Resources for Teaching Science

This resource is a field trip to Cahokia Mounds. I think that this fits with my standard, 5-ESS3-1 because it shows how the community preserves a historical landmark, and it shows how something can last for a long time if people take care of the environment.

Our eyes are using light to see various objects all the time, but when this light travels through different mediums (such as water & air) it changes direction slightly. Light refracts (or bends) when it passes from water to air. I selected this resource because I could not quite find a good field trip. I feel like this is an easy way to show the young children how objects bend when looking through other material. This is a very easy lab and experiment for young grades. I would use this lab when showing my class how objects may appear and look different when seen through different objects.

The magic house is an ideal place for an elementary level science field trip. This website outlines what all the magic house has to offer starting with holiday specials, classic games, special school discounts, and specific learning standards that can be met. All around, the magic house is a good time for both students and teachers, simply because it's a fun and active way to explore science.

"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.

This is an activity that is easy to set up, but goes a long way this students. This is a cheap and easy way to have students make the connection between sound and vibration. This would be a great activity to include in stations or centers. I chose this activity because I think it is a great way to get students to understand the correlation of vibrations and sound.

"Hand rolled soap has been made for centuries, and is easier to make than you think! Your child can learn more about the history of soap as well as rolling up some soap the whole family can use for getting clean. Soap has been around for thousands of years, first referenced in the second century AD!" We all want to be clean! But what is soap made of and what science aspects does soap bring to the table? This experiment is a perfect introduction and leading question to get students engaged. The child will add their own uniqueness to their individual soaps and the flexibility to be creative. They will also learn science concepts of liquid turning into solid and states of matter exploration. If the students are anything like me-they will be intrigued!

"Chemistry isn't just incredible ... sometimes it's edible, too! These crystal lollipops are a delicious introduction to some very lick-able chemistry concepts. Teach your child about saturation, evaporation, and crystallization with a simple kitchen concoction that will leave her hungry for more chemistry." Who doesn't love food? I know kids do! This website outlines the materials and process necessary to make crystallized lollipops. This allows for the students to understand concepts of boiling water, dissolving, super saturation, evaporation, etc. Science concepts can even be explained using something as fun as food-and the lesson can end with a yummy treat!

A free animated video presentation to show students how dinosaur bones become fossils. I liked this video because it really enhances the teaching of how bones eventually become fossils and will help students gain a better understanding of the long process and natural forces at work. It would be a great resource to use in conjunction with teaching students biological evolution (3-LS4).

This worksheet is a follow up worksheet for a Bill Nye video. This worksheet has questions in which the children would have to fill out during or after they have watched the video. All of these questions are taken from the video. I selected this worksheet because it is based on a science video which children would be interested in. Since this worksheet is based around a video, the children will have to pay attention to find the answers. I would use the video and worksheet to engage the children and then go into more detail throughout the lesson.

This video is about how light bends or bounces due to objects being placed in front of it. I selected this video because Bill Nye uses a fun interesting way of teaching science with certain topics. I would use this as the lesson, and then would follow it up with a worksheet for the class

This resource is an interactive introduction to sound. I would use this resource in a lesson on sound and vibrations, and show the website on a smartboard for my students and I to explore together. This interactive resource has multiple pages of images with sounds and animations that allow students to pluck rubber bands to notice sound and compare the speed of sound with the speed of other familiar vehicles. Another page of animations also shows students the speed of sound in the air in relation to thunder and lightning, something all students should be familiar with. I like this resource but I think teacher involvement would be required. It is not something young students could explore or read on their own.

A free application to see if dinosaur fossils have been found near your home. I selected this app because I thought it would be a fun way to bring studying dinosaur fossils a little closer to home. I would use it in the classroom in conjunction with studying evolution and diversity (3-LS4).

This is a video that introduces sound, specifically vibration, and teaches a song to students. I chose this video because I know how much young children love music and learning songs. It has a lot of good information about sound and vibration in the short time the song plays. I would use this song to introduce a lesson on sound, or possibly conclude a lesson and review what students have learned.

The resource shows a short video clip from the Magic School Bus episode: In the Haunted House- Sound is Vibration. It talks about sound and their vibrations and also shows Mrs. Frizzle's students demonstrating vibrations on numerous instruments. I selected this video resource because it fits well with my standard 1-PS4-1: provide evidence that vibrating materials can make a sound. I enjoyed watching this short video clip so I would hope my students would enjoy this also. I would use this resource as an introduction to grasp my students attention because it introduces what a vibration is.

This is a technology resource which is a link to a youtube video. The video is a clip from a Magic School Bus episode on sound. I chose this video because it explains vibration related to sound in simple terms that students can understand. I would most likely use this video as an introduction to a lesson to grab the students' attention.

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 an activity resource I found about a robot arm activity for students. The information for the activity along with the full pdf file and the student worksheet are free to download. I liked all the information that the page offered, as well as the complete list of items for each group of students to use to create their robot arm. I think that this is another great way for students to see the many different sides of engineering. It's not all just about space or building skyscrapers. The goal of the project itself is for the robot arm each group creates to be able to grab and carry a foam cup. It's not too much of a daunting task and the goal is clear and is easily viewed when it comes to assessment.

Gamestar Mechanic is my technology resource. This game, available for download and online, teaches kids how to create their own video games. There is a big teacher section online for the program with videos explaining how to use Gamestar Mechanic as well as a place for teachers who use the program to blog about their experiences and share lesson plans using this game. I would like to use this as a tool in problem solving where all my students could help create a "game" or for students to use during free time or inside recess. The pdf file and the ideas for lessons are very interesting and I think this can be used as a tool to open up student's to the many different sides of engineering and creating.

This resource is an exercise in perception with a small nod to biology. Essentially, the activity requires a student to stand astride a 2x3-feet mirror and then, with the leg that is against the reflective side of the mirror, bend at the knee and move it back and forth. This will create the illusion of flight. The idea behind this is not only the reflection of light using a mirror, but it also ties in to basic biology and anatomy by proving that the human body is symmetrical. I chose this out of a desire to find fun light and reflection-based activities that are relatable to younger (K-3) students. I would use this in the classroom as part of a lesson about light and reflection, making sure to give the hat tip to the biology element as well.

I found this while searching for field trip ideas. The author of this summary visited the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, which features many "hands-on" exhibits. He speaks mainly of the "Newton's Alley" exhibit, where he spoke of the ability to lift himself using pulleys. However, of particular note to me was the fourth paragraph, where he talked about playing the "harp with invisible strings," which was actually powered by laser technology. I selected this resource both out of a desire to find a fun and relevant field trip as well as my own healthy respect for Isaac Newton and his discoveries. I would use this as a basis for planning a field trip to the actual Maryland Science Center facility.

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.