NKCS MS Science Resources

nice tables showing how rocks are formed, identification key, rock cycle diagram

You can use our interactive to help you identify an actual rock, or, if you don't have a sample, you can use one of our virtual rocks.

Use tools to identify rocks and minerals

Lots of links to neat mineral websites

Online Mineral Museum--can be sorted by species, locality or group

Could be used as a mini lesson for 4.1.D.b (natural environment change-flooding). 

Instantly converts length, area, volume, weight, temperature,fuel efficiency and power. Includes US customary and metric system. Helpful site for measurement unit.

Very intriguing site listing live statistics including world population, species extinct, forest lost, forest replanted and an oil depletion timer. Click on Population Counters (globe on the right) to see the populations on each continent as the globe slowly spins around. Very cool!

Aligns with 4.1.B.b, 4.1.B.c, 4.3.C.b

Aligns with 4.1.D.b

Aligns with 4.1.B.b, 4.1.B.c

Aligns with 4.1.B.b, 4.1.B.c, 4.1.D.a

This article helps to bring relevance to why we should study soil and erosion,as well as, possible solution(s) for erosion problems. Aligns with 5.2.A.c, 5.3.A.c and 5.1.A.a

Aligns with 4.3.C.a

Engaging article aligning with 4.1.B.c, 4.1.D.a, 4.1.B.b, 4.1.D.c, 4.3.C.b

The phrase "rock snot" will gain the students interest and develop curiosity. Aligns with 4.1.B.b and 4.1.D.a. 

There are a couple of things about this one that I think need some careful attention. For one: "A [food]chain will always start with a plant (a primary producer)." That isn't really true for the largest ecosystem on the planet, for example: the oceans. Not only are most algae not considered plants, a large number of these are unicellular and prokaryotic... the "blue green algae/bacteria" or cyanophytes. In fact, there are even deep sea hydrothermal ecosystems, for instance, that do not even rely upon photosynthetic organisms at all. These primary producers are chemosynthetic in the blackness that is the sea floor. So yes, "primary producer" is accurate... but not so for "plant." I'm also anxious to see what kids will place in between the snail and the bird (as pictured) on food chain "B" to complete the "missing link." I honestly had to work the Google to find out that spider-eating snails do exist. I feel like that is pretty obscure.

Short description of the fish. Gives students an example of an adaptation helping an organism survive in it's environment (4.3.C.a).

These are absolutely amazing. Until my students first watched a school of these "pooping clouds of sand" over the reef, I don't think they truly believed that a significant percentage of the white sand on coral beaches originated in the digestive tract of a parrotfish.

This actually covers a wide range of the objectives for earth science in both 6th and 8th grade.  If you use ISN's this ia a great resource.