NASA Space Place : NASA's Space Place is an education and public outreach project for elementary school-age kids. A joint effort from NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology, and the International Technology and Engineering Education Association, this interactive collection of information boasts a whole lot of brain power behind it. The site features lively descriptions of different concepts that relate to five general topics: the sun, Earth, solar system, space, and people and technology. Each activity and item is clearly marked as something kids can explore, do, or play.
Space.com: Space.com is a free Web resource providing up-to-date news articles, images, video clips, and streaming TV shows to help users learn about the universe surrounding our planet. Students can see what kinds of space-related topics are trending, or they navigate using the site's menu bar. Topics include: Tech, Spaceflight, Science & Astronomy, Search for Life, Skywatching, Entertainment, and Shop.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website is the online presence of the well-known and well-respected pair of museums in and near Washington, D.C. It includes information on visiting the museums in person, but most of the site consists of current, past, and upcoming online exhibits, as well as object collections and educational resources like activities, learning guides, archives, online programs, virtual field trips, and a multimedia gallery.
Space by Tinybop: Space by Tinybop allows kids to be virtual space explorers. Kids tap on a rocket to blast into space and then move around the planets to compare their size; they can also see how they rotate around the sun to compare the length of each planet's year. As students explore, they can figure out the phases of the moon by tracing its orbit or zoom in on a planet to interact with the surface.
NOVA - PBS: NOVA's Space + Flight module is a curated compilation of relevant articles, videos, and other media. Middle and high school kids will be fascinated with NOVA's imagery and information on topics such as black holes. The site's non-video options, however, including the interactives, tend to be text-heavy.
Khan Academy: Biology: Biology teachers will be able to use some of these content-rich, pre-made lectures but should probably give the videos a quick preview. Some of the videos will fit right in with your curriculum, while others won't be the right fit for every student. The (sometimes) slow pace and handwritten screens could cause some students' eyes to glaze over. However, some of the videos here, especially those on evolution and genetics, could work as solid stand-ins for kids who miss class or simply want a review resource. Other topics -- for example, the details in the photosynthesis unit -- go beyond a typical high school level; these might work as an extension for more advanced students but won't help everyone.
PhET: Interactive Biology Simulations: PhET's excellent simulations let students visualize and take an active role in controlling complex scientific phenomena, but even with a few useful gems, they aren't as well suited for the K-12 classroom as their counterparts in other disciplines. While simulations for gene expression, the lac operon, membrane channels, and neurons are well made and beautifully illuminate these processes, they're beyond the reach of all but perhaps AP-level biology classes. There are a few tools nicely suited to other life sciences classes, like the natural selection simulator, the eating and exercise visualization, and the stretching DNA applet. In addition, the pH scale demonstration and Plinko probability tool help with chemical and mathematical concepts necessary to gaining deep understanding of biological phenomena.
CELLS Alive!: CELLS alive! is a no-frills cell biology and genetics reference site. It contains models, animations, short videos, images, definitions, quizzes, and activities on subtopics such as mitosis and meiosis, plant and animal cells, bacteria, viruses, and the immune system. Most of it is meant to be interacted with on the website itself, but there are a few printable activities. Much is free on the site, but certain things have a cost, such as PowerPoint presentations and some microscopy video clips. The site also links to what seems to be a sister site, GeneTiCs Alive!, which covers a few genetics topics.
Cell Command: Cell Command is an extensive browser-based game designed to teach students about animal cell anatomy and function. It contains six mini-games, each designed to teach the functions of different organelles inside those cells. When introduced to each mini-game, students learn how to play the mini-game itself, but also learn the purpose of the featured organelle. With more reference material than some basic lessons, this game is good for introducing cellular biology concepts and as a follow-up to lessons on the topic. The research on which the game is based is supported by The Institute of Education Sciences.
OLogy: Ology, the kids' website of the American Museum of National History, provides students with resources and related activities on a variety of topics, including Anthropology, Archaeology, Astronomy, Biodiversity, Brain, Climate Change, Earth, Einstein, Expeditions, Genetics, Marine Biology, Paleontology, Water, and Zoology. Kids simply click a topic to go to its main page.
Global Forest Watch: Global Forest Watch (GFW) is an online platform that provides data and tools for monitoring forests. By harnessing cutting-edge technology, GFW allows anyone to access near real-time information about where and how forests are changing around the world.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife - Endangered Species: We provide national leadership in the recovery and conservation of our nation's imperiled plant and animal species, working with experts in the scientific community to identify species on the verge of extinction and to build the road to recovery to bring them back. We work with a range of public and private partners to protect important habitat, and increase species' populations and reduce the threats to their survival so that they can be removed from federal protection.
National Centers for Environmental Information: We are the Nation’s leading authority for environmental data, and manage one of the largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic research in the world. NCEI contributes to the NESDIS mission by developing new products and services that span the science disciplines and enable better data discovery.
National Ocean Service : The National Ocean Service provides data, tools, and services that support coastal economies and their contribution to the national economy. NOS is dedicated to advancing the following priorities.
UN Environment Program : UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UNEP works on delivering transformational change for people and nature by drilling down on the root causes of the three planetary crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. UNEP employs seven interlinked subprogrammes for action: Climate Action, Chemicals and Pollutions Action, Nature Action, Science Policy, Environmental Governance, Finance and Economic Transformations and Digital Transformations.
NOAA: Interactive climate data, including graphs and maps, across the globe.
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions: Our mission is to advance strong policy and ambitious action to: reduce greenhouse gas emissions; promote and accelerate the clean energy transition; strengthen adaptation and resilience to climate impacts; and facilitate the necessary financial investments to do so. A range of solutions, including market-based approaches and other complementary policies will be critical to achieve each of these goals. We believe a sound climate strategy must reflect the urgent need for ambitious action. Solutions developed through inclusive stakeholder engagement, informed by the latest science focused on the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement, which are equitable and just leaving no one behind, and which create good jobs, are essential to ensure a strong, sustainable domestic and global economy.
Climate.org: The Climate Institute has been in a unique position to inform key decision-makers, heighten international awareness of climate change, and identify practical ways of achieving significant emissions reductions. This has been done through several different media including symposia, conferences, roundtables, and special briefings. These have been carried out not only in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan and Europe but also in as many as 30 developing countries providing expert advice at ministerial and heads of state briefings and at sessions with business executives and private citizens.
NASA: Global Climate Change: The mission of “Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet” is to provide the public with accurate and timely news and information about Earth’s changing climate, along with current data and visualizations, presented from the unique perspective of NASA, one of the world’s leading climate research agencies.
Environmental Protection Agency : Learn what the EPA does to regulate and reduce wastes under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and to help clean up when wastes or harmful substances pollute the land we live on.
The Lawrence Hall of Science : Scientific experimentation and investigation is the focus of Lawrence Hall of Science: 24/7 Science, the kids' section of a science website created by the University of California, Berkeley. Young learners will find instructions on experiments they can conduct offline as well as games that teach scientific fundamentals, like measurement and comparing the properties of different substances. All activities illustrate basic principles of physics, chemistry, astronomy, and other scientific fields. Many of the games and experiments are based around real-world issues, such as how cigarette smoking damages the lungs or how to spot potential household hazards.
Mystery Science: Mystery Science features video-based and inquiry-driven science units for elementary students. Each video lesson starts by posing a question commonly asked by students, like "Do worms really eat dirt?" or "Why are so many toys made out of plastic?" Subsequent videos and prompts guide class discussion, followed by an experiment that can be done as a class. These lessons range from five-minute mini-lessons to 45- to 60-minute full lessons. The lesson content covers a wide range of topics, including motion, biodiversity, engineering, and climate science. Many lessons have been adapted for distance learning, and it's easy to share lessons via a link or learning management system (LMS). All lessons are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards, with standard crosswalks provided for states and provinces that use their own science standards.
Mosa Mack Science: Mosa Mack Science features earth, physical, and life science units aimed at middle school classrooms; each unit emphasizes the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. Students start by watching either a live-action video or a cartoon featuring the likable character Mosa Mack, Science Detective, a young woman who solves science problems. Teachers can then organize each unit around a host of provided materials: lesson plans, graphic organizers, quizzes, slideshow presentations, videos, and rubrics.
Science Buddies: Science Buddies is the go-to site for anyone heading into a science or engineering project. Teachers will find checklists, handouts, and grading rubrics. Fair coordinators can utilize the planning guides and judges' information. Looking for a project idea? Search using specific keywords (think: "mold") or with broad topics (anything from "human behavior" to "oceanography"). Results are easily filtered by level of difficulty or time involved. Students can also employ the ingenious “Topic Selection Wizard.” Simply respond to prompts about your interests, and the site will provide an individualized list of project ideas.
National Science Digital Library: The National Science Digital Library includes over 26,000 online resources for use by pre-K through adult audiences. The resources cover the various sciences, technology, computers, engineering, and math, along with some resources for history and education, and are for both formal and informal learning. The Library is merely an organized collection of the resources; to access the resources themselves, teachers end up visiting their original websites. The providers of the content vary in size, scope, and quality, from organizations like NASA to individuals who maintain STEM-based websites. Most resources are freely accessible, but some sites may have a cost associated with access.