| Middle School
- E.ES.M.1 Solar Energy -"The sun is
the major source of Earth’s energy for phenomena
on Earth’s surface."
- Following
the Energy Trail
Chart that shows how the Sun's energy is used
on Earth (in percentages)
- Ocean
Currents and Climates
This site has diagrams of the primary and secondary
forces that influence ocean currents.
- E.ES.M.4 Human Consequences -"Human
activities have changed the Earth’s land, oceans
and atmosphere resulting in the reduction of the number
and variety of wild plants and animals sometimes causing
extinction of species."
- Air
Quality Index in Michigan
This
website has up-to-date measurements of the air
quality in selected sites in Michigan. It
also contains a link to a fact sheet about air
quality and a chart on health effects.
- America's
Wetlands: Status and Trends
This web site delineates the many types of human
actions and their effects on the environment such
as: drainage and dredging, deposition of fill
material and diking and damming, tilling, levees,
logging, mining, construction, runoff, etc. Students
can enlarge graphics by clicking on them. This
site also covers America's Wetlands, What are
Wetlands?, Wetlands and Nature and People, Wetland
Protection, and information which provides the
addresses and phone numbers for Regional EPA Offices
in the United States.
- Camp
Silos
This site gives students the opportunity to explore
our agricultural heritage. It allows students
to see the effects of farming on the past, present,
and future. Great photos and information
about agriculture and its history. Class
activities, teacher resources, and links to other
sites are included.
- Carolina
Costal Science
Students explore the effects of changing from
using a lighthouse to the more modern alternative.
They explore the problems and see the solution
to a resort being threatened by erosion of the
land. An educators guide is included and
many links to other sites.
- Ecosystem
Services - Water Purification
The purpose of this activity is to use the example
of natural water purification to show students
that healthy ecosystems provide services to people
that are essential to life as we know it.
The site gives a lot of instructional information
and is loaded with links so students can apply
what they are learning to their regional watersheds.
Students will study the process of natural purification
and the effects of human interaction. The
final assessment of this project is a river newspaper.
- Great
Art for Great Lakes - Featured Themes
This website explores a variety of environmental
problems and what humans can do to help solve
them. Themes covered are mercury, endangered
species, waste, exotic invaders, and wetlands.
The issues are clearly explained. Some of
the themes have interactive activities or games,
puzzles, and quizzes to print.
- Great
Lakes Homepage for Kids
This site includes graphs, facts, and questions
to use with your students to understand how the
Great Lakes are similar and different.
- Great
Lakes National Program Office
This website is about efforts to protect the Great
Lakes. There is a lot of information on
specific programs in place, but there are also
links to pictures and environmental education.
- How Stuff Works-Human Impact New
This site
contains a video illustrating how humans have
impacted a deciduous forest, as well as the environment
in general, over time. There are also other videos
involving human imact on other types of environments.
It is appropriate for use with upper elementary
students or above.
- Indoor
Air Pollution
This
site offers information on sources of indoor air
pollution. After reading about each source,
students can play hangman to reinforce new vocabulary.
-
Introduction
to Atmospheric Chemistry
This
site, by York University, describes atmospheric
chemistry (what atmosphere is composed of) and
the job of an atmospheric chemist. Topics included
are: What is Atmospheric Chemistry, Photochemical
Smog/Tropospheric Ozone, Global Warming, Stratospheric
Ozone Depletion, Acidic Deposition, and Toxic
Air Pollutants. This site is a place where teachers
will be able to gain knowledge necessary for
lessons. Each topic includes hyperlinks which
may be appropriate for children.
- Ocean
Planet
This electronic online companion exhibition contains
all of the text and most of the panel designs
and images from Ocean Planet, which premiered
at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum
of Natural History. Learn about the project by
reading an overview of the exhibition, a message
from the curator, or a copy of the final report.
Learn about the variety of educational materials
associated with Ocean Planet, including a set
of lessons and marine science activities which
adapt several themes of the exhibition for use
in the middle and high school classroom.
- San
Antonio Water System's Virtual Classroom
Outstanding!
- Great animations on Hydrologic Cycle, Edwards
Aquifer, Fresh Water Distribution Waste Water
Treatment, plus more.
- Shades
of Green-Earth's Forests
There are five different categories to choose
from when you visit this site. They include
forest types, forest life, forest importance,
forests through time, and threats to the forest.
Lots of great information and terminology for
teachers. There is a great deal of reading
but the information is very good.
-
The
Watershed Game
Outstanding -
This interactive site gets students to think
critically and make environmentally-sound decisions
about four different areas that affect local
watersheds. Students are given situations
in a quiz format and are asked to make the best
decision for the environment. At the end
of each quiz, they are given their scores and
explanations about their answers. They
can see a panoramic view of each area before
they begin.
- Water
Pollution
This site describes the origins of pollution in
the hydrosphere. This site has good information
and drawings, but no activities or lesson plans.
- Water's
the Matter
This site focuses on five different measurable
properties of water. Determining the quality of
water involves more than observing it's color
and sensing it's odor. The properties or characteristics
of water in a river or lake can be affected by
man, weather, time, and animals or plants within
the water. Each lesson has six sections: Introduction,
Objectives, Pre-Test, Lesson Presentation, Activity,
Post-Test.
- Water
Science for Schools
This is the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Water
Science for Schools web site. They offer information
on many aspects of water, along with pictures,
data, maps, and an interactive center where you
can give opinions and test your water knowledge.
You can choose a topic from the menu, get a description
of the main water topics, or view site map.
- You
and Your Environment
This
site is about animals, plants, water, air, and
the student's environment around them. The
site has general information along with activities
for students.
- E.ES.M.6 Seasons -"Seasons result from
annual variations in the intensity of sunlight and
length of day due to the tilt of the Earth’s
rotation axis relative to the plane of its yearly
orbit around the sun."
- Archaeoastronomy
Spotlights the Dawn of Human History
Animations and video clips that show the various
solstices, equinoxes and cross quarters.
- Here
We Are Round the Sun
Animation showing the solstices and equinoxes.
- Science
Physical Processes - Earth, Sun and Moon This site gives students an opportunity
to understand how the revolution of the Earth
around the sun defines a year.
- Seasons
The home site has an entire unit on Earth Systems.
This site concentrates on seasons. Everything
you need to carry out the unit.
- Seasons and The Earth/Sun Relationship New
This is a short video that shows Earth's orbit
around the sun and explains how it affects the
seasons.
- What
causes the earth's seasons?
This describes exactly what causes the earth's
seasons and shows you what parts of the earth
are experiencing winter while others are experiencing
summer. It also has excellent pictures that allows
one to visualize the seasons that occur due to
intense sunlight or sunlight received on an angle.
- E.ES.M.7
Weather and Climate -"Global patterns of atmospheric
and oceanic movement influence weather and climate."
- CBBC
Newsround
Hurricane annimation in 7 frames.
- Climate
Change: Kids Sites
This is an interactive site that allows students
to learn about how the atmosphere and ocean influences
the weather and climate.
- Franklin's
Forecast
Included on this site are the categories for making
your own weather station, weather events, radar
images, weather right now, lightning information,
weather satellites and weather activites.
The activities have writing requirements and journaling
opportunities for students to record data.
There are teacher resources and lesson plans.
The site is easy to navigate through and very
user friendly.
- GLOBE
Investigation
The
GLOBE Atmosphere Investigation involves the regular
monitoring of several parameters, including: cloud
type, cloud cover, precipitation, current temperature,
and maximum and minimum temperatures. GLOBE (Global
Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment)
is an international program where your students
can join students from around the world in monitoring
their local environment. Students can then submit
their findings to a growing database on the Internet.
Scientists and other students can access the data
for research about the global environment. All
protocols for the activities are described, although
to become an offical Globe site, teachers must
also attend an official GLOBE training session.
Information on training sessions can be obtained
on the GLOBE site: http://www.globe.gov/
- Hurricanes
and Weather at NOAA
This
site gives extensive information about hurricanes.
You can get current storm information, forecasting,
hurricane history, and general information.
This is a very informative site and a great resource.
- Live
Weather Images
Hurricane.weathercent.com
is a comprehensive hurricane and tropical weather
web site from Tampa Bay Online. The site includes
preparation guides, historical information, breaking
storm tracks, and the site lists a multitude of
links. Links are an interactive and include: "Weather
Quiz" which has a multitude of student oriented
"trivial pursuit" type questions.
- Nature's
Greatest Storms NOAA
This
site maintains a continuous watch on tropical
cyclones over the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico and the Eastern Pacific.
- The
Hurricane Hunters
This
site contains many links and interactive activities.
Some examples are: Cyberflight Into the Eye; Latest
Aircraft Reports; How to Interpret Reports; NEW!
Photos; Movies; Events and PA; Media Tips; Fact
Sheets; FAQs; Jobs; Missions; Homework Help; History
& Aircraft; Reunion!; Past seasons; Links;
Stories; and Ask a Hurricane Hunter. This site
also has a career section which stresses what
students need to do academically to pursue any
of the careers listed at this site.
- Think
Quest Weather Library
Outstanding
- This site offers weather recipes explaining
why weather patterns occur and has links that
are easily accessed and of value. A number
of fiction and non-fiction books relating to weather
topics are suggested. Students are offered
opportunities to read and write weather stories.
- USA
Today Hurricanes
This
site contains tropical weather outlooks. Also
information on tropical news on hurricane names
and information as well as information on past
storms.
- USA
TODAY Weather Site
The USA TODAY weather site provides rich content
information about many aspects of weather.
You will see more than 500 weather related topics
explained on this site. From the index,
teachers can visit many relevant websites for
help with their curriculum questions.
- Weather
One
Six
weather topics are explained in detail and followed
by an activity/experiment. Topics include:
Seasons, clouds, sea air, wind, global warming,
and storms. Teachers are offered worksheets
on weather topics for student use.
- Web
Weather for Kids
This site has very user friendly activities, games,
and experiments for students. There are
topics related to safety tips, stories, and weather
ingredients for exploration activities.
The information is presented in an easy to understand
and fun manner.
- You
and Your Environment
This
site is about animals, plants, water, air, and
the student's environment around them. The
site has general information along with activities
for students.
- E.ES.M.8 Water Cycle -"Water
circulates through the earth’s four spheres
in what is known as the “water cycle."
- Drinking
Water & Ground Water Kids' Stuff
Interactive Word Scramble (also printable version),
Interactive Matching Fun Facts (also printable
version), Three Classroom Activities, Water Treatment
Cycle Illustration with Text Links
- EPA's
"The Water Cycle"
Interactive Water Cycle website that traces the
major steps of a drop of water.
- Follow
a Drip Through The Water Cycle
This
site has great information on the water cycle,
including diagrams.
- KidZone's
The Water Cycle
Contains kid-friendly descriptions of the various
stages of the Water Cycle complete with diagrams
and analogies. Great teacher resources and posters
at the bottom of the page.
- NOAA's
Learning Demo "The Water Cycle"
Outstanding!
Four short videos complete with outstanding color
diagrams: The Water Cycle, its Global Impact,
Global Warming's effect on the Water Cycle and
Groundwater Use and Overuse.
- The Water Cycle New
This site gives information
about the water cycle. There is also a link to
directions on how to create your own weather
system.
- The
Water Cycle
This
site describes the water cycle beginning with
the various forms that water can take. It provides
a good definition of terms related to the water
cycle. A large color graphic illustrates the water
cycle. This site is concise and to the point.
Excellent site with an "Earth Science Explorer",
that can be used by teachers and students to find
other information.
- Water Cycle Reading Comprehension New
Students
need to complete a CLOZE activity in a reading
selection about the water cycle. They also have
to label the elements of the water cycle.
- The Water Cycle Reading Comprehension New
This
is a printable reading comprehension piece about
the water cycle. It includes multiple choice
questions and a constructed response. This is a
PDF file.
- Weather
Activities
Activities
that come from the Franklin Institute. Students
are taught how to build classroom tornadoes, a
blue sky or a lightning exhibit. There are serveral
other links to other Earth Science web sites.
- Weather
One
Six
weather topics are explained in detail and followed
by an activity/experiment. Topics include:
Seasons, clouds, sea air, wind, global warming,
and storms. Teachers are offered worksheets
on weather topics for student use.
- Web
Weather for Kids
This site has very user friendly activities, games,
and experiments for students. There are
topics related to safety tips, stories, and weather
ingredients for exploration activities.
The information is presented in an easy to understand
and fun manner.
- You
and Your Environment
This
site is about animals, plants, water, air, and
the student's environment around them. The
site has general information along with activities
for students.
- USGS
"The Water Cycle"
Detailed Water Cycle diagram and companion summary
available in 64 different languages.
|
