Background Information for Organisms and Their
Needs
On this page, you'll find links that fellow
teachers and KSN staff have recommended. These
links are tools to help guide your background
research on the topics covered within your kit.
general
organisms info | animals |
plants | butterflies | other
insects |
microworlds
General Organisms Info
Life Science
Safari
Sally, the
Adventure Guide, walks student visitors though the wide
world of life science, taking trips to investigate bacteria,
protists, fungi, plants, and animals. This site is fantastic
for highlighting the basic structures of these life forms,
what they need to survive, and ways in which they compare
and contrast with each other. It's very easy to navigate and
worth a visit.
Living
Things
This site
from The Franklin Institute divides the subject of living
things into four categories for study: individuals,
families, neighborhoods, and the circle of life. This site
blends relevant links and activities with child-friendly
explanations of the nature and interrelatedness of living
things.
eNature.com
This site
offers a searchable database for identifying more
than 4,000 plant and animal species of North
America. All content is from the National Audubon
Society Field Guides, Regional Guides, Nature
Guides, and Birds Interactive CD-ROM.
Related kits: All kits
[Back to
Top]
Animals
The Electronic Zoo
(Animal Resources)
Literally thousands of links to information about animals
(mostly domesticated species, but there's wildlife and zoo
links as well). Along with species-specific information,
this veterinarian also provides hundreds of links to animal
images and sounds.
Animal Diversity Web
Enter the animal of your choice, and receive detailed
information about its biological classification, geographic
range, physical characteristics, natural history, food
habits, habitat, and more.
Animal Behavior Education
This site leans a little heavily towards visitors
with more advanced knowledge, but there are some useful
collections of links and article summaries about intriguing
developments in animal behavior research.
Domestic Animal Behavior
Mostly text, but a very useful
site for gaining basic background information
about instinctive behaviors, learned behaviors,
and the nature vs. nurture debate.
All
About Snails
This terrific page about snails, written
expressly for kids and teachers, asks and answers
questions such as "How does the snail move?" and
"How do they breathe in water?" This is a very
good place to start if you're looking for snail
facts. Take a look at the snail-related activities
at the bottom of the page.
Phylum Mollusca
This site features detailed information and great color photos of the members of the mollusk family, of which snails are a part.
The Crayfish
Corner
A crayfish
enthusiast's site offering scientific information
about appearance, behavior, and anatomy, as well as some
crayfish humor and links.
Dwarf
Frog Central
On this
page, you'll see two nice photos of dwarf African frogs, but
be sure to look to the left, where you'll find links to info
about the species, their care and feeding, and more. As this
is a commercial site, it's not really geared towards
educators, but you might be able to find some useful
content.
Related kits: Organisms (STC), Animal Studies
(STC), Living Things (Insights), Animals Two by
Two (FOSS), and Structures of Life (FOSS)
[Back to
Top]
Plants
PLANTS National Database
This site from the USDA provides extensive information about all kinds of plants. There's a staggering volume of information to be had, which, if nothing else, will help your students understand the vast scope of the plant world. This site could be useful for searching for local plant info, as well as interesting facts about special subsets, such as noxious plants, culturally significant plants, and threatened and endangered plants.
How a Tree Grows
Covering basic tree facts and biology, along with common uses and importance, this simple site from Virginia Tech can be useful for you and your students. This site also discusses photosynthesis and how forests grow up.
Vascular Structures in
Plants
This
educational page provides a quick overview of plants'
vascular structure, using easy-to-read text and simple
diagrams.
Related kits: Organisms (STC), Living Things
(Insights), and Structures of Life (FOSS)
[Back to
Top]
Butterflies
Children's Butterfly Site
The USGS (United States Geologic Survey) created
this site for younger visitors, but it can be very relevant
for teachers working with younger students. It features
photo galleries, a coloring page, frequently asked
questions, information about butterfly books and videos,
links, and more. Take a look at the illustrated Butterfly
and Moth Life Cycle, which offers translations in six
different languages.
Butterflies of North America
This is a huge and easy-to-navigate butterfly
resource from the USGS. Search by state, by butterfly
photos, families, lists of reported species, and more. There
are complete fact sheets with excellent photos for each
species.
A Student's Guide to Butterflies
The site provides seven modules that
introduce the topics of butterfly physiology and life cycle, and help the students better
understand the general ecological relationships that
butterflies have with their environments.
All About Butterflies
EnchantedLearning.com has created this colorful and easy
page about butterfly basics specifically for kids and
teachers. It addresses butterfly anatomy, flying, life
cycle, diet, habitat, classification, and fossils.
Butterflies 2000: On
the Wings of Freedom
This is a ThinkQuest site with an astounding array of
relevant information. There is a very through section about
butterflies written for kids, an exploration of butterflies
using powerful microscopes, information about keeping
butterflies and moths at school, and much more.
The Butterfly
Website
Created with
the butterfly hobbyist in mind, you would be most likely to
find the attractive photo gallery, links, world atlas, and
FAQs sections most useful.
Monarch Watch
The University of Kansas
Entomology Program created this site dedicated to education,
conservation, and research on the Monarch butterfly. Look
particularly at the Monarch biology section for information
about the life cycle, from egg to larva to pupa to adult.
The Florida Monarch Butterfly Website
Florida Monarch enthusiasts created this
site with some interesting information and photo essays,
including one about a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.
Painted Lady Butterfly Fact Sheet
Lovely photos of a painted lady butterfly
(in caterpillar stage also) as well as straightforward facts
about the species from the USGS. Be sure to scroll to the
bottom of the page to see the painted lady butterfly
distribution in the US and parts of Mexico.
Painted Lady Butterfly
This simple site from
EnchantedLearning.com offers background information and
annotated illustrations of the painted lady butterfly. This
page could be a handout, if need be.
Related kits: Organisms (STC), Life Cycle of
Butterflies (STC), Living Things (Insights), and
Insects (FOSS)
[Back to
Top]
Other Insects
Insect Biology and Ecology: A Primer
A great starting place for teachers
who really want a quick but thorough overview of insect
biology, covering insect anatomy; reproduction; growth and
development (metamorphosis); classification and
identification; and ecology.
Entomology on the World Wide Web
Many layers of links about insects for
educators from Texas A&M University. While not all of the
sections will be relevant for your needs, some will be (look
at the activities for K-12 educators) and it's worth taking
a look at the depth of resources available on this page.
Class: Insecta
This pretty site from
the Spencer Entomological Museum at the University of
British Columbia offers a useful glossary of terms (click on
"Insect Lore") and some tidy facts and images in the "Bug of
the Month" section.
The Adventures of Herman (the worm)
This is a truly great site. Introducing
Herman the worm, site visitors learn about where he came
from, his anatomy, where he lives, what he eats, and why
humans can't live without him. This site is fun (and
educational!) for adults and kids.
Rearing Insects
This
site from the Michigan Entomological Society offers
information about rearing milkweed bugs, mealworms,
crickets, and other species.
The Wonderful World of Insects
Although this site's layout is rather
disorganized, it does include some interesting insect facts,
such as which are the largest and smallest insects, which
are the fastest fliers, and so on.
Beetles
Created by a
teacher and his class, this page provides a through overview
of beetles: general info about types and how they got their
names; habitats; characteristics; life cycles; and feeding
habits.
Darkling Beetle/Mealworm Information
Lots of basic facts (appearance, food,
habitat, predators, behavior, etc.) about mealworms/darkling
beetles, including some investigation ideas and good
suppliers where you could purchase more mealworms.
Milkweed Bug Information
Like the page above, this page provides milkweed bug
facts (appearance, food, habitat, predators, behavior, etc.)
and suggested suppliers.
Cricket Information
Like the pages above, this page provides cricket facts
(appearance, food, habitat, predators, behavior, etc.),
information on collecting wild crickets, and suggested
suppliers.
Ant Information
Like
the pages above, this page provides ant facts (appearance,
food, habitat, predators, behavior, etc.), information on
collecting wild ants, and suggested suppliers.
Butterfly and Moth Information
Like the pages above, this page provides
butterfly and moth facts (appearance, food, habitat,
predators, behavior, etc.), information on collecting wild
butterflies and moths, and suggested suppliers.
Isopod/Pillbug/Sow Bug Information
Like the pages above, this page provides
isopod/pillbug/sow bug facts (appearance, food, habitat,
predators, behavior, etc.), information on collecting these
wild creatures, and suggested suppliers.
Related kits: Organisms (STC), Life Cycle of
Butterflies (STC), Living Things (Insights), and
Insects (FOSS)
[Back to
Top]
Microworlds
Microbe Zoo
Great for teachers and students, this site is a
nice blend of visual fun and quick facts about the microbes
in our daily lives-on our skin, in our bodies, in our food
preparation, in other parts of our world, and even possibly
in worlds beyond ours!
Spotlight on
Microworlds
This
page created by The Franklin Institute explores and explains
microscopy and some tiny organisms that can viewed only with
microscopic aid. With the useful blend of links, this page
is a nice jumping-off point for beginning microscope
study.
Cells
Alive!
Fabulous
microscopic images of cells, viruses, bacteria, and much
more (including the anatomy of a splinter!). This site does
a good job of taking difficult terms and making them
comprehensible.
Microbes.info
This site is a portal to thousands of microbiology resources on the web, searchable by subcategories. It also offers images, feature articles, news about germs currently in the news, disease watches, and featured website picks. This is a nice comprehensive site, and a good place to look if you need some in-depth information.
Home in Close Up
This page from a
microscopy society in the UK offers an exploration of house-
related items in close-up, including clothing fabrics, onion
skin, and human skin cells.
Scanning
Electron Microscope
The Museum of Science, Boston, has created this innovative
and attractive site that showcases images (animal,
vegetable, and mineral) as seen though a scanning electron
microscope (SEM). Designed expressly for educational
purposes, the site also offers detailed and helpful extras
like a teacher resources section, a visual explanation of
how the microscope works, and valuable links.
Volvox: A Beautiful
Microscopic Life Form
Microscope Magazine introduces you to Volvox, a simple
microscopic plant organism. This article provides beautiful
animated magnifications and good information.
Related kits: Microworlds (STC)
[Back to
Top]
|
