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Teacher Comments
ENC Focus This is an excellent site to align instruction and assessment in science and math instruction. Links from this site include technology, problem-based learning, plus lots more! Resource List by Category: Professional Development, Background Knowledge, Instructional Issues, Web-Based Professional Development, Integrating Technology, Curriculum Resources, Math Lessons, Science Lessons, Math Software and CD-ROMs, and Science Software and CD-ROMs. To quote from the magazine, "ENC online provides the information and inspiration." I heartily agree.
How
Stuff Works: Inside an Electric Motor This site is a useful tool for enhancing and enriching the electricity standards. In conjunction with the STC electricity kit, this site is a helpful tool for showing students how electricity works in their daily lives. The site gives an overview of how an electric motor works. It shows real life photograph images to show a dissection of an electric motor. Technical jargon accompanies each image to label the true names of the objects in the pictures. Animated images make the engine parts move and come to life. A background on electric current, direction of current flow, and electromagnets should be developed before introducing students to this site or this concept. As I mentioned before, this site contains a lot of jargon which may be confusing to some lower level students (I teach 4th grade). It is also helpful to have some dissected motors on hand in the classroom, especially if you can get one from a small toy or appliance that doesn't work anymore (e.g., electric razor, toy electric car). Showing your students where the motors are located in such things is helpful to them, though they may need a reminder about electrical safety and proper care of expensive materials. Jason Gish
I thought this was a great site that I can definitely utilize in my classroom. The pictures are great--I can't tell you how many times students have asked me "What is inside these little motors?" The captions beneath the pictures are well written. Great site! Nora Paparella
Great site! I was really impressed with the information, illustrations, and details noted. Students would definitely benefit from and enjoy using this site! It is excellent in every way! Georgene Snyder
Strange Attractor This activity is simplistic and is easily adaptive to an inquiry approach. At the conclusion of the activity, teachers can have students do various designs with the magnets and have them predict the type of movement for the pendulum. Ed Owens
The page is very well organized, with clearly labeled sections (e.g., materials). I also like the picture of the finished product next to the instructions for the pre-lesson assembly. Very clear instructions! Jason Gish
This activity is a very visual way to show the pushes and pulls of magnets. It would be great if there was a way to attach a pen or pencil to the swinging magnet. With a sheet of drawing paper under the pendulum, the moving pen could draw the path that the magnet is taking as it swings. The students could then compare drawings and discuss how they could manipulate the set up of the pendulum in order to make different drawings occur. Valerie Houseknecht
Good experiment for the class to do in small groups. Directions are easy to follow and they should be able to build the magnets on the ring stand to discover the chaotic motion. Should be could in helping to trigger some good science inquiry questions and what if questions! Rebecca Fry
Great simple experiment! This site gives clear directions and would be great to do in small or large groups. I liked the fact there are only four, easily acquired materials. There is a great explanation about what is happening and why. The great part of this site is that you can click on to two icons labeled Math and Magnetism. This gives you many different "snacks" (small experiments) that students can do on their own at school or at home. Terri Boileau
Third
Grade Science Lessons Excellent teacher lesson plan. Integrates language arts (poetry) and inquiry learning. Great book list. Jen Munday
I thought it seemed like a good lesson plan, integrating other areas such as language arts. I liked the depth that the lessons included. They did sound traveling through different media and compared them. If I taught third grade, I feel it would be appropriate. Georgene Snyder
Electrified Ben Interesting facts on Ben--I didn't know about the bells! Having text in his own words adds to the authenticity of the experiment. It is not clear how Franklin avoided being shocked by the lightning during his kite experiment. Did he use a lightning rod? How would he still avoid electrocution? How did he first realize that electricity had such a dangerous side effect? Jason Gish
This site intrigued me because I was able to actually see "Kids Did This Science." I loved the actual work products that were available on this site. I think that production of work is important. It is interesting to explore results and findings of real, ordinary people! Kerry Warner
Energy and You: Say the Password,
Please I found this site to be very useful. The experiments are very much related to the unit on electricity. Materials are clearly listed, and step-by-step instructions are given. Try it! Marie Hammond
How a Battery
Works I found this article about batteries very informative, but it would be extremely difficult for students to read. It would require a high reading level, and therefore, I would recommend it for use by the teacher as background information that would require modification for middle school use. Knowledge of terms such as oxidation and reduction require a quick review of basic chemistry. Susan Rutland
This site has great information and diagrams, but I think that the level that it is presented on is too high for 5-8 grade students. It would be a great resource for a teacher who was preparing to teach a unit involving batteries. Jennifer Rinehimer
The diagram was very clear and helpful in understanding how a battery works. Also helpful was the explanation of a rechargeable battery. The reading level is probably too difficult for many middle school level students. Pamela Gray
Sound - Wired@School Excellent site! The explanations are very well done and the graphics really make it easy to understand. There are also activities for students that are explained in detail. This is a great resource site for teachers. Larry Warmingham
Super site! The graphics are great! I know I will use this site this year with my fifth grade classes! It is well- organized and easy to use--great choice. I can't wait to use this site to enhance and supplement what we currently do with sound in fifth grade science. Nora Paparella
Magnetism (from NASA) This site has definite value if you want your students to read about the force that you are exploring during their classroom lab experiences. It has illustrations and is written at a reading level that is probably 5th-6th grade. I would use it in an elementary classroom since students could work in teams, use their reading strategies together, and read about high interest areas like the history of magnetism (kids always want to know who discovered it), the earth's magnetosphere (from there you can springboard into the auroras), and of course a review of the force itself (may it always be with you). Additionally, you may want to send the reading home with the children so they can review the concepts learned in class. Parents are a bit distressed that my students do not learn science from a text. They want to see what the kids are learning. So a printout of the pages on this site would satisfy that need. Nancee Goldstein
This site is an excellent resource for research projects and enrichment. As students develop experiments, this site would be very helpful as a resource for inquiry based questioning. The diagrams are helpful in backing up the text and providing a visual to assist the learner in acquiring knowledge from the text. Dave Reese
This site starts with a history of the discovery of magnetism and moves from simple to more complex. Good links to magnetosphere, magnetic fields, and electromagnetic waves. Probably best use would be to make hard copy so 5th through 8th graders could take notes and unpack contents. Rod Poskitt
Sound Connexions Excellent information for the definitions and the concepts involving sound. Has a simple experiment using water and glasses to produce a musical instrument. Does not provide any simulations for students to manipulate. Ed Owens
Extremely user friendly! Would be great for a short and sweet scavenger hunt. Small bits of reading with easy access to menu. Advanced third graders could use this with a prompting page. Jen Munday
This site is supported by the National Museum of Science and Technology. It includes basic definition, lesson plans (not in inquiry format), and a list of relevant publications. Very traditional. Deanna Wilkinson
Basic
Electronics This site is best served as a supplement to an electronics unit. The information is very straightforward with helpful explanations and diagrams. The diagrams help support the content, making this site a good resource for research projects and development of lab activities. Dave Reese
This looks like a great resource for basic information on electricity. Both students and teachers could use this site for background information. The illustrations are basic but work well with the explanations of each topic. Larry Warmingham
Electricity and Magnetism Module Excellent site for basics of magnetism and electricity. Includes movement of inputs to demonstrations to self-test for comprehension. Excellent section on fusion, including work at Princeton. Must be able to use Shockwave for totally effective use of this site. Deanna Wilkinson
A wonderful site! Very eye catching and easy to use! Several mini lessons are strung together much like a power point presentation with wonderful animations to demonstrate each concept. Great for individual usage as students can manipulate their way through the site at their own pace and revisit any areas that they need further clarification with. Sure beats maneuvering through one long document. Sandie DiPietrae
Very good site for a discussion of magnetism and electricity. It provides the user with many choices, as well as visually pleasing images and diagrams. This is an excellent site for either remediation or enrichment. Through integration with classroom lessons, the student is provided with various educational and motivational opportunities. Dave Reese
Weather Dude This is a good weather site, especially for elementary students. I teach second grade and found most of the material at an appropriate developmental level for my kids. He has links to activity sheets, some designed by Teacher Created Materials, Inc. and links to The Learning Network. It was written well and easy to navigate. Of course he has a CD of songs that he's offering for sale which will make the lessons "more appealing." It touched the basics of what is covered in the STC kit on weather and offered some extensions if the class wants to go further in the study. There's also a link to a site that offers $500 grants to classroom teachers for further study in atmospheric science or to purchase scientific equipment for the classroom.
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The Franklin Institute is the Demonstration Site for the
Eisenhower
Mid-Atlantic Consortium, providing science and math
resources for teachers.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9819641. © 2003. All rights reserved.
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