From the US Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) comes the BLM Learning Landscapes Web site. The BLM, which manages more than 262 million acres of public land within the United States, offers this resource to students and teachers to use in the classroom, informal outdoor settings, or "virtual" classrooms. This very attractive and well-designed Web site provides educators with...
The Dragonfly Web Site (last mentioned in the March 27, 1997 Scout Report) has since been updated and is definitely worth another look. This interactive site covers many scientific topics, including water, space, flight, and other life and environmental subjects. Users can use the clickable Dragonfly Pond illustration to explore a topic or scroll down to see each one listed. For example, the water...
This Web site from the Center for Environmental Studies at Arizona State University was developed as part of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-term Ecological Research Project (CAP LTER), but can be used by any classrooms interested in exploring urban ecosystems that surround them. Students and teachers learn about the scientific method and several data collection protocols that they can use right...
The American Physiological Society (APS) has created a wide range of teaching resources through its collaborative digital library over the past several years. This particular corner of the site brings together a number of environmental ethics case studies which cover everything from GMOS to the fluoridation of drinking water. Currently, the site contains a dozen different resources, including...
The Draft Report on the Environment, from the Environmental Protection Agency, "describes current national environmental conditions and trends using existing data and indicators, identifies data gaps and research needs, and discusses the challenges government and our partners face in filling those gaps." The recently released online Draft Report on the Environment Technical Document "provides the...
Created by a host of organizations (Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, US Public Interest Research Group, World Resources Institute, and World Wildlife Fund), this site seeks to provide evidence of the "fingerprints" and "harbingers" of global warming. A clickable map of the world enables users to take a closer look at...
The folks at the Science Education Research Center (SERC) at Carleton College have worked with a team of colleagues to create these "Guided Discovery Problems." The materials here help students learn about the world of geology via intriguing puzzles, structured hands-on activities, carefully worded leading questions, and crucial hints. The problems were developed by Ann Bykerk-Kauffman of the...
Lesson Plan Central -- a free lesson plans, WebQuests, worksheets, student link and clipart Web site -- has a great collection of science specific links. Categorized by subject and grade level, the listed sites are are briefly described, and any new site is labeled as such. Links to just the new, cool, and clipart sites are also provided. This collection is a great way for kids and educators to...
The Nebraska Earth Science Education Network has as one of its objectives to promote and enhance K-12 earth science education. The Web site provides lesson plans on various subjects including astronomy, geology, mapping, soils, water, and weather. Each submitted lesson gives a recommended grade level and contains objectives, materials needed, procedures, and conclusions, depending on the activity....
Drawing on material support from the National Science Foundation, the American Association of Community Colleges, and Chemeketa Community College this site provides access to a number of instructional items for those who are teaching classes about the world of sustainable resources. As one might guess, the "Instructional and Educational Materials" is a fine place to start. This area has complete...