Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

NISE is the online home of a community of scientists and other partners with an interest in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. The site includes programs and activities for ages four through adult. Use filters on the activities section to choose age level, topics, and product category. Be sure to check out the over 120 lesson plans available through NISE and the free Professional Development for teachers and scientists.

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With topics from Biology to Engineering, and Environmental Science to Sports Science you'll find a science fair project to suit your interests. All Science Fair Projects has thousands of projects from which to choose. Search by keyword or category. For instance, searching for "cell" produced four pages of projects, and these are NOT just the normal ones about human or plant cells. Find projects for cell phones, Galvanic cells, solar cells, nicotine and cancer, sunscreen and cells, and more. Not only will you have names and a brief description of the project, but the grade level and category. Clicking a project that looks interesting will get you a summary of the project and a link for the exact details. Also listed on that page are links to the "all time most popular science projects" and "you might also like these projects."
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tag(s): experiments (55), science fairs (20)

Find hands-on learning of computer science concepts (often without technology) with this collection of free learning activities including interactives and puzzles. All materials are through Creative Commons licenses for easy copying, sharing, and personal adaptation. Download all activities for free in a book download or explore individual activities by topic, and then download in PDF format available in several languages. Other options include videos to view individually or by topic on activity pages. Topics covered include Binary numbers, Images Representation, Text Compression, Information Theory, Searching and Sorting Algorithms, Routing and Deadlocks, and Cryptography, among others. Also, check out the section for teachers under the Community tab. This section includes many additional resources and learning programs. The videos are in English, French, Swedish, Korean, and Chinese. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): computational thinking (40), computers (109), cryptography (5), data (151)

Technovation Families: Curiosity Machine connects scientists and engineers with young people to help design and create projects together. Create an account to begin using features on the site. Discover challenges to build on your own, including categories such as aerospace, robotics, engineering, and more.See the menu on the left to see them all. Find inspiration by watching videos of scientists and engineers sharing their inventions. Share your finished projects as inspiration for other aspiring engineers and scientists.

tag(s): aeronautics (11), computers (109), design (79), engineering (129), gifted (66), inventors and inventions (80), makerspace (40), oceans (149), problem solving (233), robotics (24), STEM (297)

Explore different types of electric cars including hybrids, plug-ins, and extended range electric cars with an interactive model showing how they work. Read the latest ideas for the next generation of hybrids that can be plugged in to extend their electric range, and improve fuel economy. The interactive models show power from batteries, batteries and gasoline, and extended range electric. Discover the relationships between distance, speed, and type of car in the interactive graph.
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tag(s): electricity (61), sustainability (50), transportation (30)

The goal of Learn Engineering is to present "tough engineering concepts" in a logical and simple way. Click Blogs from the top menu to choose from one of the main fields of engineering on the top menu- automobile, mechanical, electrictronics, aerospace, and others to begin. Subcategories within each section answer questions using labeled images and detailed image explanations, and have videos. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): careers (156), engineering (129), STEM (297)

ArtsEd LAB is a FREE publication that provides countless ideas, explanations, lesson plans, videos, podcasts, and more. Download one of several toolkits with links to videos and lesson plans. Free resources list of topics include An Article Library, Resource Guides, Free Lessons, and Teacher Workshops.

tag(s): architecture (75), professional development (385), robotics (24), STEM (297)

Browse through over 9,000 resources at the National STEM Centre's eLibrary for ages five and up. Search by keyword or use filters to sort by age range, subject, or type of resource. Resources include videos, presentations, activity sheets, and much more. Optional account creation allows you to save resources and add activities to favorites. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): engineering (129), STEM (297)

Examine the effect of climate change on our planet through video on Changing Planet. NBC Learn and the National Science Foundation collaborated to create this collection. Topics range from Thawing Permafrost, Melting Mountain Glaciers, Withering Crops, and more! Each video has a "cue card" with a summary and key terms. The videos are approximately five to ten minutes in length. The larger NBC Learn site is a fee-based subscription, but this section is free.
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tag(s): arctic (40), climate change (99), diseases (66), glaciers (17), mountains (10), oceans (149), scientific method (48), statistics (121), STEM (297), temperature (34), trees (18), tundra (14), water (102)

Energy4me offers a large variety of resources for teaching and learning about oil and energy. Click on the little book titled About Energy and Sustainability to find an interactive about those topics. Clicking on the Into the Classroom book takes you to download-able lesson plans and more. Lesson plans are for all grade levels, in several languages, and all are correlated to US National Science Education Standards. Be sure to explore this site to find additional classroom resources, videos, and presentation materials. Choose from several interactives to test your energy IQ.

tag(s): careers (156), energy (133), engineering (129), fossil fuels (10), oil (22), STEM (297)

Do not let the extremely simple look of this site keep you from exploring the links provided for making toys based on science concepts. Create items as simple as a kite or rotor, or as complex as robots, a hovercraft, or motors using directions within each link. All links have clear, precise directions with diagrams. Some links have accompanying videos hosted on YouTube. Be sure to look at the last toy link on the list, "how it's done," for excellent tips for the process of design. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): area (53), measurement (122), motion (47), STEM (297)

Wimp offers a wide variety of videos with family-friendly content. Browse through the site using a keyword search or choose categories such as popular, life, culture, learning, and more. Choose a video to read a short description and view. Videos are imported from many different locations such as Vimeo, YouTube, and individual websites. Also, view Wimp on your mobile device by clicking on their link that is optimized for mobiles. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. Although the content is family-friendly, this site contains comments that aren't monitored. If sharing with students, go to the direct link provided with each video for viewing without some of the distractions (and possibly inappropriate comments).
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tag(s): animals (294), musical instruments (52), video (266)

60 Minute Physics is a free online course inspired by the very popular YouTube Minute Physics videos. Physics topics include light and energy, space and time, quantum physics, and more. Enrollment in the courses opens up discussion areas, the ability to download videos for offline viewing, and online tracking of progress throughout the course. Easy registration requires your name, email, and a password to begin.

tag(s): energy (133), evolution (89), forces (37), gravity (43), light (56), magnetism (36), matter (45), solar energy (34), space (222), temperature (34), video (266)

The Engineering Place offers resources for students, parents, and educators to promote and learn about engineering. Explore the student section, sorted by age groups, to find information about careers in engineering. Choose the parents section to download a booklet with information about helping your student with mathematics and tips for encouraging students to explore careers in engineering. Find lesson plans and additional resources in the Educators portion of the site.

tag(s): careers (156), engineering (129)

Become a member of Traffic Team Alpha. Join the mission to get cars through intersections as quickly as possible by controlling traffic lights. As you complete each mission, move up to more congested intersections and improve your problem-solving skills. Read and follow the directions for priorities with each level.

tag(s): computational thinking (40), critical thinking (127), engineering (129), problem solving (233)

The twelve videos on this site explore the science, technology, engineering, and math found in current events. These videos look behind the news at topics such as tornadoes, opinion polls, allergies, and drug-resistant bacteria. Each video includes a transcript that opens or closes for use while watching videos.
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tag(s): bacteria (22), computers (109), foreign policy (13), news (228), planets (113), plants (146), politics (118), STEM (297), tornadoes (14), video (266)

The Molecular Workbench is a free downloadable software resource for designing and conducting computational science experiments. Download the software and create your own activities or explore and use the many existing materials. The software covers a range of topics from gas laws through quantum phenomena. Explore the Showcase to find already-created simulations including directions for use and exploration. Be sure to allow Java to run on your computer when prompted.

tag(s): atoms (43), chemicals (39), experiments (55), gravity (43), mass (19), matter (45), science fairs (20), scientific method (48)

Find over 300 free ebooks, lectures, and notes in the areas of biology, business, computer science, math, and physics. Find many other subjects and topics in the right menu titled Latest Resources and Most Popular. Some of those have a fee. Subscribe to the RSS feed to keep up with the latest resources.
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tag(s): ebooks (43)

Looking for views of orbiting satellites with actual data about the Earth? Find it here with the Eyes on the Earth tool. Note: This tool requires a one-time download. After installing, launch from the web page (the install button turns into a start button). Be sure to view in full-screen mode for the best effect. Change your perspective of the Earth by changing the tilt (hold down the mouse and rotate). Zoom in and out with the tool along the right (much like the tool in Google Earth or Maps). Choose from among the tools along the top. As you click on a tool, read information in the window to the left. Be sure to click Turn Audio On to hear the narrative. Use the additional links there for more information. Visible Earth shows the movement of two satellites and the images from both. Choose the speed of the motion of the satellites with the slider along the bottom. Other tools include Temperature, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Sea Level, Antarctic Zone, and Water and Ice. Click on the last two tools to view the actual datasets and missions. Some of the tools have relief maps, showing a 3D representation of the data. Click Show relief to really capture student attention. The tools in the lower right corner control the brightness of the image and full or partial screen.

tag(s): antarctica (30), arctic (40), carbon dioxide (9), climate (84), climate change (99), earth (184), glaciers (17), temperature (34), water (102)

What can you learn when you embed a teacher with scientists in research groups? Plenty! PolarTREC chooses teachers and pairs them with scientific research groups in polar regions, which changes how they view and teach science. Use their journals and information to change how you and your students view science as well. Access a variety of polar-related resources that support the STEM classroom including videos recorded by the teachers and the research team. Read journals written by the teachers working with scientists in the Arctic and Antarctica that document their field experiences and research in science. Participate in live webinars where classes can hear from the teacher and scientists in real-time and ask questions. View teacher posted videos and lesson plans that can be used in the classroom. This site features a lot of different careers in science uncovered in the journal entries. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
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tag(s): antarctica (30), arctic (40), careers (156), polar (10), scientific method (48), scientists (67), STEM (297)