Archives: Resources

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

CensusScope is an easy-to-use tool for investigating U.S. demographic trends, brought to you by the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN) at the University of Michigan. With eye-catching graphics and … 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

For an in-depth study of one Southeast Asian country look at Vietnam: Yesterday and Today. Good background for a study of that war.

A grand source book for Chinese civilization, especially using ancient tombs’ artifacts, has been placed online. These resources are remarkable for their uniqueness rather than technological interactivity.

Planeta.com pioneered online reporting focusing on conscious travel around the globe. The site is geared toward conscious travelers, hosts and everyone in between seeking practical suggestions in the … learn more

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Early Warning and Environmental Monitoring (EWEM) program tracks data for a broad spectrum of scientific endeavors operating at national, regional , and international scales. … 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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This section of the WWW Virtual Library system is a frequently updated Internet directory of over 2000 annotated links to high-quality English-language resources for a wide range of current international … learn more

The World Bank specializes in sustainable development all around the world, especially in underdeveloped countries. This site, mostly of interest to high school students, includes the charts, maps, … learn more

There are regional Earth Times sites, like the one in San Diego, that look at issues on a local, rather than global, basis.

The Earth Times is a not-for-profit publication. The contents are edited daily.

The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies focuses on sustainable development, the atmosphere, land formations such as volcanoes, and energy. Web resources are integrated along with offline resources and … learn more

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

Middle school students around the world can request images of specific locations on Earth during Sally Ride EarthKAM missions – periods when the Sally Ride EarthKAM camera in … 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.

Besides suiting the needs of students of all ages, the best educational apps also cover a wealth of subjects and skills. Whether it’s academic subjects, such as math, … learn more

In The 50 Best Smartphone Apps For Teachers Arranged By Category, Terry Heick discovers a seemingly endless collection of smartphone apps that teachers can put to work in … learn more

In this article, TeachThought looks at 11 sample education BYOT (Bring Your Own Technologies) policies. The goal to help you craft or update a BYOT policy for your … learn more

Bob Tinker, founder of the Concord Consortium, has pioneered the use of remote sensing devices, linked to computers, and hands-on physics experiments. (Activities for both these approaches are … learn more

Sponsored by NASA, GLOBE Observer is an international network of citizen scientists and scientists working together to learn more about our shared environment and changing climate. To participate, … learn more

The National Geographic Society has dedicated a portion of their web site to climate change news and information. Check out these pages for current items and topics, encouraging … 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.

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

About 75% of all animal species are arthropods. There are more different types of arthropod than any other group on the plant. Arthropods include insects, spiders, crabs, lobsters, … learn more

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

Chesapeake Bay has received attention not only for its ecology but also for its nearness to our nation’s capital Washington, D.C. This site illustrates the plants and animals … 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.

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.