International Herald Tribune: Steel Shell to Encase Chernobyl
Following the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, a concrete sarcophagus was built to enclose the remnants of the destroyed reactor. Now, nearly seventeen years later, engineers are faced with a new problem: the sarcophagus is literally falling apart. In a December 2002 news article, plans to build a giant steel shell around the sarcophagus are explained. Once completed, the shell "may be the largest movable structure ever built," around 370 feet high and 20,000 tons. The article de
What's New at Sci4Kids
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 b
UniGene
Created by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, UniGene is "an experimental system for automatically partitioning GenBank sequences into a non-redundant set of gene-oriented clusters." In addition to gene sequences, this Web site also offers thousands of novel expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences, a useful gene discovery resource. Organisms currently cataloged include human, rat, mouse, cow, zebrafish, clawed frog, fruitfly, mosquito, wheat, rice, barley, maize, and cress. Users
GLOBIO: Mapping human impacts on the biosphere
A joint project of the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and the United Nation's Environmental Programme, Global Methodology for Mapping Human Impacts on the Environment (GLOBIO) aims to "present a simple visual overview of the cumulative impacts of increasing resource demands on man and the environment." Hundreds of environmental impact studies were synthesized with satellite imagery, infrastructure data, etc. to create this "visual overview" of past, current, and potential future conditi
BigChalk.com
BigChalk.com's goal "is to be the single education destination that's trusted by teachers, used by students, and relied on by parents." This education mega-site contains excellent resources ranging from lesson plans and homework help to in-depth articles. For example, the physical science subject page contains over twenty subjects that lead to well written explanations and visually pleasing illustrations, along with links to pages with further information. Containing far too much to mention, Big
Ireland
This Topic In Depth focuses on the land, science, and scientists of Ireland.Offered by Enchanted Learning.com, the first site (1) gives kids a brief introduction to Ireland's geography through a description of its location, size, and major rivers; online and printable maps; and a quiz. The next site is called the Irish Scientist (2), which is an online version of a yearly publication that "provide a means for Irish scientists and technologists to describe -- to colleagues, legislators and the ge
Ozone depletion interactive lab
What is the process by which CFCs destroy ozone? This informational piece, part of an interactive laboratory series for grades 8-12, explores the destruction of the ozone layer by chlorofluorocarbons. Here students view a four-step animation that shows how ultraviolet light breaks chlorine free from a CFC molecule. The chlorine then destroys an ozone molecule. Additional steps show how the process can be continuous. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
Tessellation Tutorials
A complete guide to templates and tutorials for making tessellations is available here. Includes scholarly information on tessellations and their connections to math, geography and history. Some lessons feature ClarisWorks, Geometer, HyperCard, HyperStudio, LogoWriter, PCPaintbrush or PCPaint software programs. This site also includes a forum for teacher feedback and examples of student work.
Number line bounce (grades 6-8)
This online number line game for summing numbers challenges the student to find a sequence of operations with four numbers that results in a given target number. The numbers are illustrated as bouncing balls on a number line. Each bounce can be in either a positive or negative direction. The student can use a guess-and-check approach to solving the problem or a more sophisticated strategy. After finding a correct sequence and reaching the target number on the number line, the student forms the n
Using technology to support Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) students' learning experiences
This article examines the challenges and rewards related to using technology as a tool to increase learning for limited English-proficient (LEP) students. The article is based on the belief that students' content, linguistic, and technology skills should be developed in tandem. Strategies and standards for technology use are featured along with suggestions for enhancing LEP students comfort level in content classes. Access and equity and the redefinition of teacher roles are also discussed. Impr
Assessment in Math and Science: What's the Point?
This 8-part video workshop covers all aspects of science assessment: embedded and authentic assessment techniques, integrated math/science assessment, and extensive information about assessment reform initiatives. This material is intended for K-12 teachers and is periodically offered as a free satellite broadcast through Annenberg/CPB channel. Supplemental materials, such as a workshop guide, are available for free downloading.
Soil as Living Skin
In this two-minute radio program, a soil scientist introduces listeners to reasons why soil is crucial to the planet. The scientist lists functions of soil that include nutrient cycling and water filtration, and he also uses living skin as an analogy for soil. The program, part of the Pulse of the Planet radio show, is available here in text and audio formats. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
1900 Air Pollution
Examine this graph from FRONTLINE/NOVA: Whats Up with the Weather? Web site to see dramatic increases in three greenhouse gases over the last two hundred years.
Shape builder
This interactive applet operates in one of two modes: auto draw and create shape mode, allowing the user to explore the area and perimeter of non-standard shapes. Immediate feedback is given on answers entered.
Mathematics Education in the Middle Grades: Teaching to Meet the Needs of Middle Grades Learners and
In September 1998, the Math Science Education Board National held a Convocation on Middle Grades Mathematics that was co-sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Middle School Association, and the American Educational Research Association. The Convocation was structured to present the teaching of middle school mathematics from two points of view: teaching mathematics with a focus on the subject matter content or teaching mathematics with a focus on the whole chi
Image Tool
This activity allows the user to measure angles and explore the concept of scale as it pertains to maps, images, and drawings.
Ready to Teach (RTT) interactives library
This web site offers access to four interactive software tools designed to help teachers and students of algebra visualize and experiment online with key concepts related to linear and piecewise functions. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
How high? : measurement (grades 6-8)
With this virtual manipulative, the student investigates conservation of volume with a virtual simulation of pouring a liquid from one container to a container of the same shape, but of a different size. There are four cylinder shapes to choose from: rectangular prism, cylinder, cone, and pyramid. The left container is partially filled with liquid and the base dimensions of the two cylinders are given. The student uses a slider to estimate how high the liquid will rise when poured into the secon
National Geophysical Data Center: Relief Globe Slides
This set of 20 slides contains 14 global views of the Earth in full color shaded relief, showing land and undersea topography. The planet is seen from vantage points over the poles and each major ocean and land mass. Also included are a rectangular Mercator projection view of the whole Earth, as well as displays of crustal plates and their relation to world seismic activity. The images are computer-generated from a digital database of oceanic bathymetry and land topography.
Electromagnetic waves
These pages, part of From Stargazers to Starships, explain electromagnetic waves and sunlight. Information inlcudes physiological and spectral color, spectral lines, the electromagnetic field work by Maxwell, the discovery of radio waves by Hertz, and photons and Einsteins relation. Stargazers also has detailed lesson plans accompanying these sections.
