ExploreLearning: Photosynthesis [Macromedia Shockwave Player]
http://gizmos.explorelearning.com/Science/Photosynthesis/
This Web site contains one of the latest "Gizmos" from ExploreLearning, a Virginia-based Web content creator "partnering with major publishers and educational companies to revolutionize the way teachers teach and students learn." ExploreLearning's Gizmos are interactive, multimedia simulations that "make difficult concepts easier to understand and fun to learn." The photosynthesis Gizmo helps middle school students explore photosynthetic processes by controlling carbon dioxide levels and light variables while measuring outputs from a virtual aquatic plant. The simulation includes a Progress Check, with which students and instructors can keep tabs on how well key concepts are understood during the exercise. If you have trouble accessing this site, start from the ExploreLearning homepage and follow links to the featured science Gizmos. The site requires free registration for use of the gizmos. [RS]
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Planet Slayer [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.abc.net.au/science/planetslayer/
The Australian Broadcasting Company offers a fun, interactive way to learn about environmentally responsible consumption. Visitors are invited to follow Greena, eco-chic Warrior Princess, as she navigates the world of green living. The Web site contains loads of engaging animated features, such as the Adventures of Greena, a cartoon in which Greena battles some environmental ill in each chapter. In the Planet Slayer Game, players choose to play earnestly as Greena and save the planet or ironically as a pink-swathed Barbie-like character to slay the planet. With the Greenhouse Calculator, users can figure out their toll on the planet in terms of carbon dioxide emissions -- a service you could find easily enough on the Web, but this one features exploding pigs. Lots of other great features are available, as is a set of well-selected links for more information on ethical investing, Kyoto Protocol, the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, and more. [RS]
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COOL Biology Projects: Gone Fishing [pdf, Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.coolclassroom.org/cool_projects/lessons/biology/biology.html
The Coastal Ocean Observatory Laboratory (COOL) of Rutgers Marine and Coastal Sciences invites teachers and students to use the COOL Classroom, "a series of Internet-based instructional modules that link middle and high school classrooms with active research investigations" conducted by Rutgers scientists. In the "Gone Fishing" module, students explore the role of phytoplankton in the marine food web, and learn a lot about the experimental design in the process. A printable teacher's guide helps educators "capitalize on students' natural fascination with the marine environment to improve basic skills training, problem solving, and critical thinking skills." [RS]
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New York Times Daily Lesson Plan: Growing Pains
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20030617tuesday.html
The New York Times Learning Network offers a recent Daily Lesson Plan titled Growing Pains: Assessing the Complexities of Plant Growth and Reproduction. The lesson plan is designed for grades 6-12 and contains three activities: 1) learning about plant anatomy using familiar food items, 2) reading and discussing a New York Times article about plant growth and reproduction, and 3) growing plants in the classroom to explore the factors affecting plant growth and reproduction. The Web site also includes a vocabulary list, assessment guidelines, extension activities, and useful references. [RS]
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Science Netlinks: Science Update about Nectarines [Real One Player]
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/sci_update.cfm?DocID=177
In this Science Update lesson from Science Netlinks (American Association for the Advancement of Science) students get a modern-day example of Mendelian genetics with the example of the nectarine. Audio and a transcript of a Science Update radio spot introduces the research of a University of Florida horticulturist, who determined that a nectarine is actually a sort of mutated peach. An informative review of Mendelian genetics follows the story, and students can test their understanding of related concepts with the provided discussion questions. Additional resource, both print and online, are listed as well. [RS]
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American Museum of Natural History: Milstein Hall of Ocean Life [pdf]
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/ocean/?src=h_h
This Web site is the online companion to the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). The Educational Resources section provides links to dozens of AMNH activities and articles, mainly geared toward elementary school students. Also, the online guide to the exhibit is itself a terrific educational resource. For example, the Dioramas section offers great graphics and informative descriptions of ocean life and the terrestrial animals, like polar bears, that depend upon it. Likewise, users can take a virtual tour of the exhibit in the Ecosystems feature or click on Ocean Life to learn more about marine animals (and a few ancient bacteria). [RS]
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CityBugs
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/citybugs/index.html
The University of California-Berkeley College of Natural Resources presents CityBugs, an excellent Web resource focused on the insects of the San Francisco Bay area. CityBugs provides a solid introduction to insects and insect collecting in Insect Basics, and an easy-to-use search feature makes identifying local bugs a snap. Visitors may also post questions to be answered by Berkeley entomologists, or browse the question and answer archives. The Teacher's Corner contains a number of lesson plans and activities designed for grades 6-12 for the most part, with a few geared toward younger students. In all, this nicely presented Web site could be a great addition to classroom material for students in the Bay area and beyond. [RS]
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Biology Teaching
http://library.trinity.wa.edu.au/teaching/subject/biolteach.htm
The P.L. Duffy Resource Centre at Trinity College, Western Australia has launched this Web portal to biology teaching resources. While the set of links provided is not extensive, it does represent hundreds of biology lesson plans and other teaching materials from reliable sources. For instance, the portal lists the Smile Program Biology Index from the Illinois Institute of Technology, which provides nearly 200 single concept lessons spanning the life sciences. The P.L. Duffy Resource Centre also provides a number of other life science-related Web portals, including one specifically devoted to human biology. [RS]
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