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Loads of good info on this free Library of Congress website, including a page on how to get girls interested in science. There are books, activities and internet resources attached to this page, and I think educators could find this useful at all grade levels to get girls excited about science.

Here are a ton of lesson plans for all areas of science. YOU could take these and make them for all grade levels in the elementary level. I would use this in the classroom a ton. No other resource like your colleagues.

Most of these are fairly advanced concepts. I would be hesitant to use any of those I explored below grade 5.

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.

The St. Louis Science Center often provides preview days for educators to come check out the new exhibit featured. This preview allowed the educator to see the exhibit and the movie along with receiving some resources on how to lead the students through the exhibit. I think it is important that teachers be able to view exhibits and have a lesson ready before taking their students on a trip. I think that any teacher would benefit from such a workshop even though the material offered would be suitable for grades 3-8.

This is a website for the Magic House in St. Louis. It gives all of the information to plan a school field trip. It even breaks it out according to age group (grade level). This is a great resource for teachers looking for a field trip idea! The website has tons of information that any elementary educator would find very useful.

This is a link to the Magic House website. I chose this because I thought it was be a really fun and educational field trip for students. There are so many things to explore at the Magic House. A field trip to the Magic House would fit in with the sound and vibration standard I have because there is a Classic Tour for elementary grades that explores sound.

This is a video I found on YouTube featuring an experiment that shows how light can be "bent" using water and reflection. I selected it because it goes well with the Next Generation Science Standard that I was given (1-PS4-3). I feel that it lends itself well to explaining to students the reflective properties of light, and I would use the video along with my own version of the activity to explain this. I tagged both K-3 as well as 4-8, though I feel that the activity could be used at any grade level. The video itself uses more advanced language and vocabulary, but I feel that by using grade-appropriate terminology, it could be useful for younger students as well.

This is an activity for the first day or as an introduction to the scientific method or to just allow students to work in groups so that you can get to know them better. I usually do all instructions verbally and don't require any written documents for turning in. __________________________ This is a cute activity to use for smaller aged students to introduce them to the scientific method with little prep work from the instructor. All the teacher needs is gummy worms, life savors, paper clips, and plastic cups. Sam (the worm) is stuck on a boat (the cup) and the life jacket (life savor) is under the cup. The students will use paper clips to retrieve the life jacket and put it on Sam to save him. While doing this, students will work with a partner to explore ways to save Sam. I would use the link below as it goes along with the lesson and gives questions for the students to answer and record during their exploration to save Sam. The worksheet can be tailored to match the appropriate age group conducting the experiment. https://docs.google.com/document/d/15ahlJ9CSEB31IPgJOFO2LW62K5PoxbN6hosNneO2tRc/edit?hl=en_US I think this would be a fun activity that would allow the instructor to see how the students work together and who is taking the lead role. At the same time, the students are being introduced to creating an hypothesis, recording their observations, and coming to conclusions. I would probably use questions from the above link for higher grades such as 2nd - 5th. If I did this activity with K and 1st grade, I probably would just discuss vocabulary terms as well as their thoughts and observations during group discussion versus having them document on paper.

This zoo passport activity will not only be worked on in the classroom, but also during our fieldtrip to the zoo. Students will assemble their passports during class time, and I will assist them. While at the zoo, students will mark off what animals they see, and add any other animals by drawing them on the blank pages at the back of the book. I selected this resource because zoo fieldtrips are very popular in first grade, which is the grade I would like to teach. I think it is a great way to make the zoo fieldtrip even more exciting by having them search for certain animals. This is valuable to me because there is a free downloadable printable that I will use instead of having to create my own.

This is a lesson that teaches kids about the phases of the moon by using Oreos. It's originally for Kindergarten students according to the website that I found it on, however, one of my college professors used this activity in my Physical Science class and it's still the reason how I know the moon phases. I would definitely use this in my classroom at any grade level because no matter how old you are, Oreos are always a great tool for learning! I could see myself using this in my classroom after a presentation of this unit and after they are introduced to other pictures, I would set up stations or something for them to identify what moon they're trying to make, and then replicate that with their Oreo. This was one of my favorite activities as a young adult, so I'm sure any student and any age could really learn a lot with this as well as having fun with science! Who knows, maybe one little Oreo activity could birth the passion of a future astronomer in my classroom!

This website is a video showcase -- on the Internet and TV -- of innovative and effective teaching practices in America's schools. It is fabulous. It has hundreds of high quality (made for TV type quality) videos designed to give educators information on how to conduct lessons of all disciplines. Broken down by 5 different subjects, 4 different grade groups and thousands of topics, lots here for any teacher of any discipline. Bonus--common core standards can be found in most videos!

This website has 5 different experiments that students can do with plants. The experiments test the effects of light, water, food, talking to the plants, and soil content on the growth of plants. I selected this source because I think the experiments are good and will help students understand the best conditions of plants. It will help them understand that there are other components besides light and water that go into the growth of a plant. I would use this resource during a plant unit, likely in 3rd or 4th grade. This would be an ongoing project that could integrate measurement in math, graphing (with and without use of technology), and art (by drawing observations).  

I love this one! I really like plant experiments becuase these days, kids don't really get to appreicate and witness actual plant growth. I would any of these as ideas to use in my classroom.

Learn More & Get Involved The Lower River Cam, located in Katmai National Park and Brooks Camp, Alaska, is where the Brooks River meets Naknek Lake. It is a favorite place of mothers and their young cubs, females and young adults until September when as many as 100 bears descend on the area to feast over a two month period. ______________________________________________________________________________ This is a GREAT website! This website allows viewers to observe animals in their natural habitats (my favorite are the elephants). Some of the animals include elephants, bears, sharks, penguins, and many more. These animals are found everywhere around the world, and cameras are put in their habitats (both in zoos and in the wild) so viewers can observe the way these animals act in their natural habitats. I chose this resource simply because I absolutely love it. I've heard nothing but good things about this website. My brother has used this website in his kindergarten classroom and his students really enjoyed observing the different animals. I also like how the website provides a wide range of animals, which helps peak every students' interest. This resource could be used during any science lesson about animals. If students are learning about animals and their habitats, this website would be very resourceful and would be a great visual to show the different habitats animals live in. Overall, I think this resource gets students interested in animals and can be used at any grade level to peak students' interest.

This is Bill Nye the Science Guys website. I picked this website because I know of many kids who really enjoy his videos. The website contains some free videos, and you are able to shop the store for more and books. The website also contains at home demos, which are something that can be used in the classroom. I believe this could be used for almost any grade level throughout the elementary school. There are also quizzes that students can take. There is also a contact Bill section. I think it would be great to write a class letter to Bill.

This is a link to the Missouri Botanical Garden website which makes for a great field trip. At the Missouri Botanical Garden, students explore plants from around the world and go into greenhouses. There is also a Children's Garden geared specifically toward younger students. I selected this resource because I have experience with the Missouri Botanical Garden. Kids really enjoy exploring and learning about the plants. A field trip to the gardens could be used to bolster units involving plant life, photosynthesis, and changing seasons.  I could use this resource at any grade level because the Garden does a good job at having activities for kids of various ages.

Three Lessons About Energy I designed these three little lessons a long time ago to support a third-grade science curriculum (the particular textbook is now lost to us--or in other words I can't remember the name of it), but they could be used with any elementary students who are studying energy in science class. I like this lesson because it allows the kids to get up, move around, and become a part of the lesson. I would have the students start by slowly walking around the room, making sure to be careful not to run into anyone or anything. If I told them I was adding energy, they would speed up a little bit, and if I told them I was removing energy, they would slow down a bit. If I told them I was removing a lot of energy I would tell them that they need to stop and hold hands with anyone near them. At first the students wouldn't know exactly what they were supposed to be demonstrating. I would later reveal to them that they were water molecules and the energy I was adding and removing was heat. When they were moving slowly they were a liquid, fast they were a gas, and stopping they were a solid. This is a great example of learning by doing.