Teacher Resources
GENERAL
SCIENCE
BIOLOGY/GENERAL
ANIMALS/GENERAL
BACTERIA/MICROBIOLOGY/INFECTION
THE BODY/ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY/THE SENSES
DINOSAURS
ECOLOGY/ENVIRONMENT
FARMING
GEOLOGY/EARTH’S STRUCTURE
INSECTS/ENTOMOLOGY
MARINE BIOLOGY
All Web sites and videos listed were safe
and appropriate for students at the time they were reviewed.
You’ll want to review them yourself for comprehension level.
Some material, due to its higher level, is designated for
teachers. Please note that Random House Children's Books is
not responsible for the content on the Web sites in this resources
list.
A suggestion: Some of the games on
these Web sites are wonderful, but be sure to preview them
so you can help your students understand the rules or get
them to work properly.
GENERAL SCIENCE
RESOURCES
WEB SITES
Enchanted Learning www.enchantedlearning.com
Wow! You’ll return to this Web site again
and again for a wealth of information and age-appropriate
handouts on everything from astronomy to zebras.
Education Planet www.educationplanet.com
A fee of $9.95 allows a year’s access to
100,000 lesson plans and other teaching resources.
Exploratorium Hands-On Activities http://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/handson.html
San Francisco’s wonderful science museum,
the Exploratorium, provides a wealth of simple, creative activities,
experiments, and explanations. Be sure to explore the entire
Exploratorium Web site!
How Stuff Works www.howstuffworks.com
You can find out about anything from oil
wells to microwave ovens here. The material is written at
an adult level, but good readers can challenge themselves
and dig into the wealth of information and explanation.
Riverdeep www.riverdeep.net/science/science_elementary.jhtml
Lots of resources on many
topics here, from oceans to photosynthesis to earthquakes.
You’ll make selections about what will work for your students.
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BIOLOGY/GENERAL
WEB SITES
Kinetic City: Mission
to Vearth http://www.kineticcity.com/
Provides fun, interactive
games that teach topics such as diversity, evolution, body
systems, and the senses. As with all games, you’ll
want to preview these in advance so you can select which parts
you would like your students to play—and so you can explain
how the game operates! By the way, this site was created by
the American Association for the Advancement of Science with
the support of the National Science Foundation.
Virtual Field Trips www.field-guides.com
Richly interesting virtual field trips arranged
by age level. Includes resources.
The Open Door Web Site: Biology http://www.saburchill.com/chapters/bio.html
Besides activities and even plays, you get
a biology textbook here.
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ANIMALS/GENERAL
WEB SITES
Walking with Prehistoric Beasts http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/beasts/beasts.html
Students can go back 65 million years, meet
the ancestors of modern mammals, and study climate changes.
They can also become amateur paleontologists and construct
creatures from their skeletal remains.
Biomechanics http://biomechanics.bio.uci.edu/_html/nh_biomech/gotsilk/spider_silk.htm
Interesting, easy to understand discussions of how the structure
of animals’ bodies relates to their function. Depending on
the age and reading abilities of your students, you may want
to modify some of the material especially for your students.
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BACTERIA/MICROBIOLOGY/INFECTION
WEB SITES
Dennis Kunkel Microscopy www.denniskunkel.com
You will love this site as much as your students
do. Dr. Kunkel has created a great place to explore insects,
spiders, dust mites, and a host of microscopic creatures.
Be sure to visit Zoom In! and
Most Wanted Bugs. It’s like having an electron microscope
in your classroom!
Infection Detection Protection www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/infection/index.html
Don’t miss this one! It’s a wonderful introduction
to the microbial world from the American Museum of Natural
History. How Lou Got the Flu illustrates the development
of the yearly flu virus. Meet the Microbes gives children
a sense of these organisms and their sizes. The Bacteria
in the Cafeteria game playfully reveals the habitats of
helpful, harmful, and “neutral” bacteria. The Mixed-Up
Microbe Mystery (4th or 5th grade level) sends kids hunting
for the source of a serious disease.
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THE BODY/ANATOMY AND
PHYSIOLOGY/THE SENSES
WEB SITES
Yuckiest Site on the Internet http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/
Good material on body parts and also the
really gross stuff that kids enjoy so much.
Neuroscience for Kids http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Much excellent material,
including activities, experiments, and resources for learning
about the nervous system and the senses. Activities
are categorized by age level. Many are very simple, requiring
a minimum of materials and equipment and preparation.
Percussion for Kids
http://www.stomponline.com/activity.html
Simple and interesting activities that focus on sound
and hearing.
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DINOSAURS
WEB SITES
Study Works! Online: Creating Dinosaurs
from Tracks www.studyworksonline.com/cda/content/explorations/0,,NAV2-75_SEP1597,00.shtml
A revealing, easy-to-understand, illustrated
discussion of how an entire dinosaur can be reconstructed
from the evidence of its tracks. And be sure to explore the
many other topics available on this site.
Walking with Dinosaurs www.bbc.co.uk/dinosaurs/dino_worlds/index_week6.shtml
Animations and games that make dinosaurs
come alive!
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ECOLOGY/ENVIRONMENT
WEB SITES
Kids Planet www.kidsplanet.org
Be sure to see The Web of Life, an
introduction to diversity and species interdependence that
will delight first-, second-, and third-graders. This site
features many other creative, visually attractive nature games
and activities.
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FARMING 
WEB SITES
Cyberspace Farm www.cyberspaceag.com
Includes personal perspectives about people,
animals, crops, and what it’s like to live on a farm. It’s
like having a really great pen pal take you on a field trip.
You could easily create a farm Web quest based on this site
alone.
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GEOLOGY/EARTH’S
STRUCTURE
WEB SITES
Earth’s Interior & Plate Tectonics
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/earthint.htm
Provides a detailed picture of the structure of the
earth and an explanation of plate tectonics. You may want
to review this in preparation for a class discussion. This
source will provide answers to most questions your students
will come up with.
Enchanted Learning: Inside the Earth
www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/Inside.shtml
Lots of basic information, vocabulary, and
handy handouts!
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INSECTS/ENTOMOLOGY
WEB SITES
Using Live Insects in Elementary Classrooms
for Early Lessons in Life http://insected.arl.arizona.edu/uli.htm
Interesting activities
and experiments that use insects to study the general characteristics
and requirements of life. Also focuses on developing
respect for all living things.
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MARINE BIOLOGY
WEB SITES
How Stuff Works: How Whales Work http://howstuffworks.lycoszone.com/whale4.htm
A very good description
of whales. Includes vocalizations.
Blue Planet Challenge www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/blue/flash/main_game.shtml
A game allows children to choose to be one
of many kinds of fishes and explore the ocean from the surface
to the abyss.
Shedd Aquarium www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/
A wonderful site with resources
arranged by age level. You and your students will enjoy
the interactive activities, including “Build-A-Fish,” and
“Squish the Fish.” (“Squish” is the name of the fish—you don’t
squish him!)
Marine Biology http://www.marinebio.com/MarineBio/MindGames/
A wonderful site providing
spectacular photographs, excellent information, and a special
section for kids.
Blue Planet Challenge www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/blue/flash/main_game.shtml
A game allows children to choose to be one
of many kinds of fishes and explore the ocean from the surface
to the abyss.
Monitoring Marine Mammals Using Acoustics
www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/acoustics/whales/bioacoustics.html
Descriptions of whale species; includes recordings
of whale sounds. The language level is high, but children
will enjoy hearing the whale sounds. Some of the sounds, such
as those of the blue whales, which are too low for human hearing
have been “speeded up.”
Whale Sounds http://dkd.net/whales/wsounds.html
Students will enjoy hearing different whale
sounds.
VIDEOS
Treasures of the Great Barrier
Reef Nova: Adventures in Science, 1995
A great way to give your
students a feeling for the sensory experiences and weird wonders
of the underwater world.
Sea Monsters: Search for the Giant Squid
National Geographic Video, 1998
Who isn’t fascinated by the giant squid?
No one has ever seen one alive, so this video focuses on some
of their fascinating relatives. The huge Humboldt squid changing
colors as quickly as a neon sign must be seen to be believed!
AUDIO CDs
Songs of the Humpback Whale produced
by Dr. Roger Payne, Earth Music Productions, 1991.
This captivating recording conveys the mystery
and haunting beauty of the ocean realm.
Can be used as background for quiet study
or as a stimulus for writing.
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