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Free streaming video that shows the actual fossils from an ancient sea in the middle of Indiana. Put the mouse on highlighted sections of the rocks and a depiction of the fossil comes to life along with a brief summarization of what kind of fossil it is and how it lived. I really liked this program because it shows how different our world was millions of years ago, and the fact that the program animates whichever fossil you choose, brings the past to life. It would be a great resource to use when teaching biological evolution (3-LS4).

This resource gives students the opportunity to explore buildings and how objects are supported and how they stand. Students have a twenty minute lesson, and then they get to build and create supports. I think it would be a good idea to take the students around the school and show them, if there are any, supports to give them a visual of what they are learning and building.

This website is a great resource to check out when learning about plant and animal reproduction. It is very insightful with different kinds of other resources such as animations, pictures, activities, quizzes, and much more. I personally liked this as a teaching resource that I could use when covering plant and animal reproduction to help further the students knowledge about reproduction and help them as well as me understand it better.

This is a lesson on the properties of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is structured much like a lesson plan that we learned about in EDU 309, and as such, is easily broken down into individual parts. The lesson itself provides introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum, UV beads, prisms, and diffraction gratings, and also explains the origins of rainbows. I selected this resource because it provides a clear example of the use of the Next Generation Science Standards (despite its origins in California) as well as a valuable way for elementary students to look at the world around them in a different way. It also provides reading and mathematics connections. I would use this resource as a guidepost to structure my own lesson about light waves and the electromagnetic spectrum.

Excellent first post! you've got the hang of Diigo!

This website is based in Texas but is a group of individuals that will come into your classroom and teach the students about the need for plants and animals. I selected this website because I feel that younger students love to hear an expert on a subject come in and talk about it. I would use this resource at the beginning of my lesson segment on plant and animal biodiversity to get the students engaged and excited to learn.

While navigating through the website, students will be able to obtain knowledge on our solar system and all of the planets involved. Each planet has its own page of information. I like this website, because you can have the students use technology (the computers) and team work to find all of the information on each of the planets. I would have pairs of students receive one planet, and then sharing to the class about their information (This would help the kinesthetic learners) Also, there is a short 4 minute video that is called the "The Solar System Song" which has information about each planet. I would use this after the students all shared their information on what they learned on their planet. By sharing this video it incorporates technology, review and for those visual learners a small video to help them remember planets. There is also a planet quiz on the website as well as links to the stars and moons pages.

This was a fourth grade physical science experiment that can be used when studying electricity. Although it is not completely free it uses minimal household items so the cost is very low. The students are able to see what goes on inside a battery by completing a circuit. I would use this in my classroom because the students become actively involved in learning and it is something new and "shocking" for them to discover.

Grade level probably more like 4-8 than K-5

I would use this website in my classroom to give examples of ways I could get my students to learn to recycle and stay green. I would point out that this does not necessarily mean to just recycle plastic and paper, but that there are other ways to keep the environment clean and thriving.

This short video gives a brief description of the solar system. Although it doesn't go into great detail, it is a great starting point to get the students interested on the subject and excited to learn more about solar system. One thing that I really like about this video is the fact that is doesn't say anything about Pluto. Many of the other videos that I watched still included information about Pluto.

This is a song or poem that can be used to help kids remember features of the solar system. I chose this source because children retain more of what they learn when it is set to music or rhyme. I would fill the worksheet out with the kids in my class and then sing the song with them several times.

This is an energy game where the students choose the energy mix for a vertual city. This game allows the students to discover the economic, environmental, and security impacts of their decisions. There is areas to learn about each energy source in detail. Students can compete against other students or play one-on-one.

This is a fun, very easy experiment for students to try when learning about the laws of motion. Students are able to see first hand Newton's first law of motion. Students can do this experiments in groups and discuss why the penny doesn't fall.

This website is a branch of The Butterfly House located in the Missouri Botanical Gardens. This website has an amazing list of classes/programs and their descriptions offered for grades K-6. The programs are designed to foster a greater understanding of butterflies and their importance to the balance of life on Earth. There is also information about times, fees, and dates. I think this is a great way to enhance a field trip by giving the students a fun, hands-on, and interactive experience.

The house is actually operated by the Garden but not located there.

This is a great way for you to have students to work together to figure out the velocity of tornadoes and find out what goes into the forming of tornadoes. It is a fun lesson that will have the students engaged and keep them interested on learning about tornadoes.

This is a project to use (instead of the solar system diagrams) to show how the solar system looks in 3D. This project seems very interesting in that it is not the same as all the other solar system projects and it's a new way to show the solar system. Also all types of learners can learn from this project. As a teacher I would have the students make the snow globe, explain their process and what they were thinking before and after it was complete, and was it an easy project or hard. Also, I would include a written paper in the requirement for the snow globe project. In doing so, students can revisit their information on the planets and solar system as well as see what they do or do not know about each planet. I like this project because it fun and different from what is the usual solar system project.

I will use this information for planning my lesson on lightning and Benjamin Franklin's invention of the lightning rod. This web page on The Franklin Institute's webpage explains Benjamin Franklin's fascination of weather, particularly lightning, and why he invented the lightning rod. This website also provides other information about Benjamin Franklin that I may find helpful in planning my lesson.

LAB - Pig Dissection: This is an illustrated power point presentation that guides students through the dissection of a fetal pig. It includes identification of all external and internal features and structures. A great hands on activity for biology students learning about the body systems, I selected it for its practical applications and because the pig model closely simulates the human systems. Well labeled and extremely detailed.

This is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step explanation on genetics and inheritance. Each concept is briefly but succinctly explained allowing students to learn the concepts in small doses. I selected this resource because of its foundational nature and supporting graphics. This makes it suitable for learners at varying levels but particularly for early biology learners. It could be used effectively in any introductory DNA lesson.

Each of the many sections of the site includes explanation, animation, biography of a related scientist, and more. Quite in-depth and very high quality material.

DiscoveryKids.com offers many videos about sharks. The videos show sharks in and out of their natural habit and everyday life. The videos show how sharks eat and survive, how sharks look, and the different types of sharks that exist. I would combine these videos with Shark Week as a fun learning experience for the students. The videos would be used in numerous ways. I would have the students write in their science journals, take quizzes about a particular shark, draw pictures, complete a research paper, and complete other activities during that week about sharks.

This is a super simple science experiment for the classroom, involving how seeds grow. It does not take much preparation, and it will not take much time doing the experiment in the classroom. Despite the little time going into the setup of the experiment, students will be able to observe their seeds for weeks and record their data. I would most definitely consider using this in the classroom. It doesn't take much prep, it's not very costly, and the unit could last several weeks. In addition, this experiment is perfect for getting the students to think scientifically, and learning to record observations.