Resources for Teaching Science

This resource is a comprehensive series of tutorials illustrating the components of the human body systems. This could serve as a very useful tool for remediating students as well as for early science learners. The color graphics help to guide students through the respective systems by distinguishing the various organs in each system. A useful tool that can also summarize classroom lectures.

Diagrams of body systems are available with or without labels and are also printable.

This is a lesson on the properties of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is structured much like a lesson plan that we learned about in EDU 309, and as such, is easily broken down into individual parts. The lesson itself provides introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum, UV beads, prisms, and diffraction gratings, and also explains the origins of rainbows. I selected this resource because it provides a clear example of the use of the Next Generation Science Standards (despite its origins in California) as well as a valuable way for elementary students to look at the world around them in a different way. It also provides reading and mathematics connections. I would use this resource as a guidepost to structure my own lesson about light waves and the electromagnetic spectrum.

Excellent first post! you've got the hang of Diigo!

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 is an awesome lesson plan that can connect most students to something that they enjoy watching on TV and playing with - robots! This lesson allows children to understand the basics of robots and how they work, but also give them the chance to make their own robots. In giving them a chance to build their own robots, they would have to ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool. (K-2-ETS1-1) I would use this whole lesson plan as a fun way to understand what team work actually is and engineering at a younger level.

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 lesson uses a story of a group of students who cleaned a creek so that salmon could come back to the area. This lesson goes right with my standard: 5-ESS3- Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment. After I read this story to the students, they write a reflection of how they can do something similar to help the environment. I would use this lesson in my future classroom to show them that with a little work, anyone can make a difference in helping the environment.

* This lesson is focused on the identification of structures and functions that plants and need to survive. It lets the students think about what job each part of the plant has to survive along with how important it is for each plant part to do its job or else the plant will not. I selected this resource because I thought it would make for a great introduction lesson for teaching students about plants and how their internal and external structures help them to support survival, growth, behavior, and overall reproduction (4-LS1-1). The structure and processes of plants and animals is my main focus of this lesson, but I feel that this lesson would benefit the teaching of plants.

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.

This lesson plan introduces the idea of creating and engineering to solve a problem. Students work in groups to create a flotation device to support a can of soup. There's a pdf for the lesson and then a word document for each group students to use where they draw out their idea and explain the certain steps and conclusions they came to during the whole process. I chose this lesson because it fits into my standard about talking about different solutions to a problem by looking at the confinements and criteria that the activity has in place (3-5-ETS1-2)

This resource is a unit plan that can include up to five lessons on human body cells. It covers cells from their beginning to cell aging and death and is very relatable in its presentation. Allows students to connect the scientific content to their 'everyday lives' Also addresses different cells with specialized functions but shows how they work together. Selected because the cell forms the foundation for the study of life.

This is a lesson plan involving the causes of pollution. This lesson talks about the negative effects pollution has on our lives, things that cause pollution, and ways to help make our Earth a cleaner place. The students are allowed to be creative and find their own ways to stop pollution and become active. I would use this in my future classroom because it allows all of my students to be involved in helping the world we live in.

Although this field trip would only work for a school in Chicago, I found that the Adler Planetarium has an amazing exhibit about the solar system. Besides extensive information about each planet, students can participate in a space walk where they have the chance to explore the different terrain and atmospheres on the other planets. My favorite thing about this exhibit is that is gives the students the opportunity to touch a piece of Mars and the moon! I think the students would find this field trip very interesting and it would be much more entertaining to them than staying in the classroom and watching videos of 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!

While navigating through the website, students will be able to obtain knowledge on our solar system and all of the planets involved. Each planet has its own page of information. I like this website, because you can have the students use technology (the computers) and team work to find all of the information on each of the planets. I would have pairs of students receive one planet, and then sharing to the class about their information (This would help the kinesthetic learners) Also, there is a short 4 minute video that is called the "The Solar System Song" which has information about each planet. I would use this after the students all shared their information on what they learned on their planet. By sharing this video it incorporates technology, review and for those visual learners a small video to help them remember planets. There is also a planet quiz on the website as well as links to the stars and moons pages.