| Elementary
- "Fossils provide evidence about the
plants and animals that lived long ago and the nature
of the environment at that time."
- Canadian
Rockhound: Geological Magazine
Provides articles and multiple photographs
of rocks, minerals, and gems; as well as tutorials
on rock classification, identification of minerals,
and the rock cycle(available in the Junior Rockhound
section). Rock samples and jewelry available with
price lists. An extensive list of categorized
web links is also available.
- Dinosaur Families - The Field Museum of Natural History
Exhibits
This page will bring a student through a series
of on-line tours that shows the evolution of dinosaurs,
plant, birds, and mammals over billions of years.
There is sound and animation. To begin tours click
on One-line Tours under "Life Over Time" - Life
Before Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs.
- Dinosaur
Theme Page
This site allows you to join an online egg
hunt and catch the excitement of fossil researchers
as they "hatch" fossilized eggs to reveal the
embryos inside.
- Dinosaur
Treks
Outstanding
- Students go into the Dinosaur Trek Museum and
are swept back in time to learn about dinosaurs.
As students search for dinosaurs they learn about
special adaptation that dinosaurs had that helped
them to survive. This game is good for students
in 3rd grade and up.
- Earth
- Our World in Motion
This site discusses how most changes in the
Earth are slow. Earth scientists do a lot of detective
work to find these changes. Appropriate for grade
4 & up.
- Fossil
Tour
This informative site walks the viewer through
many topics that deal with fossils. There is a
presentation on how dead organisms become a fossil
by being covered with sediments. Also, there are
questions with multiple choice answers to choose
from, along with side information on a chosen
picture.
- Help
Rex Solve the Mystery of the Broken Necklace
The student has the opportunity to examine
a fossil/bone necklace and try to determine which
animal (out of three) the bones came from. An
explanation of what the animal is appears when
the student selects that animal's bones. After
answering their question correctly the student
is allowed to view and learn about other species
that look similar to their correct answer.
- Learning
from the Fossil Record
This site walks through fossils. It
includes a timeline, activities, background information,
and pictures that can be used in the classroom.
Includes dig for students, students act as detectives,
and solve guessing games. (Very useful with the
Scientific Method) This site is a good teacher
resource.
- Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
This is a collection of photographs of minerals
and gems. The site contains information in regard
to streak, hardness, and other physical properties
of rocks. The rock information can be sorted
by streak, hardness, crystal and chemical group.
This is a general information site. The
images are beautiful.
- Paleontological Research Institution
This site provides general information.
- Rocks,
Fossils & The Earth
This site has several experiments all set up for
students to use to investigate rocks, fossils
and the features of the earth. They are written
for third or fourth grade, but could be adapted
for other grades. The copyright says reproduction
for educational use is encouraged if you include
the copyright notice. The site includes lesson
plans for activities.
- This
Planet Really Rocks!
Outstanding -
This web site provides colorful and animated
descriptions of the rock cycle, types of rocks,
and examples of minerals. The vocabulary is highlighted
so students can get quick explanations. There
are real pictures of rocks and minerals as well.
This web site is both teacher and student friendly.
- Tree
Rings as Records of the Past
This site is a lesson plan of how to use tree
rings to teach about the past. This is a
different types of fossil to use when researching
how we find out the trail to the past.
- Web MineralsProvides
information, characteristics, and images for a
large number of minerals. Images and information
may be used for non-commercial and educational
purposes. Good visuals.
- "Common objects in the sky have observable characteristics."
- Amazing
Space: Web-Based Activities
Amazing Space is primarily a set of web-based
activities for students in grades 4-12.
Upper elementary students can use the Solar Systems
Trading Cards activity to learn more about the
planets and solar system. Mission Mastermind
is an excellent cross-curricular activity involving
reading and sequencing. Teacher tips, lesson
plans, and resource links are provided with each
activity.
- Astronomy
and Space for Kids
This site is organized to find information easily.
It's a good resource for teachers and contains
some interactive pages for students. Each
page is well organized with nice graphics and
a larger font that is easier for younger students
to read. The information available is best
suited to upper elementary and middle school students,
but can be used by high school students as well.
The Sky Calendar and the Powers of 10 Distance
in Space demonstration are noteworthy. A
free Online Astronomy Academy offers astronomy
learning packets that students can work through
online for ages 7-11 and 12-18.
- Build
a Solar System
A great site for finding scaled distances of planets
and stars from one another. It bases it's scale
from the size you use for the sun. Also included
are links to other solar system sites.
- Explore
The Universe: Solar System, Galaxy, and Universe
Outstanding
- Exploring the Universe is an online exhibition
of the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian
Institute. By clicking on the Exhibition
Highlights Tour, students and teachers can learn
how scientists have studied the universe throughout
history. By clicking the Student Activity,
students in grades 5-9 can participate in a simulation
as a research scientist. Students and teachers
can also explore an area of the website about
the planets that is packed with excellent information
and superior graphics with a link from the site.
The planetary information is very useful for grades
4 and up. (Outstanding content and graphics).
- Eyes
on the Sky, Feet on the Ground
This site is an online book consisting of six
chapters of explorations into astronomy as a classroom
tool for learning how to theorize, experiment,
and analyze data. The activities are fully illustrated
and contain detailed, step-by-step instructions
as well as suggested discussion topics.
This site contains the complete text and graphics
of the collection along with related links, a
table of contents, an explanation of how to use
this book, and email links to the authors.
The book seems to be most effective for grades
2-6. The Everyday Classroom Tools link sends
teachers to an inquiry-based science curriculum
with very detailed lesson plans,background information,
assessment ideas, and related resources for grades
K-6.
- Lift
off to Space Exploration
Outstanding -
Students will be able to interact with NASA.
Activities involving the Solar System, Space Station
and Satellites. NASA Kids activities such as space
science, rockets and astronauts, puzzles and games,
stories, and pioneers. This is a great site!!
This site could be used by lower elementary because
of the pictures, but the readings are for upper
elementary.
- Lunar
Phases
Outstanding!!
This site steps a student through the motion of
the moon around the earth and the earth around
the sun to show how the shadows made by the sun
cause the phases of the moon.
- The
Eight Planets
Outstanding -
This site provides a multimedia tour of the
Solar System with text, pictures, sounds, and
an occasional movie. Each planet and major moons
in our solar system is briefly described and illustrated
with pictures from NASA spacecraft. This site
is best used with upper elementary.
- StarChild:
A learning center for young astronomers
Outstanding -
Star Child is a learning center for young astronomers.
Developed by the High Energy Astrophysics Science
Archive Research Center at NASA, it contains various
student activities as well as some teacher lesson
plans on the Universe and Solar System.
- Third
From the Sun
This site reviews the history of observing earth
from space, from the first balloon flight to satellites
in space. The orbiting satellite "Landsat" is
described in detail. It features a student activity
using pictures taken by a "Landsat". This site
contains general information and is a student
activity.
- The
Solar System Simulator
Students are able to have a simulator create an
image of their favorite planet or satellite. Students
are able to see what the planet or satellite looks
like at any specific time during the day.
- Views
of the Solar System
This is a multimedia adventure for students. They
will explore the solar system through photographs,
text, graphics, videos, scientific facts and charts,
and interactive activities.
- Virtual
Coloring Book of Earth
Differences in color tell you a lot about the
data NASA is collecting about the Earth. Students
can try their hand at coloring these ESE pictures.
You will need a Java enabled browser to color
on-line. Appropriate for grades 2-5.
- Windows
to the Universe
Outstanding -
This site is an informational yet interactive
tour through the solar system. A wide variety
of information is given about each planet including:
interior & surface, atmosphere, magnetosphere,
moons & rings, planetary facts, myths and
culture, space missions, and an image archive.
This site would be great for any grade level because
you can choose the level of difficulty. Also includes
links to teacher lesson plans, and science links
for kids.
- "Common objects in the sky have observable characteristics
and predictable patterns of movement."
- BBC
Science: Earth, Sun, and Moon
This site allows students to observe and experiment
with the rotation of the earth, moon, and sun
over increments of a hour, day, month, and year.
A quiz is included.
- Explore
The Universe: Solar System, Galaxy, and
Universe
Outstanding
- Exploring the Universe is an online exhibition
of the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian
Institute. By clicking on the Exhibition
Highlights Tour, students and teachers can learn
how scientists have studied the universe throughout
history. By clicking the Student Activity,
students in grades 5-9 can participate in a simulation
as a research scientist. Students and teachers
can also explore an area of the website about
the planets that is packed with excellent information
and superior graphics with a link from the site.
The planetary information is very useful for grades
4 and up. (Outstanding content and graphics).
- Lift
off to Space Exploration
Outstanding -
Students will be able to interact with NASA.
Activities involving the Solar System, Space Station
and Satellites. NASA Kids activities such as space
science, rockets and astronauts, puzzles and games,
stories, and pioneers. This is a great site!!
This site could be used by lower elementary because
of the pictures, but the readings are for upper
elementary.
- Lunar
Phases
Outstanding!!
This site steps a student through the motion of
the moon around the earth and the earth around
the sun to show how the shadows made by the sun
cause the phases of the moon.
- Phases
of the Moon
This site is an animation of the different phases
of the moon.
- StarChild:
A learning center for young astronomers
Outstanding -
Star Child is a learning center for young astronomers.
Developed by the High Energy Astrophysics Science
Archive Research Center at NASA, it contains various
student activities as well as some teacher lesson
plans on the Universe and Solar System.
- The
Reasons for the Seasons
Students will observe, sketch and explore
the reasons for the seasons via the interactive
applet, in an attempt to better understand the
relationships between the sun, moon and Earth
relating to the seasons. In the section called
"Materials and Resources" there is a
"Reasons for the Seasons" Applet that
models the motion of the earth around the sun
and the relative changes in the seasons that take
place as a result.
- Views
of the Solar System
This is a multimedia adventure for students. They
will explore the solar system through photographs,
text, graphics, videos, scientific facts and charts,
and interactive activities.
- Windows
to the Universe
Outstanding
- This site is an informational yet interactive
tour through the solar system. A wide variety
of information is given about each planet including:
interior & surface, atmosphere, magnetosphere,
moons & rings, planetary facts, myths and
culture, space missions, and an image archive.
This site would be great for any grade level because
you can choose the level of difficulty. Also includes
links to teacher lesson plans, and science links
for kids.
- Zoom
Astronomy
This site gives information on how the earth
travels around the sun, as well as, how the moon
travels around the earth. It provides interactive
puzzles, as well as, quizzes that may be printed
out. Plenty of information on the entire solar
system.
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