Children are naturally curious and interested in the world around them. They want to know the "how" and "why" of everything they encounter. Science is a natural conduit for capturing this inquisitiveness and enthusiasm in our students. Teachers can make the most of science by allowing students time to investigate and build on their own experiences.
Whereas science is the study of the natural world, technology is the study of the man-made world. When we combine these two disciplines, we have a powerful new set of tools for investigating science with the emergence of new technologies. This course will help you to see the possibilities for integrating technology into your science program.
General Science Resources
7-12 Science Sites from Classroom Connect166 of the best science sites on the web for 7-12 classrooms.
Dr. Alice Christie's List of Science Sites
A comprehensive list of sites for teachers and students of science.
ENC for Mathematics and Science Education
The purpose of the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse Web site is to encourage the use of K-12 materials to help teach math and science.
This site is a "global gateway to science, medical and technology news."
The Exploratorium Science Explorer
A collection of science experiments.
International Telementor Center
This is home base for online mentoring of students in the sciences.
Click on each element for specific information about each one.
For a humorous but factual look at the elements, browse through the Comic Book Periodic Table. Click on a character or an element in the table, and comic strips featuring that particular element will result.
PBS TeacherSource: Science and Technology
Terrific links to information on life science, earth science, space and the universe, and technology.
This site, from Australia, contains many activities for students, as well as some interesting information on different sciences, including dinosaurs and deep space.
National Public Radio's Science Friday program provides information on a variety of science topics. The discussion topics change periodically.
Science Friday Kids Connection - Science Talk
National Public Radio's Science Friday program provides a forum for kids to share their opinions on science topics. The discussion topics change periodically.
Science, Technology, and Society
This is a huge site consisting of Internet resources for science, technology, and the impact of technology on society. There are resources for astronomy, biology, and more.
Look for cool images and new discoveries from the National Institute for Science Education and the National Science Foundation. Explore biology, environmental science, and health topics.
The Yuckiest Site on the Internet
Click on Wendell's Bug World for bug research. In Bug World, look for roach anatomy, amazing roach facts, helpful hints on roach removal and the roach quiz. In Worm World, read about worm recycling and worm keepers.
Science in the News
Science DailyDon't rely on out-of-date textbooks to keep current in science! Get the latest breaking science news and headlines at this site.
The Exploratorium's Science Wire
Headlines in science.
Science Museums
Dr. Alice Christie's List of Science Museums on the WebA comprehensive list of science museums to explore and stimulate interest in science and scientific concepts.
A comprehensive site featuring two live digicams, and thousands of informative pages on life at the aquarium.
The Exploratorium is fantastic. It has 650 interactive exhibits about science, nature, art, and technology. Learn about light, color, sound, animal behavior, electricity, the senses, waves, weather, and more.
Franklin Institute Science Museum
Here's a great spot on the Web for science teachers and students to find interactive, inquiry-based activities. Some activities support current exhibits at the museum.
Living Things (Franklin Institute Online Exhibit)
This Web site provides excellent background information on biology, classification, and habitats of living things. It also provides links to many sources of animal information and suggestions for hands-on activities.
This site includes information and links concerning the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth at the American Museum of Natural History. Check out the Earth Bulletin of recent events&emdash;a great resource for the classroom.
Illinois State Museum: Ice Ages
Information on ice ages and a small animation of the advance and retreat of the ice cap over North America. Click on the links "What?" "When?" and "Why?" to learn more about ice ages.
Rose Center for Earth and Space
Visit the Web site of the American Museum of Natural History's newest halls.
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
Exhibits on the Michigan Herbarium, Anthropology, Biology, and Paleontology.
Astronomy and Space
StarChildA Learning Center for Young Astronomers
Looking for the ultimate tan? How about a vacation to the Sun? Imagine a flight all the way to the middle of our Solar System. There's only one problem: today's passenger jets fly at about 600 miles per hour. And the Sun is 93 million miles away.
Quest (NASA K-12 Internet Initiatives)
This great site for Internet beginners is a gold mine for teachers and students, giving an overview of NASA's interactive projects, grant information and online resources.
NASA Quest Learning Technologies Channel
Located at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mt. View California, NASA Quest produces live streaming video programs with live interaction with Scientists and Experts participating in the programs.
This great collection of high interest topics is designed to lure in elementary kids and encourage them to explore the universe.
StarDate Productions is the public education and outreach arm of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory. This site is the perfect sky watching companion for amateur astronomers or anyone interested in celestial events and space exploration.
Athena Earth and Space Science for K-12
Follow the links to information about space, weather, earth, and oceans. Look for instructional materials and resources.
Ambit's Live NASA Cams & Mission Delays
Get an eye-view of the world beyond our atmosphere via NASA's own impressive collection of cams. View shuttle missions, see what the weather looks like from above the earth, and watch the astronauts at work - all from the comfort of your classroom!
Astronomy 122: Birth and Death of Stars: Milky Way Galaxy
Discover basic information about the structure and composition of our own galaxy.
CASS Astronomy Tutorial: The Structure of the Milky Way
This tutorial reveals the structure of our own galaxy.
Cosmology is the study of the origin and evolution of the universe. Find the answers to FAQs: How old is the universe? How fast is the universe expanding? What is the universe made of? How did the chemical elements form?
Mysteries of Deep Space: Interactive Timeline
An interactive timeline showing the development of our universe thus far and what might lie in the future -- click on the text in the graphic timeline to learn more about that event.
View the life cycle of a main sequence star.
Create your own star with this interactive applet.
The Milky Way is home to 200 billion stars and their planets, and thousands of clusters and nebulae. Its diameter is about 100,000 light years. Link to maps, images, and constellations.
Astronomers using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are seeing how supernovae spray the essential elements of life into interstellar space.
Monthly Northern Sky Highlights
Identify a constellation on a star chart. Click on the image for full size. Note the names of neighboring constellations. In what part of the sky (north, south, east, west) can you find this constellation this month?
Stephen Hawking's Universe: Cosmological Stars
Here's a list of important people in the history of the study of cosmology. Click on each one for a brief biography.
Views of the Solar System presents a wonderful multimedia adventure on the Sun, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, and much more. Uncover the latest discoveries as well as explore the vast archives of photographs and additional multimedia materials.
This site has links to interactive maps presenting the 46 confirmed exoplanets.
The SETI Institute is an organization dedicated to projects to study life in the universe. The Institute supports research projects that investigate extraterrestrial life.
Biology, Microbiology and Botany
The SoundryTake a journey into the inner ear! This site explains the physics of sound and how the human ear perceives it. The Interactive Sound Lab illustrates the Doppler effect, sound waves, and more.
If you are interested in the flora of the world, endangered or not, there is a large selection of information available to you on the Net. Just click on any of the resources provided.
The Biology Project: An Online Interactive Resource for Learning Biology
This online project from the University of Arizona features multitudes of sites on Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Chemicals & Human Health, Developmental Biology, Human Biology, Immunology, Mendelian Genetics, and Molecular Biology. Some are in Spanish.
This site contains many links to information and pictures about the brain and the central nervous system.
Sport! Science@The Exploratorium
How does a hockey player make a 100 mph slap shot? What keeps a bicycle from falling over? Don't miss Skateboard Science for a real-life connection to forces and motion. View a video of the sport's great riders with explanations from a staff physicist.
Addison-Wesley offers this interactive look at the life sciences from a contemporary point of view.
This chart shows the evolution of vertebrates.
Montana State University's Center for Biofilm Engineering
This site contains general information on microbial biofilms.
This site contains references to life in extreme environments and the search for life elsewhere in the solar system.
Astrobiology Web: Life in Extreme Environments
Follow these links to Web sites about extremophiles, organisms capable of living in environments previously thought to be too extreme to harbor life.
Join this NASA project for a hands-on experiment investigating life in extreme environments. Microorganisms exposed to extreme conditions on Earth will go out to classrooms, where students will perform experiments to see how well the microbes fared.
An online microbiology textbook.
Ed Nieuwenhuys' Spider Site: Thumbnail Pictures Grouped by Family
View four hundred thumbnail pictures of spiders representing 180 different spiders at this site.
This comprehensive directory has links to research sites, as well as pictures, movies, and literature of arachnids. Check out 'Myths, Stories, Poems, Songs and Art,' and 'For the Young Ones and Their Teachers.' And much more!
Humans and Other Catastrophes: Bestiary
In 1997, the AMNH hosted an Extinctions Conference that focused on extinctions in "near time." This page briefly introduces some extinct species of mammals, with special regard to those lost at the terminal Pleistocene.
Visit a world renowned botanical garden.
New York Botanical Garden Botanical Science Division
Visit the many botanical science exhibits and resources in the New York Botanical Garden.
A Checklist of the Mammals of the World
Here you will find a checklist of mammals of the world, from the well-known reference Walker's Mammals of the World.
Cellular Biology: Cell Structures and Functions
This site has excellent illustrations and information on organelle structures and function.
Climate
GISS Climate Glossary: Carbon-14 DatingStudy an explanation of the formation and decay of carbon-14 as it applies to dating.
Glacier: The Bigger Picture - What Causes Ice Ages?
Read this discussion of the earth cycles and how the cycles influenced the ice ages.
This chart shows how global climate has changed through time.
Goddard Institute for Space Studies
The Goddard Institute for Space Studies, a NASA research institute is primarily engaged in studies of global climate change.
Chemistry
CHEMysteryStudents developed this interactive presentation of chemistry with a problem solving twist.
Engineering
Build It & Bust ItThis is a site about engineering. You can design and test your own structures and then share what you have learned with others.
Breaking Through: The Creative Engineer
This sight artfully combines the art and science of engineering in thought provoking ways.
Environmental Science
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Kids' PageHave fun playing QuickTime games, brain teasers, spelling bees, and solving puzzles related to environmental sciences. Submit works of art that represent the connection between the environment and health.
EnviroNet has been a network of teachers, scientists, environmental educators and others who utilize telecommunications to enhance environmental science education.
FAQs About Science
How Stuff WorksHave you ever wondered how your microwave oven heats food so quickly. How Stuff Works, originated by Marshall Brain, gives detailed, and often interactive demonstrations and explanations of how thousands of things work.
Search this site for information on the environment, space, animals, weather and much more.
SINCE 1792, The Old Farmer's Almanac has published useful information for people in all walks of life: tide tables for those who live near the ocean; sunrise tables and planting charts for those who live on the farm; recipes for those who live in the kitchen; and forecasts for those who don't like the question of weather left up in the air. Now it's online!
Forensics
Evidence: True WitnessThis ThinkQuest simulation walks participants through the fascinating processes of forensic detective work.
Geography/Geology
This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate TectonicsHere's an online edition of the book This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics by W.J. Kious and R.I. Tilling.
This exhibit at the University of California at Berkeley explains the history of our new understanding of the Earth and provides a brief overview of the theories behind it. View animations of plate tectonics.
This is a good reference for mineral definitions and properties.
Biogeography and Ecology Related Links
Visit links to biogeography Web sites from the Biogeography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers.
Become a virtual seismologist! Use this interactive computer program to learn how an earthquake epicenter is located, and how the Richter magnitude is determined. Read three seismograms from an earthquake and make careful measurements.
Oceans and Oceanography
Secrets@SeaThis site explores topics in ocean science. Meet interesting characters, uncover amazing ocean facts and participate in challenging learning activities. Topics include: tides, food webs, salmon, whales and more.
This site is set up in an interview-style format, with a geologist talking about studying mid-ocean ridges; it contains a shows the link between geology and biology at deep-sea vents.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Motion
This site contains a lot of good underwater imagery of deep-sea environments.
What effects do submarine volcanoes and hydrothermal venting have on the ocean? Go over the research at this site to find the answers.
Physics
Amusement Park PhysicsEver wonder how roller coasters, bumper cars or a carousel works? Visit this site for all the details plus you can even create your own roller coaster,
This site developed by the Institute of Physics featuring the latest physics news from around the world, online PhysicsWorld magazine, patent news, book reviews and more provides excellent physics content.
Timelines
Timeline of Technology InnovationsSRI does an excellent job of putting perspective on the major advancements of the twentieth century.
Continental Drift and Biogeography: a Timetable for the last 600 million years
An outline of geological eras and events and biogeographical events in table form.
This is a geological timeline, that lists the major geological and biological events through time. Included is "Genuine Drift," an image that scales the age of the solar system to a pint of beer. There is also a link to radiometric dating.
North America During the Last 150,000 Years
Maps and information on North America over the last 150,000 years can be found at this site.
Use the timeline to determine how early man developed into Homo sapiens, or modern man.
Human Evolution: Five Million Years Ago to the Present
This timeline of human evolution contains information on each Homo species, fossils, tools, and hominid dispersal.
Weather
One Sky, Many VoicesThis University of Michigan site is dedicated to the study of hurricanes.
Weather World 2010 Online Guides
This collection of Web-based instructional modules uses resources that incorporate text, colorful diagrams, animations, computer simulations, audio, and video to introduce fundamental concepts in the atmospheric sciences.
Intellicast: Real Time Weather Data
Current weather worldwide.
Map of the world showing current weather conditions.
Ask an Expert
Ask an Expert by PitscoHundreds of links to experts in a variety of fields.
About.com Ask an Expert: Science
Hundreds of links to experts in the sciences.
Scientific American: Ask the Experts
Links to experts in astronomy, biology, chemistry, computers, environment, geology, mathematics, medicine and physics.
In the past, when people wanted to know how to do things, they found answers from a variety of sources: friends and family, store clerks, instruction manuals, reference books and Internet sites. Now eHow.com was created to give people a fast and easy way to find out how to do a variety of real-world activities.
MadSci Network is a collective cranium of scientists providing answers to your questions.
Think of this site as a radio call-in program that's being held on the WWW instead of the radio. If you ask how something works, using the button below, the author will try to provide an explanation.
Sample Projects using On line Experts
The Rainforest Connection
Sample Interactive, Collaborative, Online Projects
Real Time Data Internet Based ProjectsList of interactive, collaborative online projects.
CyberTeacher Collaborative Project: Down the Drain
The Global Water Sampling Project
International Boiling Point Project
Genetics' Project: Dominant vs. Recessive Traits
The Global Grocery List Project
Acid Rain: A Collaborative Project
Students collect three rain samples, measure the pH and post to the site.
Journey North: A Global Study of Wildlife Migration
This project presents methods to track bird and butterfly migrations, reports migration progress with the latest migration maps, gives weather forecasts for migrating birds, and provides classroom lessons for tracking migrations.
An online multidisciplinary project which utilizes both real time data and primary source materials to help guide students to discover the science and history of the Gulf Stream.
Students learn how to use vectors, read real time weather maps, and track real planes flying in U.S. skies.
Musical Plates Earthquake Module
A Study of Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics.
The Global Sun/Temperature Project
Join schools from around the world as they try to figure out how proximity to the equator affects average daily temperature and hours of sunlight.
T.H.E. Journal Road Map to the Web for Educators
Earth and Space Sciences Links
Searchable Online Databases
Environmental DatabaseVisit here to find out all kinds of information about our environment--from global warming, to acid rain, to aircraft pollution, and more.
This comprehensive listing of more than 4,000 minerals in a fully searchable archive is a great find for classrooms!
FishBase: A Global Information System on Fishes
Are you trying to find information and pictures on a particular fish? Then look no further. This site contains two searchable databases with a combined total of over 24,000 fish species.
National Geologic Map Database
This USGS site enables the viewer to search for a general geologic map of a region.
The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Deep-Sea Sample Repository houses samples of sand and rocks from the ocean floors throughout the world. These cores will help scientists to understand the changes in our environment. Learn more at this site.
Global Atlas of Paleovegetation Since the Last Glacial Maximum
This site contains maps and information on the vegetation on every continent, from 18,000 years ago to the present.
NASA's Official Site.
NASA's Official Site for K-12 students.
Digitized version of thousands of items in the Library of Congress.
National Geographic's Official Site.
A collection of pictures and information about animals, searchable by name, characteristics, or taxonomy
Visit this site for a listing of database activities.
Download a Mac or Windows version of an image processing software at this site. There are also sample lesson plans and downloadable scientific images.
Virtual Tours
NanoWorldHere's a wonderful collection of small worlds close-up for scientists of all ages.
Take a tour through the cold-seep habitats in the Gulf of Mexico.
Do you want to learn about the solar system, but you don't have time for space travel? Take this multimedia tour of the solar system.
Youthful awe and science ooze from this site. Here you'll find dozens of e-mail exchanges between a group of Maryland middle schoolers and a pair of friendly scientists in Antarctica.
The Virtual Cell Web Page: Cell Biology
Here is an impressive virtual 3-D animated tour through a cell. Click on the organelle to get more information, and then click to cut the membrane of the organelle to see inside.
The Earth Science Virtual Field Trip Page
Links to dozen of earth science field trips!
Welcome to our "Jurassic Park," where you can see--and in one case touch--the bones of dinosaurs. Assembled here are fossils of dinosaurs that lived between 213 and 144 million years ago.
A Students' Internet Tour of the US National Parks.
Cape Canaveral Air Station Virtual Tour
The author set this site up to give a "guided tour" of the Cape Canaveral Air Station and included nearly 40 pictures with a brief explanation of each.
Wetlands, the ocean, and rainforests will come alive for virtual expedition students. This site contains logs photos, and resources that can enhance the curriculum.
Shuttle-MIR Online Research Experience
Scientists' biographies and field journal bring reveal the research conducted in space aboard the Mir station.
Daily dispatches, atlases, and photos will allow students to vicariously experience a real adventure to the Galapagos Islands that Darwin loved so dearly.
Virtual Trek in a Sumatran Rainforest
Virtually experience a mega-field trip to a Sumatra rainforest. The 22 students from Saudi Arabia who actually went on the trip recorded their experiences through pictures and words for the rest of the world to enjoy.
Wild Wings: Heading North (Track Snow Geese on the 'Net)
Students can track actual geese as they migrate north. This site contains a lot of curriculum-relevant background information, as well.
Classroom of the Future offers this high school level virtual reality interface with NASA's Advanced Life Support Research program.
Software to Use in Science Classrooms
Welcome to CIPE: Center for Image Processing in EducationVisit this site to view a few sample images or lesson plans for the science lab.
HyperCard organizes information into easy-to-use "stacks" of cards through which users can navigate and search for the information they need.
HyperStudio lets students put together presentations that demonstrate what they've learned from their Web research. Learn about this multimedia authoring tool that allows you to easily deliver your ideas on diskette, CD-ROM, or over the Internet.
Part of Microsoft Office, PowerPoint is a complete tool for creating presentations. Learn about all its features.
Designed by Jamie McKenzie, the Module Maker is an online tutorial that teaches you how to create Online Research Modules.
NIH Image is a public domain image processing and analysis program for the Macintosh. It can acquire, display, edit, enhance, analyze and animate images.
Standards
ISTE NETS: National Educational Technology Standards for StudentsTo live, learn, and work successfully in an increasingly complex and information-rich society, students must use technology effectively. Within a sound educational setting, technology can enable students. This site explores these tools.
NSES Science Teaching Standards
Check your curriculum against the Science Education Standards, or explore the latest thoughts on science assessment. The standards include Teaching, Professional Development, Assessment, Content, and Science Education.
ITEA's Standards for Technological Literacy
This page provides an executive summary, in PDF form, of the ITEA (International Technology Education Association) Standards for Technological Literacy, which were released in April, 2000.
National Board of Professional Teaching Standards: Standards Overview
Here is a summary of the standards for National Board certification for exemplary early adolescence/science teaching.
Science Lesson Plans
Ask ERIC Science Lesson PlansHere's a definitive collection of online lesson plans submitted by actual classroom teachers with the intention of sharing with the profession.
7-12 Science Lesson Plans from Connected Classroom
Lesson plans and links to lesson plans for 7-12 Science by Classroom Connect's Connected Teacher.
The Teacher Terminal of Science Junction contains nine different IMSE-approved lesson plans in life sciences and Earth and space.
Professional Organizations
American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAAAS is a nonprofit professional society dedicated to the advancement of scientific and technological excellence across all disciplines, and to the public's understanding of science and technology.
National Science Education Standards
Check your curriculum against the Science Education Standards, or explore the latest thoughts on science assessment. The standards include Teaching, Professional Development, Assessment, Content, and Science Education.
National Science Teachers Association
This site will serve as a one-stop shopping resource for all your science education needs.
The International Technology Education Association Home Page
This is the official Web presence of the ITEA.
Sites for Science Teachers
Inquiry in the Everyday World of SchoolsHere's an excellent comparison between old and new pedagogical views in the teaching of science by the Eisenhower National Clearninghouse.
Project 2061- Science Literacy for a Changing Future
Browse this comprehensive list of professional development topics that address science and literacy.
Here's an example of technology can help supplement your science instruction on the origins of the universe. Notice the layers of information and the source of the data provided.
GenScope uses the computer to provide an alternative to text-based science education.
This is a great site for science teachers who want to add graphics to their lessons but don't have time to search the Web.
Read about Science Teachers of grades 7-12 who joined research expeditions in the summer. Expeditions involve interdisciplinary study of oceans. Profiles of the teachers and logs from the previous expeditions are also included.
In this article, Jamie McKenzie discusses the balance between structure and open-endedness in creating effective research activities.
Abilities can be measured along a continuum from plain and simple to rather complex. This article for teachers helps them ask better questions, create better assessment tools, and generally think about learning from a broader perspective.
The Science Learning Network explores how telecomputing can support inquiry-based science education.
Universal Access to Science Study via Internet
The Internet is transforming science study by removing the need for students to be at the same place as their laboratories, their mentors or their collaborators.
Constructivism and the Five E's
An excellent article on constructivism, the philosophy about learning, that proposes learners need to build their own understanding of new ideas.
Just a Click Away From the Classroom
K - 12 students are tapping the knowledge of scientists and mathematicians through online homework support services and electronic field trips.
Engineering and Aeronautics Curriculum Ideas
Interdisciplinary ideas for science, math, technology and engineering.
Science Spreadsheet Sites on the WWW
For a listing of spreadsheet activities, visit this site.
View this helpful page on evaluating Web site content and take the quick quiz to see how well you know your criteria for Web site excellence!
Providing Hands-On, Minds-On, and Authentic Learning Experiences in Science
NCREL offers this excellent examination of inquiry-based learning in the sciences.
Here's a directory of resources on structuring questions to facilitate inquiry-based learning.
Homework Help for Science Students
Homework SpotA new educational Web site that simplifies the search for the best free online K-12 homework resources.
B.J. Pinchbeck's Homework Helper
A site created by a middle school student to help kids use the Web to do homework.