Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Genetics can be a fairly weighty topic, but this site breaks down complex concepts into easy-to-understand language. Click on each of the six topics - DNA, genes, chromosomes, proteins, heredity, traits - and walk through the videos that provide in-depth descriptions and helpful visuals.

tag(s): dna (43), genetics (80)

The growing problem of antibiotic resistance is explored in this lesson plan that investigates how evolution is at the heart of this wide-spread health threat. Real-time videos demonstrate how disease-causing agents can rapidly become immune to our best antibiotic defenses. A second activity investigates how evolution affects our daily lives and can solve problems in medicine, agriculture, and the environment. Includes student instructions and teacher notes.

tag(s): diseases (67), evolution (89)

From the very tiny, to the microscopic, this site offers close-up pictures and information about insects, spores, bacteria, cells, microorganisms, plankton, and more. The strangely beautiful, colorized images are accompanied by brief and sometimes entertaining explanations. Your students will gain new understanding and appreciation for the very tiny critters that surround us.

tag(s): bacteria (22), insects (69), microorganisms (10), organisms (15)

Reinforce the parts of a cell with this interactive tour. Students can click on an area of the virtual cell, read a brief definition, zoom in or out, and perform certain functions - cutting, splitting, and rotating. The pronunciation guide will "speak" the words for you.

tag(s): cells (82)

ScienceBuddies offers a large variety of science resources including science fair projects and free STEM lessons. From the top menu bar, select Science Fair Project to find a Topic Selection Wizard. This tool uses a short questionnaire to guide students to recommended projects based on length of time needed to work on the project, grade level, and topic for research. Be sure to also visit the teachers' portion of the site to find STEM lesson plans for all grade levels, science fair tools, engineering design information, and much more.

tag(s): calories (6), earthquakes (46), electricity (61), energy (133), gravity (43), internet safety (114), recycling (46), robotics (24), science fairs (20), sound (72), STEM (297)

Use this animated site to help students visualize how blood circulates through the heart. Younger students can easily follow the well-labeled animation, and older students may be interested in the tutorials, which explain the various stages of the cardiac cycle in much greater detail.

tag(s): heart (27)

This collection of well-organized tutorials and interactive multimedia activities reveals how DNA technology affects our lives. From detecting inherited diseases and catching criminals, to improving agriculture, the site presents high-level information in an easy-to-understand format. Videos, simulations, and well-designed graphics place students in the role of scientist. Use this site with your AP science students. Any Flash information/interactive also comes in a text only format. There is plenty of information to learn from here.

tag(s): dna (43), genetics (80)

Introduce your students to the microbial worlds of bacteria, fungi, and viruses with this site that provides entertaining background information, ideas for classroom experiments, and a collection of "Microbes in the News" articles. Find out when hands should be washed and what happens when they are not! Interested students can even explore a "Careers" link that offers interviews with experts in the field, advice on finding a mentor, and tips on how to become a microbiologist. Available in English and Spanish.

tag(s): microorganisms (10)

Chicago's Shedd Aquarium has built an impressive online collection of lesson plans and other instructional tools, including several nice interactive animations and virtual field trips. While much of the content relates to the aquarium's exhibits, the range of subjects includes most grade levels and many of the topics that might appear in a curriculum on ocean habitats.

tag(s): marine biology (31), oceans (149)

While NOAA might be an unlikely source for information on sea turtles, this site offers a surprisingly detailed look at efforts to raise and release sea turtles in several different locations. This one would make an interesting sidebar to a unit on marine ecosystems.

tag(s): marine biology (31), oceans (149)

Conserving the habitats of birds is an international concern. This United Kingdom site (RSPB) examines various conservation issues, including the habitats for birds. Most of the focus is on the UK; however, there are more than a few links to international efforts, such as the Albatross Task Force. This page is for the Resources for Teachers; however, the main site has a variety of searchable databases as well as these activities on the issues facing different species of birds. Check out their free lessons, including the ones on TES (the link is under the Activity Sheets). Finally, don't forget to look at the For Kids and For Families; you might find something you can adapt for your classroom or online learning.

tag(s): birds (46), conservation (102), environment (252)

Photography can be both an art form and a form of scientific inquiry. Photos of People and Cultures can promote human understanding better than any written words. This site from National Geographic can serve both ends if used properly. Art teachers "focus" on tips and techniques and photography advice areas, while science/social studies teachers will easily locate a wide range of plant, animal, culture, and geography images. As always, the photos themselves are exquisite. You will need to sign up for the free newsletter (with email) to view the photos.

tag(s): animals (295), photography (130)

The American Chemical Society offers a complete series of activities for grades K-8, all based on hands-on experience. Click Education in the middle of this opening page find programs and units for Elementary through Graduate School. Also offered is a section for careers in science. This is a great resource for science teachers who need additional chemistry content or activities.
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tag(s): chemicals (41), energy (133), experiments (55), inquiry (24), matter (46)

This site offers secondary students an extensive exposure to genetics, DNA and gene sequencing, and the problems and procedures that have been tackled to advance current DNA science to its current state. This is a rich resource that could almost serve as a complete tutorial, but teachers will more likely want to use it as a reference tool to supplement classroom or textbook presentations. You'll need strong readers to work through this one.

tag(s): dna (43), genetics (80)

This educational software is designed to allow teachers to plan biology and ecology lessons using a helpful, user-friendly simulations. Along with the software, the site has a teachers' guide with suggestions for integrating the simulation into the classroom through three main units. The site also provides a template for planning lessons based on the online curriculum. Be sure to click Learn to find the resources for kids. You will want to read the "readme" files before attempting to download the software.

tag(s): ecology (103), forests (30)

This BBC site has five interesting activities for sensory exploration. These interactive tests allow students to explore taste, smell, and the nervous system's role in sensory perception. Additional resources help explain the science behind these activities as well. Though some resources on this site require Flash, there are many more that don't and that have a lot of information.

tag(s): senses (20)

This PBS site has life-science and biology activities for a wide range of grade levels. While a number of these activities are designed to accompany the Shape of Life video series, the activity guides provided present a range of activities and resources to supplement life-science curricula. Included activities range from arts-and-crafts projects to scientific method experiments.

tag(s): organisms (15)

This site provides a sampling of activities from a larger web-based curriculum on Astrobiology. Developed in conjunction with NASA's astrobiology institute, this site provides a detailed teaching guide alongside activities aimed at creating a dynamic curriculum through internet resources. The site's activities include an exploration of different types of stars, and possibility of life in different parts of the galaxy.

tag(s): space (222)

The Education pages on this site provide helpful links for both teachers and students learning about the ecosystem and life-science topics in the Chesapeake Bay. The Educators' Resources (left menu) provide links to different programs conducted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, including links to findings at a number of monitoring stations around the Bay. The kids' section has a number of student-friendly sites on wildlife and conservation topics

tag(s): oceans (149)

This site presents teachers with a searchable index of natural sciences resources contained within the museum's site. Scroll down the page and click Resources for Learning. You can browse the web-sites, activities, and experiments by sub-topic, grade level, or resource type. Current subtopics include anthropology, astronomy, biology, earth science, and paleontology. Special collection exhibits present theme-based activities that cover additional topics and change occasionally. Be sure to check out the the Past Exhibitions for topics such as Biodiversity, Antarctica, and deep sea explorations, and much more. This is a great site for sorting out all the wonderful resources the museum has to offer. There are over 1,000 resources currently available on countless subjects.

tag(s): amphibians (17), biodiversity (36), brain (56), climate change (99), darwin (13), dinosaurs (43), diseases (67), diversity (40), fossils (41), light (56), mammals (22), natural disasters (18), oceans (149), paleontology (28), poisons (2), space (222), volcanoes (55)