, while others provide opportunities to view computer art and find the hidden geometry or for students to create their own! There are also activities connecting math to physics and astronomy.
Be sure to check with your technology department about the ability to download these applications to school computers. Many districts have restrictions on the ability to download. Click on each game icon to read a description of the games included and some uses. Games are Mac and Windows compatible. Read their FAQ link with each set of games for the most asked questions about the shareware. Once downloaded, to “stop” a program, click Esc. If you are not allowed to install software on your own, share these powerful games with your math or art supervisors so they can advocate for you with the tech folks.
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In the Classroom: Use many of the images as an introductory inquiry activity to get students thinking about shapes and space. In art class, use the tiling activity and others on a projector before having student create their own on paper. Share the activities on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Provide images to groups to explore and identify the underlying math concepts present in the artwork. Provide an opportunity for some groups to create their own work with a geometric shape that they are investigating. Follow up with student projects of the geometric shape or photographs of geometric shapes in nature and man-made structures.
Watch, Learn, Research, Teach. Got your attention? View the statement, "Together We Learn" to understand the underlying purpose. This free beta site uses video that starts with many of the wonderful TED talks videos. “Nibs” provide the opportunity to view the best videos out there that are worthy of a learning adventure. Playlist subjects include architecture, the brain, business, chemistry, civics, computers and the web, cool stuff, design, education, Egypt, math, music, physics, sociology, sustainability, and several others.
As the site grows, others will have the opportunity to add videos to the growing timeline. At this point, there is only a select group of educators adding content (see the main page of any topic for more information). See the purpose of creating a smarter way to learn. Videos are "nibbed" (linked) to content on Wikipedia, as well as to equally worthy video that increases our knowledge and makes the experience smarter! The community is tightly controlled so only appropriate videos and resources are included. Clicking on a video link provides a biography or background information from Wikipedia, related information (nibs), and other videos. This site requires FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9771
In the Classroom: Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Search through the content to find topics relevant to your class. Allow students to use this site for research projects. Use Nibipedia to create smarter searches with purely relevant content. Use Nibipedia to find quality resources that links you to other quality resources. Learn and share information found in Nibipedia for use in class or by individual students. You may even want to list this site on your class wiki, blog, or website for students to access at home.
Eclipse/Space - Vocabulary University Grades 5
to 12
Come to this site to learn more about space! This site features several interactive puzzles, a word bank of about 30 vocabulary words, an "alphalary" of solar system terms, and more. Many of the activities are able to be printed FREE of charge. This site does have some basic advertisements. 9892
In the Classroom: Use this site to enhance your astronomy lessons. The word bank could easily be used as vocabulary words for students to research on their own. Share the word puzzles on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students attempt to create their own word puzzles about an astronomy topic that your class is studying. Use an online puzzle creation tool such as Just Crosswords reviewed here or Puzzlemaker, reviewed here.
Think you know about the motion of the planets? Use this simulation to show the movements of Earth, Venus, Sun, or other planets. Create trails of the orbits to look at motion. View retrograde motion and movement of other planets from using a different planet as the "center." Controls on the left change the scale, speed, and brightness as well as other viewing controls. Click on "Introductory Tour" to learn the controls and what they do.
Be advised: Pluto appears to be included as a planet at this site. How long do you think it will take for your students to notice? This site requires Flash. Get it here. 9994
In the Classroom: Introduce this site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students go through the screens that provide information along with the movement of the planets. Students can devise their own explanation of retrograde motion and observe and describe the motion of other orbits from a different planets viewpoint. After viewing the interactive, have students create their own multimedia presentation about the planets, retrograde motion, or another astronomy topic.
This site offers a collection of activities to explore the planets and solar system. They were developed by K-12 teachers in Hawaii as part of a summer continuing education program. While there are a number of attractive units here, the lack of specified grade levels will require that you sample for yourself before determining whether any of these items might be useful in your science class. Still, if the planets are the topic, this collection is worth a look 567
TeachersFirst Edge Review: for those who are allowed to download and install free software. Use this free application to create accurate 3D models of the solar system. Show the planets and orbits as well as the sun and the moon. View detailed information of the physical and chemical make-up of the planets, the energy of the sun, and details of solar eclipse. View all images in great color. Change orbit views or tilt and rotate orbits to other angles. Speed up or slow down the movement of the solar system. Application download is for Windows PC only and appears NOT to work with Vista.
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In the Classroom: Skills needed: Moderate technology skills. Users will need the skills of downloading and finding and managing applications. The software is easy to use and has a wonderful interface for finding great information about the planets.
Safety/security: The only safety concern is whether your school’s policy allows you to install this free software. If not, try approaching an administrator or department head to show them the descriptions and request installation at least on you teacher computer for sharing on projector and/or whiteboard.
Classroom use: Use this free model to understand the physics of the universe or learn astronomy. Use as a science fair project, to ask questions or find answers, and to create material for presentation online or in class. Share the model on your interactive whiteboard or projector.
Learn firsthand from experts and specialists at NASA! Join free and interactive video-conferencing events or view podcasts for use in classrooms. Use the "Event Catalog" to find events for specific grade levels, science subjects, or topics. View the event's focus and description as well as downloading Adobe pdf files of introductory activities and complete educator guides for different grade levels. A variety of webcasts are available. For example, in 2009, NASA's offerings include "Exploring Other Worlds," "The Earth System," and "Global Warming, Causes and Consequences." Educators must create a login and register for events. Access to video conferencing hardware is necessary for the live video-conferencing events. Download applications needed for viewing the webcasts from the "Tools and Plug Ins" page. The tools are also available at the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 9821
In the Classroom: Educators can view professional development webcasts from NASA's education experts. Download the pdf documents for use in class, and introduce concepts for students and formulate questions in class. Use several students to record fine points of the lectures, collect the most requested questions prior to the video-conference, and begin discussions following the event either in class or using web 2.0 tools such as a blog or a wiki. In lower grades, use the webcasts to introduce science concepts visually on a projector or interactive whiteboard.
View slideshow pictures of science topics with captions. Looking for more information? Links on each slideshow page lead to related articles on the topic. Categories of slideshows include: Health, Space, Technology, Environment, Energy, Physics, Math, and History of Science, among others. New slideshows are added frequently. Some of the newer additions (at the time of this review) included “Was Einstein Wrong?: A Quantum Threat to Special Relativity,” “Anatomy Lessons Through The Ages,” “150 Years Ago: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution,” “How Meat Contributes to Global Warming,” and many others. You can search by category on the right side of the site. 9814
In the Classroom: Use these beautiful images without copyright worries by accessing this site live in class. Make science come alive visually as an activator or anticipatory set to your lessons. With younger students, share simply the pictures! Share the relevant slideshows on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Follow the slideshows with reading of related articles and topics. Challenge students to reflect and discuss as groups or individually in a blog post or conventional writing assignment. Relate material in the slideshow or articles to other material discussed in class or in the current news headlines. Assign one student a week to share a “science in our world” two-minute synopsis of his/her slideshow choice on interactive whiteboard to highlight the use and excitement of real science in the world today, sort of “current events” for science class.
View a time line of findings and explorations into other habitable planets in the universe. View understandings, pictures, quotes, and other materials available from 500 BC to the present. Use the arrows that appear on the screen to scroll backward and forward. Audio and auto play can be turned on and off along the bottom of the screen. Click on the dots below the time line to jump to discoveries, technology, or thought and culture throughout the time line. Click on "Show Key Milestones" to see a bar graph type image showing key points.
Take your students on a trip to the SUN! Look at the Sun closeup from the safety of your computer screen. Observe phenomena such as solar flares and specula's. Watch IMAX movie clips of various aspects of the sun and the chemistry behind the giant fireball. Some of the video clips are from YouTube, so you may have trouble accessing them from school. 
Looking for simple ways to showcase simple math and science concepts? No money for classroom materials? Look no further. Use these simple instructions for making educational toys using everyday materials. Each toy easily demonstrates concepts that are basic for understanding processes of science. View an unbelievable amount of toys under the following categories: "Amazing Astronomy," "Pumps from the Dump," "Math Magic," "Paper Fun," Tipping Toppling Toys," Motor and Generator," "Electricity and Magnetism," "Newton Unplugged," "Fun with Pressure," "Fun with Light," "Toys from Trash," "Simple Sounds," "Strong Structures," "Flying Toys," "Force Fun," "Spinning Toys," and others. View annotated photos of the construction process or download detailed instructions. This site requires adobe Acrobat. Get it from the 
This site offers a collection of activities to explore the planets and solar system. They were developed by K-12 teachers in Hawaii as part of a summer continuing education program. While there are a number of attractive units here, the lack of specified grade levels will require that you sample for yourself before determining whether any of these items might be useful in your science class. Still, if the planets are the topic, this collection is worth a look
