Environment & Ecology

Amazon Interactive
http://www.eduweb.com/amazon.html

Bob's Rock Shop
Online magazine for rock hounds with slide shows of rocks and minerals? .
http://www.rockhounds.com

Bottle Biology - Science Museum of Minnesota
Project to use recycled materials in the classroom.
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/tf/books/bottlebiology.html ?

Cells Alive
Advanced level including images and video to download.
http://www.cellsalive.com

Earth Observatory
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

Earthquake Questions
http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/carnegie/earthquake_right.html

New Madrid Earthquake
This site contains nformation from 1811-1812.
http://hsv.com/genlintr/newmadrd/

Plate Tectonics
This site contains a visual presentation about the origin of earthquakes.
http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/plate-tectonics.html

San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
This site is an archive from Museum of the City of San Francisco
http://www.sfmuseum.org/1906/06.html

Seismo-surfing the Internet
At this site is a list of most of the known Internet connections on Earthquakes.
http://www.geophys.washington.edu:80/seismobig.html

The Earth Today
At this site you will find recent activity information.
http://www.geologylink.com/today/

Tsunami
http://www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/general/physics/physics.html

Earth Time-State of Our Environment
http://earthtimes.org

Environment Education Link
http://eelink.net/classroomresources-directories.html

Geology - the Dynamic Earth
http://geology.com/

Geologic Time Line
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html

Geology and Geologic Time
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibit/geology.html

Hot list: Geology?
Site contains links to many sources.
http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/hotlists/geology.html

Inside Geology
Site is about the formation of the earth.
http://www.geologylink.com/toc/

Learning from the Fossil Record
Site has questions and answers.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fosrec/Learning.html

Minerals by Name
http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/by_name.htm

Mineral Page
Site contains photos and information.
http://www.theimage.com/mineral/minerals1.html\

This Dynamic Earth
http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.html

Internet Consumer Recycling Guide
Starting point for consumers in the USA and Canada searching the net for recycling information
http://www.obviously.com/recycle/

NGDC National Geophysical Data Center
Teacher resource.
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/ngdc.html

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Best Middle School Science Resource

The Internet is full of resources for middle school science teachers. There are so many resources available that it is hard to narrow them down and decide which ones to incorporate into class. The Internet has also brought us the concept of interactive science lessons where students can see and hear things that they could not years ago, such as an up-close look at the planets and how they orbit around the sun. This article will provide information whether you are a new teacher looking for ideas to get started, or a seasoned science teacher just looking for new ideas.

Life Science and Biology

A science unit in biology can be fun for both teachers and students. Since there are many different aspects to Biology, there is a wide range of lessons available. The biggest problem might be narrowing it down. There are also many fun experiments middle school science students can do, such as growing mold and learning about our senses.

Biology Lesson Plans A number of lesson plans for teaching an understanding of life sciences including the human system, the animal life cycle, and genetics.

Entomology This site includes resources, lesson plans, and general information about entomology.

School of Forest Resources A list of lessons and activities about forestry, water, and wildlife.

US Department of Agriculture This site has an enormous amount of information for kids and teachers about all things related to agriculture.

Plants for Kids Experiments and lessons for learning about the physiology of plants. This includes a good list of topics to cover with lessons and experiments to go with each one.

Biology An introduction to biology along with several different topics to work with.

Ecology and the Environment

A unit on ecology and our environment can be very important in our current environment. Incorporating lessons on how students can help to conserve our planet is not only educational, but it can also provide them with real life lessons they can use in their current lives. Students can look at their own energy consumption, and their schools energy consumption. They can also talk about the different kinds of renewable energy.

The Environmental Protection Agency This includes several tools to help teachers teach about waste, and talk about how students can make a difference.

Community Science A website dedicated to teaching students about preserving our resources.

Science Lesson Plans An extensive list of science lesson plans including a large section on ecology and our environment.

Environment Teaching This site includes lesson plans, worksheets, along with several other resources for teaching about the environment.

Exploring the Environment Modules and activities for teaching about many aspects of the environment.

Rainforest Alliance A list of curriculums for middle school ages along with other ages for teaching about the rainforest.

Geology

Geology is the study of the materials that make up the Earth. The challenge for many teachers is how to make studying rocks and how they form interesting for their middle school science students. There are many different lesson plans that can be used to get the students involved in projects that are fun such as creating a real looking fake rock, and comparing a candy bar to a rock. Earthquakes and how they form is also a topic to cover in this science unit.

The Rock Cycle A list of lessons and ideas for teaching about the rock cycle.

Geology Online A very extensive list of geology lesson plans for all ages including middle school.

Discovery Education A unit on earthquakes. This will help to learn about the different types of earthquakes and the impact on civilization.

Geology and Earth Science This has a huge list of topics to cover with lesson plans and resources.

U.S. Geological Survey An extensive list of resources, lessons, and activities for middle school teachers.

Coal Education Several experiments from a Kentucky Coal organization.

Astronomy

Astronomy is much more than just studying about the planets and our solar system. In a science unit about astronomy, teachers can show the students about black holes, comets, meteors, and even about the Aurora Borealis. The number of topics is limitless, and each has their own sense mystery since so much about this subject is unknown. Middle school science students will be eager to learn more about this fascinating subject.

NASA Detailed information about Black Holes and Neutron Stars.

Teach Space Science A list of lessons and websites for many different aspects of Astronomy.

X-Ray Observatory This includes many different classroom activities and materials for teaching about the universe.

Amazing Space Tools and activities for teaching about astronomy.

Science Class A list of astronomy subjects to cover with links and information about different activities and labs.

Astronomy Workshop A site that includes information about the solar system, calculators, and tools to visualize the planets and the sun.

Discovery Channel School A resource of online astronomy activities with instructions and suggested discussion topics.

Chemistry and Physics

A unit on chemistry and physics is one of the best for experiments for middle school science students. Middle school science students usually enjoy learning about the different chemicals and how they react with each other. Teachers can cover topics such as the properties of solutions and have students make ice cream in a zip lock bag. Polymers are also a common unit covered, and making slime is a great way to show the concept.

Research Science Engineering Center Technology resources for middle school.

Reach out Michigan Lessons in physical science for all ages including middle school.

The Science of Speed A fun way to teach and learn about science using NASCAR.

Aeronautics Lesson plans and activities to teach about all aspects of aeronautics.

Teach Engineering Many lesson plans and ideas for teaching about engineering along with other types of science.

Inquiry in Action Several classroom activities and lessons for teaching chemistry.