K-12 Science Education

After reviewing these sites, you may wish to visit the Science page for other excellent resources.

• Genentech's Access Excellence Must visit!
• American Chemical Society This site offers programs, activities and services developed by professional chemists and educators for teachers to use in their classrooms.
• Anatomy and Physiology Animations, movies and interactive tutorials
• Ask A Scientist  Courtesy of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a team of 150 scientists and researchers to answer questions on a variety of biological and science-related matters. Submit a question via e-mail and receive response within two weeks.
• AskERIC Virtual Library Lesson Plans!
• ASEE Engineering K12 Center Do you want to make math and science come alive for your students? Learn how K-12 teachers and industry are using engineering as a vehicle to teach science and mathematics.
• Atmospheric Optics This site's stunning pictures illustrate the strange and beautiful phenomena created by light, weather, and our atmosphere.
• Astrobiology: The Living Universe is an educational resource featuring in-depth information and interviews on exobiology, planetary biology, the origins of life and human spaceflight.
• Bad Science This Web page shows teachers and students examples of the "bad science" often taught in schools and featured in popular articles and textbooks.
• BioEd Online Presentations and slide sets, current biology news and quick activities. Great resource for bio teachers.
• Biology Corner The Lesson Plans section contains classroom activities, labs and worksheets. The Webquest section contains inquiry based projects that utilize the internet.
• Cancer Research Information for the general public, students and teachers, and for health communicators and educators on the latest cancer research.
• The Catalyst This site has been developed specifically for the secondary education/high school level teacher, as a resource for finding relevant information for use in the teaching of chemistry.
• Cell Biology Lab Manual
• Cells Alive This "microscopy of living cells and organisms" site is packed with information and images of viruses, parasites, bacteria, and even "foodborne pathogenic microorganisms."
• ChemCenter Developed by the American Chemical Society. Resources for researchers to students.
• Chemistry Collective This site is a collection of virtual labs, scenario-based learning activities, and concepts tests which can be incorporated into a variety of teaching approaches as pre-labs, alternatives to textbook homework, and in-class activities for individuals or teams.
• Journal of Chemical Education Find any article ever printed in their publication.
• Chem4Kids A captivating site that takes the mystery out of chemistry.  This site does an excellent job of simplifying complex topics.
• Chemistry is Fun This site includes Chemical of the Week, salutes to interesting compounds and elements; home experiments on bending water, fireproofing balloons and imploding aluminum cans.
• Chemicool Period table of elements with details of characteristics, reactions, conductivity and more. Conversion calculators and graphs.
• ChemToolBox This site provides a downloadable software program, a virtual toolbox for the chemistry lab. The software uses an internal database to gather data through six modules: the properties of solvents, the chemistry of solutions, the periodic table of elements, biochemistry, spectroscopy, and calculations and calculations and units.
• Chemistry Videos on YouTube Developed by a chemistry teacher in Brisbane, Australia, videos include Properties of Metals and Non-metals, Teacher's Guide to Balancing Equations, Teacher's Guide to the Periodic Table of Elements, & Teacher's Guide to Energy and Change
• Chemistry Worksheets Based on the New York State Chemistry Regents Curriculum, this site is a great resource for chemistry teachers.
• Chicago Museum of Science and Industry Easy to navigate site describes many of the current exhibits. Links to teaching materials associated with its extensive holdings.
• (Project) CLEA -- CONTEMPORARY LABORATORY EXPERIENCES IN ASTRONOMY-- develops laboratory exercises that illustrate modern astronomical techniques using digital data and color images.
• Cornell Theory Center Math and Science Gateway For secondary school students and educators. Links to information on curriculum, lesson plans, software for the classroom and setting up Web servers in the schools.
• Dinosaurs Find specific dinosaurs by picking a name, time period, country or body shape.  You'll get information on the species and color pictures of what the beast looked like.
• Element Song Great song performed by Tom Lehrer
• El Nino Theme Page Play amateur meteorologist at this heavy-weather site. Everything there is to know about El Nino is here.
• Fermilab Education Office K-12 Science Resources with emphasis on physics and prairie ecology.
• Forensics in the Classroom This free and exciting program offers different cases for middle and high school students to solve.
• Franklin Institute Science Museum Browse the inner workings of the human heart or experiment with model rockets. Much more.
• (Virtual) Frog Dissection Kit. You have to see it to believe it!
• Gene Almanac Information about genes for education. What is the "genetic code"? How does the cell process the information encoded in our DNA?  The answers can be found at this site..
• Genetic Science Learning Center A partnership between Scientists and Educators -- focusing on Genetic Science Education. Plenty of classroom appropriate activities and projects.
• Geology and Earth Science - KidsWeb
• Global Warming Website  An environmental photographer has been photographing evidence of climate change for more than 10 years. His collection of images from around the world show the effects of global warming in vivid detail. Explanatory text from climate scientists accompany the photos.
• Hands on Science Centers Worldwide Public museums with a strong emphasis on interactive science education.
• Helping Your Child Learn Science This site lays out ways parents and educators can help children learn more about science. You'll find experiments to perform at home and suggestions for out-of-the-house activities like museum tours and nature hikes.
• High School Chemistry Tutorial The ChemTeam provides study resources in all standard topics for students in high school and Advanced Placement chemistry
• (Department of Energy's) Human Genome Program
• I Can Do That!  Introduction to DNA
• Kitchen Scientists A list of fun and interesting at home science experiments
• Lawrence Hall of Science Many original units, lesson plans and publications.  Terrific educational and interactive games and home activities.
• London Science Museum Use handy search engine to find science feature stories, a photo gallery and interactive vision experiments.
• The MadSci Network You can ask questions about science subjects. The questions will be answered by science educators and researchers.
• Medline Plus  A service of the National Library of Medicine. The site features health topics, drug information, a medical dictionary and directories of doctors, dentists and hospitals.
• (Interactive) Model Railroad This site has a virtual train set you can control. You decide which train travels to which destination.
• Molecules with Silly or Unusual Names Here you'll see some real molecules that have unusual, ridiculous or downright silly names. Good for some comedic relief.
• Mount Wilson Observatory The Mount Wilson Institute is devoted to realizing, for public benefit, the maximum scientific and educational potential of the Mount Wilson site and facilities. This site links scientists and students to databases containing many different papers.
• NASA Aerospace Education Services Program Developed for educators to promote the understanding of scientific and technological research.
• NASA Institute on Climate & Planets Columbia's NASA Goddard Space Institute is a research, science education and minority outreach program. This site contains data, articles and lessons for physics and atmospheric science
• National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Established in 2000, this site is an online resource of 1.5 million science, math and engineering services on the Internet. Resources have been vetted for accuracy and educational appropriateness.
• Neuroscience for Kids Interactive games, puzzles, quizzes, and do-it-yourself experiments (for middle and high school students) show how human and animal nervous systems work.
• News Scientist  Jargon-free science news with special sections on everything from neurology to astrophysics to artificial intelligence.
• New York Academy of Sciences The Academy has developed a website to promote their new initiative for science educators. Excellent 'one-stop shopping' site for events at the Academy and around New York City.
• NIEH Kids' Page National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences site encourages young children to develop an interest in health sciences.  Kids can have fun learning about vermicomposting by playing Feed The Worms, develop reading skills with Sing Along Tunes, learn science words in the Science Spelling Bee.
• The Nine Planets Blast off for a multimedia trip through the solar system.
• Ocean Color The "color" of the ocean is determined by the interactions of incident light with substances or particles present in the water. Many links to relevant web sites.
• Ocean Color Data and Resources This site provides access to Ocean Color Data It provides access to data and a web-based tool to analyze earth science data.
• Pacific Science Center The Seattle, WA science center has many exhibits. You will find yourself walking through their many "halls".
• Particle Adventure  This site allows even the most scientifically challenged person to explore the world of particle physics through interactive tours of quarks, neutrinos, antimatter, dark matter and other intriguing particles. Also available in Spanish, Polish, French, Slovakian, Italian and Portuguese.
• Pathfinder Science The motto of this site is 'creating student scientists, not just science students.' Pathfinder offers interactive online science projects that require students to participate in data collection.
• (The Interactive) Patient Using the program, students get to examine an imaginary patient who complains of back pain. Your students can ask him questions, take x-rays, make a diagnosis and prescribe medicine. Though mainly designed for med students, it's an ideal way to introduce younger students to the world of medicine.
• Performance Assessment Links in Science  This site is an online, standards-based resource bank of science performance assessment tasks indexed via the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and various other standards frameworks.
• Philosophy of Science Resources Includes sites pertaining to ethical issues, sites in philosophy of mind and cognitive science, and sites dealing with social issues surrounding science.
• Physical Sciences Resource Center  Click on Resource Center.  Annotated links to materials useful for teaching astronomy and physics -- all grade levels K-16.
• Project Bio This bio-rich resource includes online biology courses from Iowa State University.
• Reko's Mad Scientist Lab  Contains almost 40 projects including cohesion, flotation, pressure and sound. Skill levels vary.
• Resources for Involving Scientists in Education  A National Academy of Sciences project. Examples of most effective U.S. K-12 programs involving scientists and engineers.
• Rocketry for Educators This website provides useful information about using model rockets in classrooms.
• Rocks and the Rock Cycle  Did you know that rocks can be recycled? Not in the way that we recycle paper or cans, of course, but in a different way. Over time, processes on the earth change rocks from one form to another, and then back again. This site includes a link for lesson plans.
• Science Activities Manual: K-8 Based on the Tennessee Science Curriculum Frameworks.
• Science a GoGo  This site is essentially an online clipping service for science-related articles in the news.  Every day you'll find a new science article at this site, as well as an online forum for discussing materials.
• Science and Alcohol  This site, aimed at middle school, explains the short- and long-term effects of alcohol on the mind and body. Materials include background information, a detailed lesson outline, research questions, and related resources on the physiological effects of alcohol.
• Science and Math Education Resources Links categorized by discipline.
• Science and Nature for Kids Excellent ideas for projects. Site includes Make Your Own Volcano, Chemistry textbook online, a homework helper and more.......
• Science Directory.net A repository for many science related web sites.
• Science Education and You A website chock full of resources developed by the Democratic Science Education Committee in Congress
• Science Search Engine Bone up on hot topics with this search engine devoted to science.
• The Science Club: Kids' Science Projects  Experiments and activities divided into three sections: Simple Projects, Medium Difficulty Projects & Advanced Projects.
• Science Fair Step-by-Step Guide  Self-titled "The Ultimate Science Fair Page" assists students by describing the steps to preparing a good science fair project.
• Science Fair Learning Studio This thoughtfully written site takes students through the entire science fair continuum, beginning with a discussion of good vs. bad science and culminating in a guide to searching the web. Resources for teachers and parents also available.
• Science Fair Project Resource Guide  For students planning to enter a science fair.  This Internet Public Library site has links to everything needed, from how to pick a project to how to put it together.
• Science Learning Network K-8 library of science subjects. Easy to use search function.
• Science Net Links offers teachers a comprehensive guide to science, technology and mathematics web sites and a growing library of Internet-based learning activities that draw upon the AAAS Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy.
• Science Surplus The site offers a unique mix of industrial, military and educational items, with an emphasis on science and education. Wander around our site and you are sure to find some unusual or hard to find items (some say bizarre stuff) perfect for the hobbiest, tinkerer, artist, experimenter, home educator, do-it-yourselfer, and bargain hunter.
• Science Teacher Stuff  Lots of links to useful sites
• Science and Technology Education Program web addresses of organizations and other sources of information concerned with science education.
• Science Whatzit  The staff of the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (and other scientists) have answered, then archived, questions submitted by visitors to this site. Topics range from earth and life sciences to physics and space.  The thought provoking answers will inspire more questions from young scientists.
• Sea Education Association SEA's K-12 Lesson plans have recently been awarded the prestigious StudyWeb® Academic Excellence Award as "one of the Internet's premier sites for educational resources for students and teacher."
• Simple, Common, and Interesting Molecules This site will let allow you to examine the structures of a variety of interesting molecules. Most data is obtained from crystallographic sources, although some of the simple structures are calculated using molecular mechanics techniques.
• Star Child For young astronomers, ages 4 through 14. This site covers the solar system, the universe and general space topics.
• Stem Cell Resources This educational website created by New Jersey educators, will help you and your students keep current on stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
• Teach Engineering  The TeachEngineering digital library offers teacher-tsted engineering content for K-12 teachers to use with existing science and mathematics curricula, and these hands-on activities are aligned with the content standards for all 50 states.
• Teacher Tube  The site allows teachers to model their lessons for colleagues everywhere. There are more than 54,000 videos available for viewing.
• Telescience Journal for High School Teachers Journal articles and lab manual.
• Top Science A twice a year publication dedicated to science teachers. Helpful hands-on activities worth checking out.
• Try Science.com  Conduct experiments online using short Shockwave simulations or learn about experiments you can do in the classroom or at home.  Experiments are discipline specific, including: earth science, biological science, mathematics, physical sciences, space sciences, technology and engineering, chemistry, social sciences, and medical and health.  The field trip section allows you to locate science centers all over the WORLD.
• U.S. Geological Survey Learning Web  Incredible amount of information. An excellent section for teaching global change, earth science and understanding maps.
• Virtual Biochemistry Laboratory  This site consists of several 'rooms."  Each focuses on a particular method in biochemistry.  In the lab you can perform experiments and listen to lectures. You can also take "Nobel Challanges," since this is housed on the Nobel website.
• (Learning the) weather through different educational approaches
• (The) Why Files The National Institute for Science Education has created this site to explain the science behind all kinds of phenomena. Get the insider's take on tomatoes, Mad Cow disease, electric cars, and amber -- all delivered with humor and clarity.
• Wonderwise  Women in Science Learning Series (grades 4-6 but can be modified for higher grades).  Bring women scientists into your classroom for the ultimate in field trips.
• (The) World of Benjamin Franklin Teacher resource and children's site. Connections to the Benjamin Franklin Science Museum in Philadelphia.
• World Wide Web Virtual Library History of Science, Technology and Medicine.
• Xpeditions features an interactive geography museum with exhibits keyed to the National Geography Standards, a collection of standards-based lesson plans, special interactive Family Xpeditions, Blue Ribbon Links to outstanding geography sites, resources for teachers and parents and a global atlas of outline maps specially designed for print out.