This website is dedicated to delivering a variety of virtual field trips. The trips are listed by content. Each trip contains objectives, concepts, and terms to know. There are lesson plans linked in the Teacher Resource section of the page, and extra information on the topic. The trips themselves are a lot like guided web quests. The websites that are used in the field trips show good variety. And standards are even provided! The trips include grade levels. Examples of topics include hurricanes, dinosaurs, deserts, natural wonders, dark ages, and American Presidency.
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Fun and energetic about energy, this site features Tinker Bell's energy saving commercials as just one of the highlights that lower grade students would find enjoyable. The site also features links to energy lesson plans, games and activities about energy conservation, and basic information about renewable energy resources of biomass, solar, wind, and geothermal energies. One of the more engaging features in the games and activities section of the site is "Roofus'Home." The features are clickable and linked to information about how that feature is energy efficient.
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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.”
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Use this visualization tool to zoom into areas around the world and view the topography and other statistics. Use the zoom tool in the bottom left to zoom in on a specific area. Double click the map to bring up a historical player that shows population growth in that area over time (1800's to present depending upon your area.) If your area does not zoom in completely or have statistics, try areas such as Los Angeles or New York City to see amazing changes. Type a city and state into the search box in order to choose a specific area. Change the contrast with the slider in the lower right hand corner to adjust the amount of the background that you want to see. You can also use your arrows tools (or scroll) to view the lines (not labeled) for the equator, lines of latitude, and lines of longitude. Note: The data takes some time to load. Make sure you are zoomed in enough to get the “Please wait” message, then be patient. While you are waiting, form your own hypothesis of what you will see!
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View one minute wonders to learn great facts about a variety of science and social studies topics. There were 13 topics at the time of this review. Learn about a Northern Oriole that can eat 17 caterpillars in a minute, music in the 16th century, or vehicles in the world. Videos are entertaining and sure to capture student attention. After viewing videos, click on quizzes to check understanding.
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Learn about tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, and earthquakes with this comprehensive site. View images, articles, and videos to learn more about how they form, the power they have, and the destruction they cause. View safety tips and helpful information. There are also links to interactive activities (such as “Spin Off your Own Hurricane”).
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Who is right when it comes to energy, its creation, and its use? Many of the issues are difficult to understand, and all sides are usually not heard. This site offers a great introductory animated presentation explaining many of the concepts and problems. Students hear the stories about industries, people affected, and the ways that our society contributes to energy problems. After sharing the initial presentation, scroll down the page to read and/or watch more about “Climate Refugees,” “Mining the Mountains,” “Debating Coal’s Future,” and several other topics. New topics are added frequently. And at the time of this review, this site was kept very up to date. Articles and resources offer different angles on energy issues. Look for articles that are all about the lives of all people, how energy works, energy issues of today, and the future of energy. The variety of topics at this site is great, as is the material. If you teach science, social studies, geography, or current events, don’t miss this site.
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Enjoy a virtual journey to the nature museum. Learn facts and see/do interactives about fossils, birds, mammals, and other topics. The gallery includes dinosaurs, volcanoes, insects, the continents and much more.
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Use this incredible resource to learn about volcanoes, their formation, and related information. Search Volcano Topics, Facts, and Photos among other resource links. There are links for Kids, Educators, Current Activity, and more. Find volcanoes on a world map, as well.
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Pick your subject for Keystage 3, roughly equivalent to grades 6-8 in the U.S. (English, Math, or Science anyone?) Find interactive activities and lessons in a variety of topics in each subject area. At the end of each lesson is a review that recaps the main points. In the English section you will find Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Shakespeare. The Math section features Numbers (basic arithmetic), Algebra, Handling Data, Measurement, Shapes, and Space. Science includes Organisms, Behavior, Health, Chemical and Material Behavior, Energy, Electricity, Force, The Universe, Environment, and Earth. Within each area there are interactives, tests, and review (referred to as revise at this site, created in the UK). There are also specific activities within each of the categories, educational "games," and message boards. Use of the message boards requires registration but it is not required to use the other materials.
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Looking to show math, science, and STEM in real life? Look no further! This site has real world applications in video form. The clips tend to be five minutes or less. Videos are arranged into topic areas such as architecture, sports and many others. Learn about bicycle design, wind sails, recycling, creating an advertising team, and MUCH more. It is a good collection of video clips focused on the real math and science behind jobs that people do in real life.
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Looking for great information on living green and saving the environment? Find great resources here on "Transforming Waste" and "Case Studies." Read posts from professionals in "Points of View." View videos in the "Resources" section. Look under "Classroom Tools" to view student resources by grade and teacher resources by grade, topic, and resources. Caution: the beginning of the site sometimes asks you to participate in a survey. You can hit the “no thanks” button to pass this section.
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“Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out” warns the quote at the start of this page. Bad Science is the site that debunks the "myths and legends" that are sadly distributed by the misinformed. It is a great site for checking understanding and pinpointing student misconceptions. Many popular ones are addressed in the links offered on this site. Learn about Bad Astronomy, Bad Chemistry, Mad Meteorology (including clouds, rain, greenhouses, and others), and the Pathetic Fallacy. The drawback to the site is that it can seem a little condescending but it may be a byproduct of the author's disgust with bad science.
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Weather's impact on the course of history sometimes goes unnoticed. A heat wave brings about public policy change; a hurricane alerts the public to the need for better planning and an improved safety net; a father of our country dies due to extreme weather. This collection of full episodes and shorter (2 minute) clips from the Weather Channel's regular series is ideal for use in the classroom to help students make connections between climate, geography, and history. The collection includes more obvious events such as Hurricane Katrina as well as numerous others: heat waves, George Washington, the Hindenburg, American colonial times, Nagasaki, D-Day, the Dust Bowl, smog, the Titanic, the Nome Serum Run and the green movement in the wake of tornado devastation. The video makes the events more real while the narration places then in context.
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This site offers instructions on how to create a worm farm. The materials are everyday items that are inexpensive. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. The project itself appeals to the "gross" factor that students love. Worms are easy to control and pose little threat in the classroom and observing them move through ground is entertaining for all.
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This site is filled with study tools to help students learn information in a variety of subject areas. Stacks of topics related to geography, history, math, languages, medical, tests (SAT, ACT, etc.), science and more are linked with collections of learning tools that include virtual study cards, matching games, word search puzzles, and hangman games. There really is something here for nearly all subject areas and grade levels! Students can select the tool that works best for them and work at their own pace until they are satisfied with their progress. If you can’t find a stack to fit your needs, you can edit existing lists or create customized study stacks. The site also allows you to print out study cards, or export flash cards to study them via cell phones, PDA, or iPod. Email the stacks to peers or connect with Study Stack through Facebook. Some of the activities require Java. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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Do you have trouble finding suitable sites to teach state history for YOUR state? This site includes more than 130 "ready to go" lesson plans organized by state. You can also view the collection by states, social studies standards, U.S. History standards, specific skills, time period, or topic. This resource was pulled together by the National Park service. The specific topics vary from America’s Space Program to Skagway: Gateway to the Klondike to Brown v. Board of Education to The Trail of Tears to Pearl Harbor to Lewis and Clark to the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and countless others. Check out what it highlights for your state.
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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.
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Search news articles about various topics such as "Agriculture," "Animals," "Chemistry and Materials," "Finding the Past," and many other topics. Featured articles and pictures can be found on the front page in a section titled "The Weekly Scoop" and "Science Snapshots." View other pages in the site including "Puzzle Zone," "Game Zone," "SciFi Zone," SciFair Zone," and "Lab Zone." Click on the "Teacher Zone" to access question sheets, resources, and websites for classroom use. Some ads run along the sides of this site.
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Ken Burns has been busy again, this time creating a film about the US National Parks. The film debuts on Public Broadcasting in September 2009; the site carries a clip film. In conjunction with the film's release, PBS stations and national parks across the US have planned activities. The site carries a calendar of events that you can customize by state to see what might be near you. To make the site more collaborative, you can submit a story and pictures about a visit to a national park which will become part of the resources available to others. There is an extensive bank of other web resources as well. Coming soon will be lesson plan packets available to teachers.
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