Welcome to the wonderful world of Science!

* Program Supports the National Science Education Standards, Sunshine State Standards of the Florida Dept. of Ed., Project 2061 of The American Association for the Advancement of Science

 

Some Science Online Activities for you to explore!

 

 

 

Exploring the Environment

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/
This site, supported by NASA, presents environmental earth science modules that make use of remote sensing and information technology with a goal of engaging high school students in collaborative scientific inquiry and analysis. Module titles include Mars Landing, Strangers in Paradise, Hurricanes, Weather or Not, Korean Enigma, Rift Valley Fever, Mountain Gorillas, Temperate Rainforest, El Nino (Ni�o): The Child Returns, Tropical Poison, Volcanoes, Water Quality, Earth on Fire, and UV Menace.

 

Planet Earth

http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/teaching_learning/mt%26r/default.htm
Poway educator Keith Nuthall has teamed up with the Museum of Television & Radio's Carla Fantozzi for this series of Web-based ecology activities and ISDN-based videoconference. The internet activities can be used on their own or as support for the videoconference. "Earth's Treasures" introduces issues and terminology, "You Make A Difference" focuses students on a single issue and has students create a public service announcement, and the "Conflict Yellowstone Wolves" WebQuest challenges students to solve a current complex problem. These activities exemplify meaningful use of telecommunications technologies for learning.

 

El Nino or El No-no

http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/teach/El_Nino/El_Nino.htm
Created by teacher Keith Nuthall, this WebQuest has three parts:

1. Students obtain basic background information related to El Nino.
2. Students construct a mathematical model using both historical and real-time water temperature data from a buoy at the equator, and they then investigate the rainfall totals for San Diego during the same years. (1982-83,1995-96, present) The end result allows students to construct a model to determine if we are currently in an El Nino cycle. Students also obtain help from a national weather service expert that is working with the exact same buoy for his research.
3. Students write a speculation paper on the effects of El Nino on the rainfall in San Diego. After writing the paper, they submit the paper to a local community leader in charge of disaster preparedness for review.

As do the best WebQuests, this one features interaction with information and community, concensus building within groups, no one correct answer, and stretching the limits of kids. Best of all, when students complete the project, they get to live out their speculation.

Hello Dolly: A WebQuest on Cloning

http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/PUSDRBHS/science/clone/dolly.htm
High school science teacher Keith Nuthall has done an outstanding job organizing and posting a top flight WebQuest. He writes, "Hello Dolly is a webquest project that requires students to ask good questions, access current information, analyze the validity of sources, apply new knowledge to evaluate a current controversy, and reach consensus with peers." Challenge students to make sense of this complex topic.

 

Amazing Space

http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/amazing-space.html
At this site, students can use web-based activities to learn about the Solar System, train to be a scientist, follow a star's life cycle, and more.

 

Access Excellence

http://www.gene.com/ae
Access Excellence is Genentech's national program to put high school biology teachers in touch with their colleagues, scientists, and new scientific information. Includes a glossary, news, message boards, a collection of teacher-developed lesson plans for biology-related classroom activities, and more.

 

Air Travelers

http://www.omsi.edu/sln/air/
This introduction to the basic principles of buoyancy, properties of gases, temperature, and the technology involved in hot air ballooning includes activities, teacher background information, and a gallery of photos. Primarily for teachers in the upper elementary grade levels.

 

The Great Plant Escape

http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/~uplink/gpe/index.html
In this series of online cases, 4th and 5th grade students are asked to "help Detective Le Plant and his partners Bud and Sprout unlock the amazing mysteries of plant life." The interdisciplinary lessons at this site combine Web-based activities with hands-on experiments. The site includes six cases, a glossary, links, and a guide for teachers. From the Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.

 

Carolina Coastal Science

http://www.ncsu.edu/coast
Produced by science educator Al Bodzin, this inquiry-based science activity uses the Web to explore science in coastal Carolina. Teachers and students can use this web site independently or as a class using a number of different teaching strategies. In "The Shell Island Dilemma," students take on roles to investigate and debate complex issues surrounding oceanfront structures threatened by coastal erosion. A guide for educators provides a variety of teaching suggestions.

 

Ace on the Case: Secrets@Sea

http://www.secretsatsea.org
This fun online game explores topics in ocean science. Students meet interesting characters, uncover amazing ocean facts and face challenging learning activities. The story weaves together topics such as tides, food webs, salmon, whales and more. Designed for use in grade 4-8, the site provides an online teacher's guide and requires Macromedia's Flash3 plug-in.

 

bioSURF

http://www.biosurf.com
This resource from Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley is organized around their book, Biology: The Web of Life, and includes links and activities for each unit. "Learning Links" are categorized by chapter, and news, community, and career links are also offered for each unit. A "Teachers' Lounge" helps educators connect to background information, tutorials, software, and activities to help augment instruction. Units include "The Basis of Life," "Genetics," "Change and Diversity," "Monerans, Protists, and Fungi," "Plants," "Invertebrate Animals," "Vertebrate Animals," "Human Biology," and "Organisms and the Environment." This is a great example of how the Web can augment a textbook.

 

Memory

http://www.exploratorium.edu/memory/
The Exploratorium has crafted this memorable set of online exhibits, articles, activites, features, and links. Don't miss the Sheep Brain Dissection.

 

Exploring Planets in the Classroom

http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/SPACEGRANT/class_acts/
More than 25 hands-on science activities are provided in classroom-ready pages for both teachers and students for exploring geology, earth, and planetary sciences.

 

The Biology Place

http://www.biology.com/
This site from Peregrine Publishers includes online tutorials that explore scale and size, global warming, the bacterial genome, Huntington Disease, and more. A membership fee is required for most topics.

 

Weather

http://athena.wednet.edu/curric/weather/index.html
Activities and resources for K-12 learners and teachers. Instructional activities include Hurricanes, Observing Clouds, Weather Charting, Storms from Space, Observing the Weather, and Keeping Track of Precipitation.

 

How Far Does Light Go?

http://www.kie.berkeley.edu/KIE/web/hf.html
From Philip Bell of U.C. Berkeley's Knowledge Integration Environment Project, this debate project engages students in an examination of the scientific properties of light using relevant evidence from the Web. It culminates in an informal classroom debate where groups present their arguments and respond to questions from other students. According to Bell, it "works very well as a culminating project where students have spent significant time learning about various properties of light through previous instruction." Be sure to see the extensive project description for teachers for goals, lesson plans, technical requirements, and more.

 

Let's Have a Field Day!

http://www.itdc.sbcss.k12.ca.us/curriculum/fieldday.html
In this WebQuest, sixth grade students are asked to plan a field day for their class. Some of the integrated skills include using an almanac to assist in decision making, using and interpreting weather sources, and reading and drawing maps.

 

Exploring Leonardo

http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeoHomePage.html
This excellent Museum of Science site offers resources for learning about Leonardo da Vinci. Explore this site and learn about this fascinating scientist, inventor, and artist. Includes lesson plans for grade 4-8 classroom activities.

 

Tracking Drifter Buoys

http://athena.wednet.edu/curric/oceans/drifters/index.html
In this online activity, students learn how oceanographers measure ocean currents by tracking some drifter buoys over time. Includes a teacher guide, reference material, activity directions, and even downloadable spreadsheet files.

 

CRPC Interdisciplinary Lesson Plans

http://www.crpc.rice.edu/CRPC/Women/GirlTECH/Lessons/
The Center for Research on Parallel Computation (CRPC) lesson plans were designed by teachers "to take full advantage of Internet resources and teach standard concepts in mathematics and sciences in new and exciting ways."

 

Digital Anatomist Interactive Atlases

http://www9.biostr.washington.edu/da.html
The Digital Anatomist group at the University of Washington has painstakingly created computer reconstructions of human cryosections. The resultant images and animations offer anatomy students multiple perspectives of important structures and relationships among them. The site currently offers atlases for the brain and thoracic viscera and a neuroscience syllabus with interactive quizzes and feedback. The interface is a bit awkward and many animations are not available on the Web, but this is still an impressive site.

 

Earthquakes vs. Volcanoes

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/webearthscie.html
In this WebQuest, student teams research and debate whether they would rather live near an earthquake fault or a volcano. Web links help students learn earth science principles as they consider their task. Students finish the quest by writing e-mail to a geologist. This page is a good example of how teachers can use Filamentality to create a web-infused learning activity.

 

Explore Science

http://www.ExploreScience.com/
Nuclear physicist and educator Raman Pfaff created these interactive simulations to help students visualize physics and life science concepts. The Shockwave Plug-in is required, and the site can be easily downloaded for those with a slow Internet connection. The simulations should fit in with typical labs or demonstrations.

 

Which disease is most deserving of our research dollars?

http://www.bham.wednet.edu/online/disease/disease1.htm
Designed for 7th grade students, this Online Student Research Project puts the learner in a problem-solving role. "Our Washington legislature has set aside $5,000,000 for research to find cures for three of the most deadly diseases affecting mankind. It is your job as an appointed committee to prioritize the funding for the research of the following diseases: AIDS, Heart Disease, Cancer." Activity makes use of the Internet and "pay-for-service" information (EBSCO and Electric Library). Online staff development modules show how to build these kinds of activities.

 

International Symposium on Environmental Issues

http://www.itdc.sbcss.k12.ca.us/curriculum/ozone.html
In this WebQuest, eighth and ninth grade students investigate the Antarctic ecosystem to determine if there could be a relationship between the depletion of high altitude ozone and a decline in the penguin population. The students then propose three actions that would prevent the depletion of high altitude ozone layer and present their findings to the International Symposium on Environmental Issues.

 

Weather Watchers

http://www.itdc.sbcss.k12.ca.us/curriculum/weather.html
This WebQuest for K-2 students explores concepts of weather including short term weather changes, the influence of weather on daily human life, the effects of severe weather on human life, and the benefits of weather forecasting.

 

Neuroscience for Kids

http://weber.u.washington.edu/~chudler/neurok.html
This home page has been created for elementary and secondary school students and teachers who would like to learn more about the nervous system. Includes activities, experiments, lessons, basic information, and lists of additional resources for teaching neuroscience.

 

The Earth As A System: an introduction to global change

http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/
In this University of Florida online course, students learn to view the Earth as a complex system of interacting components including the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and human activity. The Laboratory consists of web-based exercises that could be used in other settings.

 

Diplodocus

http://www.iconos.com/toolsbone.html
This slick demonstration of the emerging possibilities of the web will download an interactive dinosaur program (Shockwave Authorware). When you leave, so does the program. Other interactive demos and samples are located at http://www.iconos.com/.

 

Ocean Colors

http://athena.wednet.edu/curric/oceans/ocolor/index.html
In this online activity, students (grades 9-12) interpret graphics by drawing conclusions and making predictions, identify causes of plant production in the world's oceans, identify patterns in ocean and land plant productivity, and compare and contrast ecosystems. Includes a teacher guide, online reference material, and activity directions.

 

Teacher-Developed Earth and Space Science Lessons and Classroom Activities

http://www.cea.berkeley.edu/Education/lessons/lessons_teacherdeveloped.html
Topics for these lesson plans and activities include Doing Astrophysics Research with an Artificial Earth Orbiting Satellite, Sine Waves, The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Images of the Universe in Different Wavelengths, Satellite Communications, Satellite Dishes, Constellations and the Zodiac, Solar System Objects, Earthquakes.

 

Searching for Just the Right Planet

http://www.memphis-schools.k12.tn.us/admin/tlapages/solar_sy.htm
In this WebQuest, students create a multimedia report recommending a planet for an orbiting space hotel. The assignment links to resources to support research and includes an evaluation rubric.

 

Bat Thematic Unit

http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/bats/
Use this site to get ideas for a thematic bat unit or find a fun Halloween activity for your elementary students. Sections cover basic information, resources (web links, books, etc.), projects & activities, art, science, conservation, literature, environment, sports, and even a Bat Quiz. Be sure to try the BatQuest online activity. Even with some sections unfinished, there is still plenty to do at this site. Created by students of CSU Hayward's Educational Technology Leadership Graduate Program.

 

The Heart: A Virtual Exploration

http://sln.fi.edu/biosci/heart.html
From the Franklin Institute, this sirages students to explore the heart's development and structure, blood circulation, the history of the heart science, and health. Includes quizzes, lesson plans, resources, activities, and a glossary.

 

Virtual FlyLab

http://cdl-flylab.sonoma.edu/
Virtual FlyLab, an educational activity for learning the principles of genetic inheritance, allows the user to play the role of a research geneticist.

 

Virtual Earthquake

http://vflylab.calstatela.edu/edesktop/VirtApps/VirtualEarthQuake/VQuakeIntro.html
Virtual Earthquake (VEQ) is a web-based application that allows anyone to become a "virtual seismologist." Designed by Gary Novak, a professor of geology, VEQ provides a "hands-on" lesson on how to locate an earthquake's epicenter and how to determine its Richter magnitude. Users interpret simulated seismograms from three seismic recording stations in an effort to triangulate the location of an earthquake's epicenter. The user's results are plotted on a map and compared to the actual results.

 

Whales of the World

http://www.webcom.com/~iwcwww/teachers_kit/learn.html
This site, created by The International Wildlife Coalition, includes a set of activities for kids in grades 2-5 as well as a guide for teachers.

 

Way Cool Science Scavenger Hunt

http://www.ced.appstate.edu/whs/goals2000/projects/97/karla/karla.htm
Karla Hartzog, from Union School in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina created this fun introduction to a wide range of science topics (from UFOs & Spontaneous Human Combustion to Volcanos and Dinosaurs). The activity page is a hybrid between a Subject Sampler that offers a variety of high interest topics, but also asks students to Hunt for factual information. This is a fun intro to use to begin the school year.

 

EcoQuest: Desert Edition

http://members.aol.com/QuestSite/1
Created by teacher Mark Kirk, this WebQuest was designed to help 7th and 8th graders learn more about the desert ecosystem. Students look at characteristics and challenges of the desert from different perspectives. After they learn about the desert and complete the assignments given to them, they design a multimedia presentation describing what they have found and present it back to the class. This project was designed to take about a week to do, with kids in groups of 5 or less.

 

Today's Earthquake Activity Around the World

http://athena.wednet.edu/curric/land/todayqk.html
In this activity, students print and color-code a map based on seismic activity.

 

The Science Poetry Center

http://www.mms.mendocino.k12.ca.us/ms/Cur/cw/Science_Poetry/Poetry.html
This page is a place for students to post their own science poetry (having to do with Nature or Natural Science, including Life, Earth, Physical and Environmental Science topics).

Check the 6th and 8th grade Science Web sites too!