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PhET Interactive Simulations - University of Colorado at Boulder
Grades
5 to 12In the Classroom
Use these simulations initially in a unit to identify and discuss as a class the basic concepts. After more introduction, the simulations can be used as a lab assignment that generates data to be analyzed. Students can view the simulations and write about the concept or the fundamental principles. This will allow the teacher the opportunity to determine where student misconceptions are present. These activities can also be used as a review or in lieu of standard homework assignments that are repetitious but do not provide concrete or visual representations of the concept. This would be an excellent project for gifted students. Provide them the link to the site and the materials and allow them to learn how to use the simulation and teach it to fellow students.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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The Ozone Resource page - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Students can use the resources in "Ozone Hole Watch" to determine the trends in the ozone either daily or over the years. Further research involving political, consumer, and environmental trends can bring insights into effects on the ozone layer. Using the wealth of material on the site, students can use the information to create a "Handbook of the Earth" (as an example) to understand how the ozone affects us in our current and future lives. Students can also work in groups and be assigned portions of the content to study. They can then present their findings to the rest of the class (using a multi-media presentation). Students can use this information in conjunction with environmental or Earth Day activities in or out of class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Footprints Science - Footprints Science
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
The resource is an exciting add-on to teacher lessons and exceptional when used on an interactive whiteboard or projector. The samples can be used as a pre-lesson for students to obtain the general gist of the concept and brainstorm key points that they recognize from the simulation or interactive. Teachers can then use the student insights to discuss the content being presented and piece together the information. Teachers can also use the samples after original discussion of the content to reinforce material that students should learn and offer a visual representation of the topic. The simulation can also be used as reinforcement. Students can watch the simulation and then "explain the experiment" by putting the concept into their own words to demonstrate understanding.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Biography Maker - Jamie McKenzie and the Bellingham Public Schools.
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
All material at this site is copyrighted, so it must be viewed online. For students who do best with step-by-step instructions, this site is a gem! You might have one group research authors from a particular country while others do artists, musicians, scientists, etc. A class report from each of these groups would do a good job of encapsulating a country or area of the world within any given time period. Teachers seeking independent projects for students who "test out" of a unit can assign this site's step-by-step instructions as a meaningful alternate activity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Power Point Games - Jefferson County Schools
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
Use these templates with any subject you wish to review: foreign language word lists, social studies terms and concepts, science, language arts, art, music, sped, etc. These activities offer an excellent method to review information through a fun and different approach. Teachers can also have students create their own versions of review games.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Building Big - PBS
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use the database of structures to search out local engineering masterpieces, or to get information about important buildings that are associated with historical or geographic areas that the class is studying. For students considering a career in engineering, there is good information about the real lives of professionals in the field. The labs are perfect for an interactive whiteboard, and can illustrate physical properties in a visually powerful way. The short simulations could be used by students individually, or by teams of students investigating the principles of "building big."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Scratch - Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab
Grades
1 to 12Material created can only be viewed within the program. Drawings are not saved as a JPG or pic file. However, a "snapshot" of the screen can be created by using these keys in Mac: apple, shift, and 4 and click/drag to surround the portion to save. In PC use: control/print screen. These snapshots can be uploaded or used as a picture in other applications.
In the Classroom
Be sure to "play" with this program before you present it to students; or, you could have computer savy students in your class pair up with not so savy students to investigate together. There are many tabs, folders; and icons to investigate. You (or students) could click Create and in the center pane, click on the tutorial. To begin your creation follow the steps in the tutorial. Once you have the idea, choose your own features from the menu on the left, and on the bottom right are two more menus; Look for the cat icon and the backdrops. Different colors, pens, and materials can be used to create the background or an image can be brought in from your computer. Objects in Scratch are called a Sprite and can be added in by choosing the folders below the screen. By clicking the script tab, blocks can be moved in to create motion, add sounds (even record your own message), and change the look of the Sprite. Blocks are linked on to each other to create a series of events. A control block dragged to the top of the blocks control which key starts the event. Advanced options include adding variables and other controls.Be sure to check with your Technology Department, as many districts require authorization to download or install new applications. Projects can be shared online; however an account is required.
Work is saved to the computer itself and only shared online via an account. To avoid problems concerning content made by outsiders or issues with sharing, save the work locally and either create your own gallery on a supervised class website/wiki or set up a single account where you share the "best" projects online via your own log-in. Remind students of the school's Acceptable Use Policy and consequences of violations, if you do allow them to join/share. Images used should adhere to all copyright rules. Use pictures taken in class or those with Creative Commons licensing (and provide attribution!).
Practical tips: Students quickly catch on to this program when allowed to play and easily see what they can make from it. Provide a simple assignment with defined rules/tasks to learn the tools. Younger students may familiarize themselves more easily working with a partner. Have students use a storyboard to write down what they will do/draw/say in their creation in order to keep tabs on what students and their creations.
Possible uses: For the lower grades, Scratch provides unlimited possibilities. Use as a new way to show vocabulary usage. Use the paint program to add information to a picture from your class field trip or science experiment. Use Scratch to help in storytelling a concept in a new and unique way, such as how rocks are formed. In the upper grades, use Scratch to show complex material in a new way. For example, students can draw DNA and show replication, etc. through their drawings and storytelling. Draw the different movements of landforms in plate tectonics. Draw or illustrate solutions to Math problems.
Edge Features:
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
Requires download/installation of software
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Fastball Reaction Time - Exploratorium
Grades
4 to 10In the Classroom
Have students work with a partner to explore this web activity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Physics of Baseball and Softball - The Sweet Spot - The University of Sydney
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use this "ready to go" resource to teach your students about the physics behind the "sweet spot."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Exploratorium - Science of Baseball - Exploratorium
Grades
4 to 10In the Classroom
Treat your students to this content-rich website using your interactive whiteboard or projection screen. Take your class outside to try their hands at some of the experiments. Or have cooperative learning groups explore different sections of this multi-faceted website. What a fantastic way to excite your students about learning science.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Calibrated Peer Review - University of California
Grades
9 to 12Although the collection of lesson plans is heavily science oriented, there are plans from other subject areas, for high school and college. The site appears to function just fine, though the copyright date on most areas is 2001.
In the Classroom
Use this site to teach students how to do peer editing. Besides allowing them to see their classmates' writings, it has a series of specific questions, called calibrations, which give them ways to make effective comments. After students make comments on others' essays by responding within a "calibration framework," they can read, respond to, and correct their own writings.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Paper Models of Polyhedra - Gijs Korthals Altes
Grades
6 to 10In the Classroom
Why not print a pattern onto cardstock or other thick paper. Then project the image (that you printed for your students) onto a projection screen or interactive whiteboard, while students work independently at their seats. Before you pass out the paper copies, have them view the projected image and predict what it will be. These shapes can also serve as creative study aids for all subject areas, especially for students who need engaging ways to review. Have students write key terms and questions on the "faces" before assembling the figures, then "roll" them as a study game, testing each other to define or explain terms.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Africa Focus: Sights and Sounds of a Continent - University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Teachers will find this site rich in resources for units on science, social studies, geography, architecture, music, art, and culture. Make Africa a "real" place by sharing on a projector as you share stories or learn about homes ("Structures") and habitats or landforms ("Landscape") with younger students. Use the sound recordings for lessons on oral history, myths, languages, and music. Assign student groups a topic area, which they can research and present to the class as a PowerPoint or another multi-media format using an interactive whiteboard or projector.Images, text, or other content downloaded from the collection may be freely used for non-profit educational and research purposes under Fair Use. That means that you may NOT put them on the web in a public site, blog, or wiki, since you would not be limiting access to class members. If you want students to create blog or wiki pages, create passworded access for class members only to areas displaying these images and resources. Check the website for instructions on how students can cite this source in their bibliographies.
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Virtual Microscope - Imaging Tech Group/NASA
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Consider having the entire science department request the download and installation of this exciting free software. If you are the lone science teacher, ask your principal to request installation of the software on computers of your choice. Be sure to download the datasets in advance, as file sizes are large. Use a projector or interactive whiteboard to show the microscope view for whole-class discussion. Load the software on student computers for small-group activities.Be sure to provide this link on your teacher web page. Parents can install the software at home for homework assignments.
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Rock Cycle Interactive - Annenberg Media
Grades
6 to 10In the Classroom
Wow! If your class is studying rocks and the rock cycle, do yourself (and your students) a favor and take advantage of this wonderful resource. Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to take your students on this virtual "rock" journey. This website would also work well as a learning station for cooperative learning groups. Why not set-up several stations all about rocks. Use this website as one station on a cluster of computers, have a "hands-on" rock center with examples of each type of rock and testing equipment, make a literature/research center with books about rocks and samples to identify. Other centers could include watching a short documentary on rocks and volcanoes, a lab-report writing station, and many others.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Interactive Periodic Table - Annenberg Media
Grades
9 to 12Click on "About this Interactive" to view an introduction and goals (including standards).
In the Classroom
The Periodic Table interactive can be incorporated into a larger unit on chemistry or physical science and is best at the High School level. It provides a good introduction to chemistry and the chemical properties of substances. Students can use each chapter to obtain background information for discussion in class. The Interactive Periodic Table provides information for each element that can be used to create a presentation about the elements or to identify trends in the periodic table.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Case Files - The Franklin Institute
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Why not use this website as a resource for "case file" research projects. Assign each student (or groups of students) a different person to investigate. Weaker readers may need a partner with strong reading skills. Then have the students present a multimedia presentation about their "case file." Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online. Or have a day when students actually portray their scientist and interact with others "in character."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NOVA Online: The Perfect Pearl - PBS
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
This website would make an excellent "mini-research" project or a case study into real world ocean science and the problems of determining man's possible impact on nature. Divide your class into cooperative learning groups. Have the groups delve into one of the four main topics discussed. Then have each group present the information to the remainder of the class or prepare a "presentation" for world gem traders on the future of pearls. Check out the Teacher's Guide for additional ideas about how to integrate this website into your lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Animated Virtual Planetarium - Paul Stoddard
Grades
5 to 12In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to show students how the night sky changes as the hours pass. Since the print is small, have students use the whteboard pens to cirle things or point out special features of the "sky." There is a Notes for Teachers link that provides descriptions of each activity and some ideas to incorporate the activities into your class.Use this website when teaching ESL/ELL students about space and the solar system since this website is highly visual and contains few words.
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Teacher to Ranger to Teacher Program - National Park Service
Grades
K to 12Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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