Standards Based Science Web Sites
Updated - March, 2008
Judith M. Hebert, Ed.D
Science Teacher – Selser Memorial School
Dona Major, Selser Technology Instructor
Scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the "Treetures" environmental program for children. This site uses animated cartoon characters to help students learn the importance of forest conservation. It also provides information about how to grow trees, and gives hints to parents and students about ways they may join in a conservation effort. Site is appropriate for all age level, as the home site offers information for adults also.
http://www.fi.edu/qa98/wiredindex.html
The Franklin Institute site offers links to many science-related sites, such as Earthforce, weather topics, and student based link focusing on the human body. The "Living Things" topic offers information on trees, plants, and biodiversity. The graphics are clear, with information appropriate for Grades 4, 5 and up. Click on "Resources for Science Learning", go to "Learners" in order to access all of the links.
http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/
Although this site is really available for graphic business enterprises, it does have an excellent link called, "Virtual Cave". This site allows students to truly enter the world of caves, and get a close-p view of animal and plant life in a cave. The visuals provide them with examples of weathering and erosion, which are grades 3-5 Massachusetts Earth Science Curriculum Standards for Grades 3-5. The site also provides students with photographs and descriptions of minerals found in caves.
Google Earth
Google Earth displays areas of the earth from the planet itself to an individual's home. It gives students a detailed topographic view of the world, and even allows them to find their own street and the boundaries of their city. The Connecticut River and Westover Air Base are boundaries for many of our students. This site can be used as a geographical base for students to explore their own neighborhood, nearby towns and cities, or the whole world!
This site is a favorite research site at Selser School. It provides students with so much information in all areas of the life, earth and physical science curriculum. Students can learn about plant parts and their functions, trees, magnets, electrical circuits, outer space, and much more! The site also provides access for students to social studies and language arts links. Students at all grade levels can benefit from these links since they focus on diagrams, facts, and simple experiments.
Animals roar on this site which offers an excellent story about the web of life, food chain, and predators and prey. It provides students with excellent information about animals and their habitats, including the continents that they live on. The games include concentration, animal sound identification, and word searches. Endangered species are also able to be researched at this site.
NASA's home site has photographs of the solar system, spacecraft, and space missions. It also has a section for students, Grades K-12. The K-4 site's picture dictionary gives students the definition of space related words as well as clear, concise photographs for each topic. the NASA Kids Club has an assortment of games that rely on students' knowledge of space age materials and the solar system. Many of the games require the use of higher-order thinking skills.
This site provides parents with creative science-based activities and ideas that are applicable for Pre-K and elementary students. The site explains many of the ZOOM experiments at home using everyday products. Topics include activities focusing on properties of matter, nature, and earth science stories.
This PBS site has a lot of interesting places to explore. It reinforces earth science topics for Grades 3-5, and aligns itself well with the Massachusetts Curriculum Standards for earth science. Topics/real-life streaming videos include the most geologically active places on earth for volcanoes, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Students will have the opportunity to view life forces at first hand, as well as to learn important details about each event.
Rock Hound is a kid-friendly, vivid site that allows students in Grades 3-5 to fully delve into the topic of rocks and minerals. The descriptions of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are detailed, as is the concept of the rock cycle as it explains now rocks are able to change over time. Game activities include crossword puzzles, word searches, and great descriptions and photos of rocks and minerals.