Archives: Resources

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.

Will Burrard-Lucas went to Botswana, Africa to photograph meerkats (think Timon in The Lion King). Who knew they were not afraid of humans.

National Geographic Kids provides the excellent site with information on animals, great and small, from around the world.

Learn more than you ever imagined about the role of worms in soil conservation at Worm Woman.

Find out why bats will not get tangled in your hair at Batcon, i.e., Bat Conservation.

Ocean Conservancy is working with you to protect the ocean from today’s greatest challenges.

Tools for K-12 educators. Teachers, counselors, parents, and advisors play important roles in guiding students – including future veterinarians – toward rewarding careers. AVMA materials are available to … learn more

In contrast to zoos is a wonderful site called Animal Detector. It describes a family who left enticing food on the back porch at night so they could … learn more

A virtual visit to the online Bronx zoo includes a conferencing capability.

Visitors to this unique zoo make new creatures by switching the animals’ heads, legs, and tails. As students play, they can read about the animals that make up … learn more

At the Smithsonian National Zoo’s website, you can solve jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzles, take a virtual world tour, send an e-card, and learn about animals and their … learn more

The Sea Turtle Restoration Project has made a video, Last Journey for the Leatherback, free to teachers.

Our mission is to save the world’s coral reefs. We work at local, regional, and global levels to keep coral reefs healthy, so they can adapt to climate … learn more

425 million years ago most of North America was covered by a Silurian reef. This distance learning project Virtual Silurian Reef encompasses geology and ecosystems.

Located in Gainesville, FL, this organization provides in-depth information on Sea Turtles.

Support children’s learning at home for grades PreK through 12. These online courses and family-friendly science activities encourage a sense of wonder and connection to the natural world … learn more

For a display of deep sea life look at NOVA’s Deep-Sea Bestiary. The descriptions of adaptation to this life are especially interesting.

A sponge might not look like much, but these simple animals with no brain or ability to move have lived on Earth for hundreds of millions of years. … learn more

NASA TV, in addition to it’s cable channel, maintains an Education Channel for students and teachers. View it on-line.

eePRO, part of NAAEE, is an online platform that provides environmental education (EE) professionals and students from around the world with opportunities to network, discuss important issues, and … learn more

Environmental science is the study of the effects of natural and unnatural processes, and of interactions of the physical components of the planet on the environment. This site … learn more

NAAEE is a network of people who believe in teaching people how to think about the environment, not what to think. They use high-quality teaching methods to show … learn more

The Concord Consortium has combined the study of uncertainty with the study of new scientific discoveries. It is called High Adventure Science Project.

Welcome to WASP The Woodside Australian Science Project (WASP) produces support packages for the Earth Science component of the Australian Curriculum. These packages are filled with hands-on activities … learn more

Life. It’s the one thing that, so far, makes Earth unique among the thousands of other planets we’ve discovered. Since the fall of 1997, NASA satellites have continuously … learn more

This site from NASA allow you to learn more about the Earth and all the planets in the solar system.

Expanding the Connections of STEM Educators and Students Vernier Connections™ is a web-based platform that helps educators engage students in a fun, modern way through interactive and relevant investigations … learn more

Our Mission IPAC at Caltech partners with NASA, NSF, JPL and the world-wide research community to advance exploration of our Universe. Beginning with the IRAS mission in 1985 … learn more

Water on the Web offers data about water quality from deep within 4 Minnesota lakes. This approach also represents a new method for visualization of information, especially appropriate … learn more

While supporting the educational and environmental initiatives of NOAA, MIT Sea Grant strives to meet the needs of local communities, the Navy, maritime, shipping, and other technology-driven industries. MIT … learn more

These education theme pages are designed to provide the best of what the OceanExplorer.NOAA.gov website has to offer on a number of popular ocean science topics. Each theme … learn more

This resource hosts recent National Geographic articles and current news. It has a special section on climate change news.

EurekAlert, produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, would be of interest to older students. Like Science News, it covers a wide range of scientific … learn more

Science News provides news articles, blogs and more covering all areas of science. They have Science New for Students section that will interest many of your students.

Reeko’s Mad Scientist Lab is a combination of experiments, news, and fun stuff. Check out Ego the (rude) lab robot or learn about flotation. How about goats in … learn more

Gorongosa National Park was once famous for its lion population, but during Mozambique’s struggle for independence and subsequent civil war, the park’s iconic wildlife suffered. In 2008, a … learn more

National Science Teacher Association NSTA provides national and international leadership in science education by identifying the qualities and standards for good science education; these are set forth in … learn more

GLOBE provides grade level-appropriate, interdisciplinary activities and investigations about the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and soil/pedosphere, which have been developed by the scientific community and validated by teachers. GLOBE … learn more

A short introduction to Janice VanCleave and list of her many books making science accessible to students.

This map, maintained by National Drought Mitigation Center and updated weekly, tracks the current conditions in the United States. With droughts now impacting nearly every part of the … learn more

Everyone needs fresh water to live, but fresh water is limited and precious. This site provides videos, lesson plans and more about the importance of fresh water, watersheds, … learn more

For the last 15 years, KidWind has been focused on teaching the world about renewable energy. We have helped thousands of educators bring wind and solar power to … learn more

Their goal is a world in which action-oriented education enables every child to understand and value water, ensuring a sustainable future. Includes on-line resources, regional workshops, student sites … learn more

Almost everyone agrees that flooding is bad. Most years it’s the number one natural disaster in the US by dollars of damage. So being able to characterize flood … learn more

The Gulf Stream is part of a global conveyer belt — a large-scale ocean circulation that is driven by differences in the density of the ocean water. It … learn more

This real-time wind map started out as a personal art project. Click the map to zoom in on your region. This map displays in real-time the current wind … learn more

NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Discover resources and programs for educators, students, and anyone who wants to learn more about our ocean and coasts! Middle school students … learn more

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln maintains this resource, with information on current conditions, drought risk areas, climate data by state or specific location (e.g., your school), and basic information.

The Alternative Fuels Data Center provides maps, data sets and tools on alternative energy options.

Learning about fuel cell technology always rears up when an energy crisis appears. Go to How Stuff Works for an understanding of alternative fuels.

The Edison Electric Institute offers 80 some experiments in basic concepts of electricity for grades 4-8.

An entertaining video by Steve Gagnon showing what happens when you touch 200,000 volts, how lighting rods really work, and why 120 volts could hurt you but 200,000 … learn more

The Center for Environmental Journalism in Colorado is a useful ‘zine model from which students can learn publishing skills in this particular domain.

The viability of biofuels has been debated, especially among scientists. Since it requires multi-disciplinary understandings, students would be well-served to learn about it.

What better way for students to learn about energy and energy transformation than building their own windmill. This post from PBS includes a lesson plan, worksheets and templates.

The Department of Energy has a wide range of resources for K-12 classrooms at it Energy Kids Page.

Columbia University in New York has mounted a site for wildlife preservation and monitoring environmental conditions. While the bulk of the resources have traditionally pertained to New York … learn more

Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on … learn more

While Tony Phillips day job is Professor of Mathematics, he has an affinity for the songs and calls of New York State birds. The special attraction of this … learn more

For specialized tools and data important in the study of marine life look at the National Data Buoy Center via NOAA.

If you took the water out of salt water, would it just leave salt? Grant Thompson wanted to find out. Hint: It’s more than just NaCl (sodium chloride).

Just how deep does the ocean go? Way further than you think. This animation puts the actual distance into perspective, showing a vast distance between the waves we … learn more

Jeff (no last name) has compiled a time lapse video showing what it’s like to be on the ocean for 30 days, transporting cargo around Asia. Sailing in … learn more

Aquanauts fund the easiest way to study the health of marine organisms is by becoming their neighbors. The month-long project aimed to study the effects of global warming … learn more

The Ocean Science Education Institute deploys high quality curriculum and labs for middle school students by collaboration among universities, science centers, and teachers.

Bartleby has almost 400 titles of literature, reference and verse available for free online. Includes homework help for all subjects. The collection spans Henry Adams and Aesop to … learn more

Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world’s … learn more

Google has started a project to digitize whole libraries of books, with full on-line access available to those books that are out of copyright or where the author … learn more

The Southern Oregon Write Site (SOWS) project originated as support for the writing process, but evolved into an online discussion forum. What the Internet adds to the writing … learn more

The Concord Review publishes academic essays of high school students, especially on topics for college AP exams.

National Scholastic Press Association, with more than 1,350 members, is a national community of student journalists and scholastic journalism advisers. NSPA advances journalism and media as a vital … learn more

Purdue OWL offers over 200 free resources for a wide variety of student groups including ESL learners, junior high and high school students, adult education and even professional … learn more

How do you write a short story really quickly? Choose a style, opening and type of ending, name your character, choose a few adjectives and Plot Generator will … learn more

A well-told story can help a person see things in an entirely new way. It can change a law, inspire a movement, and make people care fiercely about … learn more

StudyGuide was created by Mrs. Adams, a teacher in Birmingham, Alabama. Lessons include how to write a research paper, note-taking, and examples from different genres. Keep up with … learn more

Outta Ray’s Head contains 250 very interesting lesson plans; in addition to Ray, lessons were developed and tested in classrooms. The literature and poetry sections are very good.

Use these free English teaching and learning resources for English, Literature, and ESL classes.

Poets’ Org contains a listening room as well as biographies and links. This site is more representative of American poetry than others and is a good research launchpad.

The American Writers series, developed by C-SPAN, offers many resources, especially in the modern period, but new technologies, such as streaming video of interactions among celebrities, for instance, … learn more

Awesome Library-Language Arts is a collection of hundreds of lesson plans, some better than others.

The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) is committed to helping educators countywide build capacity and confidence so they can provide high-quality, evidence-based instructional and assessment practices which … learn more

Clive Thompson has an interesting take on Minecraft and games like it. In addition to instilling spatial reasoning, math, and logic, it also teaches something else: good old-fashioned … learn more

This video looks at the origin of the term OK, tracing how a cheesy joke from the 1830s became the most widely spoken word in the world. A … learn more

The Encyclopedia Britannica has devoted a site to Shakespeare, including the remodeling of the Globe Theater and Elizabethan life. Different renowned actors read similar passages and it is … learn more

Welcome to Jane Reichhold’s world of poetry that will make you say, “Ah-ha!” as you discover and explore the many short-form genres of poetry AHA! POETRY utilizes the … learn more