Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This is a collection of interactive activities that teach mathematical concepts from algebra up through calculus, and well-written instructional modules that introduce scientific concepts, primarily in physics and life sciences from grades 3-12. Each module includes interactive elements that let students experiment with the topic concept. The presentation and subject matter are excellent for these high-interest interactives. A free acount gives you 20-40 free Gizmos, lesson materials, to teach with,

tag(s): earth (184), engineering (129), equations (119), forensics (12), life cycles (21), measurement (122), numbers (120), probability (99), scientific method (48), space (222)

This site contains links to many lesson plans and resources for teaching Earth Science. The top of the page links to different topics of Earth Science such as Astronomy, Earthquakes, Rocks and Minerals, and others. Within each category are links to interactive information. One excellent portion of the site may be easy to overlook so be sure to look on the left side of the page for Categories. Here you will find a wealth of information on diverse topics such as historical geography, world records, careers, teacher resources, and more. Within these links are news, videos, and popular items. Note: many of the links will take you to different websites so you will want to review before using with students.
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tag(s): earthquakes (46), erosion (15), fossils (41), hurricanes (32), maps (220), rocks (35), tsunamis (15), volcanoes (55), water (102), weather (160)

See fascinating questions contributed to Discovery by actual people. View the multimedia answers to understand the facts about to the question. Apply to become an expert to help answer questions. Select subject topics along the bottom to view questions. Warning: there are sexually related questions. You will want to preview before sharing in class. And you may also want to make this site a teacher-lead activity only.
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tag(s): questioning (36), sexuality (15)

Enjoy NASA's images of planets and spacecraft used in space exploration. This site is a great reference site for concise information about planets, and spacecraft. An online glossary contains space terms, and the origins of names for planets, moons, or spacecraft that are from Greek mythology, Latin, or famous people. Spacecraft information includes the assembly, lift off, and mission information. Spacecraft information comes in an audio format too. A CD is offered for sale from the National Space Science Data Center.

tag(s): earth (184), planets (113), solar system (110), space (222)

NASA offers a daily selection of pictures from its various space exploration on this site. Each day the image is explained by a professional astronomer.

tag(s): planets (113), space (222), stars (71)

Scroll down the page to find this resource in HTML 5 that will work on most devices. Demonstrate how the moon and sun appear to us on Earth using this clever application. View the main window to start the simulation and follow daylight and the movement of the Moon. Skip forward by minutes, hours, or days, or change the speed of the animation. The side window shows the phase of the moon present as it passes between the Sun and the Earth. Click angle, lunar landmark, or time tick marks to add more information for even greater understanding of moon phases. View the horizon diagram at the bottom to reveal how the Sun and Moon would move about the sky if one were standing on Earth.

tag(s): earth (184), moon (73), sun (71)

Find information about all of the oldest and latest NASA missions alphabetically or by topic at this site. Choose any link to go to the specific project page. Each page provides details about the mission including a mission overview and images.

tag(s): careers (156), nasa (30), space (222), STEM (297)

If you are looking for ideas to incorporate mathematical problem solving with fun, hands-on activities this site is for you! Well over 20 activities are offered covering Algebra, Trigonometry, Science/Physics, General Math, and Technology concepts. Choose a category, then select the activity and view all the materials offered. Titles include Color Sines, Right Triangle SAM, and Binary Signals. Each activity includes facilitator notes including 11 items from overview, setup, discussion questions, and troubleshooting. Most also include participant handouts in MS Word format and software needed for calculator programs.

tag(s): angles (52), critical thinking (127), electricity (61), light (56), logic (161), magnetism (36), stars (71)

Looking for an easy to use free jeopardy game? Look no further than this site. Download the application for free or create the activity to be played online. View and try activities already created online. If you like your project you can save it to a folder on your computer. There is a short video in the "How To" section that will walk you through the process of making, saving, and playing a Flash Jeopardy game. Those of you who have used the PowerPoint Jeopardy will find this flash version much less time consuming to create and to recreate new Jeopardy games.
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tag(s): grammar review (31), matching (8)

Looking for an excellent astronomy resource? Sloan Digital Sky Survey or SkyServer offers a wide-ranging telescope view and digital images. View stunning images or click, sit back, and enjoy the scrolling sky view. It really is out of this world. With tools such as navigate which allows you to zoom, and quick look which allows you to easily find specific objects in outer space, this is a time efficient site for the astronomically inclined. However, this site is more than just look and see. There are hands-on projects here, too.

tag(s): images (263), space (222), telescopes (11)

View real time celestial positions with this 3D interactive model of space. Move through space and change your orientation as you move through. Double click on a planet to visit it. Use the Panoramic and Geocentric views for a different perspective (find these in the tools along the left hand side of the screen.) Use the planets distance calculator to understand the actual distances between them. Move forward and back in time to view movements of planets and other objects.

tag(s): space (222)

The New York Science Teacher Movie Sheet page offers fast help for turning good movies into academic endeavors. How many times do we find a regular movie that we would like to use for science class but do not have the time to create a good guide or question sheet for it? This is a good solution. Movie sheets, all submitted by teachers, are searchable by subject content and a few are searchable by series. The guides are printable, and they make a great "in-a-pinch" solution.

tag(s): movies (54), worksheets (69)

eGFI Online Magazine is great nonfiction reading in science and math. It is completely portable as it is online. It can be shared to your Delicious or Diigo site or other social networking sites. Use this site to enhance cross curricular teaching and learning of reading and interpreting nonfiction text. Plus, this is current and exciting stuff to read for students who are even vaguely interested in science. There are also video links throughout the magazine connecting the text to different, relevant videos. There are lesson plans and activities for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Some of the recent entries (at the time of this review) included the topics of velocity, Earth Day, robots, sports physics,

tag(s): engineering (129), tornadoes (14), watersheds (8)

Become part of space exploration via The Planetary Society's activities, the place to go for space enthusiasts. The society's mission is "To inspire the people of Earth to explore other worlds, understand our own, and seek life elsewhere." Although the site is text-heavy, the society offers many ways to engage with the latest space news, images, and experiences related to space and space exploration. The various projects range from working with space images to following blogs and news of various space projects. The content is quite up to date and covers projects rarely reported in mainstream media. Click the dropdown Explore menu at the top to see featured projects and more. Check out the Multimedia drop down tab at the top for a Weekly Planetary Radio Trivia Contest. If Carl Sagan is one of the founders, you know the society is serious!

tag(s): inventors and inventions (80), nasa (30), planets (113), space (222)

Watch episodes from "The Universe." Be sure to check out the section of featured videos, photos, and interactives. Click the "Facts about the Universe" link to find fascinating information. Scroll down to the bottom to click on one of the planet icons to view more information. Be sure to click the link to download the series to iTunes.

tag(s): earth (184), mars (26), solar system (110), space (222), sun (71)

Find great pictures of NASA projects and missions with this Flickr group. View descriptions of the photos that are arranged in specific mission groupings. Read the notes that have been included that talk about the missions, people involved, and other facts. View the source material by following the given links. Hover over the pictures with your mouse to look for squares that pop up with additional information. Note that these images have no copyright restrictions since they are in the public domain!

tag(s): flight (34), images (263), nasa (30), space (222)

Physics To Go is an online, biweekly magazine with great ideas for physics related teaching, experiments, and pictures. The site is easy to navigate and is formatted much like a page out of a newspaper. Archives are accessible through issue and topic organization, subjects under browse, and are fully searchable within the site. Many additional links for more research are available. This could prove to be indispensable for the high school physical science and physics teachers.

tag(s): experiments (55), motion (47), photography (130)

Looking to excite your students about space and its possibilities for life? Want to push them to think beyond their own imaginations? Try having them listen to a radio program from SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). For the skeptics, the site is partially sponsored by NASA's Astrobiology division. However, this is not about teaching students that there is life or "aliens" out there, but rather to open their minds to some possibility thinking. Don't miss the "Archives" link where you find mind countless topics of interest.

tag(s): brain (56), cells (82), geology (62)

Find excellent videos about a variety of physics and astronomy topics with this great site. Choose a symbol and view the video that explains and depicts the meaning of the symbol. View a variety from total solar eclipse to pressure and vacuums to magnetic susceptibility. Videos are hosted on You Tube. Schools that have this resource blocked will need to ask for it to be unblocked to use in class. Click on planets to view great videos of each of those in our solar system. View information on scientists and the sixty symbols project by clicking on the tabs across the top.

Caution: Be sure to preview the videos before sharing them with your students. Our editors found one that included alcohol in the experiment, all others appeared appropriate.

tag(s): magnetism (36), motion (47)

Looking for great science animations? Find amazing interactives, key vocabulary, overviews, and even quizzes on a variety of science topics. Choose from categories such as "General Biology," "Biotechnology," "Statistics," "Chemistry," "Astronomy," and "Ecology" to name a few. View a variety of animations in each of these topics. Choose to view as a complete animation, step by step, and even with narration if desired. Be sure to link to the actual animation in your site, wiki, or blog to satisfy copyright.

tag(s): animation (64), atoms (43), cells (82), meiosis (8), mitosis (9), molecules (43)