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NSTA 2005Open the Treasure Trove!
Free Resources You'll Love! <> <>NIH (National Institute
of Health) has a huge array of resources that teachers would love.
Their main site could be considered a treasure trove unto itself. This
is one address you want to visit often.
<> <>http://science.education.nih.gov/home2.nsf/index.htm
You'll find print, online, and multimedia resources available. Going to the main address above will give you access to more materials than you can imagine. They produce such an array of excellent materials that it is difficult to no where to begin. We're mentioning several materials on this webpage that are designed for younger students. We did this because many people mistakenly believe that NIH only has materials for advanced studies. Wrong! They cover it all!! Good for them! NIH usually has an excellent booth at the NSTA conferences. The posters, bookmarks, teaching materials, cd's are some of the best that you'll find available from the federal government. Do not miss this booth at any of the conferences. <> < style="font-weight: bold;">Cells,
Genes, and Protein Machines
<><>Available as a kit with posters, cd's, and booklets, the Cells, Genes, and Protein Machines package from NIH does an excellent job of tackling some tough topics in a way that makes it simple to understand - even for elementary students. I Love What I Hear! Quote from NIH site describing resources: "Teachers guide for grades three through six. The activities on this web site are designed to be used by teachers with children in grades three through six. They may be adapted easily for use with older and younger students. The activities are designed to:
Free explanatory videos from NIH that you can download 1. What is sound? 2. How loud is too loud? 3. Travel inside the ear <> <>Tap into resources to get your students excited about careers in science NIH has over 100 resources available at their LifeWorks site. <>< style="font-weight: bold;"><> Open
Wide and Trek Inside Buddy Brush From NASA . . . . Adventures of Amelia the Pigeon “This
animated adventure engages children in a story-based
scenario that emphasizes concepts of remote sensing and how NASA
scientists use
satellite imagery to better understand the Earth's environmental
changes. The
adventure introduces students to Earth science concepts, beginning with
classifying objects in satellite images by shape, color and texture,
building a
foundation for interpretation and understanding of remote sensing. The
story is
set in “Astrobiology
provides a fertile domain for students to
struggle with fundamental questions of scientific knowledge. Students
will
learn that scientific knowledge is not a set of accumulated facts, but
is a
dynamic and, at times, confusing and amorphous set of current
speculations.
Students will observe and experience how this knowledge base evolves
through
the addition of new data and the emergence of new means of
understanding the
data. They will learn about, explore, and participate in the real
processes of
science research and discovery, including modeling, setting up
experiments,
testing hypotheses, making systematic field observations, and doing
image and
data analysis. Research activities such as WebQuests and long-term,
independent
experiments will enable students to DO rather than TAKE astrobiology.” From NASA,
there is a complete
teachers guide to teaching about the auroras, including such topics as
sunspots, the sun, radiowaves, and magnetism. Activities range from
early
elementary to high school. You can also find a PDF file for the print
version of the book, Mysterious Lights in the Sky, and the Flash
version. Build
Your Own Solar Cooker from NASA Earth
Observing System from <> Our Very Own Sun Storybook from NASA <>NSF Project . . . BioKids The
resources come from the One Sky, Many Voices project
which is now over. However, the material at the site is great and gives
you
plenty of teaching ideas for weather. Through the use of "keypals,"
it should be relatively simple to set up a partnership with one or two
classes
elsewhere in the world to share the data students gather and compare
results. 5 Word
Documents providing full information
on the background of the project and all of the
activities related to weather are available through this link.
Note that the BioKids site has recently moved and there are more ideas
and
activities online. The precise location for the download was:
Billy and Maria –
A Series of Coloring Books for Children to
Learn More About the Weather Chlorine
Chemistry Council Free Materials Variety of
Brochures, etc. are available. Consumer
Information Catalog Educational
Poster on Water Pollution (590L Free) US
Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Mangement Walk
on the Wild Side: Explore Your Public Lands Activity
Book (594L Free) Online
resource where students can enter data and produce a
downloadable chart: area, line, bar, pie. <>Educational
Materials from the
Pictorial
chart from the website showing the electromagnetic
spectrum. An
impressive collection of images that help you visualize
the Earth in new ways. This
website is produced by International Paper. They have a
variety of posters available on their website. These have been
downloaded and
are on this CD as PDF's. There are 10 posters and teaching guides.
Note:
International Paper will send you the complete set of 10 posters for
FREE!! National Energy Foundation
Resources for Education <>"With the support of
various energy companies, the
Nurturing
Young Scientists - Activities
from the National
Gardening Association Out of the Rock Owlie’s Safety Tips for Weather Science and Our Food Supply
Investigating Food Safety From
Farm to Table This is a
free curriculum kit for middle school and high
school levels. Fill out the application at the website noted to receive
your
own free kit. Resources
for the Classroom and Professional Development Quote: “High-quality
multimedia resources from public television” “Correlations
to national and state curriculum standards” “Media-rich
lesson plans” “Customizable
resource folders” Testing the
Waters by Mary Slack from the Quote from
the overview: In this activity, students test the
quality of a local body of water. Students collect water samples to
study pH,
dissolved oxygen, temperature, particle suspension, plants,
macroinvertebrates,
and vertebrates. The class compiles the data and evaluates the overall
biological water quality of the study area. Students also examine the
land
around the sampling area to study the effects of human impact. This
activity
uses the Calculator Based Laboratory system with a variety of probes
and
graphic analysis computer software. Testing the Waters should be
conducted at
least twice during the school year and can be used for a long-term
project.” Watershed
Biology Study from the PDF file on
watershed biology by Frank Maier
which outlines a complete study for you and your students to use.
Here’s a
quote from the overview at the site: “Students
test local watersheds for possible sources of
pollution. Groups of students survey a small watershed in their area,
testing
the water for specific chemicals including dissolved oxygen, pH,
nitrate,
ammonia, chlorine, and phosphate. Students determine if there are
pollution problems
in the watershed, identify the types of pollution, and determine if the
pollution originates from point sources or non-point sources. After
analyzing
data, the class makes recommendations to town or city planners on steps
to
correct the pollution problems.” Locate
lessons that fit your science needs. Sites have been
vetted by members of NSTA. Where to
find NASA Educator Resources NASA has
regional centers, as well as centers in every state. Life
Science for Elementary Teachers Quote:
“Essential Science for Teachers: Life Science is a
content course designed to help K-6 teachers enhance their
understandings of
“big ideas” in the life sciences. The main goal of this course is to
provide
teachers with learning opportunities that will directly inform their
own
classroom practice.” Learning
Science Through Inquiry Quote:
“Inquiry-based teaching, central to the National
Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy,
should not
be an isolated occurrence, but a comprehensive and ongoing approach.
However,
many teachers did not learn this way themselves, as children or during
their
preparation to become teachers. This eight-part workshop shows inquiry
teaching
and learning in action in real classrooms. Whether you have already
experimented with inquiry teaching and want to enhance your practice,
or are
new to the approach, this workshop will show you how to make it work in
the
classroom and how it benefits students.” Quote: “
Understanding the concept of energy is crucial to
the comprehension of many ideas in physical science, Earth and space
science,
and life science. The video programs, print guide, and Web site of this
workshop for elementary school teachers provide a solid foundation,
enabling
you to distinguish between the way "energy" is commonly understood and
its meaning in science. Science in
Focus: Force and Motion Quote:
“Explore science concepts in force and motion and
come away with a deeper understanding that will help you engage your
students
in their own explorations.” Quote:
“This series uses light as a theme through which to
explore topics in physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth and space
science.”
The science
probeware we are using in the session is from
PASCO Scientific. You can find them at http://www.pasco.com The
multimedia software we are using is from eZedia. You can
find out more about them at http://www.ezedia.com |