NGSS Standards – Arkansas first began to phase in new Science Standards in the fall of 2016. The current Arkansas Science Standards are based on the national Next Generation Science Standards, so the NGSS Topical Arrangements document is a great tool for helping science teachers (especially elementary teachers) become familiar with emerging trends in science instruction.
CK-12 – CK-12 is a non-profit foundation dedicated to increasing access to high-quality educational materials for K-12 students across the world. The foundation provides free standards-aligned, concept-based learning for multiple grade levels in multiple subjects. CK-12 Science includes everything from basic earth science to chemistry and physics. (Note: New materials are added each month, so if you don’t find something you like today, be sure to check back later.)
PhET Simulations – PhET is a collection of over 100 interactive simulations for teaching and learning science. Although originally created for college classrooms, with minor adaptations many of these simulations work well even in elementary grades. For example, there’s a PhET simulation that shows current flowing from a battery through a circuit, and it can be adjusted for different results. (Fifth graders love this.) PhET is free to teachers, and in addition to the simulations, it includes an introductory video, descriptions of interactive demonstrations, and more.
Google Earth – The latest version of Google Earth has several amazing new features. USA Today offers a quick tour in The New Google Earth Will Blow Your Mind! And CNBC’s Tech Guide gives detailed descriptions.
Climate Change – Biodiversity is a science cornerstone, but climate change is having an increasingly negative impact on ecosystems around the world. Most children are curious (or sometimes even fearful) about this topic, so it’s important to share factual data and teach your students feasible ways that they can help protect our environment. EcoWatch offers a free Climate Change Resource Guide for elementary teachers that features exciting classroom lessons, captivating videos, and links to fascinating material from national science experts (NASA, the U.S. Dept. of Energy, CIT’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and more) … all specifically designed to engage elementary students.
Interactive Periodic Table – Here’s another unique way of looking at the basic chemical elements. The Enevoldsen Interactive Periodic Table allows students to explore examples of what each element is used for. This model could be especially useful for generating discussions about the practical application of chemistry.
TeachersTryScience – TeachersTryScience provides free engaging lessons, as well as teaching strategies and resources designed to spark interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The site also features collaboration tools that enable teachers to discuss and share effective instructional practices.
Phenomena-based Learning – Project Phenomena provides a searchable data base designed to help teachers find phenomena that will engage students in performance expectations. Phenomena for NGSS has a similar structure. Both sites encourage students to explore and explain specific phenomena rather than just memorizing content. For example, students can experience Newton’s Laws of Motion through an engineering design challenge rather than just memorizing a definition. By exploring phenomena, students can apply science and engineering principles to expand their personal scientific conceptions and identities.
Ambitious Science! – Ambitious Science Teaching is a website where K-12 science teachers can find free strategies and tools for eliciting student ideas and engagement. They can also upload their own tools, and even create their own teacher page!
Bozeman Science – Paul Andersen has created hundreds of high school science videos that can be used to enhance Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics classes. Bozeman Science also has links to videos that are directly tied to the Next Generation Science Standards. And for Twitter fans, Paul posts timely updates … like this one about helping your students understand the basic concepts behind things like energy, time, particles, and cells (https://t.co/lZuKQ0J65d).
More resources coming soon …