http://www.holidaylectures.org/

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's 2003 Holiday Lecture Series on Science features oncologist Bert Vogelstein and neurologist Huda Zoghbi, who will each present two lectures via live webcast on December 4th and 5th (free registration required). Vogelstein and Zoghbi will speak on "how their patients have led them to a deeper understanding of the genetic and molecular bases of cancer and neurological disorders." The Holiday Lecture Series is chiefly intended for students in high school science courses, but registration is open to any interested viewer. The website offers three detailed essays relating to lecture topics, as well as downloadable lecture summaries and biographies of the speakers. A slide format is available for viewers with slower Internet connections. [RS]

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/kalahari/index.html

This website is the Web companion to the two-part NATURE documentary on the Kalahari Desert, which aired on PBS during fall 2003. The first episode, Kalahari: The Great Thirstland, explores the intense extremes of the Kalahari landscape, where wildlife "struggle for survival on the African plains." The site offers a number of Web-only extras, including a species guide in the form of animal trading cards, a slide show showing seasonal change in the Kalahari, and more. Episode Two, Kalahari: The Flooded Desert, explores the desert wetland of the Okavango Delta, "one of the most unusual ecosystems in one of the harshest regions in the world." The Web companion for this episode can by accessed through the first website, and it's here that teachers will find an interdisciplinary lesson plan designed for grades 3-5. The lesson focuses on the rich diversity of Kalahari wildlife, and uses a number of interactive activities from other websites (links provided). Web-only features for this episode include an interactive journey through the Okavango Delta, a behind-the-scenes interview with the film's director, and of course, related links. [RS]

http://webwatchers.nsta.org/default.asp

The Webwatchers' Science Guides website -- provided by the National Science Teachers Association -- is a portal to educational resources on the Internet. Along with carefully selected links, this website offers a few downloadable lesson plans, as well as audio reviews from fellow teachers and vignettes demonstrating how to use the Guides in the classroom. Navigation can be somewhat tricky -- the site follows an elaborate organizational scheme that requires its own 4-page explanation. For a quick way to find links of interest, use the Jump To dropdown menu to select a topic, open the concept map, then click on a keyword to access a set of links for teachers and another for students. Grade range, available resources (e.g. interactive activities, related news), and a short description are indicated for each link. [RS]

http://www.arches.uga.edu/~shayle/studio/6200/final/digestion.swf

This website offers a fun, animated tour of the human digestive system -- a project created by B. Shayle Abelkop while a graduate student in the Department of Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia. The tutorial starts with a brief introduction to other systems (cardiovascular, skeletal, respiratory, muscular) before focusing in on the digestive system. The tutorial explains in simple terms, with the help of colorful graphics, what happens at each point in the digestive system (including an explanation of mechanical vs. chemical digestion). The website also offers a "drag and drop" anatomy activity, online crossword puzzle, and multiple-choice quiz. Even though this site is geared toward younger students, any student learning about the human digestive system for the first time should find the tutorial helpful. [RS]

http://www.ento.csiro.au/Ecowatch/index.htm

Ecowatch is "a community-based project for the assessment of habitat quality in the riverland of South Australia." And, fortunately for the rest of us, the educational resources available on the Ecowatch website have a more universal application. Readers will find an excellent introduction to invertebrates, as well as more detailed information on major invertebrate groups (down to the class level, generally). An easy-to-use pictorial key makes invertebrate identification (again, to class level) fun and simple -- and valid for any region. The For Teachers section "outlines activities that students can undertake to learn more about invertebrates and the environments they live in," and includes instructions for building two types of invertebrate traps. [RS]

http://ericir.syr.edu/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Biology/BIO0205.html

In this AskERIC lesson plan for grades 5-9, students compare the structure and function of cell organelles to that of a working city -- a handy analogy for learning the basics of cell biology. The activities outlined in the lesson plan, which takes three to four 55-minute sessions to complete, combine art and science for an interdisciplinary learning experience. Vocabulary words, useful links, and downloadable worksheets are included along with lesson procedures. [RS]

http://www.isu.edu/biolearn/Lesson%20Plans/index.html

The Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University offers this website as part of a project "to enhance teacher preparation in the sciences by emphasizing inquiry and experimental approaches to science teaching." The site offers one or two lesson plans (mostly at the high school level) for the following subjects: the cell; molecular basis of heredity; biological evolution; interdependence of organisms; matter, energy, and organization of living systems; and behavior of organisms. While most of these lessons appear to have been created for the website, a few come from external sources. [RS]