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PALS is an on-line, standards-based, continually updated resource bank of science performance assessment tasks indexed via the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and various other standards frameworks

This resource contains a video on how to make a pollution catcher. The materials needed for one catcher to be created is a paper plate, yarn/string, a hole punch, Vaseline, and a drawing utensil. I selected this resource because it fits the standard to- obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment (5-ESS3-1). This standard will be the focus of my lesson in this course. Having each student create a pollution catcher would be a fast activity for most grade levels, especially the upper elementary grades. If I was to teach a fifth grade class, I would do this activity as means of teaching the standard mentioned above.

This resource contains a multiple day lesson plan for a third grade class. The lesson is about composting. It involves instruction by use of a Power Point, an outdoor exploration, and even an assessment. I selected this resource because it fits the standard to- obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment (5-ESS3-1). This standard will be the focus of my lesson in this course. Although this standard is for fifth graders, I believe this resource will still be useful. In order to make the resource at a fifth grade level only a few things need to be tweaked. The lesson plan in this resource could serve as an outline for the lesson plan I will be creating in this course.

This link has lesson plans and activities that would useful in learning about food chains. It also has standards, objectives, and rubrics for the teacher to use. I like this link because it will be useful to guide off of for lesson plans, objectives, and activities. You can use the lesson plans and activities, or you can change them for your liking.

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 resource contains an interactive map of Recycle City. The map has four areas that can be explored to discover how the residents recycle, reduce, and reuse waste in the city. I selected this resource because it fits the standard to- obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment (5-ESS3-1). This standard will be the focus of my lesson for this course. The interactive map will go along very well with this lesson.

Great find! Thank you for posting. How, specifically, will the map "go along" with the lesson?

The map could serve as the "Exploration" part of my lesson. However, I could see this as being very time consuming. In a real classroom, it would most likely have to be an activity using up the entire science period.

This resource contains an interactive program of various materials that demonstrate sound and vibrations that make sound. The program allows students to change materials, pitch, and force. I chose this resource because it fits well with the standard (1-PS4): Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make a sound and that sound can make materials vibrate. During my lesson, I will focus on this standard, and this program would serve as a fun activity for students. In my lesson, I would use this program as an introduction. This activity would expose students to a variety of sounds and materials while introducing vibrations.

This resource contains a lesson plan for a fifth grade class. The lesson teaches about the affects people can have on water around them. It involves a five minute video, a hands-on activity, and even a song. I selected this particular resource because it fits the standard to-obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment (5-ESS3-1). This standard will be the focus of my lesson in this course. I really liked the way the lesson plan was written to engage students. I could possibly incorporate this resource, or parts of it, into the lesson plan that I will be writing in this course.

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL is filled with many hands on activities for all kinds of science. Why does a tornado spin? Why does a wave break? Why does a flame burn? Why does lightning strike? Our questions about the world begin almost as soon as we're aware of it. I have been to this museum but it has been a long time. After trying to think of an interesting place to go and looking at several, this museum seems to be filled with many hands on science experiences and that is why I chose this museum. Also, for field trips, chaperons and students get into the museum for free but there are small fees for the omnimax and certain special exhibits. I also loved that there were labs you could rent, online resources, and they also include worksheets for activities they do in the museum. For the labs they also include standards on their website, including the next generation standards! Many exhibits interest me but this one on Science Storms would be great to take your students after doing a lesson on weather in science. This would give students an insight to mother nature, it's strength in an up close view. There are so many more to include though. So you could even do an end of the year field trip, or maybe an 8th grade trip and include an educational engaging experience for the children.

This is a game that requires students to identify simple machines around the house and compound machines in the shed. Once students select one of the objects, they are given two multiple choice questions about the use of the tool and then what type of simple machine is being used. Then the students are given a visual aid explaining the job of that simple or compound machine. I chose this interactive website because it gives students real life application as it shows everyday uses for simple machines. I would use this in the classroom during a lesson on simple machines so that the students would benefit more from connecting the simple machines to previous experiences.

Simple Machines is a science game for students in grades 2 - 6 to identify simple machines around the house, and simple machines that make up compound machines in the tool shed. This is a very interactive activity. I chose this because it is informative and interactive as well as a free resource. I love that there is a free teacher's guide available and the national standards are listed so that you can see where this activity falls in the standards. I think this would be a great tool to use throughout the chapter or lesson on simple and compound machines. This will help reinforce the concept.

by Judie Haynes A pumpkin theme unit can be related to either Fall harvest or Halloween. These lessons are written to follow the TESOL Pre-K-12 ESL Standards: Standard 2, Goal 2. How plants grow; experiments with pumpkins Beginning, advanced beginning ESL students grades 2-6 Plant growth vocabulary; how pumpkin seeds grow into mature plants; floating and sinking; predicting and estimating. This lesson can progress through an entire chapter and the activities with growing pumpkins can help give visuals throughout the lesson.

This link is to the College Board's website. They set the regulations for AP classes and exams. This specific site describes the requirements for the AP Chemistry course curriculum along with what the yearly audit entails. On this site, teachers and students can also access practice tests and sample questions to prepare for the AP exam, which students must take if they want the course to count as college credit. I know schools who offer these courses are encouraging their students to take advantage of this opportunity. I will utilize this resource in the future to prepare a detailed syllabus that will allow my curriculum to meet state and national standards and help my students succeed.

This resource is a recycling activity and learning guide for educators and students. The guide was created by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It contains recycling and waste facts about Wisconsin and also lessons based on protecting the Earth's resources and environment. I chose this resource because it fits the standard to- obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment (5-ESS3-1). This standard will be the focus of my lesson in this course. The guide provides information for the fifth graders to learn how Wisconsin uses science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment. I could also use a lesson from this guide as an outline for my lesson in the course.

This guide contains a TON of information on a variety of environmental topics.

This website provides a resource for students to learn Chemistry through playing interactive computer games. A teacher can register the class or the students can just login as a guest. Videos and songs are also posted to make Chemistry more interesting. Additionally, the site offers links to resources for getting tutoring help as well as safety rules and lab experiment suggestions for teachers. This website seems like a useful tool in the classroom and to refer students and parents to if they have questions or need additional information.

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 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.

NSDL Science Literacy Maps help teachers connect concepts, standards, and NSDL resources.

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 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.

This lesson allows students to experiment with various sound sources, including their own voices to gain an understanding of the connection between sound and vibration. I chose this resource because I think that it fits well with my standard (1-PS4); Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make a sound and that sound can make materials vibrate. I would use this lesson in my future science classroom by having students break into groups to perform each of the activities from the lesson to demonstrate the different vibrations made from different objects.