Resources for Teaching Science

This interactive animation explains how the Krebs cycle works, and to validate the information learned, there is a short quiz following. This is a great interactive tool that students can access at home tor review the content

This downloadable model allows students to manipulate the reactants in the photosynthetic equation. Doing so changes the outcomes of the products. This is a wonderful tool for understanding the physical implications of change in the environment.

There is a typo in the link causing the item not to be found. Edit to: http://concord.org/stem-resources/leaf-photosynthesis

I will use this informational video to show children the recycling process. The video follows recycle products from leaving the hands of the owner, all the way through the waste center. It is a good video because it is something that takes the attention away from a lecture for a short amount of time.

This is a fun video for the students showing the food chain. I think the students will enjoy the pictures and clips and it will get them excited about the subject.

This interactive game quizzes students on facts about the planets. It could be used as either a way to review what students have learned about planets or an introductory tool to familiarize them with the planets.I think students will enjoy this because they are learning information in a fun and interactive way.

This a second grade lesson plan that helps students learn how to put different animals into their right categories of vertebrates. It has different ways that you can assess the children on how well they learn the lesson. It is an excellent way to show that animals fit into different categories.

This is a great lesson plan that would help you discuss how volcanoes end up in the shape that they do. The lesson plan would show students why volcanoes only come in certain shapes.

In this experiment students use a mixture of materials to make a "bubble bomb". I like this activity because it is exciting for students but it requires little materials. I would use this activity to encourage inquiry skills and class discussion. i.e "What made the bag pop?" " What if you used a bigger/smaller bag?" This would also be a great opportunity for students to practice documenting their findings.

This is good lesson that covers the different kinds of rocks and would be a good basic tool to use. This would be a great building block to grow upon in a lesson about rocks.

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 lesson plan all about DNA. The students will use a banana and extract DNA from it and observe it under a microscope. I think that this is a cool and fun, interactive way for students to obtain a better understanding of DNA.

DNA is so abstract that I think it would be better recommended for 6-12 than K-12.

In this activity, Students will try extracting DNA from a banana by following the simple instructions and can take the activity further with the use of a microscope. It is a fun, interactive way to get the students thinking about structure. I would consider incorporating this activity into my classroom because it involves very little cost (1 banana would provide enough DNA for a classroom-wide experiment). Also, the experiment is totally sanitary--you are not working with human/animal DNA, you're working with food. Finally, anytime you bring food into a classroom, healthy or not, the students are interested. It's a win-win-win-win. This is a great lesson because it can be easily modified and adapted based upon the grade level and needs of the students. I believe this lesson would provide a nice introduction of DNA to a Middle School science classroom. However, if the instructor would like to increase difficulty for an older grade, it is easy to do. The students could compare and contrast DNA from different fruits, research in-depth, etc.

In this activity/lesson students cross off or color bingo squares in response to questions about their traits. By doing so, students will create an inventory of their own traits and compare traits within the class to determine which are the least and most common. I would use this in upper grade level as a beginning activity in genetics. I believe this activity would be fun for students while still being informative and encouraging inquiry and group discussion.

I think we all remember this being our favorite science lesson ever as a kid. In this lesson, the teacher will explain to students about freezing point depressions and exothermic reactions. Of course, in the way of making homemade ice cream. I loved this as a student before and I will definitely use it in my future classroom.

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 is a great lesson plan series that teaches 5th graders about the ecosystem. It goes into great detail about all the things that are necessary for it. It has things you can do for your more gifted students. It is a challenging lesson that pushes your students to critically think.

If it is for fifth grade, tag should say so, rather than K-5. 5-8 would be a better fit.

This site explains thunderstorms and elements related to thunderstorms in a kid-friendly way. I would use this site in my classroom to enhance understanding about storms, especially if I taught in this area where thunderstorms are so prominent.

Application shows the earth and the day and night region at any location on the planet by latitude, longitude and altitude. I think this would be a fun activity to have the students do while talking about planets. It lets the students explore the suns rotation.The teacher could create a sheet asking students so draw where the sun is shinning and certain locations at certain times.

These bell-ringer activities for science class. They get the kids focused and warmed-up. They take 5 minutes or less and it gives a teacher time to take attendance. They cover a variety of content areas (general science, physical science, biology, earth science, and astronomy). It even provides answer sheets for a nine week period.

This is a great experience for students to get a hands-on look into geology, speleology, topography, and even a little biology as well! At Meremac Caverns students get explore the underground caverns in an eighty-minute tour led by a trained guide and a FREE mini-workshop of the teacher's choice. i can say from experience this was one of the most fun field trips I ever went on!