National Estuaries Day
http://estuaries.gov/welcome.html
Get the most out of National Estuaries Day (October 5, 2002) by visiting this Web site from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Follow a link to Estuary Live!, which offers online interactive fieldtrips through a number of estuaries around the nation. Guided tours of eight estuaries will be webcast live October 3 and 4, supplemented by videos from a number of other estuaries. Internet participants "will have an opportunity to see the fascinating creatures that make estuaries their home and experience the diversity of estuarine ecosystems." Viewers may submit questions during the webcasts or videos, which will be answered by tour guides and educators from the featured estuaries. Click on About Estuaries for an introduction to estuarine ecosystems and for links to a number of Web sites that "provide general information, curriculums and helpful references on estuaries." [RS]
[Back to Contents]

Kids Genetics [Flash]
http://genetics.gsk.com/kids/index_kids.htm
Drug company GlaxoSmithKline offers this online genetics tutorial designed for kids. The tutorial presents lessons on DNA, genes, heredity, genetic susceptibility to disease, and the role of genetic markers in predetermining risk of disease and medicinal response. Each subject page includes a description of the topic, plus loads of interactive educational games and activities. The educational games are especially well done, although the cartoon-style presentation, which is intended for younger students, can seem somewhat at odds with the relatively advanced material. The additional animated features provided for each subject are presented in a format more appropriate for older students. In all, this Web site offers an in-depth introduction to genetics. [RS]
[Back to Contents]

Biology in Motion [Flash]
http://www.BiologyInMotion.com/
Produced by Dr. Leif Saul, a biology teacher and Web site/ game developer, Biology in Motion has two new interactive education activities. Organize-It introduces an alternative way to test biological understanding by organizing concepts hierarchically. This exercise intends to "remedy some of the shortcomings of the traditional multiple-choice quiz." Users can choose self-tests from a variety of biology topics. Evolution Lab allows users to investigate how natural selection works by watching an animated simulation. Both activities are interesting and effective learning tools. While the Flash features may seem geared toward kids, the content and language are really meant for older students. Helpful tips for using this Web site's activities in the classroom are provided. This site is worth a visit even for those not searching for teaching material. This site is also reviewed in the September 20, 2002 Scout Report. [RS]
[Back to Contents]

DiscoverySchool.com: Fall 2002 Lesson Plans [.pdf]
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/whatsnew.html
Check out the latest lesson plans from DiscoverySchool.com (last mentioned in the December 14, 2001 Scout Report). Eight new health-related lessons are available for grades 6-8 and 9-12, covering addiction, the human eye, headaches, weight control, and other topics. The lesson plans are clearly organized and may include discussion questions, vocabulary, evaluation guidelines, and links for online research. An archive of older lesson plans is organized by subject in a sidebar for easy retrieval. Many of the topics presented should readily spark the interest of teenage and pre-teen students. [RS]
[Back to Contents]

Sci4Kids
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/new.htm
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the US Department of Agriculture offers its latest set of brief but engaging educational activities for kids in this Web site. The recently added feature, No Horsin' Around With These Tests!, introduces immunological concepts in the kid-friendly guise of a story about horses. Two older features are also available, one on using a biocontrol method to combat dry rot fungus in potatoes and another on mites. While these subjects may not at first appear to be interesting to children, the stories and images are appealing. Teachers wishing to introduce younger students to any of the above topics may find this Web site a useful starting point. [RS]
[Back to Contents]

Actionbioscience.org: Lesson Directory [.pdf]
http://www.actionbioscience.org/lessondirectory.html
Actionbioscience.org, "a non-commercial, ad-free, educational web site created and managed by BioScience Productions, Inc. to promote bioscience literacy," offers high school to undergraduate level lesson plans relating to biodiversity, the environment, genomics, biotechnology, evolution, and new bioscience frontiers. This updated Web site (last mentioned in the March 14, 2001 Scout Report) provides short topic-specific articles followed by original lessons. The articles are not always recent, but all the available lessons plans date within the past few months and are quite detailed. The most recent lesson plans cover such topics as deforestation, human population impacts on the environment, and mitochondrial DNA. The topic pages also include article references, recommended reading, links for additional information and ways to get involved, and more. Users may retrieve middle school-level lessons by following the external links provided. [RS]
[Back to Contents]

AskERIC: Lesson Plans [.pdf]
http://askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Entomology/ENT0202.html
AskERIC, the Internet-based arm of the Education Resources Information Center (last mentioned in the January 16, 2002 Scout Report), has two lesson plans for kindergarteners about butterflies. The first, titled How a Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly, has students role play and draw the stages of a butterfly's life. It includes an attention-grabbing magic trick for an introduction and suggests using Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the role-playing activity. In the second lesson plan -- Butterfly Life Cycle -- students make caterpillar and butterfly models to show life cycle stages. Students learn the basics of ecology and anatomy in both lesson plans. The second Web site includes a butterfly diagram and butterfly-related links. [RS]
[Back to Contents]

National Teacher Training Institute: Lesson Plan Database [.pdf]
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/ntti/resources/lessons/science.html
Visit this Web site from the National Teacher Training Institute (NTTI) for a set of engaging lesson plans for middle and high school students. The latest life science offerings address DNA and RNA, pika camouflage, environmental issues, and adaptation. A number of older lesson plans are available as well. In addition to providing detailed instructions, each lesson plan includes a variety of features and resources such as links for in-class research and downloadable activity sheets. The lessons take about one class period to complete and require the use of educational videos -- part of NTTI's goal to increase "dynamic use of classroom technology." [RS]
[Back to Contents]