Group items tagged

I know this is the wikipedia article for physics but it has a lot of good information on the history and need for physics. I could use this article as a starting point for any information I wanted or needed to know and if I find something that doesn't sound right I could double check it with one of the other websites I have saved.

Another pre class video to get the classes intrest going in physics. The video is a clip from the T.V. show The Big Bang Theory that may help the younger students pay attention.

I would recommend starting the video at about 1:15 "What is Physics?" Also re-named the resources to be descriptive and added a tag for grades 9-12, for which I think this is actually more appropriate.

Video discussing an unstoppable force vs. and immovable object

This link actually goes to a video of a list of suggested other science sites online. Needs to be updated to direct the user to the appropriate link.

Any questions a student might have about physics from real world applications to career opportunities can be accessed on this website

I would use The Weather Channel to show students that learning about weather is important. We are surrounded by weather daily. This website provides practical application, so they understand why they are learning about it.

This resource was organized into the four different seasons. Once you decide which season you want to explore, you click on the specifc button which then leads you to many different artifacts. There were coloring sheets that went along with the season which would be a great tool for free time during this unit. Another great tool on this site was the games. Each season had games that ranged in difficulty. I could use the game section of this website as a computer center for the students. I would definitely use this website in the classroom as well as a resourse for planning my lessons.

This video was a very child friendly video explaining why we have seasons. This video would be a great resource for the students. I could show the students this video after we have discussed what the four seasons are and the characteristics of each. This would be a great lead in to explaining why we have seasons. I could show this to the students as a whole class or make this another center. The video also has a quiz, questions, and a section to learn more about the seasons at the end of it. This makes this video even better.

This website is great because it is set up in a simple format with some pictures, and neat facts about mammals. It would be fairly easy for a 1st grader to navigate. It also relates to the standard 12.B.1a- Describe and compare characteristics of living things in relationship to their environments. It relates because it tells how mammals live in a variety of places, and gives examples of where they live (i.e. camels live in hot areas, with picture of camel).

This website was uploaded by BPS Elementary Science Exemplars Project. It is a great lesson plan on how to teach first graders to differentiate between living and nonliving things. This would be a great way for me to introduce the lesson plan to my class. I really like how it still has a lot of pictures to match with the words, in case some readers are not as advanced as others. This lesson plan is very kid friendly, and would be engaging for them, because I could also use several objects in the classroom/around the school to ask if it is living or non-living. After the students gave me their answer, I would then go into characteristics of each living or non-living thing.

This video is very engaging and very fun. 1st graders would love the beat, and the rhyming of the words. I think that it would be one of those songs that would be easy to memorize, and something they could refer back to if they want to know if something is alive or not. It also keeps repeating the three main characteristics of living things- eat, breathe, and grow. I could use this either as an introduction since it is so engaging or as a review to end the session.

The zoo has always been one of my favorite places to visit, and the best part is that our local St. Louis Zoo is FREE! This would be such an awesome field trip for the first grade students to get to go to. What is better than learning and seeing animals up close, and personal? Students will be able to see the different characteristics of each animal, and where they live for their habitat. They may even be able to take a tour where they can touch different animals to know what they feel like. I hope to get to go to the zoo with my future class! I know the students will love it, and will also love the self-exploration aspect of this awesome field trip.

According to the description, students are to match what animals live in various habitats. We can go over this a little bit of habitats according to the different physical characteristics that each animal has. It would be a fun activity that incorporates technology that we could do as a class. The only downfall is that I think you have to be a member to the abcteach in order to get this awesome smartboard activity, which will cost some money.

This website opens into a word document that has a TON of different lesson plans for K-1 grade level. The two lesson plans that I really liked were the Adventures in the Rain Forest, and What's the Point of That? The Adventures in the Rain Forrest talked about how living things are dependent on one another, and where they are at in relationship to their environment (the rain forest). The class will embark on a mini pretend field trip to a rain forest where they will discuss where certain things in a rain forest are located, and why it is important. This relates to the standard 12.B.1a really well! The other lesson plan that I really liked in this huge list was the one that was called, "What's the point?" In this lesson plan, the students learn different characteristics of living things and why it is important that they have them. (i.e. the importance of birds having feathers, etc.) I really like this lesson because students will really get a grasp on how all living things are different in a lot of ways, but the reasons behind why they are different. I'm all about celebrating our differences!

This is a very interactive smartboard activity that goes through different characteristics of living things (i.e. crocodiles have scales, etc), and also requires the students to sort the different living things. They have categories such as animals with fur, animals that swim, etc. This aligns very nicely with the standard 12.A.1b- Categorize living things using a variety of observable features.

In this SmartBoard activity, students get to group different living and nonliving things. It is an introduction to classification based on their physical characteristics. I would use this as an interactive class or group activity that gets everyone thinking about physical characteristics and how we can group different living and non-living things into categories. Students will have to interact with each other, and come to a consensus on what they think the answer will be. This is collaborative learning for them. 

The St. Louis Zoo provides 8 lesson plans on conservation, populations and ecosystems, and characteristics of living organisms. I have used one in the past and adapted it to fit a higher grade level than listed. I selected this resource because I love connecting material to the zoo. It is valuable that students know that zoos are not only for people to go look at animals, but they are put in place to help repopulate endangered species as well. These resources can be used as is or adapted to fit other classroom needs.

This website is amazing! It offers over 100 interactive online games on more than 30 different topics and it is completely free. Science games are excellent assets to any Science lesson. Interactive games make learning complicated concepts fun and easy for some children. As an adult playing some of these games I felt like I gained a better understanding of certain topics, so I know some children would find these games beneficial and effective extensions to lessons. This website seems to have a little bit of everything from animal classification to biomes to physics and motion. Some of the games offer a short assessment at the end to really see if the children are learning the concept. Having games like these available would make a great addition to a remediation plan if students are having difficulties grasping a particular topic. I will definitely be visiting this site again when I am teaching!

This is a video that could be used in a 5th grade science class, during an astronomy lesson.  This video is a great visual to show students the actual size of our solar system and the relation of the planets.  This video is well edited with music that is not too distracting like the other videos that I found.  This video could be use during almost any lesson talking about the solar system or galaxies.

Here is an in-depth introduction to the Solar System and the planets that are in it. From the sun to why poor Pluto is no longer considered a planet, come along for a ride across the Solar System. FreeSchool is great for kids! I like this video for a number of reasons. One thing I really like about this video is how it gives the students an accurate perspective of the size of the different bodies in our solar system. It's also jam packed with a lot of great information about the solar system and builds on possible vocabulary words such as matter and mass. The narrator also has a soothing voice, which is a plus. I would use this video after spending a little time defining the necessary vocabulary of our solar system. We could follow up the video by making our own solar system that we could hang in the hallway.

Good resource. Try tagging using K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and/or 9-12 as grade level options. For this one, for example, K-2 AND 3-5 rather than K-5. Thanks!

Online 3D simulation of the Solar System and night sky in real time - the Sun, planets, dwarf planets, comets, stars and constellations ______________________________________________________________________ This website provides a 3D simulation of the Solar System including everything from the plants to comets and stars. Students can use this simulation to learn everything they want to know about the Solar System. This simulation allows students to click on each individual planet to learn more information and also allows students to locate the major stars and constellations found in our solar system. Students can also watch the planets orbit around the sun (in real time) and go to any day of any year to see where each planet was at that time. All for free! I selected this resource because I think it will really benefit visual and hands-on learners. Giving students the opportunity to research the Solar System on their own gives them a feeling of independence, even while they are learning. I think this resource is very valuable in the classroom because it provides a lot of information about everything there is in the Solar System. This resource could be used during a lesson about the Solar System. Students could each be given an individual planet, star, or constellation to research, and students could create a poster with information on their individual planet, star, or constellation. This resource would benefit in their researching.