Science

How It Works

Use this tool to "draw" on and label any map available through Google Maps, including maps of the night sky! No registration or email required! Create a colorful, personalized map with added scribbles and labels. Add your choice of placemarker labels for geology locations, people, etc. There are even little icons available to use. Your drawing or "Scribble Map" is then available to share by URL, email, or print. Slightly more savvy users can download, save as a kml file (readable in Google Maps or Google Earth), or embed the map in another site. The tools include sharing the map on Facebook and Twitter, as well. Add images by pasting in their urls. Drawing tools include lines, circles, place pointers, text labels, and color/size/transparency controls for all tools. Place pointers can be edited by selecting them (arrow tool), then clicking the small pencil. This site does include Google Ads and all the normal controls of Google maps, including satellite, map, terrain, hybrid views and Night Sky. See a sample Scribble Map created by the TeachersFirst editors (drag the map with your mouse!). Explore the tools and MENU options at the top left when you start out. Try the different Maps views (lower right) and zoom controls. Search for a starter location using the search at the top left, just below the tools. There is no help available, but it is easy to do basic maps. Share, save, etc. by clicking Menu (top left). When you first save a map, it will ask you to create a password for that map to use to edit it later. Note that if you SAVE a map and share it by URL, those accessing it will be able to use the tools and change the map. If you want them to see it without changing it, you will need to embed it in a blog, wiki, or other web site. The map ID can be changed and customized by simply typing in your own choice of ID when you are saving the map.

In the Classroom

Students and teachers will want to keep a written record or map URLS and passwords for future reference. Model this for students so they do not lose hours of work! Teachers can prepare partially-made maps or maps for students to make corrections and changes by giving the students the URL, then having them SAVE the map with a NEW ID. To SAVE the map with a new name and URL, click "Save map" in the menu, then enter your OWN map ID. Students could use a code including their initials, such as SJ12-3-09 for a map made by Sally Jones on Dec 3, 2009. Teachers should PASSWORD protect their originals so changes can only be saved under a new name. Similarly, if a student saves the map with a map password, they don’t have to worry about other students vandalizing their work. But they DO need to remember the password! Wise teachers will keep a class list of maps and passwords for forgetful students! In primary grades, make maps of your local community together on your interactive whiteboard as you teach basic map skills. Create your own "key" with symbols you choose for playgrounds, etc. Have students help map locations of favorite playgrounds, grandparents’ houses, stores, etc. as they gain basic understanding of map skills. Make sure you allow students to operate the tools! Save the map and share it as a link from your class web site (or embed it there). Keep names generic so it is "safe." Other ideas to challenge gifted student beyond the curriculum or elevate challenge for small groups include: natural resource maps, immigration maps, maps of civil war battles day by day, maps of key sites in the life of a famous person, artist, or author, maps of the settings in a novel, landform maps of a continent or state, "My life" maps of places important to an elementary student’s family, annotated watershed maps of pollution sources, maps of the water cycle, maps of constellations in the night sky created by students to demonstrate understanding, maps of a dream community to be built in a vacant area (desert), including the water sources, etc. that will be needed, maps of a redesigned city/town on top of its current map. Teachers can provide map challenges or templates to be completed or corrected, including maps where students must label distances and cardinal directions between points (using map scale and skills). Or provide a teacher-created map with labels in the wrong places for students to correct the landforms, resources, etc. What will YOU do with Scribble Maps?

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How It Works

Use HealthMap (Powered by Google Maps) to view the status of different diseases around the world, compare between countries,and identify trends. HealthMap brings up to date data from multiple sources into one place for better visualizing. Click on the Blog link to access specific information about diseases including symptoms and treatment. Refine your search on the map by disease, category, or region of the world. This site can be viewed in French, Spanish, and several other languages.

In the Classroom

Use this site whether you are discussing illness and viruses, socioeconomic factors that affect disease rates, or looking to offer a critical thinking exercise for your students. Have groups of students choose a continent. As a group, have them investigate the diseases, where they are concentrated, and the factors involved in the transmission. Students can share findings on posters or using a wiki or blog. For quicker projects, create electronic "posters" or word graphics using tools such as Piclits (reviewed here) or Typogenerator (reviewed here).rn

rnAs the groups find information, they may find parallels to other group’s work that can spark discussions between the groups. Through use of this site, encourage student groups to look beyond the biology of diseases to research living conditions in other areas of the world.

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How It Works

Remember the periodic table? You know that there is something to its organization, and many students either love or hate the elements. No matter what their thoughts, use the Periodic Videos to dispense information or create excitement. Every element in the periodic table has a video which provides background information, ties in to new discoveries or application to everyday life, and can contain an experiment for better understanding. At first glance, each video is narrated by an Einstein-type scientist, but upon further watching, quite an impressive bit of knowledge is displayed. Videos are continuously updated to provide new information and bigger and better experiments. A list of most watched and recommended is available below the table. Videos are hosted on You Tube. Is You Tube blocked at your school? No problem! Click on the link that shows the videos hosted on a different server. Click on Features to view special videos on groups of elements. A subscription link at the bottom can be used to be informed of video and site changes.

In the Classroom

Have each student view a different element and obtain standard information to report to the class. As students report their findings informally, have them sit in the row and position in the periodic table. Ask the class whether any other student has found information similar in some way. As they raise their hand, they can discuss the similarities as well as other information they found and then sit in their relative seats. (Of course the chairs must be arranged in rows and columns!) Students will begin to notice that the rows and columns mean something. Students in each row or column can then discuss among themselves the relationship of the elements that place them in those positions. Students can also research the use of the elements to the world around them or society by using these videos as an excellent introduction and continuing their research on the web.

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How It Works

The Library of Congress offers this searchable database of historical maps, which includes a large collection of city maps, maps of military battles and campaigns, maps related to transportation and communication, and maps focused on exploration and discovery. Within each category, you can search geographically or by time period. Each map accessed can be navigated using a zoom feature for better viewing. Maps cover a wide range of national and international subjects.

In the Classroom

Teachers with interactive whiteboards or projectors will find these maps a natural companion to lessons involving history, geography, and cultural changes. Sometimes seeing a map drawn at the same time as the event under discussion can lend a whole new understanding of the culture of the people being studied. It’s far more dramatic to imagine sailing into the unknown on a voyage of discovery while you look at the only maps available to those aboard.

Be sure to have students use the whiteboard tools to draw in their own “corrections” or annotations showing the movement of people or strategies used in battles. Since thee resources are in the public domain, you are allowed to copy them into your whiteboard software and keep the student annotations atop the maps, as well. The maps also make good visuals for "mock" blog entries by historical figures!

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• Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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How It Works

This all-encompassing atlas site provides a broad variety of information and activities. The subject areas include agriculture, biology, boundaries, climate, environment, geology, government, history, mapping, transportation, people, and water. All of the subjects incorporate the United States (for example, the agriculture pages discuss the agriculture of the USA). The map features are phenomenal and include both printable maps and "dynamic maps" which are interactive and awesome! Some of interactive maps include topics such as relief and elevation, West Nile virus, volcanoes and more. This site is a perfect addition to any science class that is studying volcanoes, climate, biology and more. It is also useful in a geography class studying the various uses and types of maps.

In the Classroom

Have your students work in cooperative learning groups to investigate the "dynamic maps". Assign each group a topic to explore (there are 7). Have the students research the information using the maps and then report their findings to the class, perhaps displaying examples on a projector or interactive whiteboard. In teaching any of the related subjects, using a projector to share a map will make the content more "real," such as displaying the butterfly layer in the map maker so students can see how the butterfly population their home state compares with other locations.

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• Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
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• Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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How It Works

This unique program is designed to provide opportunities for students to become more aware of our natural resources, how to keep "common" animals common, and how to read various maps. The website provides a great deal of information for teachers wanting to use this program with their students (see teacher information). The activities could be used in any states, although some of the states already have active projects. This activity could easily be done locally, too, by using a county map. The regional activities provide students with hands-on science activities, field observations, project design and data management. Don’t forget to check out the learning modules that provide lesson plans and standards. rnrnrn

In the Classroom

Use this activity to help foster an appreciation for our land and biodiversity. The maps would work well on a projection screen. Even if your state does not have a project, consider doing a biodiversity "map" of your community and annotating it with digital pictures on a bulletin board or powerpoint slides.

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• Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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How It Works

Find online video lessons and free resources on this MIT site. BLOSSOMS features great STEM videos as well as links to other STEM resources on the site. Find great resources that focus on the use of science and math knowledge to bring these topics to life. View a variety of topics such as Using Geometry to Design Simple Machines, Galaxies and Dark Matter, and Classifying Animals by Appearance Versus DNA Sequence. On each video page, click the link to view the video, read a summary of the information, and even download the transcript, teachers guide, and images that are used for the video. Downloads are available in Word or Adobe Reader format. Interested in the topic? Use the links at the bottom to view other sites and resources.

In the Classroom

Use as some great starters to a unit where students can question what needs to be understood to solve the problem. Brainstorm questions, research information, or use these as starters for daily lessons. Provide time for students to view videos and report their understandings via a blog or report. Create student reviews of videos to be placed on a blog and allow for commenting on the videos and the reviews themselves.

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• Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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How It Works

Learn about the emerging art form of digital storytelling at this comprehensive site containing examples, how-to tutorials, and more for incorporating digital storytelling into any educational activity. Choose the digital storytelling link to understand the seven elements of digital storytelling and 21st-century skills enhanced by storytelling. Choose the educational materials section to access a variety of lessons and assessment tools. The how-to portion shares ideas for getting started and online tools to use with storytelling.

In the Classroom

Bookmark and share this site with students to learn more about the process of digital storytelling. Find additional online digital storytelling resources reviewed here. Challenge students to redefine their learning by incorporating digital storytelling skills into multimedia presentations including video, images, and more using a storytelling tool like Sway, reviewed here.

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• Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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How It Works

These lesson plans take an authentic approach to understanding air quality. Select the Education for a good over view of the activities and resources. Choose from several lessons where students learn about what’s in the air and investigate air quality in their school or community. Aligned to National Standards.

In the Classroom

Have students contribute what they discover about air quality from these activities by keeping and updating an air quality bulletin board. Use a tool such as Padlet, reviewed here. Padlet allows you to create columns for posting in categories. Add columns to sort information about air composition, i.e. gasses, chemicals, particulate matter, etc. Exchange paper and pen and have students create blogs sharing their air quality learning process using Site123, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, replace pencil and paper and challenge your students to create a blog using Seesaw, reviewed here. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos demonstrating their inquiry science activities. If you are less experienced with technology use with your students, a tool such as Powtoon, reviewed here.

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• Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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How It Works

Google Maps gives you live visuals of any location, ideal for planning a trip, picturing the relationship between places, and viewing physical characteristics of almost anywhere in the world. Type or paste in an address and click "search maps." If you click Satellite or hybrid versions of the map, you will see actual satellite images of the terrain. Zoom in and out, use the street view "orange man" to walk among the buildings and trees, or plan and share a route easily with Google Maps. Using your (free) Google membership allows you to save favorite places and more. Find businesses and other features near a specific map location: hotels, restaurants, schools, parks, and more. Google Maps has become more and more sophisticated, now offering many features previously only available in Google Earth, such as opening and/or saving placemarker files. Unlike Google Earth, Google Maps does not require software installation and does not use as much bandwidth for constant reloading. You can even play a tour of places you mark in Google Maps. They just keep adding more features! Google Maps is available as a free app for Android and iOS, too. The handy embed codes let you put any Google Map in a web page, blog, or wiki. Of course you do not need a membership or any special skills to simply SEE, share, or navigate a map. Membership gives you more ways to save.

In the Classroom

If you teach geography, this one’s a must. It is also helpful for showing students WHERE a story or news event takes place. In lower grades, use it to show students basics of their community. Teach map skills by showing students their own community. Zoom in on their street or on the school. This site and its more sophisticated cousin, Google Earth, are great on an interactive whiteboard. Set up a class Google account (or use student accounts if permitted). Have students create their own custom route plans to tour historic sites. Challenge math students to plan the most economical route to visit several vacation destinations, including gas mileage and gas prices. Have students create placemarker files of the important places in the life of a famous person or the route traveled by a particular unit during the Civil War. Have student groups create placemarker files to show environmental sites, habitats, landforms, or anything you can place on a map. Embed projects in a class wiki using the handy embed code offered as a sharing option. Not comfortable with wikis? Check out TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through.

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• Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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