December 2002

The BRIDGE's Ocean Science Teacher Resource Center offers a Data Tips area that highlights a classroom activity each month. These activities ask students to use data to explore a topic in ocean science. An archive of the previous several years is categorized by subject (biology, human activities. ecology, physics, chemistry, climate, and geology. Previous tips include:

November 2002

The Paleontological Research Institution is a resource for fossil enthusiasts and educators the world over.

It houses the country's seventh largest collection of fossils, and fifth largest collection of type specimens. PRI's educational programs reach teachers and students from around the country. Information on their website covers dinosaurs, mastodons and mammoths, ice age life, trilobites, brachiopods, evolution, and the history of life on planet Earth.

October 2002

Each year, Earth Science Week focuses on a different facet of Earth science to help people gain a better understanding and appreciation of the natural world. This years focus is " Water is All Around You". This website contains information about ways for classrooms to integrate Earth Science Week into their curriculum each year. This includes ways to involve the community, contests, and grade-level appropriate activities surrounding the year's theme. The site also includes a list of links to educational resources related to the current theme.

September 2002

Wildlife Management Activity Guide for Teachers.
This collection of wildlife management activities for high school students was developed by teachers in Michigan with support by the National Park Foundation. It includes lesson plans and activities for investigating a wide range of topics, including ecosystem biodiversity, population growth, habitats, environmental sustainability, land use, estimating wildlife abundance, native wildflowers, and contamination in Michigan waters. Additional teacher resources include a basic overview of wildlife and wildlife management, a listing of other educational curricula and reference material, and information about a free video tape that offers guidance in the implementation of outdoor educational activities.

August 2002

The Environmental Protection Agency's AirData website provides access to air pollution data for the entire United States. Want to know the highest ozone level measured in your state last year? Ever wonder where air pollution monitoring sites are located? Are there sources of air pollution in your town? AirData produces reports and maps of air pollution data based on user-specified criteria. Each downloadable report or map has options for customizing its content. Users may directly access the information contained in one of the databases if more detailed information is desired.

July 2002

Explores!

June 2002

From the Top of the World...to the Bottom of the Food Web
Illustrates how and why NASA's Earth-orbiting satellites measure ocean productivity. Materials highlight key scientific research topics such as harmful algal blooms and ocean optics. This resource helps teachers and students discover linkages among marine ecology, phytoplankton, the behavior of light at the ocean surface, and satellite derived ocean color data. Exercises and concepts are also keyed to nationally accepted K-12 science education content standards to facilitate classroom usage.

May 2002

StarDate Online activities encourage children to explore astronomy concepts in a way that is fun, yet meaningful, and broaden their awareness of astronomy as they develop and apply new skills in other subject areas. Each lesson provides background information, a procedure for the activity, follow-up questions, and National Standards correlations. Topics covered include the planets, Sun, Moon, stars, solar system, the rock cycle, light, and galaxies. A Spanish version of each lesson plan is also available.

April 2002

March 2002

January 2002

Science is for ALL students. Whether students have learning problems or physical challenges, they should be able to experience hands-on science with their fellow classmates. This site offers access to selected science projects that have been modified so that all students, regardless of disability, could perform them in the same way. The modifications are seamless so that students would not realize adaptations had been made. The experiments are not new or novel, but rather familiar activities modified for a wider audience.

Four activities available at this site look at how friction is used to slow down an object, how momentum affects objects, density as it affects a submarines position in the water, and how scientists design experiments, introducing the concept of variables. Safety guidelines are also highlighted. A wider range of activities in Earth, life and physical sciences, as well as general skills, are compiled in a text entitled Science Projects for ALL Students which can be purchased from Facts on File.