Archives: Resources

Biographies.net is a huge collection of biographies about famous and not-so-famous individuals, including facts, birthday information, life story, profession, family and more – collaboratively assembled by contributing editors. … learn more

Odyssey takes you back to a dig in Egypt. You may encounter a hermit or a sandstorm or be invited to name the scholars’ truck. You can almost … learn more

Learning Sites has created virtual worlds by reconstructing major archaeological sites in 3Dimensions. The discussion questions for students are very well-done and veer towards sound analyses of the … learn more

How did salt & pepper end up becoming the primary seasonings on everyone’s table? This video looks at the historical as well as the chemical reasons that salt … learn more

This short video talks about how the study of garbage piles — or middens as archaeologists call them — paints the true picture of how we live. A … learn more

The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features a set of primary documents designed for … learn more

Center for History and New Media at George Mason University has different categories with essays, primary sources, videos, audio recordings and tools, representing different points-of-view.

Documenting the American South (DocSouth) is a digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to Southern history, literature, and culture. Currently, … learn more

A wonderful audio collection of Native American folklore has been released – original music from the Omaha Indian tribal archives. Hosted by the American Memory Project at the … learn more

Welcome to The Moonlit Road.com, where we tell Southern ghost stories, folktales, myths and legends from the dark backroads of the American South. Want to come along? Follow the … learn more

The History Channel offers a wide range of resources and videos. One area of special interest is the Famous Speeches page, with audio clips on everything from Amelia … learn more

In 1946, one year after the end of World War 2 in Europe, Dr. David P. Boder traveled to Europe to record stories of Holocaust survivors in their … learn more

Remember.org is one of the more comprehensive sites which explores the context for the Holocaust. Over a half century has passed since the ending of this actual era … learn more

Footage from Movietone News and other sources portrays real time events from the past. It could encourage students to create their own productions online.

Archive.org, our webmasters favorite tool for tracking down web sites, also archives over 2,500 Old Time Radio shows. Not only can these programs be fun to listen to, … learn more

Pond5 sponsors this site allowing you and your students to download thousands of historic media files. The resources include video, audio, images and 3D models.  Stock up on … learn more

Oyez is a multimedia archive making the Supreme Court of the United States accessible to everyone. It is a complete and authoritative source for all of the Court’s … learn more

Combining theory and best practices, Gryphon House’s award-winning authors have developed practical advice and effective teaching strategies for early childhood development. Our educator resources focus on a wide … learn more

Best poems by famous poets all around the world on Poem Hunter. Read poem and quotes from most popular poets.

A Guide to the World of Shel Silverstein for parents, educators, librarians – create a Shelebration moment with young readers. Whether you’re reading Shel Silverstein’s poems with your … learn more

Explore the world of children’s literature KidLit TV is a winner of the Parents’ Choice Gold Award and has been selected as an American Association of School Librarians … learn more

NASA Earth Observations (NEO), One of the best places to study Earth is from space. NASA satellites continually orbit the globe, collecting information about Earth’s ocean, atmosphere, and … learn more

Geographer Peter Claggett with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) show how the population of the the Chesapeake Bay has grown using satellite imagery and talks about what people … learn more

The U.S. Census Bureau has a series of maps that lets you do things like visualize population growth by county, learn about Rural America, and track current emergencies … learn more

An interesting page is the “POPClock” from the U.S. Census Bureau. As soon as the site is entered, a population ticker is activated; it just keeps going and … learn more

Our World in Data breaks out population growth and future projections by country, age and more. Includes a wide range of graphs, maps, and data sources for further … learn more

Learning Goals This is a simulation tool for explaining numerous demographic terms including mortality rate,life expectancy, fertility rate, infant mortality, and the sex ratio. The simulator could also … learn more

The United States is a big place and it’s hard to have a feeling for where all of the people live. There are hundreds of millions of people … learn more

It took 200,000 years for our human population to reach 1 billion—and only 200 years to reach 7 billion. The American Museum of Natural History produced this amazing … learn more

Geoscience Australia is Australia’s pre-eminent public sector geoscience organization. They host a wide variety of resources for teachers, students and the classroom.

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program, sponsored by NASA, hosts historical data sets (1995 to present) made freely available to everyone. GLOBE provides … learn more

The World Factbook provides basic information on things like population, income, power production and life expectancy, with maps and national flags — for every country in the world.

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The Bugscope project from the University of Illinois provides free interactive access to a scanning electron microscope (SEM) so that students anywhere in the world can explore the … learn more

At Space Weather, updated daily by Dr. Tony Phillips, students can learn about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids.

The age of data science is upon us! The more experience students have working with data, the better prepared they are to contribute to the data-driven society they … learn more

Dr. Anita Simic, a geology faculty member at Bowling Green State University, is a firm believer in engaging her students in scientific exploration. And for her there is … learn more

EarthShots, from the USGS, introduces remote sensing by showing how satellite imagery is used to track change over time. The site provides outstanding images of sites around the … learn more

This video explores the basic principles used by optical sensors like Landsat, AVIRIS, and other remote sensing sensors to record the things that we can’t see with our … learn more

Remote sensing is the science of obtaining information about objects or areas from a distance, typically from aircraft or satellites. Here’s a quick overview from NOAA.

Global warming is reshaping our world through extreme weather events, drought, species loss, and a warming and rising ocean. Get the latest coverage of the science behind climate … learn more

The National Center for Science Education is a great resource on this topic. Their goal is to defend the integrity of science education against ideological interference. NCSE works … learn more

NASA has a site devoted to Climate Change. This resource includes latest information and long term trends, images, videos and potential solutions. There is unequivocal evidence that Earth … learn more

Conservation International has created a series of videos looking at Climate Change and our impact on the planet. In this video Julia Roberts is the voice of Mother … learn more

Q:* What’s the difference between “global warming and “climate change”? This NASA post looks at the differences. A:* Global warming refers to surface temperature increases, while climate change … learn more

Seaworld has an extensive collection of sounds from animals of all sizes. Don’t forget to check out the Teacher Guides.

Lang Elliott has created this site to celebrate the wonder and beauty of nature through cinematography and sound.

Animal Sound Gallery includes audio clips, photos and videos collected while studying animal behavior at the Moscow Zoo and other zoos both in Russia and abroad.

What happens when you pour 1200F molten aluminum into an anthill? A greater insight into how truly remarkable ants are and some interesting works of art.

Not all insects are bad pests. There are some insect species referred to as beneficial insects that may provide a long-term sustainable pest control solution by preying on … learn more

What is an arthropod? An arthropod is an invertebrate living organism characterized by the presence of multiple joints, a chitinous exoskeleton, segmentation, and an open circulatory system.

Monarchwatch is a popular online activity, because students and scientists in many locales can plot the annual paths within a telecollaboration model. This site is maintained by the … learn more

Ask an Entomologist tackles your student’s hardest questions about insects, their biology, ecology, physiology, or whatever else your curious about. The have a whole section devoted to Entomology … learn more

Based on work started by the U.S. Geological Survey, this site is an ambitious effort to collect, store, and share species information and occurrence data. In addition to … learn more

For a different perspective, check out the current weather on Mars. NASA’s InSight mission provides reports on temperatures and wind speeds from its home at Elysium Planitia. For … learn more

Up-to-date information on regions within the US are posted at NOAA.

Digital Globe shows the impacts of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami using descriptions and satellite images.

Catch a preview of upcoming weather events at the Environmental News Network.

WeatherBug is different in that it has sensors deployed at thousands of schools, major sports stadiums, broadcast stations and public safety facilities across the U.S. (Possibly in your … learn more

Since 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has spoken to all walks of life: planting charts for those who grow their own food; recipes for those who live in the kitchen; … learn more

The Weather Underground is a comprehensive site for teachers, administrators and parents, discussion of environmental issues is conducted via e-mail, current news can be matched to your curriculum, … learn more

“Forces of Nature” by National Geographic links volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes for their commonalities and differences.

Find pictures and information on 100’s of gemstones & minerals.

The U.S. Forest Service has resources on everything from recycling to wildflowers, coloring activities and videos. A great resource to engage younger students.

Provides a real time look at the Grand Canyon, an every changing view.

This site look at the theories on how the Grand Canyon was formed and why it looks the way it does.

Learn about the mountain range between North Carolina and Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains.

A 200+ mile backpacking experience through Yosemite National Park captured by Colin Delehanty and Sheldon Neill. This project was filmed over the course of 10 months. They spent … learn more

Glaciers & icebergs fall apart and crash into one another. The heat penetrates their icy surfaces and creates mini creeks, rivers and tunnels. This video brings home why … learn more

Like great rivers of ice, glaciers have sculpted mountains and carved out valleys. They continue to flow and shape the landscape in many places today. This site explores … learn more

The California Academy of Sciences exhibits a four story rainforest with many micro-ecologies. Take-home kits widen the student base.

Virtually the whole country of Costa Rica is an eco-friendly environment. The rainforest includes animals like the poison dart frog, Capuchin monkeys, and macaws.

Derek Muller always wondered why Australia has so many venomous animals that can kill you while Canada has virtually none. But it’s not just Australia – it seems … learn more

The Rainforest Alliance helps people of all ages to understand the role that each one of us plays in biodiversity conservation, and provides both lesson plans and resources.

As long as humans have walked the planet, wetlands have been a part of our lives. Some people turned to these saturated lands for resources while others saw … learn more

This site looks at coastal restoration projects in Louisiana. Maintained by the USGS National Wetlands Research Center, it includes instructor resources, a kids corner, slide shows and videos.

The School of Freshwater Sciences is a particularly interesting application of telecommunications in network science. To those of us who do not live in this region the environment … learn more

NCEAS ecologists and teachers in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria schools are working with 5th grade classes to design and conduct scientific experiments in ecology. Students learn the … learn more

Learn more about the Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. Together they form the largest fresh surface water system on earth, containing about one-fifth of … learn more

Talk about bringing nature to you. David Pagan Butler has created a Natural Swimming Pool. It’s a swimming pool that has clear water without using chemicals. These pools … learn more

For about 50 years canals connected fresh water rivers and salt water portals. Learn about the history of canals, especially for transportation,at The Canal Age.

Science in the Great Outdoors Help your students discover science in National and state parks across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. with Alice Ferguson Foundation’s Bridging the Watershed program. … learn more

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is dedicated to understanding how ecosystems work. Our scientists are global experts in the ecology of: freshwater, forests, disease, and cities. Through collaborative … learn more

When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable “trophic cascade” occurred. What is a trophic … learn more

The Smith Center for Cartographic Education The Osher Map Library at the University of Southern Maine features exhibits series of maps over times such as World II, the … learn more

The WorldWidePanorama is a huge gallery of panoramic images that keep being built from the contributions of more than one thousand photographers all around the world – amateurs … learn more

For a different view of the Earth, take a look at NASA’s Visible Earth site, showing everything from The Big Blue Marble to recent fires.

The Central Pacific Railroad Maps show the transcontinental phenomena of railroads, migration patterns, and transportation policies.

Topographic maps offer good content for “scaffolding” geographical features and land use. They are an alternative to traditional visuals. The new site is simple and easy to use, … learn more

Atlapedia® Online contains full-color physical maps, political maps as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the world.

The Junior Ranger programs below are designed to encourage our young visitors to explore nature! Dive underwater, explore a cave, or look up at the night sky. There … learn more

For an interactive, highly detailed, 3D look at the world, check out Google Earth. It’s free to use, but requires that you use the Google Chrome browser. Google … learn more

During the early days of the Web wildlife sites seemed to hurl animals into the classroom because they appeared so “real”. For instance, a student can look into … learn more

The Alaska Science Center, part of the USGS, has a wide variety of images, videos, animated maps and more available for free download. You’ll find videos of polar … learn more

Wolves were once native to the US’ Yellowstone National Park — until hunting wiped them out. But when, in 1995, the wolves began to come back (thanks to … learn more

The Cheetah Conservation Fund is another site promoting conservation and providing facts on the fastest animal in the world.

Information about particular animals, such as koalas, can be obtained at sites dedicated to the animal. More efficient than sifting thru online search engine results.

Koko, a Lowland Gorilla born at the San Francisco Zoo, was an ambassador for gorillas all over the world. She spent her life at The Gorilla Foundation sanctuary … learn more

Will Burrard-Lucas talks about his travels to the Makgadikgadi Pans region of Botswana and go into detail on “some of the most charismatic (and cutest) creatures in Africa … learn more

Journey North involves tracking the coming of spring around the world to help students gain a global systemic perspective.