Biology Classroom Resources

This collection of lessons and web resources is aimed at classroom teachers, their students, and students' families. Most of these resources come from the National Science Digital Library (NSDL). NSDL is the National Science Foundation's online library of resources for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. See www.nsdl.org

Teachers' Domain: Life Science
Resource: Educator (grades K-12)
http://www.teachersdomain.org/collection/k12/sci.life/
The Teachers' Domain Web site provides information about life science including lesson plans, short video clips and high quality photographs.

Birdsleuth
Resource: Educator (grades K-8), Children (grades pre-K-8) and Parents
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdsleuth
Developed at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Birdsleuth curriculum is a series of inquiry-based units for elementary and middle school students who learn to identify birds and submit data to a national online database, all the while helping scientists to better understand birds. Educators can provide some simple information and get access to specific lessons. Children can also access the online magazine which features research done by children for children.

Turtle Trax
Resource: General Public and Student Research Information
http://www.turtles.org
This site highlights the wonder and beauty of the marine turtle, specifically, the Hawaiian green sea turtle. Content provides the user with information on the plight and decreasing population of the sea turtle as well as opportunities to help their survival.

Neuroscience for Kids
Resource: Educator (grades K-8), Students (grades K-8) and Parents
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
This Web site "Neuroscience for Kids", maintained by Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D., is for students and teachers who would like to learn more about the nervous system. The focus is on the functioning of the brain. The site offers content for teachers in the classroom as well as captivating and fun activities and games for students from grade K-8.

Pest World for Kids
Resource: Educator (grades K-8), Students (grades K-8) and Parents
http://www.pestworldforkids.org/index.html
The National Pest Management Association's Web site explores pest ecology. The site is designed for students to play games, get science fair project ideas, and general pest information. The site provides teachers in the elementary and middle school grade with lesson plans, activities, and background information.

Cool Science for Curious Kids
Resource: Educator (middle and high school) and Children (ages 5-7)
http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/index.html
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute invites an audience of educators and students of all ages to explore science and math. The site provides teacher resources with free registration and a secion for "Curious Kids" with simple projects.

ActionBioscience.org
Resource: Educator (high school-college level), Science Professionals and the General Public
http://www.actionbioscience.org
This Web site is an educational resource of the American Institute of Biological Sciences that promotes bioscience literacy. The site provides articles by scientists, science educators and science students on many topics such as biodiversity, environment, genomics, biotechnology and more. It also includes original lessons and resources to enhance bioscience teaching.

Sci4Kids
Resource: Educator (elementary school) and Parents
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency, finds solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day, from field to table. This webpage has animated, fun stories for young children presenting factual information which affects their daily lives.

Slug Site
Resource: General Public and Student research information
http://www.slugsite.tierranet.com
The Slug Site is a Web site whoes mission is to support scientific and medical research relating to seaslugs (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Nudibranchia) and their allies. The site has provides professional and general information resources and photos from around the world. The photos and videos are beautiful! Although the site targets an audience of high school and above, the site would capture the imagination of the younger audience as well.

Whales Online
Resource: General Public and Student Research Information
http://www.whales-online.org
Whales Online is an information site dedicated to the conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the Southern Hemisphere. The site provides valuable information for the protection of these mammals and their enviornment and safety. The beautiful videos and stories will be enjoyed by all ages.

Cells Alive
Resource: Educator (high school and above), Student Research Information and General Public
http://www.cellsalive.com
All text, images and layout is provided by Jim Sullivan and represents over 25 years of experience capturing film and computer-enhanced images of living cells and organisms for education and medical research. Cells Alive provides great annimations and videos which can be downloaded for classroom use.

Marine Biology Web, an Educational Resource
Resource: General Public and Student Research Information
http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/mbweb.html
Maintained by marine biologist Jeff Levinton, the site is an educational resource for marine biology students at pre-college level and above, and includes reference lists organized by subject. The site provides current articles and numerous links to other sites.

BioTech
Resource: Students (high school-graduate student level) and Professional Researchers
http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/
Located at University of Texas at Austin, BioTech is a hybrid biology/chemistry educational resource and research tool intended to be a learning tool to enhance knowledge of biology issues. The site provides quick access to biology-related resources for high school level and above.

Strange Science
Resource: General Public
http://www.strangescience.net/index.htm
Strange Science is a Web site which describes the history of paleontology and biology by emphasizing the people who contributed to these fields and some of their erroneous theories. Although this site focuses more on the history of science than on evolution, it treats evolution as a scientific fact, not "just a theory."

Botany for Kids
Resource: Children and Parents
http://kids.nbii.gov/
Developed by USGS Center for Biological Informatics, this Web site is intended for young children. It provides stories, games, and activities while teaching the facts about biology in a fun and engaging manner. Very colorful and eye appealing as well as easy to navigate from one venue to another.

T-Rex
Resource: Educator
http://school.discovery.com
The Discovery Web site provides a lesson plan section for teachers from grades K-12. This specific one is about T-Rex and is one of many lesson plans relating to animals for grades 6-8 . All lesson plans include objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, evaluation ideas, suggested readings and vocabulary.

Biology Research Overview
Resource: All Audiences
http://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/biology/index.jsp
A bat, a mushroom, a long blade of prairie grass. They're easy to identify as "life." what about a cold virus? Mold growing on a slice of bread? Or seeds encased in hard protective "shells" that can lie dormant for centuries? What, in essence, is this thing we call life? This Web page on the National Science Foundations's Web site gives us answers to many biological questions. Beautiful images can ignite the interest of all ages.