Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

What do we see and what can we learn from the Sea floor? Use the Interactive map or the drop down along the top to access past expeditions to the sea floor. Click on the "Dive Into Deeper Discovery" tab to learn more about Deep Ocean Circulation, History of the Earth, Ice Ages, Ships and Technology, among others. Click the "For Teachers" tab to access and view classroom activities to use. The site is updated daily with photos, videos, and research.

tag(s): earth (184), oceans (149), plate tectonics (22), volcanoes (55)

The Library of Congress offers this searchable database of historical maps, which includes a large collection of city maps, maps of military battles and campaigns, maps related to transportation and communication, and maps focused on exploration and discovery. Within each category, you can search geographically or by time period. Each map accessed can be navigated using a zoom feature for better viewing. Maps cover a wide range of national and international subjects.

tag(s): battles (18), environment (252), maps (220), transportation (30)

Footprints Science consists of simulations and interactives on many key concepts that are difficult to visualize and understand in Science. The site offers purchase of different modules or the complete collection. Samples, however, are free to use. Biology samples include "DNA drag and drop," "Kidney animation," "Fertilisation animation," and "Breathing animation." Chemistry samples include "Periodic Table interactive activity," "States of matter animation," and "Atomic structure activity."Physics samples include "Forces animation," "Power Station animation," and "Phases of Moon animation." Coursework includes "Variables," "Planning," "Graph," and "Line of best fit." More animations and interactives for each subject are available. The items are designed to be used with instruction to make the concepts more engaging. Interactives use drag and drop labeling with immediate feedback and allow pausing to stop the animation. Quizzes and games are also available. Graphics are very well done and easy to see, making difficult concepts much easier to understand. Interactives can be viewed as a large screen.

tag(s): charts and graphs (171), dna (43), forces (37), matter (46), moon (73), periodic table (46), variables (14)

The Wilderness Classroom Organization brings educational adventures into the classroom through on-line expeditions. Students can follow expeditions through the Amazon, Peru, Bahamas, and even dog sledding through Manitoba. The site provides archived experiences along with photos, expedition maps and notes from the trail. There are lesson plans, printable pages, standards, podcasts, and more.

tag(s): amazon (11), mississippi (5), peru (5)

Learn the powerful forces that shape and change the Earth. Dynamic Earth explores the Earth's Structures, Investigating Plate Tectonics, learning about Plates and Boundaries, and how the plates Slip, Slide, and Collide. Read the information provided, click on the Interactive pictures for more details, and test your knowledge in each section with interactive activities. In the end, test your skills using an online assessment.

tag(s): earth (184), earthquakes (46), geology (62), mountains (10), plate tectonics (22), volcanoes (55)

This website takes students on a virtual "rock hunt." Throughout the journey, students learn about the three main types of rock - sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. Specific examples of each type of rock are highlighted. Other topics of interest include "How Rocks Change" and "The Rock Cycle Diagram." There are animations that demonstrate the effects of extreme heat or cold on a rock. Volcanoes are used to demonstrate some of the changes. Weathering, erosion, compacting, and cementing are also discussed. There are several interactive "rock" activities along the way. The final activity is a review "test" about the interactive "rock hunt."

tag(s): acting (19), erosion (15), rock cycle (12), rocks (35), volcanoes (55), weather (160)

The "Perfect Pearl" was created to coincide with a PBS broadcast. However, the information is useful and informative without viewing the program. The topics include "What's Killing the Oysters," "Culture of Freshwater Pearls," "How Many Pearls," and "The History of Pearls." The "How Many Pearls" activity combines the science of pearls with higher-level math skills.

tag(s): environment (252), japan (57)

Celebrate NASA's 50th anniversary with 50 historic images. Browse through the presentation to find spectacular pictures of planets, astronauts on the moon, and much more. Download images in full size, original quality, or other options. Each image includes a short description of the content. Select the link to the original 50th-anniversary site for additional but limited content, including a postcard gallery and the original 2008 Folklife Festival webpage.

tag(s): gravity (43), moon (73), nasa (30), solar system (110), space (222), STEM (297)

Wow, this website is amazing! Exploring Africa brings Africa into your classroom through numerous interdisciplinary lessons. There are 20 modules (within 4 general units of study). The general units include "Why Study Africa," "Studying Africa Through the Social Studies," "Studying Africa Through the Humanities," "Regional Perspectives," and "Country Case Studies." Each module contains a teacher version that includes objectives, focus questions, activities, background information, and more. These teaching and learning activities all follow the "5 E's" format: Engage, Explore, Explain, Expand, and Evaluate. The website also provides links for specific country information and current events.

tag(s): africa (148), diversity (40)

This eclectic website from the National Weather Service offers a multitude of lesson plans, online quizzes, and other pertinent information related to the weather. The mix of topics includes thunderstorms, lightning, tropical weather, Doppler radar, the ocean, the atmosphere, and many others. This website also allows users to type in a zip code to find out the local weather forecast.

tag(s): atmosphere (22), weather (160)

This simple site provides a comprehensive tutorial that can be used for practice or review of map skills. There are sections on latitude, longitude, map scales, topography and more. Most sections offer quizzes that can either be printed or taken online.

tag(s): latitude (10), logic (161), longitude (9), maps (220)

This all-encompassing atlas site provides a broad variety of information and activities. The subject areas include agriculture, biology, boundaries, climate, environment, geology, government, history, mapping, transportation, people, and water. All of the subjects incorporate the United States (for example, the agriculture pages discuss the agriculture of the USA). The map features are phenomenal and include both printable maps and "dynamic maps" which are interactive and awesome! Some of interactive maps include topics such as relief and elevation, West Nile virus, volcanoes and more. This site is a perfect addition to any science class that is studying volcanoes, climate, biology and more. It is also useful in a geography class studying the various uses and types of maps.

tag(s): agriculture (49), climate (84), environment (252), geology (62), maps (220)

Users can find average temperature readings by clicking on common locations or entering any world city into a search box. Answers show three readings, Average Maximum Temps, Average Minimum, 24 hour readings, as well as longitude and latitude.. Depending on the area, other data includes rainfall, sea-level pressure, station level pressure, and general information about the area's geography. Searchers must use native language spellings of larger cities and must settle for information about the main cities of the world.

tag(s): climate (84), earth (184), earth day (60), environment (252), temperature (35), weather (160)

This user-friendly site provides a detailed explanation of the carbon cycle and its relationship to climate change. Students will be able to visualize the cycle by using the pictures and diagrams in conjunction with the reading. Students can follow up with the quiz/review at the end of the reading. Print size is small, and attention to detail is a necessity while reading this site.

tag(s): carbon (17)

This site provides a good introduction to science fairs to help teachers, students and parents. There are separate sections of information on getting started, choosing a topic, completing the project, displaying the project and the Scientific Method. The section and links on Scientific Method are quite useful, even if your school does not do a science fair.

tag(s): air (102), scientific method (48)

Hours of exploration of the ocean or atmosphere await you at this site. From tornado and hurricane preparedness to working an oceanographic puzzle with participants around the globe, there is something here for kids and kids-at-heart. Students can attend the online weather school, then explore the Fish FAQs link.

Teachers will find a wealth of resources for classroom use at several subsections. Don't miss the Marine Life and Exploration section with added teacher resources. The NOS Education section has Discovery Kits: a wealth of lesson plans and onine activities for middle and high school. The NOAA's Ark gallery has marvelous photographs of wildlife, oceans, and more that you and students MAY dowload and use (they are in the public domain). The only requirement is that you give proper credit (read "about" the gallery). Portions of the site require Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

tag(s): animals (295), coral (11), hurricanes (32), images (263), oceans (149), tides (6), waves (14), weather (160)

Have a high speed Internet connection? (Most schools do) Then you MUST visit these 3D virtual tours of beautiful sites all over the world with your students. Read the Welcome message on the home page for directions and details, then explore the current features and several years of archives for 3D virtual tours from major world capitals to true "experiences" such as Times Square and white water rafting. Even the tour of a Banyan tree will amaze you. Bring the world into your classroom for geography, landforms, world cultures, foreign language study, or literary settings. Be in the midst of festivals or atop the Sydney Bridge.

tag(s): images (263), landforms (39), virtual field trips (128)

Learn about plate tectonics as you manipluate plates with the computer and watch the resulting changes in the earth's surface. Read detailed explanations with animated images. Then try the Plate Tectonics activity to manipulate the plates yourself. There is also information about the various scientists who made relevant discoveries about tectonics and what they found. Though one interactive requires Shockwave, there is a text version of it. Also, there is soooo much more offered on this site that it is worth your visit.

tag(s): earth (184), earthquakes (46), landforms (39), plate tectonics (22)

This is a companion site to a PBS series on the forces world wide that are affecting global population. There is a wealth of information here on historical trends in population growth, the impact of population on the environment, and the continuing imbalance between the rich and the poor in the world. Although there are still flash-enabled slide shows illustrating global population growth over history, they are few. Don't miss the Teachers Guide in the right menu. The teacher's guide gives further information about using the resources in the classroom.

tag(s): demographics (13), environment (252), population (51)

This site provides an organized and user-friendly explanation of the history of plate tectonics as described by the U.S. Geological Survey. It includes a lot of detailed information as well as photographs and diagrams. This site has some tough reading depending on the reading level of the user. Allow plenty of time to take in all of the information.

tag(s): earth (184), earthquakes (46), geology (62), plate tectonics (22), volcanoes (55)