Cell Biology and Cancer [.pdf, Flash, QuickTime]
http://science-education.nih.gov/supplements/nih1/cancer/default.htm
The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, has recently released this curriculum supplement as part of series designed to "deepen students' awareness of the importance of basic research to advances in medicine and health," as well as foster critical thinking and an understanding of how scientific discoveries affect their own lives. The Web site offers five outstanding student activities (grades 9-12) regarding cancer and cell biology. Some of these activities have excellent multimedia features. For instance, the activity titled Cancer and the Cell Cycle presents cancer research findings as News Alert Videos from different historical eras, complete with actors in period costume. The Teacher's Guide is a wealth of cancer and cell biology information, resources, references, and more. It also includes detailed instructions on how to effectively implement the learning module. This is a great Web site even for the casual visitor not in the market for teaching material.
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Chocolate Exhibition [.pdf, Flash]
http://www.fmnh.org/Chocolate/exhibits.html
Chicago's Field Museum invites educators to "use the enticing subject of chocolate to teach your class about the intriguing relationship between nature and culture." Click on Educators' Resources to access 12 downloadable lesson plans, 6 of which focus specifically on the relationship between chocolate and the environment. Not only do these lesson plans offer students a fun way to learn about botany, ecology, and agriculture, they also demonstrate how an everyday item we all take for granted is more remarkably complicated and interesting than most would guess. Additional educational materials include a glossary, chocolate facts, history highlights, and more. Check out the rest of this visually appealing Web site for other chocolate-related information and interactive activities. [RS]
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Switcheroo Zoo [Flash]
http://www.switchzoo.com/
As the name implies, the colorfully animated Switcheroo Zoo -- produced by Tubehead, an interactive multimedia studio -- allows you to swap the heads, legs, or tails of various zoo animals to create fantastical new creatures. Not just a place to watch cool morphing animation, this Web site has educational applications as well. Click on Educators' Resources, and scroll to the bottom of the page for a simple lesson plan geared toward younger students. The lesson plan is designed to "expand students' knowledge of animals and develop critical thinking skills," and "engage students in the creative application of that knowledge, as information about the characteristics of animals and their habitats is used to describe imaginary creatures." Useful links for researching the animals are provided on the same page, as are links to other education-oriented sites. By September 2002, users should find Switcheroo Zoo 50% faster with dozens of new animals. [RS]
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K-12 Plant Pathways to Science [.pdf]
http://www.apsnet.org/education/k-12plantpathways/TeachersGuide/Top.html
This Web site, from the American Phytopathological Society, contains a teacher's guide for lesson plans covering a range of plant science topics from powdery mildew to nematode-plant interactions. Not all the lesson plans are new, but each provides comprehensive background information, materials and methods, lesson plan descriptions, additional references, useful diagrams (best printed as PDF files), and more. Most of the lesson plans available are appropriate for grades 7-12, but some are designed for younger students (K-3). There are a number of interesting-looking lesson plans currently under construction. [RS]
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Cell Membranes Tutorial
http://www.biology.arizona.edu/cell_bio/problem_sets/membranes/index.html
New from The Biology Project of the University of Arizona, this online tutorial "introduces the dynamic complexes of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids that comprise cell membranes," and relates how membranes "are important for regulating ion and molecular traffic flow between cells." Each section of this Web site takes the form of a multiple choice question. Answer the question correctly, and a brief explanation of each answer choice will be displayed. Answer the question incorrectly, and a short but helpful tutorial with colorful diagrams will help get you on the right track. This would be an valuable Web site for students wishing to test themselves on cell membrane structure and function, but would not be especially useful for those new to the subject. [RS]
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University of Illinois Extension's Just for Kids [.pdf, Flash]
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kids/index.html
Designed for younger students, this Web site from the University of Illinois Extension offers a number fun, interactive programs on a variety of life science topics. Most of the activities include a guide for teachers, which differ in level of detail. The activities themselves vary in their format and features, from animated cartoons with minimal text to pages of text with no diagrams at all. Check the teachers' guide of each activity for appropriate grade level. The activity about earthworms titled The Adventures of Herman is especially fun, with lots of worm-related games, links, and even an online art gallery to which students are encouraged to contribute. [RS]
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Botany Online: The Internet Hypertextbook
http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e00/contents.htm
Originally in German, this online guide to the botanical sciences from the University of Hamburg is now partly available in English, with newly translated chapters and additional material continually added. The forty-five currently available chapters cover "all plant anatomy, classic genetics, organic chemistry and plant biochemistry, intercellular communication, interactions between plants, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, evolution, and a part of ecology." Once you find the Table of Contents (keep scrolling, it's near the bottom of the page), you'll find the chapters conveniently color-coded and organized by subject. Each link takes you to encyclopedia-like pages of detailed and well-presented information, complete with useful photos, diagrams, and related external links. This is a excellent, comprehensive resource for anyone interested in reviewing or learning more about botany. [RS]
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Plant Seeds of Learning
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson259.shtml
This Web site from Education World (last mentioned in the February 22, 2002 Scout Report) offers a wealth of plant-related lesson plans and resources. Five lesson plans from Education World, and over a dozen more listed from other sources, aim to "involve students in growing things and learning about scientific classification, plant cell structure, the importance of plants in our history, and the many uses of plants!" While some of the activities seem more like craft projects than science lessons, they all serve to encourage learning about plants in an engaging, hands-on way. Be sure to check out the links provided for additional plant-related resources for teachers. [RS]
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