On December 9, 2006 I led a workshop for new teachers called "Web Wonders and Wizardry". A main feature of the workshop was a list of websites recommended by myself and other educators. Here's the list for everyone to enjoy!
Portals and Search Engines
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ls/resources.html
In addition to being able to search the Learning Studio’s catalog, you can also find an amazing list of teacher resources (click “Resource Guide” under the orange tab), including many ideas related to current exhibits (great if you plan to bring kids to the museum for a field trip!).
- Jo Falcon, Learning Studio
http://lii.org/
The Librarians' Internet Index is a publicly-funded website and weekly newsletter that lists “the best of the Web” according to librarians.
- Irene Salter
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/ll/ap/searchlist.asp
Does your district insist on literature connections to your science curriculum? The “Literature for Science and Mathematics: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve” website is a collection of science-and mathematics-related literature that can be searched by subject area, grade level, keyword, author and more.
- Connie Oliver
Multi-disciplinary
http://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/handson.html
Many TI hands-on activities and many more can be found on the Exploratorium’s hands on activity site. Find science “snacks” on every topic under the sun.
- TI
http://www.middleschoolscience.com
Liz LaRosa started her website as a resource for her students. It has grown into an exceptionally comprehensive resource for teachers with free access to nearly all the lesson plans she created for her classroom. You'll find lesson plans related to every major science discipline as well has helpful stuff like what to do when kids are absent and managing lab groups (under "Odds and Ends").
- Liz LaRosa
http://mac.concord.org/
Pedagogica has three amazing programs that can be downloaded for free from their site. “Biologica” allows the user to manipulate the genetics of dragons. “Chemica” has a sequence of activities for gas laws and a separate sequence for atoms and molecules. “Physica” provides a fabulous introduction to mechanics – vectors, F=ma, collisions and gravity.
- Irene Salter
http://www.doscience.com/act_archive/index.html
Activities by Eric Muller, Karen Kalumuck, Paul Doherty and others.
- Eric Muller
http://www.mpcfaculty.net/ron_rinehart/highschl.htm
Many activities, lesson plans in all fields of science, although chemistry seems to predominate.
- Tanya Phillips
http://www.spartechsoftware.com/reeko/MoreExperimentsSortCategory.htm#Experiments
Excellent experiments in physics, chemistry, geometry and more.
- Tanya Phillips
http://www.embracechallenge.net/
A wonderful website with many links to demos, helpful activities etc. for teachers. This is a young and talented chemistry teacher forced to leave her classroom due to her MS. She has generously put her brain pictures available to teachers. Melissa lives only a few miles from the Exploratorium.
- Melissa Getz
Biology
http://www.dnai.org/
This website from Cold Spring Harbor is an incredibly rich resource for genetics. My favorites include the stunning computer animated videos of protein synthesis and "Recovering the Romanovs" (an interactive CSI-style investigation about the Russian princess Anastasia).
- Irene Salter
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html
The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology has put just about every known species in the Animal Kingdom on the internet in an interactive database (great for researching the classification of life).
- Irene Salter
http://www.cellsalive.com/
Beautiful images of cells in all their mysterious and beautiful glory.
- Irene Salter
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/
It has several lesson plan ideas, as well as simulations you can have your students run through. The site also allows you to choose a level for the simulations (elementary, middle or high school).
- Colleen O’Neil
http://www.voyagesthroughtime.org/
Voyages Through Time is an integrated science curriculum for ninth or tenth grade based on the theme of evolution and delivered on CD-ROM.
- Ellen Kovisto
Earth and Environmental Science
http://www.dlese.org/library/
The “Digital Library for Earth Science Education” provides a wide-range of resources such as lesson plans, maps, images, data sets, visualizations, assessment activities, curriculum, online courses, and much more.
- Judi Wilson
http://education.usgs.gov/
The USGS is your one-stop shop for both information and lesson plans. You can search for resources by California State Standard or by grade level and topic.
- Irene Salter
http://www.sciencecourseware.org/eecindex.php
This is THE classic earthquake simulation lab, introducing students to the reading of seismograms to determine the location and magnitude of an earthquake.
- Eric Muller
http://www.iris.edu/
The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology has real time data and seismograms for earthquakes around the world.
- Eric Muller
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/teachers.php
The University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) has a fantastic resource for teaching about geologic time, fossils, and the evolution of life.
- Irene Salter
http://www.paleoportal.org/
Another UCMP resource that is a fantastic "portal" to paleontological information on the Internet.
- Irene Salter
http://www.savesfbay.org/
For information about our local watershed’s history and wildlife, there is no better source than Save the Bay. Take your kids to their Canoes in Sloughs program. It’s awesome!
- Irene Salter
Chemistry
http://www.dayah.com/periodic/
My personal favorite interactive periodic table. Click on an element and get a wiki-pedia style article with everything you ever wanted to know.
- Irene Salter
http://www.science-house.org/learn/CountertopChem/index.html
A bunch of chemistry demos, labs, and activities.
- Irene Salter
http://www.iit.edu/~smile/cheminde.html
200+ activities and demos by teachers, for teachers.
- Irene Salter
http://www.chemistrycoach.com/Links%20to%20chemistry_experiments.htm
Zillions of demos, activities. Absolutely wow!
- Tanya Phillips
http://chemmovies.unl.edu/chemistry/beckerdemos/bd000.html
Live demos, how to do them, and the chemistry behind them by one of our chem. legends.
- Tanya Phillips
http://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/index.htm
Lists many of the best links to demos, activities, etc. in chemistry.
- Tanya Phillips
http://www.chymist.com/toy_store.html
Another legend with lots of wonderful chemistry activities.
- Tanya Phillips
http://exploscience.com/ or http://drschrempp.com/
This guy has some incredible chemistry demos caught on video. A very educational, fascinating, time-sucking distraction.
- Irene Salter
http://chemlab.pc.maricopa.edu/PERIODIC/lyrics.html
Just for fun – Tom Lehrer’s song “The Elements” with flash animation.
- Irene Salter
Space Science
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
NASA has incredible information and resources about each of its missions as well as specific resources for teachers.
- Irene Salter
http://teachspacescience.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/ssrtop.plex
If you are specifically interested in NASA’s hands-on activities for the classroom, here is a more teacher friendly way to search for them.
- Irene Salter
http://www.handsonuniverse.org/
This has many space & astronomy activities that are teacher developed. Take the workshop if you can!
- Tanya Phillips
http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/sii/URLs/URLs-AstroEd.html
The Lawrence Hall of Science has links to many valuable astronomy websites.
- Tanya Phillips
www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/
This is one of the most wonderful sites about auroras. Here's the terrific and awesome Aurora's Paintings in the Sky.
- Ronna Voorsanger
http://www.dlese.org/library/catalog_DLESE-000-000-002-454.htm
The Exploratorium, NASA and Berkeley collaborated back in 1995 on using NASA images in on-line science lessons when this type of work was in its infancy. I created the Third Planet from the Sun you'll see at this site.
- Ronna Voorsanger
Physics
http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/demos.html
This web site has very cool wave animations and other articles and illustrations about acoustics.
- Nathania Chaney Aiello
http://lite.bu.edu/vision/applets/lite/lite/lite.html
The coolest visual illusions site. Each animation can be controlled and manipulated by the user.
- Linda Shore
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/index.pl
This site has animations of classic atomic experiments and tutorials with interactive features.
- Linda Shore
http://www.edheads.org/
For a fun, animated intro to simple machines lead kids to this site. It’s best suited for middle schoolers.
- Linda Shore
