Best Resources for Science Teachers

Science is all about discovery, exploration, and learning. The net is full of resources that you can use to bring science to life in and outside of your classroom. To provide you with an easy way to access these resources, I compiled for you the list below featuring some of the best science websites and platforms.  This selection is based on my own experience blogging and reviewing several of these websites and is also based on my own research using a wide variety of premium search analytic tools.  This is a work in progress. Feel free to share with us on the social media profiles of ETML if you have other suggestions to add to this list. YouTube channels for science teachers and students  Check out this curated list of some of the best YouTube channels that cover science topics from body and nature to health and food.The channels provide diverse video content including tutorials, explainers, guides, news, documentaries, short movies, courses, and many more. Science websites for kids This is a collection of science websites I curated especially for kids and young learners. The websites offer various educational resources such as hands-on activities, interactive games, quizzes, virtual experiments, and many more. Teachers and parents can use them to teach kids science in fun and engaging ways. Science podcasts for teachers and students In this collection you will have access to some of the best educational podcasts covering the topic of science. Most of these podcasts are hosted or co-hosted by teachers and educators and are available on different podcasting platforms including Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many more.  Science dictionaries for teachers and students In this page you will have access to some of the best science dictionaries to help students with their science learning. Students will be able to search for an find explanations of technical jargon, view illustrations, and explore several other learning materials. Science YouTube channels for kids Check out this collection of some of the best science YouTube channels that provide educational video content designed specifically for young learners. National Geographic NAT Geo is your one-stop platform for everything related to science and nature. It covers stories, topics, and world series exploring the world of animals, environment, history, culture, travel, archaeology, and more. BrainPOP The science section in BrainPOP offers a wide variety of video lessons to help you teach different science topics in class. These lessons come with other teaching materials such as quizzes, worksheets, graphic organizers, related readings, and many more.  There are numerous units in BrainPOP and each unit contains a number of lessons. Units include Earth System, Ecology and Behavior, Energy, Matter and Chemistry, Space, Weather, Forces of Nature, Scientific Inquiry, and many more. There is also Brain POP Jr which is an edition of BrainPOP designed specifically for kids. Mosa Mack Mosa Mack is an interesting resource for science teachers and students. Mosa Mack provides students with a variety of short animated mysteries that they have to solve using knowledge gleaned from videos they watch. Mosa Mack adopts an inquiry-based approach to science learning and provides content that is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Mosa Mack arranges its science content into units each of which is comprised of three lessons that ‘progress upwards on Blooms Taxonomy and the the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) chart.’ Additionally, each lesson comes with a number of hands-on activities and several other materials (e.g graphic organizers, PowerPoint presentations, assessments, lesson plans…etc). ‘Mosa Mack is built for 4th through 8th grade classrooms. For differentiation within these grades, teachers are provided with an Inquiry Scale that allows the lessons to be levelled up or down depending on the class needs.’ Mystery Science Mystery Science provides a wide variety of lessons to enhance your students learning of science and engage them in hands-on activities focused around a given Mystery. Every activity is designed around simple supplies which ’you should already have in the classroom or around your home.’ Each Mystery revolves around a hands-on activity and comes with a number of short videos and discussions (called Exploration).  While it takes about an hour to combine both the activity and Exploration, teachers have the option to divide the two components and do them in different class periods. Additionally, ‘The Mysteries within a unit build upon each other, so they are intended to be taught in order. Later Mysteries will often reference things discussed in earlier Mysteries. However, each unit is designed to stand alone so you can teach the units in any order you wish.’ Understanding Science Understanding Science was produced by the UC Museum of Paleontology of the University of California at Berkeley in collaboration with a diverse group of scientists and teachers, and was funded by the National Science Foundation. This platform provides a wide variety of science sources for teachers and students. "Understanding Science is a fun, accessible, and free resource that accurately communicates what science is and how it really works — and that helps K-16 teachers reinforce the nature and process of science throughout their science teaching." Scientific American Published in 1845, Scientific American is one the most popular platforms where science  experts share science knowledge. It covers topics related to science, history, health, space, physics, environment, technology, and more. 'It has published articles by more than 200 Nobel Prize winners.' Periodic Videos This is a periodic table of chemical elements with an illustrative video around each element. This wonderful work has been realized by The University of Nottingham. Ptable is another great interactive periodic table. Chemical elements on Ptable are organized by atomic number, properties, and electron configuration. Each element on this periodic table is outsourced to Wikipedia for more information. PhET PhET offers a wide variety of interactive simulations for science and math. Students can use sliders and instruments (e.g., rulers, stop-watches, thermometers) to interact with the simulations. For each modification they create students get immediate feedback allowing them to test their scientific insights as they learn. PhET is also available as an app for iOS and Android. Discovery Education Discovery Education provides engaging content to helps students understand the working of science in everyday life. Content includes virtual field trips, videos, text, podcasts, interactives, courses, curriculum packs, teacher toolkits, ready-made activities and many more. Discovery Education also provides teachers with tools to design interactive lessons and quizzes and to check for understanding.  The Smithsonian Learning Lab The Smithsonian Learning Lab is "a free, interactive platform that gives educators access to millions of Smithsonian digital resources and provides easy-to-use tools so you can upload, download, adapt, create, and share with your colleagues and students. Combine Smithsonian resources with your own to quickly create personalized lessons and activities suitable for any subject or grade, or adapt one of thousands of existing collections to better suit your needs. You can also create student rosters and assign content directly to your classes all in a safe environment that meets the highest school privacy standards." National Science Teachers Association The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is "a vibrant community of 40,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in their career. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field". The Next Generation Science Standards The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K-12 science content standards whose goal is to provide teachers and educators with "the flexibility to design classroom learning experiences that stimulate students’ interests in science and prepares them for college, careers, and citizenship". NGSS Resource Library provides access to resources to help with the implementation of Next Generation Science Standards. Use the filters resource type and audience to help you with your search. Science Buddies Science Buddies provides hands-on STEM resources for your classroom. These include lesson plans, teacher guides, worksheets, ready-made activities, grading rubrics, STEM projects, video tutorials, and many more. The Naked Scientist The Naked Scientist is a platform operated by a group of scientists and experts. It provides insightful materials such as podcasts, articles, experiments, interviews with scientists and researchers, answers to science questions, and many more.  The Naked Scientist covers biology, chemistry, earth science, engineering, life, medicine, physics, space, and technology. EdHeads Edheads is "an online educational resource that provides free science and math games and activities that promote critical thinking. Choose from Simple Machines, Virtual Knee Surgery or Stem Cell Heart Repair, among others. All activities meet state and national standards". Science Daily ScienceDaily "features breaking news about the latest discoveries in science, health, the environment, technology, and more -- from leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations. Visitors can browse more than 500 individual topics, grouped into 12 main sections (listed under the top navigation menu), covering: the medical sciences and health; physical sciences and technology; biological sciences and the environment; and social sciences, business and education". Young Scientist lab "The mission of the Young Scientist Lab is to foster a new generation of scientists who are inspired to improve the world with science. For teachers, students and parents seeking a place to explore the world of scientific innovations and opportunities, Discovery Education and 3M developed this interactive portal filled with engaging activities and standards-aligned teaching tools, anchored by the award-winning annual Young Scientist Challenge." Science Friday Science Friday provides a wide variety of educational materials to help make science learning fun and enjoyable. These include podcasts, videos, STEM materials, learning activities, science news, science stories and many more. Gizmos Gizmos "are interactive math and science virtual labs and simulations for grades 3-12. Over 400 Gizmos aligned to the latest standards help educators bring powerful new STEM learning experiences to the classroom." Inq-ITS Inq-ITS is "a science learning platform with NGSS-aligned simulations across science content areas. Students show what they know and educators get real-time, actionable data to inform whole class instruction or one-on-one support. Rex, the virtual coach, gives students personalized assistance to help students conduct inquiry." Generation Genius 'Generation Genius is an educational website that offers standards-based K-8 video lessons covering various science and math topics. Each video lesson comes with a detailed lesson plan, discussion questions, and an assessment section that features three main types of assessment types namely online quiz games, quiz PDF, and Exit ticket. Generation Genius also offers a monthly homekit that contains supplies to help kids (under the supervision of adults) carry out hands-on science experiments at home'. This post originally appeared in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning ( www.educatorstechnology.com ).
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