Student Activities
Last updated: June 7, 2010
SciGirls
Every girl can be a SciGirl with a groundbreaking new TV
show and interactive website that will transform the way tween
girls look at science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The empowering series has the right formula to inspire the
next generation of scientists and engineers with an engaging
combination of actual girls exploring real-world science and
math alongside successful female mentors in the field – plus
an online destination unlike any other where young viewers
can share their own exciting ideas and projects. For more
information visit: http://www.pbs.org/teachers/scigirls/.
Free Women Are Scientists Career Videos Online and on DVD
from NIH
Judith Pachciarz was initially denied the right to attend
college decades ago due to her hearing impairment. But that
didn’t stop her. She persisted, gained admission, and then
went on to earn an M.D. and a Ph.D. Her advice to young
girls: “Look at every obstacle as something to be overcome
to develop your character.”
Bertha Melgoza lost her sight at age 11 in Mexico from
a severe childhood illness. Her parents’ expectations for
her as a blind person were zero, she says. Melgoza’s doctor
spurred her interest in sociology and encouraged her to
attend his lectures. With this foundation, Melgoza asked
herself, “What do people do to turn their pain into strength?”
Now she’s a successful clinical psychologist in the U.S.
with a well-rounded family life.
These are only two of the amazing female scientists showcased
in a FREE, award-winning career video series from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH). The Women Are Scientists series
primarily highlights successful female scientists discussing
the rewards and challenges of their careers and their unique
pathways to success. These high-achieving, service-oriented
women in medicine and science have often overcome obstacles—including
physical disabilities—and have achieved a healthy work-life
balance.
This series of five videos designed for middle school students
can be downloaded, viewed online, or requested on DVD at http://science.education.nih.gov/women.
Recipients of several Aegis and Telly awards, this series
is designed to motivate young women to take advanced science
and math courses and help them successfully direct their own
career paths. The videos are fast-moving, showing the rapid
pace of an emergency room and a genetics lab, the blood and
guts of surgery, the calm intensity of a psychotherapy session,
and more. Anyone can use the series—teachers, guidance counselors,
students, and physicians—at career days, science clubs, etc.
The Women Are Scientists video series includes the following
titles: Women Are Pathologists, Women Are Researchers, Women
Are Surgeons, Women in Dental Research, and Women Scientists
with Disabilities.
Purdue zipTrips™ - Electronic Field Trips
Do you want to take your middle-school science students on
a field trip without breaking the budget? Wish you had an
alternative? Purdue zipTrips™ is the answer!! These electronic
field trips will bring a new experience in science education
directly to your school. Registration is free!
When you register, you'll also receive access to the "Week
of Scientists" and "Disease Detective" online
videos for classroom use. These short video profiles feature
real-world scientists who share their work and explain how
they got interested in science.
Complete details can be found at: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/zipTrips/
Entomological Foundation
Interactive Web Site
The Entomological Foundation has created its first interactive,
youth web site for children and educators. The site is a self-guided
educational site for children, which contains learning activities
designed to help children in grades 3 and 4 understand primary
areas of entomology relating to the characteristics of organisms,
life cycles, and the relationship of organisms to their environment.
The site consists of three main sections, which correspond
to the knowledge level of the user. Each section contains
a set of activities and objectives with an assessment (in
game format) of what the user learned from the activities.
The site also contains a section for educators, which lists
the names of the activities, their objectives, and the national
science standard and entomology benchmark addressed by that
activity. The site is located at http://www.cipm.info/entfnd/
PBS Free Educational Outreach
Materials
PBS has long been a supporter of science education, offering
high quality television for children and adults alike as well
as FREE educational materials. You may find the following
materials especially relevant for the upcoming Earth Day on
4/22/09. THE GREENS Activity Guide encourages
kids age 9-12 to explore sustainability and take action whenever
they can. How-to information in the guide pairs hands-on activities
to deepen kids understanding of topics like recycling and
global warming with campaigns to reduce junk mail and get
drivers to stop idling cars. The guide can be downloaded at
http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/features/
and free print copies may be ordered by putting THE
GREENS in the subject line of an e-mail to wgbhmaterialsreq@wgbh.org
New activities from CURIOUS GEORGE focus
on earth science for PreK-2 children and can be downloaded
at pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/parentsteachers/activities/
A related episode from CURIOUS GEORGE which
will help introduce the topic of earth science to children,
can be ordered free by contacting gay_mohrbacher@wgbh.org
Track Spring's Journey
North: Migrations, Mystery Schools, Climate, More
Teachers and students in K-12 classrooms are invited to participate
this spring in Journey Norths 16th annual global study of
wildlife migration and seasonal change. A free Internet-based
citizen science project, Journey North enables students in
11,000 schools to watch the wave of spring as it unfolds.
Students monitor migration patterns of monarch butterflies,
hummingbirds, whooping cranes, and other animals; the blooming
of plants; and changing sunlight, temperatures, and other
signs of spring. They share their local observations with
classmates across North America and beyond, and look for patterns
on real-time maps. As they put local observations into a global
context - and connect with field scientists - participants
are better prepared to explore how climate and other factors
affect living things.
Each Journey North study features many entry points and resources
that address learning standards: Journey North for Kids reading
booklets and lessons, stunning photos and video clips, weekly
migration updates, interactive maps, instructional units,
and compelling migration stories.
Thanks to Annenberg Media, Journey North Web site access and
participation is free. Take a glimpse at the spring projects
here: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/season/spring2009.
Home page: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/.
Plan now; these begin on February 1st!
What2Learn
What2Learn is a free interactive educational resource. It
contains literally hundreds of learning games and exam drills
for Science based on the requirements of the California State
Board of Education's content standards. Students can create
accounts for content suitable for Grades
6-8 (see http://www.what2learn.com/grades-6-8-usa/
for details) and Grades
9-12 (see http://www.what2learn.com/grades-9-12-usa/
for details). All student attainment in the activities is
automatically calculated and recorded, making it quick and
easy for parents and teachers to monitor progress. The fun
way in which the learning content is presented, along with
in-built rewards within the system (such as the ability to
further personalize their online portfolio) encourages students
to play and replay activities to build their knowledge. What2Learn
has been tried and tested and proven to be very effective
with all kinds of students, from those with learning difficulties
such as ADHD to gifted and talented students keen to work
independently to develop their knowledge. http://www.what2learn.com/
Northern California Chapter
of the American Vacuum Society
The Education Committee of the Northern California Chapter
of the American Vacuum Society (AVS is a member group of the
American Physics Society) is pleased to announce a new free
program for Northern California Science Teachers.
This free program is a set of classroom experiments or demos
of Vacuum Science in Physics and Chemistry. One or more of
our committee members will bring in the vacuum apparatus to
present the program in your classroom, with full student participation.
The program can be modified to fit into the class’s work and
the California Standards on pressure, etc. It’s length can
be reduced or expanded from the ~40 minutes average, as required.
If you are interested in having a free program in your classroom,
please contact our chapter office, listed below. One of our
committee members will contact you to set up a date. We look
forward to being of service to you and your students.
The web site for Northern California Chapter of AVS is www.nccavs.org.
The office e-mail is della@avs.org
and telephone is (530) 896-0477.
USA Biology Olympiad (USABO)
The USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) is the premier competition
in biology in the United States. The objectives of the USABO
are to stimulate young scholars' intellectual curiosity and
develop their critical thinking skills in biological reasoning.
www.cee.org
Findings
Findings, a publication of the National Institutes
of Health can be used in the classroom to enhance knowledge
provided in text books and lecture materials for high school
science courses, including introductory biology, honors/advanced
placement biology, anatomy, science/technology, chemistry,
health, and others. Many educators have found Findings to
be a useful career planning resource for students, as well
as a valuable teacher resource for staying current in the
fast-changing world of 21st century science. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/findings/.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies is a non-profit organization empowering students
from all walks of life to help themselves and each other develop
a love of science and an understanding of the scientific method.
With the help of their Mentors and Advisors, they help students
improve their science skills and literacy, and inspire them
to consider additional study or careers in science. Check
out Science Buddies' How-To Guides, Teacher Resources, Ask
An Expert, and more at http://www.sciencebuddies.org.
eCYBERMISSION
eCYBERMISSION is a free, web-based science, math and technology
competition open to all students attending a U.S. or Department
of Defense Education Activity School in the sixth through
ninth grades. In the competition, student teams identify a
problem that is related to health and safety, arts and entertainment,
sports and recreation or the environment. Selecting a real-life
Mission Challenge encourages self-discovery and illustrates
how science, math and technology apply to everyday life. www.ecybermission.com.
Long-term Monitoring Program
and Experiential Training for Students (LiMPETS)
LiMPETS is an environmental monitoring and education program
for students, educators, and volunteer groups throughout California.
This hands-on program was developed to monitor the ocean and
coastal ecosystems of California's national marine sanctuaries
to increase awareness and stewardship of these important areas.
Through research-based monitoring and standardized protocols,
students develop their problem solving skills, gain experience
using tools and methods employed by field scientists, and
learn to analyze data. Approximately 3,500 teachers and students
along the coast of California are collecting rocky intertidal
and sandy beach data as part of the LiMPETS network. Find
out how to join this free environmental monitoring program
at http://limpetsmonitoring.org.
Ocean Guardian Programs
The purpose of the NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Ocean
Guardian Programs are to encourage teachers and students to
explore their natural surroundings to form a sense of personal
connection to the ocean and/or watersheds in which they live.
• Students can make a difference by becoming a member of our
Ocean Guardian Kids Club. • Teachers can get their classroom
involved in environmental conservation at their school or
in their community to be an Ocean Guardian Classroom. • Everyone
can download a free copy of the Ocean Guardian Activity Book
to learn more about the ocean and why its important through
word searches, games, and coloring pages. Find out more about
the Ocean Guardian Programs at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/ocean_guardian_prog.html.
Science Fair Projects
Hundreds of free science fair projects are categorized under
biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and engineering
and can be sorted alphabetically or by their level of difficulty.
http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/.
Science Fair Project Ideas
Science fair project ideas searchable by grade level and
subject matter: http://www.education.com/science-fair/all-grades/
Harry Potter Science Club
Every four to six weeks, students who enroll in the Harry
Potter Science Club, available exclusively from Troll at Home
Book Clubs, receive a new Harry Potter's Spells and Potions
Activity Kit developed by Delta Education. The Troll at Home
Club is available only through school programs. Parents or
guardians enroll their children in the club using forms provided
by schools. For information, call 1-888-998-7655.
HowStuffWorks
Designed for grades 5-8, HowStuffWorks hooks students with
cool subjects, superior graphics, and striking photography.
The mysteries of the world are addressed in a fun, engaging
format that kids love. http://express.howstuffworks.com/.
Dragonfly TV
Dragonfly TV is the national science series for kids on PBS.
They have several educator guides available on their website.
Download the DragonflyTV Educator's Guides to get kids started
on their own inquiry investigations. The activities are developed
with the National Science Teacher's Association. They're aligned
with today's science standards, and they're ideal for the
classroom or for after-school programs. http://kids.pbs.org/dragonflytv/parentsteachers/index.html.
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