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National Invasive Species Information Center - United States Department of Agriculture
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): animals (294), bacteria (22), conservation (102), ecosystems (83), plants (146), population (51)
In the Classroom
Be sure to place this link on your school website for access by students. When discussing invasive species, consider a project for reporting on individual invasive species with students using the information found here to choose one to create a report or multimedia product using one of the many tools featured on TeachersFirst Edge.What Tree Is It? - Ohio Public Library Information Network
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Stumped at the naming and identification of trees? This easy to use resource is a great one for students who tend to be confused with conventional dichotomous keys. Find samples of these trees on your school campus, community, or elsewhere. Use this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector as a class to demonstrate how to use a dichotomous key and explain how features of a leaf are much like our features (different and useful for identifying). Use the samples to work as lab groups to identify the name of the tree and report about tree uses. Be sure to discuss the importance of tree variety in the environment for all living things. Research the animals that call each of these trees their home or depend upon them for food or shelter. Consider clever projects about the trees. Create a wanted poster for your tree including uses of the tree by humans or other animals. For example, the Butternut Tree would read: "Wanted for imitating the Black Walnut. Last seen in ravines and stream bottoms. Reward of the Butternut's sweet flavored and oily nuts offered by squirrels." Encourage critical thinking of students by bringing a variety of leaves (attached to twigs). Students work as a class to create the characteristics to help identify them, focusing on only two choices at one time. Test their identification key with a leaf not encountered yet.Groundwater Adventurers - National Groundwater Association
Grades
K to 12tag(s): conservation (102), ecology (103), natural resources (37), pollution (52), water (102), water cycle (22)
In the Classroom
Use the many experiments with your students to understand the importance of water, its use, where it is found on Earth, and problems associated with water resources. Experiments are divided by grade into Pee Wee Adventurers, Junior Adventurers, and Senior Adventurers. Use the Edible Earth parfaits with primary grades to identify water resources. Discuss how we use water and how water is necessary for life. For high school students, the Hydrogeology Experiment on Surface Water is a wonderful experiment in observing water runoff of various surfaces. Use these as inquiry activities before discussing fully in class, drawing on what students observe from the activity as you discuss the important content about water resources. Be sure to connect student understanding about the water cycle to material learned on this site. Identify how water is wasted in the home and at school. Create pledges for students and their families to conserve water resources. In the middle grades, create an Aquifer in a Cup. Create an action campaign, pairing a fact about water learned from the site and a specific recommendation to students and their families that can help reduce water use and pollution. Create posters or announcements that increase the knowledge of the student body. Have students create online posters using Poster My Wall, reviewed here.American Rivers: Rivers Connect Us - American Rivers
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): pollution (52), rivers (16), water (102), watersheds (8)
In the Classroom
Waterways are an important resource for wildlife, the economy, and recreation. Find great information about their usefulness on this site when discussing waterways with your class. Compare the various regions in terms of waterway use, conservation issues, and wildlife. Use a tool like Calemeo, reviewed here, and this site to create a recreation pamphlet outlining the highlights of different waterways. Bring a local water expert into the class to talk about water resources. Find inspiration for helping a local waterway. This would be a great activity for an ambitious class, environmental club, gifted students, or those looking for community service. Join in the undertakings of this site or find a local group to take action.Antarctica: The Frozen Continent of the South Pole - Enchanted Learning
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (294), antarctica (30), continents (33), dinosaurs (43)
In the Classroom
Provide this link to students on your class page. Provide time to view various pages of the site to gather general information to discuss as a class. Be sure to share the view from space and the map/geography on an interactive whiteboard or projector to the whole class. Identify the various Antarctic visitors (both human and other animals that come and go). Students can write a letter home and pretend to be one of the many visitors using information from this site in their creation. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students replace paper and pen by creating blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using Edublog, reviewed here.Evolution - WGBH/NOVA Science Unit and Clear Blue Sky Productions
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): animals (294), evolution (89), fossils (41), geologic time (12), plants (146)
In the Classroom
Provide this link on your class page for students to access. Provide time in class for students to view specific links as groups and report their findings in a class discussion. Be sure to check out the case studies found in the For Teachers section for great advice on teaching evolution to students and overcoming misconceptions and misunderstandings. Use the activities in the downloadable Teacher's Guide. Rather than debate evolution, encourage students to identify the misconceptions of evolution and identify the scientific evidence against these misconceptions. To help students, discuss the reasons why understanding evolution is important.Water Use It Wisely - Park & Co
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): conservation (102), natural resources (37), water (102)
In the Classroom
Use the information from this site for inspiration in the creation of digital or conventional posters for water conservation. Create a campaign for increasing water conservation in school and at home. Survey the school community on their water usage using a tool such as SurveyRock, reviewed here. Calculate the amount of water saved as a Math activity. Use this site on a computer during learning centers when studying other environmental issues.ABC Splash - ABC TV and Radio Australia
Grades
K to 10tag(s): addition (129), animals (294), antarctica (30), atmosphere (22), australia (28), cells (82), climate change (99), continents (33), counting (60), decimals (85), division (98), earth (184), earthquakes (46), ecosystems (83), egypt (56), energy (133), environment (252), food chains (19), forces (37), forensics (12), fossil fuels (10), game based learning (205), gold rush (15), human body (93), immigration (68), insects (68), light (56), maps (220), molecules (43), money (113), multiplication (122), nuclear energy (20), nutrition (140), oceans (149), parts of speech (39), percent (59), perimeter (20), place value (34), plants (146), probability (99), rhymes (22), rocks (35), songs (46), sound (72), subtraction (110), time (91), vietnam (38), volcanoes (55), weather (160), whole numbers (9), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
This site is excellent for enrichment. Include it on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Share this link on your class web page and/or in a parent newsletter for help with homework and school projects. These high-quality media resources will engage your students and enhance their learning.Ask Smithsonian - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (294), bacteria (22), human body (93), insects (68), plants (146), space (222), time (91), video (266)
In the Classroom
Share a few of these short videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Choose a video and have students complete a quick write or Know-Want-to-Know-Learned (KWL) chart to put down what they THINK they know about the topic. Find a ready-made KWL chart at 25 Language Arts Graphic Organizers, reviewed here. Show the video and have students write about what they learned. Use some of them as a segue into a subject you will introduce in class or for mini-research.National Geographic Education - National Geographic
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animals (294), climate change (99), commoncore (73), earth day (60), ecology (103), energy (133), food chains (19), map skills (63), maps (220), migration (45), multimedia (53), oceans (149), STEM (297), weather (160)
In the Classroom
Be sure to bookmark (or favorite) this site for use throughout the year to find real-world resources for classroom use. Don't forget to look for materials on National Geographic for use with Earth Day and Arbor Day activities! Differentiate easily using the multiple levels of materials found within National Geographic. Some text portions are challenging, so you should pair weaker readers with a partner as they research on this site. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Venngage, reviewed here. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. If you use Apple products in your classroom, be sure to download the interactive iBooks for use in classroom centers or independent reading.CurriConnects Booklist: Taking Care of Me - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (167), cooking (32), dental health (14), fitness (39), independent reading (81), nutrition (140), sports (82)
In the Classroom
This collection could accompany a unit in health, science, or physical education. These books provide experience with both fiction and nonfiction informational texts. They often require students to draw inferences about the "facts." Allow students (or partners) to choose their own book. Share this list with your school library/media specialist or public library, as well, for them to "pull" books in support of your science/social studies units. Extend the experience by having students create visual presentations of the concepts they learn. Challenge students to create a presentation using Prezi, reviewed here, or Slides, reviewed here.CurriConnects Booklist: Animals and Habitats - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 10tag(s): animal homes (57), animals (294), arctic (40), australia (28), book lists (167), deserts (16), habitats (92), independent reading (81), wetlands (7)
In the Classroom
This collection could accompany a unit about animals, weather, habitats, landforms, or other topics. Some of these books would also connect well when teaching units (or classes) on character, friendship, coping strategies, and more. These books provide experience with both fiction and nonfiction informational texts. They often require students to draw inferences about the "facts." Allow students (or partners) to choose their own book. Share this list with your school library/media specialist or public library, as well, for them to "pull" books in support of your science/social studies units. Extend the experience by having students create visual presentations of the concepts they learn. Share projects using one of these reviewed presentation tools from the TeachersFirst Edge.Change Gamer - Mike Farley
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (294), earth (184), ecology (103), energy (133), environment (252), financial literacy (93), fish (18), game based learning (205), human body (93), map skills (63), migration (45), natural disasters (18), planets (113), plants (146), politics (118), problem solving (233), stars (71)
In the Classroom
Use these interactives to review concepts learned during a unit of study. Consider using the interactives at the start of a unit to teach concepts as the material is being learned. Be sure to download the student activity document. Use the pre-questions to identify misconceptions and activate prior knowledge. Directions in the document alert you to the basics of using the interactive. Provide the post-questions to the students as they play the interactive to be aware of what they will be learning. Replace paper and pen and use a blogging tool such as Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration; be sure to have students save the URL to share with you. Students can answer the questions individually, as groups, or as a class to review the concepts learned during the interactive and connect it to class. As a class, discuss how the scenario presented in the interactive is or is not like actual environmental issues of today. Enhance learning and get the shyest of students involved in the discussion by using a backchannel chat such as YoTeach!, reviewed here. Change Gamer would also be an excellent activity for gifted students or for those who are ahead in their work in a differentiated classroom.Nest Watch - Cornell University
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): birds (46), environment (252), scientific method (48)
In the Classroom
Want to involve students in a country wide scientific investigation? With Nestwatch, students participate in a genuine scientific study with a prestigious university. All background information for participating is provided, along with detailed instructions for procedural steps. Look at the trends in bird nesting over the years and have students discuss causes for the results. In cooperative learning groups, have students defend a logical reason for the results of your study in a multimedia presentation. Find a tool to create a multimedia presentation using one of many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here. Use this research style as a model for studying endangered species in your area. Read excerpts from literature to gain further background information including literature such as, Silent Spring by Rachel Carsen. In your schoolyard, choose an area to landscape for birds. Watch for other wildlife in your nest spot.Careers in Science - Science Buddies
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): careers (156), scientists (67)
In the Classroom
Be sure to share this resource when discussing scientific careers. Use this site for researching WHAT particular types of scientist DO (with younger students). Assign individual students (or cooperative learning groups) a specific science career option. Place a link to this resource on your teacher web page for students to peruse on their own.Retronaut via Mashable - Timescape
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), advertising (26), cultures (180), images (263), maps (220), medicine (57), politics (118), transportation (30)
In the Classroom
Share Retronaut via Mashable with students to explore images from a given time or relating to any historic topic to get an interesting perspective not typically seen in textbooks. Create capsules using images to share for any classroom project or allow students to create their own in conjunction with classroom presentations. Use Wellcome Images, reviewed here, with over 100,000 historical images if you do not find what you want on Retronaut. Galleries are not moderated, so check before sharing on your interactive whiteboard or projector. You can always use the URL of the topic you wish to share on a new tab of your web browser.ASAP Science YouTube Channel - Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): periodic table (44), video (266)
In the Classroom
Mark this one in your teacher favorites to find videos to use at the start of a science or health unit. Make science more appealing as a way to answer the questions we ponder every day. Do NOT turn students loose on this channel. Because of the popular "adult" videos on this channel -- not appropriate for the classroom, but perfectly appropriate for adults -- we recommend locating the specific video you want to share and placing the url or embed code for that one video on your class web page or wiki. You can also share on a projector or interactive whiteboard. To avoid any possibility of showing titles that may cause distraction, use a tool such as ViewPure, reviewed here to clear away all the YouTube clutter. Use an ASAP Science video as inspiration for students to create their own videos explaining a science concept or debunking a science myth. Make this an option for research projects to appeal to your musically talented or "poetic" science students.Vish - Global excursion
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): animals (294), cells (82), environment (252), Learning Management Systems (20), medicine (57), OER (43), plants (146), remote learning (54), solar system (110), Teacher Utilities (198), water cycle (22)
In the Classroom
Encourage students to create an excursion about a topic being studied in science class. This tool would be an excellent alternative to a conventional PowerPoint or other presentation tools. Consider assigning projects where students teach one another using this tool. Gifted students will love learning from already created excursions or extending their learning by creating their own. This tool would be useful for blended/flipped learning or remote learning giving students time to absorb information about content and leaving class time for discussion and clarification, or individualized learning.American Bald Eagle Foundation - Bald Eagle Foundation
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): endangered species (27), extinction (3)
In the Classroom
Study the bald eagle and its current status as no longer endangered. Use as a research site for bald eagle information. Consider showing one of the videos from the YouTube channel for the American Eagle Foundation. If you do not wish to show all scenes in the video use a program like Clipchamp, reviewed here to show only the portions of the video you want your students to see. Look for an animal in your area, and research it. Do a Problem Based Learning Project on creating dioramas and information for creating public awareness. Create a festival to promote the preservation of the species. Have students create commercials and posters to meet speaking and listening standards. For online posters use a program like Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Create a public blog for an ongoing research watch using Webnode, reviewed here.EarthEcho Water Challenge - World Water Monitoring Challenge (WWMC)
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): earth day (60), environment (252), water (102)