Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

As the title states, this is a virtual cell. However, the depth of this virtual model exceeds simple pictures or common physical models. It is 3d, moveable, and informative. It makes you feel like you are looking at a cell right out of an organism, a very possible future scientist activity. Click through the organelles to see close-ups and read information about it. Use the tools across the top of the screen to rotate the image, to zoom in or out on the cell image. The left side of the screen offers navigational tools to travel through out the model.

tag(s): cells (82)

Use this database to find teacher created sheets that follow movies shown in the classroom. Provide a change of pace for your students by using different questioning to challenge them. Be sure to preview, as this collection is only as good as the materials submitted. Check with your administration on rules for using "home videos" as they can be a violation of licensing or deemed inappropriate. Even though videos appear here, they may not be educationally appropriate. Be sure to check out the notices at the start of any "entertainment" video to be sure of legality. Keep in mind that these worksheets should not replace good interactive and thought provoking activities. Be sure to use other means to involve students in thought and action beyond the worksheets themselves. Find worksheets in either PDF or Word formats.

tag(s): business (52), climate (84), geology (62), movies (54)

Looking for ways to link current science events and skills such as reading and writing across the curriculum in your science classroom? Visit this ideal internet location! Created by the people of the New York Times, this lesson plan idea page has all the tools to put together quick, technology, reading and science based lessons in a fraction of the time it would take to pool the resources on your own.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (173), main idea (8), news (229)

See remarkable and astounding scientific discoveries and inventions on this amazing site. Categories of science include Earth and Nature, Energy and Power, Medical Marvels, New Materials, Quantum Leaps, Space and Time, Science Fiction, and Weird Science. Young scientists will be amazed, engineers inspired, and even the disinterested will find accomplishments to make them curious. Even middle school girls will find something that they like about science on this site. There is some advertising, but the science images and information outweigh it.

tag(s): cells (82), engineering (129), inventors and inventions (80), medicine (57)

Brrr - this site is all about the (freezing) tundra biome. Learn where the tundra is located, the plants and animals of the tundra, and more. This tundra site is also a web resource for the TeachersFirst interactive Biomes of the World Unit for grades 4-8.

tag(s): biomes (110), tundra (14)

This grasslands site provides facts and several topic areas including Types of Grasslands, Grassland Plants, Grassland Animals, What are Grasslands Like, and others. This site is also a web resource for the TeachersFirst interactive Biomes of the World Unit for grades 4-8.

tag(s): biomes (110)

This colorful and informative site provides information about rivers and streams. Specific topics include "What is a Watershed," "Watershed Scientific Concepts," "How a Stream Becomes a River," "River Zones," "The Longest Rivers in the World," "Hydroelectric Power," and several other topics. This site is also a web resource for the TeachersFirst interactive Biomes of the World Unit.

tag(s): biomes (110), landforms (39), water (102)

Learn all about the freshwater (ecosystems) of lakes and ponds at this site. Specific topics include pond succession, Oxbow Lakes, the Great Lakes, the five largest lakes in the world, lake effect snow, algae, animals found in lakes and ponds, and more! This site is a web resource for the TeachersFirst interactive Biomes of the World Unit.

tag(s): biomes (110), ponds (3), snow (17), water (102)

Teaching about deserts? Check out this site to learn where deserts are located, which animals and plants live in the desert, different types of deserts, and what a desert is really like. This site is also a web resource for the TeachersFirst interactive Biomes of the World Unit.

tag(s): biomes (110), deserts (16)

Learn about the Taiga biome that stretches across Asia, Europe, and Canada. This site goes beyond just the location of the biome, but also includes information about the climate, type of plants and animals found in this biome, general facts and more.

This website is also part of the TeachersFirst interactive Biomes of the World Unit. If you are teaching about the biomes of the world, be sure to check out this site!

tag(s): biomes (110)

Do you know the difference between a tropical rainforest and a temperate rainforest? This site takes you deep into the rainforest with a wide array of topics: plants and animals of the rainforest, rainforests endangered, where rainforests are located, and many others. This rainforest site is also a web resource for the TeachersFirst interactive Biomes of the World Unit for grades 4-8.

tag(s): biomes (110), climate (84), landforms (39)

This site features several topics and pages of information about shorelines: where oceans and seas meet land. Sample topics include Salt Marshes, Mud Flaps, Estuaries, Mangrove Forests, Currents, Tides, Waves, and many others. This site is also a web resource for the TeachersFirst interactive Biomes of the World Unit.

tag(s): biomes (110), mars (26)

This colorful and informative site provides information about the wetlands of the world. Learn more about the importance of wetlands, how wetlands are in danger, wetland plants and animals, the corkscrew swamp, the crooked tree, and more! This site is also a web resource for the TeachersFirst interactive Biomes of the World Unit.

tag(s): biomes (110)

Visit and listen to a forest and its wildlife without going outside. Listen to narrated portions or click on areas in the forest to learn about inhabitants. You can even zoom in to learn more about specific topics. As you move through the screens, you will understand the meaning of sustainable forestry. Click on the map at the bottom to choose between various topics such as mature forests, bioenergy, and wetlands. Click on Sustainable Forestry to learn about topics related to the economic, environmental, and social uses of forests. The site creator, UPM, is a "...forest industry company. UPM consists of three Business Groups: Energy and Pulp, Paper, and Engineered Materials."

tag(s): forests (30), habitats (92), sustainability (50), trees (18)

Use this online biology study guide to find the answers to more than 1800 questions on a variety of topics. Read through the questions from beginning to end in order to completely understand the material as it is arranged in order to completely understand the concepts. Click on a variety of topics including "Biochemistry," "Zoology," "Ecology," and "Diseases" among others. Click "Search Answers" and enter your question to find items that can answer your search.

tag(s): diseases (67), ecology (103), evolution (89), genetics (80)

Use this site to find some GREAT word searches that are ready to go! Whatever topic you are looking for, you just might find a word search here. If you can't find one, make your OWN ONLINE word search. What a fantastic tool to use and/or create in any subject!

tag(s): photography (130), puzzles (149)

Human Anatomy Online is so packed with information, students could spend hours maneuvering through the text. This site provides detailed information about the entire body as well as common procedures and interesting facts. The simple, colorful visual aids make it very easy to understand the make-up of all of the systems as well as many of the body processes such as reproduction, muscle strength, cardiovascular health and much more. Be careful to keep students focused on the area of concentration. Otherwise, they could become overwhelmed with the quantity of information and get off track. Great for research projects and health units. Make sure to check out the fantastic tutorials, animations and description index.

There are some minor advertisements at this website.

tag(s): body systems (40), brain (56), heart (27), human body (93), olympics (45), respiration (11)

Many museum sites are little more than a set of on-line directions to get to the brick-and-mortar museum and a few promotional photographs. This site, however, is designed to be used as an online museum. You can start by searching the museum by geographic location or keyword. You can also search by time period from the "Teaching Kit" area. Or click on one of the featured exhibits which range from excavations of the CSS Alabama, the remains of an 18th century fleet sunk in New York's Lake George, to the HMS Serapis. A link to a "teachers' kit" gives information about ordering (free with the exception of shipping costs) a hands-on set of materials to keep and get free updates for as long as they would like to use it. For younger students, there is a slide show that introduces the concepts of underwater archaeology in an interactive whiteboard-friendly format (see featured exhibit: A Children's Introduction).

tag(s): oceans (149)

Check out this site offering FREE learning courses to students in science and math, including environmental skills and health and life skills. Students will travel the world learning about the topic in addition to more about the continents, countries, and oceans. Choose from a wide variety of different learning experiences in the subject areas for learning in a fun and engaging way. Each subject area has countless interactives ready to go! Detailed instructions are provided for each activity. You can control sound easily from the screen.

tag(s): body systems (40), continents (33), countries (73), cultures (180), fractions (160), human body (93), matter (46), measurement (122), money (113), nutrition (140), sorting (4)

GeneBoy is the application creator's genetic version of a "GameBoy." It is an interactive science tool of variations that can be made with gene sequencing. To use the site, select a sequence from the left side of the GeneBoy, or use the "your sequence" button to copy and paste your own sequence into the application. To copy the original sequence, press clone on the bottom of the screen. The sequence can then be analyzed or manipulated through the tools on the right.

Need some help navigating this site? Check out the "How To" button to learn how to use Gene Boy.

tag(s): dna (43), genetics (80), sequencing (17)