Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This website shows how the solar system rotates as time passes. Click "Visible" Solar System to start the simulation. Use the date and time controls to manipulate "time." You can also see the skies from the ground, view the sun in relation to the earth and other planets, and more. Students will marvel at the comet simulation and the comet and eclipse predictors. The website also features information on each separate planet and alternate historical views of the solar system, including the Copernican and the Jovian. The site requires JAVA. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

tag(s): earth (184), moon (73), planets (113), sun (71)

Students will love to see this! Start outside the Milky Way galaxy and zoom in through powers of ten until you see the smallest part of a proton in an atom on a leaf. The site further explains exponential notation (for older students). Although the content appears at first to be geared to older students, the Student Activities (lesson plans) are for elementary and middle school. Other pages on the site include "Optics Timeline," "Student Activities," "Teacher Resources," and "Tutorials." Tutorials require Java. Use the activities to explore photography, lenses and prisms, colors, shadows, crystals, and other topics. Activities explain how things work such as cameras, eyeglasses, and telescopes. The Teacher resources follow the student activities by providing an online activity guidebook.

tag(s): photography (130), space (222)

Leonardo da Vinci is one of history's greatest geniuses. This site looks at Leonardo's work in ways that highlight how comprehensive and interdisciplinary his impact has been. Of course, you can examine his individual works of art, but this site is organized along threads, which you can access through a traditional menu or through an interactive web. Follow Leonardo's influence in math, through his inventions, in his understanding of the human body or his examination of the natural world. There is an abundance of information to learn on this site, however, there are also some just-plain-fun flash-enabled games to play like making the Mona Lisa smile broadly by correctly answering questions about her, practice mirror writing, or see if you can power his glider across a ravine.

tag(s): renaissance (38)

Discover hundreds of resources for educators of students of all ages to support STEM curriculum at this site provided by NASA. Interactive games, activities, lessons, videos, facts, projects...the NASA list of resources is vast. Use the keyword search to find content by specific topic or select from the grade level bands to view resources. The content also includes the latest space station updates and opportunities for educators. Be sure to follow the link to NASA Wavelength to find the large database of lessons searchable by topic, grade level, instructional strategy, and type of resource. TeachersFirst lists many individual activities and lessons, but this well-designed teacher portal will give you access to even more. Explore this site for a wealth of information about NASA, space, math, and science in general. From history to the present, your students will grow in NASA knowledge as they interact with the site. All ages, from preschool to college, can find appropriate information at this site.

tag(s): moon (73), nasa (30), planets (113), robotics (24), space (222), STEM (297), sun (71)

Celebrate NASA's 50th anniversary with 50 historic images. Browse through the presentation to find spectacular pictures of planets, astronauts on the moon, and much more. Download images in full size, original quality, or other options. Each image includes a short description of the content. Select the link to the original 50th-anniversary site for additional but limited content, including a postcard gallery and the original 2008 Folklife Festival webpage.

tag(s): gravity (43), moon (73), nasa (30), solar system (110), space (222), STEM (297)

Have a high speed Internet connection? (Most schools do) Then you MUST visit these 3D virtual tours of beautiful sites all over the world with your students. Read the Welcome message on the home page for directions and details, then explore the current features and several years of archives for 3D virtual tours from major world capitals to true "experiences" such as Times Square and white water rafting. Even the tour of a Banyan tree will amaze you. Bring the world into your classroom for geography, landforms, world cultures, foreign language study, or literary settings. Be in the midst of festivals or atop the Sydney Bridge.

tag(s): images (263), landforms (39), virtual field trips (128)

This website truly has something for every science teacher. If you are teaching a new science topic or want to review an already introduced science concept - you must visit this website. This website provides free PowerPoint presentations on over 100+ science topics. There are presentations for grades K-5 and 6-12. If you do not have PowerPoint software, some of these presentations may not open, depending upon how the site-creators saved them. This site has heavy advertising at the top of the landing page. Scroll down to find the presentations.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): air (101), animals (294), matter (45), periodic table (44), plants (146), solar system (110), water (102)

This website provides numerous teacher-created PowerPoints. Some of the presentations are excellent, while others are just mediocre. The range of topics goes from astronomy, to history, to French and much, much more! There is something good here for every classroom. You MUST have PowerPoint software (not free) to be able to download and edit the shows.

This highly interactive website (created by the National Museum of Natural History) teaches students about the Earth. Topics include, "If Rocks Could Talk," "Plates on the Move," "Making Rocks," "Mysterious Planets," and more! There is also a link, "Stuff To Do" which provides activities to do away from the computer. Some of the interactive links require Flash, but there is a whole lot more to do and learn that doesn't.

tag(s): atmosphere (22), earth (184), rocks (35)

Teach about the earth and seasonal change as you solve a real mystery. This unique international "hide and seek" activity is interactive, easy to use, and free! The challenge begins the last week of January and continues throughout May. Each week, students are given a clue to try to locate a "Mystery Class" from somewhere around the world. All clues are seasonal and some include sunrise and sunset times. The site includes standards in science, math and geography. The site provides lesson plans, interactive activities, video clips and more. Registration is free for this 11-week adventure or you can use the resources at the website with no registration necessary. Flash is required for a very few of the activities, there is a lot of information to learn.

tag(s): data (151), seasons (37), sun (71), time (91), time zones (7)

Engineering Resources is a K-12 website that contains a multitude of information including lessons correlating to national and state standards. Search for activities and ideas by grade level and curriculum topic using the Search and Advanced Search buttons. Narrow choices provided in the curriculum section by filtering options to include lessons, activities, complete units, and more. Maker Challenges offer a variety of experiences for hands-on learning with topics including titles like A Doghouse Design Project and Create and Control a Popsicle Stick Finger Robot. Other site options allow you to search by educational standards and provide information and resources for teaching engineering to students in grades K-12.

tag(s): amazon (11), architecture (75), bridges (11), cells (82), density (17), engineering (129), environment (252), forces (37), friction (9), heart (27), human body (93), latitude (10), light (56), longitude (9), map skills (63), marine biology (31), mars (26), medicine (57), motion (47), pollution (52), robotics (24), rockets (11), simple machines (19), space (222), STEM (297)

Journey through space using the interactive "Journey to a Black Hole," complete with draggable tools and accompanying sound effects. You and your students will learn about the science of black holes through this tour, a comprehensive black hole encyclopedia, and many interactive questions and experiments about black holes.

tag(s): gravity (43), space (222)

Design a Spacecraft and learn what space engineers do using this virtual lab activity. There is teacher information and a three-part approach to the "mission." You do not need to do all the parts, however. The best spacecraft designs submitted will be displayed on the web site. Includes national standards. Works best with the Edge browser.

tag(s): engineering (129), nasa (30), space (222)

This information-packed site focuses on calendars through the ages. It includes sections on the astronomy of calendars (e.g. moon cycles), the history of calendars, differences among various international calendars, derivation of the names of the months, and loads of other trivia about calendars.

tag(s): calendars (37)

NASA's venerable shuttle is back at work, this time doing supply and repair work on the International Space Station. Consider this mission home page as a way to help introduce a new generation to the wonders, complexities, and scientific possibilities of space flight. Besides, space walks are just plain cool - so this is science in which your students will be interested!

tag(s): nasa (30), space (222)

What happens when you try to boil water in space? While it sounds trivial, the issue of working with liquids in zero-gravity environments has implications for space exploration and travel. It's just an idle question. This site explains the problems and what scientists are trying to do to manage it.

tag(s): gravity (43), space (222)

Choose from three different ways to "map the sky" at a specific location on earth with this interactive planetarium site. Select from sky map, horizon view, or virtual telescope (with custom setting available). Just enter the desired time, date, location (latitude and longitude), and viewpoint. A great site for "viewing" the constellations - in your part of the world or some distant venue - from your classroom.

tag(s): stars (71)

March 10, 2006 marked the successful arrival of the Reconnaissance Orbiter to Mars. This site provides current details and pictures of the craft and will chronicle its exploration of the Red Planet over the next six months. Check back frequently for updated images and videos of the Martian exploration.

tag(s): mars (26), solar system (110)

After seven years and nearly three billion miles of space travel, NASA's Stardust spacecraft returned to earth on January 15, 2006. It will be carrying dust samples from a comet. The samples are the oldest matter ever collected from space, dating to the origins of the universe. NASA's site offers background and information on the scientific significance of this mission. Though a few features may require Flash, there is still PLENTY of information to learn from or to research.

tag(s): nasa (30), solar system (110), space (222)

The launch of STS-114 marks the first space shuttle misson since the Columbia accident two years ago. This NASA site serves as home base for their multi-format coverage of the launch and flight, and there are loads of links from this page to content for various ages and interests. Though this page is no longer maintained, and a few features require Flash, there is still plenty to learn from this site about past space endeavors.

tag(s): nasa (30), space (222)