Resources for Teaching Science

This resource gives the children an opportunity to get up to the smart board and work on fun but still very educational material. I selected this resource because there is also a host of games that allow the children to showcase some different types of animals into their own animal and also make their own habitats. I would use this resource by first teaching the students what they need to know about the biodiversity of plants and animals and the different habitats and then I would have the students go to the smart board and work with the interactive activities. After this, I would have the students make and explain an animal and also habitat.

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.

A. This resource contains educational games which focus on biology (plants and animal habitats). The link will take you to a particular game where students must find plants and animals in the local environment. Once students complete this game, they move onto others regarding growing plants and specific habitats. B. I chose this resource because it is an excellent introduction for a unit/lesson regarding plants and animals in their habitats, as well as showing students that plants and animals can be found in all types of environments. This resource fits well with my standard which is 2-LS4-1; Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. C. I would use this resource in my future classroom as an introduction for students to make the connection that animals and plants can be found in all types of environments. I would also use these interactive games to assess my students prior knowledge about plants/ animals habitat diversity in order to see which material can simply be a review.

This resource provides a basic format for illustrating the Scientific Method. It explores the factors that affect seed germination. It emphasizes the brainstorming function and lays out an experimental design for students to follow. Students can make predictions and explain their rationale. A sample experimental design guide is included. This is a very important tool to assist students seeking to answer questions through experimentation.

This website gives a list of famous astronauts and their biography. I would use this in a classroom and give each students an astronaut and have them research the astronaut and give us (the class) a short presentation on their findings. You could use this website in multiple ways.

I will use this website to have my students make lightning using an aluminum pie plate, styrofoam, glue, ballpoint pen, thumbtack, and a wool sock. Manipulating these materials will create a harmless mini-lightning bolt. This website provides instructions and detailed explanations for this activity.

I will use this website to have my students make lightning using an aluminum pie plate, styrofoam, glue, ballpoint pen, thumbtack, and a wool sock. Manipulating these materials will create a harmless mini-lightning bolt. This website provides instructions and detailed explanations for this activity.

A clear calendar by month and year. Nice way to compare one month to another. Can select Northern or Southern hemispheres.

This is a step-by-step explanation of a moon phase lesson. Gives a logical order to the lessons. Provides an idea for a hands on experiment too. Give many more moon links.

This is the website that students and teachers can both visit to see what the planetarium have and what is expected of the students to learn there. I think visiting the Saint Louis science center would be a fun learning experience for the students, even if they have already visited the center. As a teacher I would go here after my students have learned about planet, solar system, the history of astronomy, etc... It was help students connect all of their previous knowledge to a real life experience which makes it even more fun because it's relevant to them (students). The website/Science Center is also useful to students for other subject areas or interest they might have.

This is a project to use (instead of the solar system diagrams) to show how the solar system looks in 3D. This project seems very interesting in that it is not the same as all the other solar system projects and it's a new way to show the solar system. Also all types of learners can learn from this project. As a teacher I would have the students make the snow globe, explain their process and what they were thinking before and after it was complete, and was it an easy project or hard. Also, I would include a written paper in the requirement for the snow globe project. In doing so, students can revisit their information on the planets and solar system as well as see what they do or do not know about each planet. I like this project because it fun and different from what is the usual solar system project.

This resource gives everything you need to know about the Sun, Earth, Moon and other familiar objects in the solar system. There are links to each individual planet, the sun, the moon, stars, comets etc... I would use this website to give more information for the students on the solar system. This could also help students who are more advanced to "dig in" to more detail about the solar system. There are photographs, games, detailed information on everything in the universe. There is even a glossary I can use as a teacher so that students know what each word in the solar system means. I can use a graphic organizer with the glossary,start constellations, or information on each of the planets. This website can be used in multiple ways for teaching the solar system.

I like the idea of this matching game, however I would take the time to make the cards out of construction paper and laminate them so that the students could use them at their desks instead of having to be at the computer. I would also probably add more descriptions and have each planet as an answer two or even three times, just to make the game more challenging and show that the student has proficient knowledge over the material that has been covered in class.

Nice job considering modifications you would make.

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.

This source gives the history of space exploration. From the first astronomers to the first shuttle launch. This website will be useful by informing the students on how humans have contributed to the solar system with knowledge and technology. I selected this website because it will be a good source for information on the history of outer space. I like this resource because I can set up groups to explore one of the four websites and report back to class. This hands on experience will help students realize it was a long and difficult journey to get to where we are in space, knowledge and technology. I could use this in not only science by history class by relating to dates of other situations in history as well as showing how Americans have progresses throughout the years in science and technology.

I really like the timelines for different periods of history as well as the depictions of insignia for the different missions to space by NASA. Great informational site for student research!

This site poses questions for the kids and gives the answers. Nice 8 phases of the moon chart and provides more links.

I would use this website in my classroom to give examples of ways I could get my students to learn to recycle and stay green. I would point out that this does not necessarily mean to just recycle plastic and paper, but that there are other ways to keep the environment clean and thriving.

This fun game for elementary students shows the students how different kinds of animals or insects go through their different life cycles. It would be very good for kids who need to review how the life cycle works.

This website includes information on each planet, the sun, the moon, asteroids, comets, meteorites, explorations of space, telescopes, types of equipment etc... I would use this website for an activity where students learn about each planet, the universe and what is in the universe. I also like this website because it contains videos of the Mars space shuttle, telescopes, etc... I think that would be a useful tool for students who are visual, auditory and kinesthetic.

This website includes: lesson plan, worksheets, higher-level thinking and reasoning questions for students. It has four weeks of activities to better understand the solar system and the entire universe and what it is made of. The four weeks are sections off into groups: Universe, Solar System, Earth and Geography. This website list all materials needed, the background information needed, higher-level thinking questions asked to students, diagrams and visual on each subject matter. There is a lab that gets the students working together and reasoning through their connections and answers. I would use this in my third grade classroom to help the students reason on why the planets rotate like they do, and other higher-level thinking questions. This will help the students reason, think on higher-levels of questions not just in science but in all subject areas.

Great find!

What I liked about this website was the fact that it has a section for teachers and parents, and also an interactive website for the young ones. It teaches the students about the importance of the environment, and how important it is to take care of it. There are games, videos, and create your own "EekoCreature". In the teacher section, it includes lesson plans for K-4. Each lesson plan includes an overview, objectives, subject area, other internet links, background, steps, several activities, and standards. I also liked the fact that it comes from a PBS website.