users can create a game spinner with one to twelve sectors to look at experimental and theoretical probabilities.
The Earth's Orbit
These eleven activities relate to the results of the motion and position of the Earth in its orbit, investigating both the causes and the effects of changing seasons. It starts simply by trying to quantify the observation that it is colder in the winter and ends by measuring the tilt of the Earth. This is chapter two of the online book Eyes on the Sky, Feet on the Ground, containing explorations into astronomy as a classroom tool for learning how to theorize, experiment, and analyze data. The ac
Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning
This book explores the dimensions of teaching and learning science as inquiry for K-12 students across a range of science topics. Detailed examples help clarify when teachers should use the inquiry-based approach and how much structure, guidance, and coaching they should provide. The book dispels myths that may have discouraged educators from the inquiry-based approach and illuminates the subtle interplay between concepts, processes, and science as it is experienced in the classroom. Inquiry and
El Nino Returns
This web page is an online companion to CNN's special coverage on El Nino for the 1997-98 season. El Nino is a strange but powerful weather phenomenon; tracker and background reports provide the user with the science behind El Nino, its history and impact. Topics covered include: forecast; ground zero (Peru); strange brew (weather); prediction meter; the wet coast (California); and the trackers. Links to other web sites are provided, and users may access more up-to-date El Nino stories by clicki
Evolution : Online Lessons for Students: Learning Evolution
These seven online lessons provide multimedia pathways to help students understand evolution and the nature of science. Each lesson focuses on an essential question and contains two to three engaging activities. The website includes both student lessons and teacher pages for each topic.
Waves, sound and light
Teachers can give demonstrations and students can conduct virtual physics experiments related to waves using the Shockwave simulations at this site. Simulations are designed to explore sound wave frequencies, echoes, a phased array, ultrasound, interference patterns, the doppler effect, and more. Students will need teacher assistance as there is little explanatory material with the simulations.
Sketches of the history of Electromagnetics
This website outlines the history of light, electricity, magnetism and electromagnetic theory, placed in a linked timeline order with corresponding biographical sketches. It includes events from antiquity to 1933.
BBC historic figures : Isaac Newton
This concise biography includes an image of Newton and related links in the right navigation bar including: one to an article Newton papers revealed; The Newton Project; and to a lengthier biography, Isaac Newton.
Critical Evaluation of a Web Site : Middle School Level
This is a checklist designed to help middle school users critically evaluate web resources. By answering the questions in the checklist, students can then assess if the site would be a good one to use for their science research projects. There is a series of How does it look? questions and a series of What did you learn? questions that challenge students to think critically about what they are looking at and then summarize the effectiveness of the web site.
A Natural Fusion: Math and Science Across the Curriculum : Northwest Teacher, volume 4 number 1
Articles in this issue of Northwest Teacher focus on integrating math and science across the curriculum. Teachers create learning experiences for students, of all grade levels, that transcend the power of any one of them taught in isolation. With todays national spotlight on improving students reading and math skills, the potential for cross-disciplinary teaching of these subjects may be readily apparent. But science, too often nudged to the hinterlands of the curriculum when state standards and
Box and Whisker Plots
Construct a box-and-whisker plot to match a line plots, and construct a line plot to match a box-and-whisker plots. Manipulate the line plot and examine how the box-and-whisker plot changes. Then manipulate the box-and-whisker plot and examine how the line plot changes.
Factsheets emphasize the meaning of place value in division, the concept of division as repeated subtraction, division by 10 and 100, and well explained examples of both short and long division. A game as well as worksheets and quizzes are provided for practice.
Dr. Saul's Biology in Motion
This site offers an interactive simulation activity, which examines how natural selection works to bring about the evolution of adaptations. Using the simulation tool, the student can slow down the process to watch all the steps involved or can speed it up to watch how a population evolves over time. Links are provided to a variety of useful sites.
Water reclamation plant
In this video clip, students see how wastewater is treated at a water reclamation plant. One of the plant's operators gives Bob the Vid Tec (a children's programming host) a tour of the plant, describing along the way what happens at each step in the water treatment process. For example, the operator explains that microorganisms are used to consume human waste in the biological nutrient removal step. Bob also talks with another plant operator about why kids should learn about wastewater treatmen
University of Iowa : burn oat hulls for economic, environmental benefit
What is an alternative energy source that is available today? This article, part of a series about the future of energy, introduces students to a pilot project of burning oat hulls at the University of Iowa power plant. Students read that the burning of oak hulls instead of coal provides for cleaner air and additional space in landfills. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
Blue Planet Challenge - A natural history of the oceans
This very interactive site uses a variety of games to explore ocean related subjects. The games cover such topics as tidal zones, deep ocean species, ocean currents, general animal life of the ocean, symbiotic relationships, water pressure, human impact on ecosystems, and the habitats found at the South Pole and along the California coastline. There are help tabs added to the games called Species Fact Files and Infobursts where a player can find out more information on a particular topic if need
Lobster's Violin: Why They do it
This two-minute radio show focuses on why spiny lobsters make sounds using soft body parts. While the sounds of a lobster play in the background, the show's guest scientist explains that the spiny lobster, being an arthropod, goes through a molting process in order to grow. It produces these sounds to ward off predators when its new outer skeleton is not yet hard. The show, which is from the Pulse of the Planet radio program, is available here in audio and text. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower Nationa
Maths: Number : Short and long division
Worked examples of short and long division problems. For long division, an applet gives a step-by-step demonstration of the procedure; the pace at which the learner views each step is controlled by the user.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration : Climate Homepage
This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website provides climate information and data. This site offers a variety of product links to climate monitoring, climate at a glance data, U.S. drought assessment, global climate change information, weather observation stations and more. Users can also link to organizations which participate in climate research such as the National Climate Data Center, Ocean Climate Laboratory and the National Weather service. This site is an excellent resour
Box plot (grades 6-8)
This virtual manipulative enables students to construct box plots to summarize data. Students enter data into a table, and the manipulative displays the minimum and maximum data values, the lower and upper quartiles, and the median. The number in the data set, the average, and the standard deviation are also shown. In addition, the manipulative allows users to order the data. Instructions for using the manipulative, suggestions for classroom use, and a link to the standard for data analysis and