Resources for Teaching Science

This is a test which covers the basics of light bending and refraction. I selected this resource because I believe it would be a good way for students to test their knowledge about this topic. In my classroom I would use this as a way to introduce the topic.

This is a fun science activity that allows students to see how erosion works, and how it affects the world around them. It also has a video to go along with the lesson so that after students see how it works, they can see a huge example of it in the Grand Canyon.

This resource would be used as a lesson. It shows how putting objects in a way of light can make the light bend or go in different angles. I would use the activities in the resource to start off the lesson and ask the students to make conclusions of what they might think could happen.

Grade Level: 2nd-4th; Type: Botany Objective: Test whether plants can grow without sunlight and water. How do plants make their own food? Plants contain a green pigment called chlorophyll, which can make food from water and energy from sunlight. But what happens when you deprive plants of water and sunlight? This would be a great classroom experiment completed by the entire class as a whole. It will show the students the real differences of a plant with or without food in the sunlight and in total darkness like a closet or cabinet. I would love to do this lesson in my classroom to demonstrate to the students what plants need to grow and survive just like we as people need certain things to grow and survive.

As plants grow, they move up toward the light. But what is a plant's favorite color? Do plants move toward some colors more than others? Problem: Do plants bend toward certain colors of light? This experiment would be great for a 4th or 5th grade classroom for the students to see different plant behavior. I would definitely use this resource within my classroom as a project for the class to do throughout a period of time. I personally like this experiment because it will get the kids excited and interested because they have no idea what to expect or to even think a plant will grow more towards a certain color than another.

This is a free 5-minute animated video that explains how animals adapt to changes in their environment for survival.The video also touches on the topic of natural selection by explaining that the traits suited for survival are then passed on from one generation to the next. I like this video because it's fun and would appeal to third graders but it's still teaching them the concepts that are introduced when teaching about biological evolution (3-LS4). I would show the video before delving into the variation among species and survival of the fittest topics where introduced. I think it's helpful when teaching concepts to make them relevant to the students, and this video shows how animals that the students are familiar with, such as tigers, obtained and use their camouflage.

In this 2 part lesson, students learn about oil spills and the damage that they can cause. Then students work together to come up with ways to prevent this kind of damage. In the second part of the lesson, the students get to explore different ways to clean up an oil spill if it were to happen. I think that this is a great lesson for younger kids. Its fun, and they get to explore and play. But they also are learning about something that can have a very large impact and is very important to the environment.

St. Louis Science Center's reconstruction of a dig site in the Badlands, of Montana. The fossils at the "dig site" are casts made from the real fossils that can be seen on display in the Prep lab. The Prep Lab features interactive tables where real dinosaur fossils are displayed. Students are also encouraged to ask the workers and volunteers questions. There are also many other interactive exhibits at the St. Louis Science Center that deal with fossils and how they are made, and beginning March 7, there will be a special traveling dinosaur exhibit to visit. I can't think of a better place to take a field trip when teaching about biological evolution (3-LS4) than the Science Center. A large majority of their interactive displays fit right in with what the students are learning, and having the hands-on experience will only enhance the students learning and make it more meaningful. I would take the field trip somewhere in the middle of teaching the material, that way I could reference what the students have already learned in class when we're on the field trip but they would find that there is still more to learn.

This website is a great resource to check out when learning about plant and animal reproduction. It is very insightful with different kinds of other resources such as animations, pictures, activities, quizzes, and much more. I personally liked this as a teaching resource that I could use when covering plant and animal reproduction to help further the students knowledge about reproduction and help them as well as me understand it better.

This resource gives students the opportunity to explore buildings and how objects are supported and how they stand. Students have a twenty minute lesson, and then they get to build and create supports. I think it would be a good idea to take the students around the school and show them, if there are any, supports to give them a visual of what they are learning and building.

The St. Louis Science Center is a great place for students to go to learn all about science. For all of the terrific things the Science Center has to offer, the students will be able to leave with a better understanding of everything around them that involves science. From the planetarium to the discovery room inside the Science Center, students will never get bored and there definitely will never be a dull moment. This is a great resource to use for any type of science related field trip. It also includes different information about the Science Center such as; student discounts, group discounts, and other activities that go on at the Science Center every day.

This is a field trip resource to the St. Louis Science Center, which allows students to see science in real life and go through simulations. I chose this resource because I think that all children enjoy going to the Science Center, and they would be having fun while learning about the content. I would use this as a field trip opportunity.

Free Whiteboard ready game in which students put the various parts of a dinosaur together to create a dinosaur that really existed or students can create their own. I really liked this game because it's fun while learning for the whole class. It not only teaches students about the variety of dinosaurs but also shows the similarities and differences in their structures. This would be a useful game to play when teaching about biological evolution (3-LS4), I would introduce it after the students had learned about the wide variety of dinosaurs that roamed the earth.

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!

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.

I chose this as an activity resource. This would be a great activity to do with students near the end of the school year after they have gotten the hang of creating their own solutions and putting them to the test to see if they work out well. This particular activity treats a water balloon as a brain and students construct a "skull" made out of different objects to keep the brain safe and secure when it's dropped from a certain height. I would use this with many different materials for students to use so we could study the outcome of all of the materials and then complete some kind of chart or graph to show our findings.

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.

This is a video resource that I found on Youtube. The many different types of structures and architectural pieces can help students relate more to engineering by showing them structures that they might pass by daily. However, there are also more historical pieces of architecture to allow students to explore just what engineering can create. With all of the historical background, this is also a great way to show connections between science and another area of study. I would use this as an opener to show my students all the different ways in which engineers solved problems for themselves and for society. My science standard is all about students being able to come up with their own solutions to problems and this is a great starting point for that.