Elementary Biology
Updated: April 8, 2002
Acid Rain in Your Back Yard? - Grades 1-4 - This page from the Portland Aquarium shows young students how to check for evidence of acid rain in their own back yard. Nice introduction to environmental problems for elementary students.
Animals, Myths, and Legends - Grades 1-3 - A great assortment of legends that could be printed and discussed in the classroom. The "Playroom" link leads to printable coloring book pages and puzzles.
The Audubon Society - Grades 4-8 - The Audubon Society developed this informational web site. Several menu options are geared to students in grades 4-8.Teachers should visit the "Bird Conservation" link containing several online projects and "Ask an Audubon Expert" where students can email questions to a scientist. Both are great options for teachers new to Internet collaboration.
Audubon's E-Nature Resources - Grades 3-12 - The Audubon Society has created an elegant, responsive, information-packed site for students and adults interested in learning about habitats, species, and the environment. Don't miss this important new resource. Key starting points include:
Field Guides - On-line versions of the Audubon guides for birds, mammals, amphibians, and many more. Complete with photos, descriptions, and more.
Classroom Species Lists - A special section which lets teachers create a "classroom species list" so that students can add their own bird or animal sightings to the class list from any computer with web access.
Habitat Guides - Illustrated guides to a series of major habitats: arctic, desert, wetlands, eastern forests, shorelines, and more.
Animals of the Arctic - Grade K-6 - Science/art/interdisciplinary - Animals of the Arctic, a student-created site from Alaska, teaches elementary students about walruses and other arctic animals. Also included in the site are lesson plans for eight interdisciplinary science activities related to arctic animals: making blubber mittens, investigating owl pellets, and more. Thinkquest Junior Winner: second place, science and math, 1998.
BATS! - Grades 1-6 - This page offers an integrated curriculum on bats of all types. Themes include bats in sports, science, and art. The online bat quiz would be great to do online. The site is geared to both primary and upper elementary grades. The site could be used to do in-class research.
BatQuest - Grades 4-6 - This site is an online scavenger hunt all about bats. Students answer questions by going to sites listed on the page. The site is geared to upper elementary grades.
Bat Resources - Grades 1-3 - This site contains a list of web resources on bats listed in a question format. An example topic is, "What Kind of Foods Do They Eat?" The information contained in the links is geared to primary grades.
Bird Cam 2000 - Grades 2-8 - Eastman Kodak's office tower is the site for this web cam focused on a nest of peregrine falcons. Viewers can check the state of the nest from four different angles, and the site offers a chronology of this year's nesting. The quality of the enlarged images is surprisingly good. This one is worth several visits.
Bug Bios - Insects on the Web - Grades 4-12 - Here's a web site about insects that's as complete as it is visually appealing. The site provides insect classifications, information, and great images, all organized in a way that makes the site easy to use for students at various levels. If your curriculum includes insects, this site is well worth a visit.
The Case of the Disappearing Frogs - Grades 1-4 - This attractive site from the Portland Aquarium gives young students a chance to figure out why the frogs are disappearing. An interesting approach to teaching young students about environments and habitats.
DNA - An Instruction Manual - Grades 2-5 - This is a very simple explanation of the variety of ways in which DNA determines how living beings are "put together." The site is designed for student use, with lots of pictures and examples, and the structure helps keep young students from being overwhelmed by too much information.
The Electronic Zoo - Grades 4-8 - This site is a large list of animal-related links. Some of the links listed are not suited for the primary grades. This site could be used in a classroom for research on animal topics if the links had previously been selected. Most suitable for upper elementary and middle school students.
The Hummingbird Site - Grades 4-12 - This "all hummingbirds" site offers information, pictures, and links to third paty resources dealing with hummingbirds and their habitats. Lots of good information, and even more details on some of the sites to which this site links.
Innerbody - Grades 5-8 - This is a tutorial on the inner workings of two distinct "engines"- the human body and the automobile. It appears to be created by a graphics company. The tutorial uses humor, animation, graphics, and brief descriptions to educate students on anatomy.
Insects Hotlist - Grades 3-6 - This list from the Franklin Museum is a collection of insect-related links ranging from specific species, to facts and teacher resources. The site is suitable for grades 3-6. The " Insect Species" section would be useful to students creating reports, or comparing species. Using images at this site as examples, have students design their own insects.
Investigating Acid Rain - Grades 1-4 - This lesson from the Portland Aquarium offers young students a look at how acid rain is formed and how it affects the environment.
J.J.’s Adventure: A Baby Gray Whale’s Rescue and Release - Grade 4-8 - Your students will learn about Gray Whales and more in this interactive site created by students. The Note to the Teacher page gives specific, helpful advice on how to use both online games and quizzes and paper activities to reinforce new knowledge. A Links page will lead you to more about whales. Thinkquest Junior Winner Best of Contest.
Kinder Garden : An introduction to the many ways kids can interact with plants and the outdoors -- Tina Waliczak, Texas A & M University - Science/Outdoor Ed, Grades K-6 - This site explores the many ways to introduce kids to horticulture. It provides planting tips for kids and their parents and is easy for young readers to follow along. It details the greater good of respecting the outdoors and plant life with pictures of neighborhoods. It depicts gardening as a learning experience and hobby to cope with stresses of living in our world today! It also includes outstanding links to book lists and horticulture.
The Journey North - Grades 4-8 - Follow the migrations of birds, insects, and mammals as they head northward through South and North America. Our link takes you to current site news. Included are many different collaborative activities, classroom lesson plans, and a teacher discussion area. A great site for teachers new to Internet projects.Funded by the Annenberg Foundation.
The Mad Scientist Network - K-12 - This site has a lot of research available for viewing. The research is detailed and in plain text. There is also a tutorial of the human body that better explains the functions of organs and how they work together. A great research tool for biology students! Teachers of younger students will find material useful for background to their teaching. Nice animation, including a guided tour of the human body with key points outlined. From Washington University Medical School.
Nick and Sam’s Bird Page - Grade 3-8 - Science - Learn all about birds, birdwatching, bird feeders, birdseed, and more in this site. Use it to plan activities for feeder making, watching, making lists of birds seen, etc. Use then information to teach or have your students navigate the site themselves. Thinkquest Junior Winner: second place junior, interdisciplinary.
Polar Pairs - Grades 2-4 - The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History created this simple, concentration-style matching game that lets young students explore animals and their polar habitats. The site has links to simple explanations of how the various creatures live in their environment. Site requires a Java-cabable browser.
Pond Life Identification Kit - Grades 4-8 - What's that wiggling under the microscope? This site offers a guide to microscopic organisms living in fresh-water ponds, along with links to addtional information on each organism. In addition, there are links to similar collections of microscopic fauna for oceans and other ecosystems. Interesting photos; easy to use.
Reviled and Revered: Toads, Turtles, Snakes, Salamanders, and Other Creepers and Crawlers - Grades 3-8. Starts with an essay including an overview to help students better understand these creatures that are often misunderstood. This lesson also has a section titled "What you can do to help." Offers grade levels and educational standards. Five lessons and loads of resources with links. From the Smithsonian's lesson collections.
Roaches - Grades 1-4 - Wendell's Bug World - Roaches is part of the "Yuckiest Sites on the Internet" series. It would be enjoyed by primary grade students and uses "kid humor" to explain topics such as "the day in the life of a roach" or a roach's anatomy.
San Diego Zoo InternQuest - Grades 3-6 will enjoy the "Journals" section containing weekly entries by zoo interns. Students will also like the "Kids Corner." Classrooms with animals could use this site for ideas on journal writing.
The Sea - Grades 4-12 - This site, part of the larger Sea and Sky site, offers a collection of images and facts about the oceans and the creatures living in them, along with a set of Java animations. These animations are grouped by level of difficulty. Excellent image quality throughout.
Sea World Animal Facts - Grades 1-3 - This site includes animal facts and activities for the lower elementary grades. The link entitled "Educational Resources" leads to a list of facts and information on various animals suitable for printing.
Sharks! - Grades 2-6 - The National Geographic presents an introduction to sharks suitable for use by lower elementary students. The site helps dispel many of the myths about sharks and their behavior. The science, artwork, and design are all typical of the quality of National Geographic materials.
Snakes in Massachusetts - Grades 4-6 - This site, developed by the University of Massachusetts, provides facts and illustrations on snakes found only in that state. The graphics are well done, and the information is suited to students in grades 4-6. This site could be used in a research report, or serve as an example for making a web site on a species specific to a region.
Tarantulas! - Grades 4-12 - This site contains lots of images and detailed descriptions of these large, often furry arachnids. While it's not the sort of thing that everyone will love, there's lots of material for research papers, class presentations, and the like. This may be one case where viewing on the computer is better than seeing the real thing!
The Thinking Fountain - Grades 3-6 - Here's an extensive site devoted to students' explorations of mold! The Minnesota Science Museum collected student experiments, images, and reactions to their study of mold fungus. The images are suitably yucky, and the content could help a young experimenter become excited about his or her own exploration.
Tigers & Their Habitats - Grades 2-6 - National Geographic offers a cybertour showing how tigers live. The journey introduces efforts to save tiger habitats and explains why preserving tigers in artificial environments frequently fails. Artwork, design, and science are all of the quality you'd expect from National Geographic.
Virtual Botanical Garden - This "virtual" Missouri Botanical Garden web site is geared to grades 5-8. The "Education" link on the menu contains several online projects relating to the study of plants. The "Other Links" option includes Horticulture, Gardening, and Botany links that may assist students in their research.
WhaleNet is an interactive project sponsored by Wheelock College - Grades 3-6. Its goal is to encourage collaboration between classrooms and scientists. Options include monitoring sea animals, sharing whale-watching journals, and collaboration with scientists; also available in Spanish.
The Worm Site - Grades 2-4 - Another in the "Yuckiest Site on the Internet" series. The site includes Worms as Recyclers, Worm Body Parts, and a Worm Art Gallery. Site is kid-oriented and attention grabbing.
Zoobooks - Grades 2-4 - features a Virtual Zoo and Animal Directory . Game oriented, with a commercial slant. Could be used for an online activity such as a scavenger hunt.
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