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This resource houses a view of the perfect meteorology field-trip for students. The location is The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL. The exhibit gives loads of visuals of and scientific background for a variety of storms. The link attached is about the whole exhibit, as you click on what you would more directly want to study the website shows you how students can explore. The exhibit doesn't just cover storms, it also covers atoms and ways to harness energy. If you explore the tornado section you will get to see and manipulate a giant tornado. You also get to make your own table top tornado to explore farther. Finally they have wind tunnels you can get inside to feel the force of the wind. In the lightning section they explore charge. Not only do they get to see and hear a lightning storm inside, but they also get to experiment with magnets and levitation! There is a ton of information on fires including how some fires in nature aren't so bad. Students even get to use reactions with fire to create a fireworks display. The list of fun goes on and on! In the sunlight section solar power is discussed. Students can even watch a tsunami in a tank, and an avalanche in a disk. The exhibit is completely educational and makes many connections to the real world. I would use this to close a year in science, probably right after a unit on weather where students have studied all of the aspects of weather for at least one month. The exhibit is an awesome way for them to see what changes in weather and climate can do, and how exactly they do it. Some parts of the exhibit put a student in they eye of the storm! I had never heard of this place before but I would love to go! .

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, or IUPAC, is a council made up of chemists from countries around the world. They have developed a system of naming elements and compounds. This website offers a variety of links to click on explaining the different rules. This website could provide a useful tool for teachers who need a refresher on some of the rules or for students who need additional clarification. Additionally, the site offers some suggestions about how to make the Chemistry curriculum more relevant to students by providing a more hands-on approach that requires a higher level of thinking and questioning.

"Is your fourth grader a hands-on learner? If so, just reading about the layers of the Earth may not be enough to inspire or even interest him. Turn the abstract lesson into a practical craft with the fun and colorful creation of dough earth layers!" This lesson plan lays out the layers of the Earth through the fun artsy craft of play dough creations. Basically the child will create their own personal batch of dough-incorporating color dye and close guidance. The student will then use their play dough to collaborate on the outer crust of the earth, the water, the land the inner core and the crust. Students are capable of physically making the play dough thin or thick in accordance to the knowledge of their information. They are applying their understanding of the earth and what it's made of basically at their own fingertips.

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).

Students will use oreos to create the phases of the moon. Each student needs 4 oreos and a paper plate. After the students know the phases of the moon and the significance of waxing and waning we would create the phases using the oreos. After they create their phases they may consume their creations while creating a foldable that they will place in their science journals. I am not a huge fan of this resource, but it was one of the better ones I was able to find.

This collection is meant to be of the best resources we can find. If you don't love this one, please remove it from the collection. Also, please note that the moon phases are incorrectly represented in the oreo image included here.

I love the Science Court video series! I saw them once while in an observation and really enjoyed the humor and interactive aspects of each video. This particular video is on living things and could go well in conjunction with a field trip or exploration of the human body. I selected the resource because of my prior knowledge and experience with it, and believe that when used correctly it could be beneficial in introducing broad concepts and getting students engaged and questioning the world around them. I envision this particular resource being used simultaneously with a series of hands on and instructional activities. I think with this sort of video series it can be easy to fall into a sort of pattern where there is little moving around and discussion, but this video series in particular has the potential to be used in much more full and enjoyable ways.

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!

From our small world we have gazed upon the cosmic ocean for thousands of years. Ancient astronomers observed points of light that appeared to move among the stars. They called these objects "planets," meaning wanderers, and named them after Roman deities-Jupiter, king of the gods; Mars, the god of war; Mercury, messenger of the gods; Venus, the goddes of love and beauty, and Saturn, father of Jupiter and god of agriculture. This activity assists students with facts and knowledge on how the solar system works. By providing a diagram that assists the student in the order and distance of each planet, this activity provides the student with a realistic vision of what outer space looks like. I believe that this resource can be used to help students memorize as well as find interested in how the solar system works and how each planet is arranged, what their made of, their distance from the sun, ect.

Edit your tag to be "solar system" so it is in one place. Remove "science" tag, as these are all science. Use teh grade level tags k-2, 3-5, 6-8, and/or 6-8 rather than broader ones like k-5.

This activity helps provide students with a simple understanding of why there are different types of soil. The students will be given a chewy chocolate chip cookie, and a regular crunchy one. They will examine each cookie and describe their characteristics and properties. Next, the students will smash the cookies with their hands to replicate the process of rocks weathering. Now that they have soil, they will compare the properties of both types of soil and form conclusions. Using a chewy chocolate chip cookie and a crunchy one represents the different minerals found in soils, and how it impacts its appearance, texture, and many other characteristics. Once the students have completed this activity, they will be able to enjoy a cookie! I selected this resource because I think it is a very straight forward way of learning about the different types of soils. Using these types of cookies really makes the concept easier to understand. This activity will not cost a lot of money, which makes it very valuable to me. We will do this activity at the end of our soil lesson in science.

This field trip has an array of educational experiences, including sensory activities and visual real life connections to both their own bodies and the biological processes they experience on a daily basis. I selected the You Exhibit from the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry for multiple reasons; because of the overarching relevance of the concept in multiple grade levels (many grades could attend together), the independence and personality that can be found within the exhibit that encourages students to look at how they're own actions affect they're biological home, and the "Google Field Trip Days" opportunities that allow a school with 51% reduced lunch to attend the museum for free ( including transportation, lunch, and museum entry.) Assuming this may be the status of the school I teach at, this could create a relatively inexpensive to free field trip opportunity for my class/school.

This is an interactive 3D Brain application for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. This application allows individuals to use touch screens to navigate 29 interactive structures of the brain. It allows individuals to learn haw brain regions operate, what happens if they are damage, how it is linked to certain mental illnesses, etc. This is a valuable resource because I have heard of schools already using iPads in the classroom, so different biology based applications can be incredibly useful if this type of technology is available to you. If I had iPads available to be utilized by my class, this would be a great way for my students to really visualize and explore the brain if I was covering brain structure and function in my classroom. 

WOW! I love this because a large amount of students are very fluent in their technology. Having these types of apps available for students to use at all times is fantastic. Now even though it does cost, some students do have the option to purchase it at home. In classrooms with apple products, it can be used all the time for every student. This is going to be something of the future. It beats still images and allows students to interact as if a brain is right in front of them.

This activity steps out of the normal lesson in the classroom, but I think it would keep the students entertained because of the candy that is involved. Each student would have a paper plate and would glue different pieces of candy on the plate representing the sun, each of the planets, and the asteroid belt. I really like that this activity steps out of the comfort zone that most teachers have and allows the students to do such a hands on activity that involves something that they like!

This activity allows the students to make their own mini solar systems out of different sized/shaped pieces of candy. The class can discuss the planets size, their color, and even how far away they are from each other through this activity, and using candy will make it a hard lesson to forget.You can either draw your orbits on black construction paper or a paper plate. Sun- butterscotch, Mercury- orange jujube; Venus- Nestle's sno caps; Earth- blue Skittle; Mars- red Skittle; asteroid belt- candy sprinkles; Jupiter- peppermint with red hot stuck on top; Saturn- lemon drop with twizzler wrapped around; Uranus- green Jujube; Neptune- aqua Skittle; Pluto- tart n tiny. I chose this lesson because I think it would be a great activity to help the class remember this important topic. Often times it is hard to recall which planets are next to which and so on, but by the use of candy we can build representations that are sure to stick with the. All of the small candy pieces listed are also easy to find and inexpensive! I would use this activity after learning the basics of the solar system, maybe as a review a few days before an assessment.

PBS's lesson on gravity is somewhat of a classic, dropping two objects of different weight from the same height. This lesson utilizes both hands-on experiments, videos, prediction, and a variety of other ways for students to stay engaged and involved in the lesson. Throughout the lesson students predict what may or may not happen to their own experiments, to those done on the moon, and comparatively between the two differing atmospheres. The resource is specifically valuable to me due to it's consistent student directed and inquiry-based nature, examples of higher order thinking questions can be found throughout the lesson. I can see this resource being used in the classroom during an introduction lesson to the concept of gravity, possibly taking place in multiple parts throughout a week or a unit.

Photo Credit: Clipart.com To observe and document similarities and differences between parts of plants. While ideas of ecology, biology, horticulture, etc., are far too abstract for K-2 students, young children are curious about their living environment and are ready to be introduced to the idea that they live on this earth along with plants and animals. I love this lesson. Plants are something that can easily be brought into the classroom for observation and exploration. This lesson provides a way for students to explore and identify the different parts of the plant, while also being able to see the parts on an actual plant and not just from a picture. I would definitely use this type of lesson in my future classroom, even if I were teaching older children I would just alter and make the content more in depth.

This lesson gets students to not only observe and classify, but it will also help further students science skills and help them become a more detailed thinking. I like this lesson because it is hands on for young students. This lesson takes the students on a scavenger hunt to find similar parts of plants and then the teacher will bring them back together and act as a facilitator when asking them questions about what they think of their findings. They will then document their findings and how the parts of the plant may be similar or different.

In this inquisitive and hands-on lesson the students get to learn about heredity visually. Mini "creatures" are made out of craft supplies of different colors, and on the first day students observe and take note of their characteristics. Upon opening the creatures (plastic eggs) up the students find seeds/babies. The next morning when class begins the students go to their creatures and notice the seeds have turned into mini monsters and resemble their parents in many ways. Day three even digs into survival characteristics. I love this lesson, and personally think it would be fun for many different ages. Heredity is often confusing for young students, and by giving them a visual representation that they can see and feel the class can become engaged. I like how this lesson can be easily spread over a three day period, and it would help enhance the heredity/genetics unit as a whole. I would go to the activity at the beginning of each period and let the children explore the new changes as an intro into science for the day.

I loved this 3 day lesson/unit on heredity. This lesson breaks down a complicated concept by using different colored easter eggs and google eyes to create a "species." Students notice similarities and differences over three generations of the species and are introduced to the idea of "traits." What I loved most about this source was that it linked this lesson to three different STEM standards. This way, students are having fun with science and you are still assessing them on the correct skills! -After reading some of the comments on the post, people did bring up the fact that some students could be adopted and not look like the rest of their family. If this is the case for one of my students, I would use that as an opportunity to talk about what makes us all different and special, and how that student is going to pass on a special set of traits.

The concept of the video is to show that when molecules are heated up they slow down and move farther apart, while the opposite happens when the molecules are cooled. The video shows and explains that by heating up the air inside an old, thick milk bottle and placing a hardboiled egg on top, the egg will be "pulled" unbroken into the bottle through the small opening at the top. The student explains that when the air inside is heated up the molecules spread far apart while the molecules in the cooler air outside of the bottle are compressed and practically push the egg through the opening. The student also does another demonstration that can be done safely at home, or in the classroom, by heating up the air in a glass juice bottle and placing a water balloon on top with the same results. She also shows that by cooling the air inside the bottle by blowing in it, the egg pops back out. I liked this video because the student is demonstrating and explaining to the grown ups the scientific principles involved. I also liked it because it provides a safe way to conduct the same experiment at home or at school. I think this is a great visual demonstration to add to chapters related to properties of matter. I would show the students the video and ask them how they think that worked. I'm fairly certain that a few would say it was a trick of some kind, so I would ask them if they thought we would get the same results or if something different might happen. I would then conduct the same experiment in the classroom.

Astronomy facts of the day present by the Saint Louis Science Center is a great way to introduce the topic of Astronomy, as well as, to build my students knowledge of the topic. Not only does this website include facts, but it also includes occurances that happen on that specific day in the sky which students may be able to witness. This resource could be used daily during my planet and constellation lesson plans, in addition to randomly the rest of the year after the students learn about the topic.

Great resource! SO interesting.

Enjoy our range of fun science experiments for kids that feature awesome hands-on projects and activities that help bring the exciting world of science to life. Plant Seeds & Watch Them Grow Learn about seed germination with this fun science experiment for kids. _____ The link posted is a site about planting a type of seed and watching it grow over time. I like the idea behind the seed germination activity because it would allow students to see the development of a plant from its original stage. I would incorporate this experiment at the beginning of a unit on the growth of plants as my way to capture my students attention. This activity could be used for K thru 5th (ish) grade. In the early grades, students could observe the growth of a plant from its seed. In later grades, the students could compare the growth pattern of different types of seeds. We could either plant one or a few seeds as a class, or each student could be responsible for their own seeds.

This website is full of different hands on activities for teaching biology to high school or middle school students. All of the activities that are provided are closely linked to biological concepts. The reason why I selected this resource is because I feel that students will truly understand and be able to apply a biological concept if they are able to engage said concept in a hands on activity. It is important that the kinesthetic mode of learning is addressed in class. This resource is valuable because I truly believe that the more hands-on activities that I have in my classroom, the more effective of a science classroom it will be. I will undoubtedly use some of these activities in my own class.  

This is an activity in which students use slices of bread to create replicas of various landforms. After introducing the varying types of landforms to the class, the teacher will provide students with slices of bread with which they can create different land types (such as islands, peninsulas, gulfs, straits, and isthmuses) in a hands-on, memorable manner. After the students have created the landforms, they can glue them to a piece of paper, or simply eat them as a snack! This activity caught my eye because I feel as though it would be engaging for the entire class. I also thought it was cost-effective and simple to execute. This activity would be an excellent way to introduce a unit on landforms because it gives the students a chance to become acquainted with the topic in an appealing, memorable way.

A foundation in geography begins with an understanding of the terms geographers use to describe the features of Earth. Help students grow their vocabulary and learn to recognize common landforms such as islands, lakes, peninsulas, gulfs, straits, and isthmuses in a hands-on lesson using soft and squishy slices of bread! I love this because the students get to visually make the landforms when learning about them. It keeps the students involved in the lesson. I would use it when first learning about the landforms to help the students better remember them.