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This section of sciencelines shares information about on-line resources. If you locate some outstanding sites you wish to share, please contact the Teacher Resource Center.
If you do not currently have access to the Internet, you do have options. Come use the ENC Demonstration Site computers in the Teacher Resource Center. We can also do a search for you and steer you toward sites that may meet your needs. Call or e-mail your requests.
Playground Physics is written by Mary Urquhart, a doctoral
student in the Astrophysics and Planetary Science Department at
the Universiy of Colorado, Boulder. The activities are intended
for students in grades 4-7 "for whom the simple equipment
of the playground is something with which they have everyday experience."
The site is a teacher resource of classroom tested activities
for students exploring basic concepts in classical mechanics.
The educational objectives listed for the activites are linked
to the National Science Education Standards and the Colorado standards.
There are three activities including Jungle-Gym Drop, See-Saw
Physics and Swing Set Physics. Each one has a teacher guide and
a student experiment report form. You may also want to print and
have your students use the data collection table. A resource section
of terminology and units of measurement will also be useful on
terms and concepts such as mass, momentum, force, gravity, acceleration
and so on. An e-mail link is included for further clarification
of the physics in addition to the explanations included here.
If you are looking for ways to involve girls in meaningful motivating activities in mathematics and science, take a look at the materials from Rural and Urban Images: Voices of Girls in Science, Mathematics, and Technology at: http://www.ael.org/nsf/voices/index.htm. The site is supported by Appalachia Educational Laboratory and partners include the American Association of University Women and Association for Women in Science as well as others. In the first year of the project sixth-grade girls became involved in activities to help them feel more confident in science, math, and technology. In the second year women who work in careers in science and math served as mentors. In the third year the girls will help teach younger students. The site includes curricula in topics such as Teaching Math through Christmas Crafts, Chemistry of Folklore Remedies, Analyzing the Southern Diet Chemistry of Food Preservation and Designing Quilt Patterns. In addition to all of the resources and activities, you can read about the video and data collection projects of the girls.
FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence) is a quality, safe searching center for students to begin a search for Internet resources since all sites indexed are Federal sites. Users can search the FREE databank by subject area, site map or a keyword search. FREE also links to GEMS (Gateway to Educational Materials), an access point (search engine) to educational materials in all topic areas including the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science and the Alphabet Superhighway, Virtual Reference Desk and Microsoft Encarta to name a few. There is a direct link to GEMS at http://thegateway.org/ Start your FREE search at http://www.ed.gov/free. Read the link for a request for teachers to develop Internet-based learning models and communities - soon to be included at the FREE site.
After reading the interview with Don Hanson. some teachers may want to check the National Association of Agricultural Educators. Here you'll find information about professional development, inservice training, awards, instructional materials and more. The Website can be reached at: http://www.agriculture.com/contents/FFA/partners/nvata/