Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology: Experiments [.pdf]
http://www.ecoed.net/tiee/exps/experiments.shtml
Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology (TIEE) is a collection of peer-reviewed, classroom/ field-tested teaching materials sponsored by the Ecological Society of America. Among these "scientifically sound and pedagogically innovative" teaching materials are a number of particularly well-designed ecology labs for field and classroom. As of February 2003, two of the seven labs on the Web site are complete and ready to download: Ecology of Habitat Contrasts and Environmental Correlates of Leaf Stomata Density. Both are designed for college level courses. Five other labs covering a range of ecology topics will eventually be available, and users may also take advantage of an earlier set of labs from 1993. The resources and materials provided for each lab are incredibly comprehensive. Suffice to say, this Web site is definitely one to bookmark and check frequently for updates. [RS]
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NOVA: Ancient Creatures of the Deep [.pdf]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/fish/
PBS offers this companion Web site to Ancient Creatures of the Deep, a recent NOVA documentary about the coelacanth, a fascinating living fossil. Numerous educational activities are provided, covering a range of grade levels. Students can discover how coelacanth anatomy is like that of no other animal alive (grades 3-12), learn about eight other living fossil fishes (grades 3-12), or "relive the excitement" of the coelacanth's 1938 discovery by reading letters between the discoverer Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer and the expert she consulted (grades 6-12). The Web site also includes a 10-question quiz for 9-12th graders (with detailed explanations of the answers), and a printable activity sheet that has students compare and classify the coelacanth in relation to a moray eel and a bull shark (grades 3-8). [RS]
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zeroBio [.pdf, Flash]
http://www.execulink.com/~ekimmel/index.htm
Elliott Kimmel may have created zeroBio for the students of London, Ontario's Central Secondary School, but high school biology students anywhere would benefit tremendously from a visit to this extensive collection of biology learning resources. In addition to functioning as an online biology textbook, zeroBio offers dissection photos for a number of specimens, multimedia presentations, self-quizzing flashcards for organic chemistry, downloadable worksheets, interactive quizzes, games, puzzles, and more. [RS]
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Insect Mouthparts
http://salinella.bio.uottawa.ca/BIO3323/InteractiveWeb/DigitalZoology/Mout_Lab.html
This Web site contains a pictorial guide to insect mouthparts, a complicated topic served well by this simple yet effective tutorial. Created by University of Ottawa entomology professor Dr. Houseman -- using material adapted from Digital Zoology (on CD from McGraw-Hill) -- this site provides labeled diagrams and high quality photos of chewing, siphoning, piercing, sponging, and combination mouthparts. Users may view images by category or click through the entire set in sequence. The photographs are intirguing enough to invite a look from anyone interested in insects, especially those not opposed to the occasional decapitated grasshopper head. [RS]
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Fast Plants [.pdf]
http://www.fastplants.org/home_flash.asp
"To know a plant, grow a plant" is the motto of the Wisconsin Fast Plant Program, a science education outreach program from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Fast Plants are members of the mustard family bred specifically for use in the classroom -- small, easy to grow, affordable, and with an incredibly short life cycle of about 35-45 days. While the classroom activities provided in this Web site call for Fast Plants seed (available through Carolina Biological Supply), they offer excellent ideas for plant biology projects with or without these special strains. In addition to these downloadable classroom activities, this Web site contains a detailed virtual tour of a plant life cycle, ideas for science fair projects, and other plant-related learning resources. [RS]
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It's My Life: Depression
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/emotions/depression/
It's My Life, a PBS Kids Web-based educational series, offers 9-12 year olds a kid-friendly way to explore and share the issues in their lives. Depression is just one of many subjects addressed in It's My Life. Topics covered in this Web site include defining depression, recognizing the symptoms, understanding the causes, getting treatment, how to help a friend or parent who may be suffering from depression, and more. In addition to articles on these topics, the Web site provides interactive activities -- such as a quiz and a chat room -- that help kids further their understanding of the disease and reach out for help if needed. Offline activities include a printable journal page, a recommended reading list, and discussion questions that kids can take to a parent or friend. [RS]
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Ocean World: Coral Reefs
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/coral/index.html
Texas A&M University presents Ocean World, a Web-based educational resource for oceanography. The feature on coral reefs has the most direct life sciences application, with easy-to-navigate sections about the coral animal, coral reefs as the rainforests of the sea, symbiosis, ecosystem services, and coral reef threats and conservation. The Web site also includes a handy hypertext glossary, an interactive quiz, and annotated links to interesting Web sites, including sites that provide real-time reef images and data. While no formal lesson plans are provided, this Web site could be easily incorporated to a related classroom module for a range of grade levels. [RS]
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Attack of the Killer Fungus!
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/farm/story4/mushroomindex.htm
The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service presents a Sci4Kids article about mushroom farms, killer green mold, and a case of mistaken (taxonomic) identity. Written for younger kids, this short, colorful article includes pronunciation help, Web links, and a brief explanation of the difference between mushrooms and molds. While no lesson plans are provided, the story could serve as an interesting introduction or aside for classroom material on fungi, taxonomy, or genetics. [RS]
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