Resources+Wiki

 Interactive Computer Simulations of Science Labs and Demonstrations:  Lab Reports: = [|LabWrite Middle School Worksheet Booklet], published by NCSU. Plus more information and helpful guides for the entire laboratory experience at []. = Videos: 
 *  [|PhET project at the University of Colorado] -- Interactive science simulations; PhET provides fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena for free.
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 *  [|Middle School Science – Generic Lab Report Rubric]
 *  [] Download videos you find online onto your computer. This will help save your lesson when the internet is slow, crashes, or otherwise "not working" from one computer to the next.

Videos with other Interactives or Lessons
 *  Gamequarium Site has quite a lot of videos (and games if you click back) on Bill Nye the Science Guy and the Magic School Bus. Organized by categories and subcategories.
 * Search for videos: TeacherTube, [|SchoolTube] , YouTube Lots of user-created content including student projects and online lectures. My favorite are the songs/raps, many of which contain lyrics.
 *  NeoK12 Videos organized by categories and subcategories.
 *  FCSTube Franklin County School District pulled videos from the web that might be useful to teachers. Videos organized by category, then searchable.
 *  [|Powers of 10 Film] . This is a very cool short video that examines the relative scale of the universe by factors of 10.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|Teachers' Domain] - A free digital media service for educational use from public broadcasting and its partners. There's also some lesson planning here. Searchable by subject, grade, media type, etc.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|Periodic Table of Videos] - short videos of each element on the Periodic Table, mostly narrated by a British guy who looks straight from Central Casting as a Mad Scientist.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> BrainPop Great videos/animations, but requires a subscription ($$$)
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|PBS] Lots of great content. Videos typically include extra content for teachers including transcripts, games, interactives, etc.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Discovery Another site with tons of content: videos, blogs, quizzes. Be sure to take a look in all the individual network sites like Science Channel, Discovery Health, etc.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> National Geographic Videos, audio, maps, pictures, plus lessons.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|How to Smile] seems like a pretty cool site. It includes media, activities, lesson plans, demonstrations, etc
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Wanna show a video, but need to keep your kids focused? Grab a [|worksheet] New York Science Teachers have put together and used for "educational" and pop movies.

<span style="display: block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-style: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Games/Quizzes
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> ClassTools Make arcade style games.


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Quia Quizzes and study games. Make your own with a subscription, or use others for free.


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Discovery Channel's [|Discovery Education] has a lot to offer, and I haven't really delved into it yet (someone else might improve on this entry), but their [|Discovery Education P] [|uzzlemaker] website looks very handy.

<span style="display: block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-style: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lesson Ideas/Tools
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|Instructify] (a spin-off of the [|Learn NC] website, which has myriad lesson plans and training initiatives) is a great source for lesson tools and website reviews.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|Glogster], and especially it's educational version [|GlogsterEDU] , is a free interactive poster-making and class project site.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The New York Times' [|Learning Network] has lesson teaching and learning materials and ideas based on NYT content. Also great graphics. Here is a link directly to the [|Science Lesson Plans].
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|My Science Box] has lots of lesson plans categorized by unit. The great thing about this one, is that it is a comprehensive unit from one teacher. While I wouldn't use everything, it gives you an idea of the flow and options.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|Science NetLinks] is an outgrowth (I think) of AAAS and Thinkfinity (which I haven't explored yet -- can someone else familiar with the site give an opinion here?). It has scads of resources, lesson plans, and tools for science curricula. Check out, e.g., the [|Planet Size Comparison] resource -- who knew Saturn was so much bigger than Earth?
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|Tux Paint] - free open source interactive drawing/painting tool, geared for K-6, but probably appropriate for all middle school grades. Fun sound effects are optional! Comes with all sorts of stamps downloaded separately.

Professional Development:
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|Edmodo] - seems to be the Facebook for the classroom. Basically a prettier version of Blackboard. It has groups (classes), a calendar, a blog, a place to post polls and assignments. Students can complete assignments and send them to you directly through the site and can get files from your library.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Annenberg Media's [|Learner.org], especially [|Science 6-8] and [|Science 9-12] . This is where you find all sorts of thoughtful videos, such as "A Private Universe," which examines the power of prior knowledge to inhibit or advance student learning.

Books in Print: <span style="display: block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-style: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Writing Resources:
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> NIH has some books (~80pg) that just arrived. I ordered class sets for __Inside the Cell__ and __The New Genetics__. They are above the reading level of some of my students, but have some great pictures and usable articles. Its a great alternative text and all FREE!
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Team Building Activities Resource - Team Challenges by Kris Bordessa, this book has some really great ideas (170+)that could turn into science lessons. For example, there is a team challenge where all team members make a circle and face outward. They are given a piece of flexible black piping and a marble. The black piping is wrapped around the team. They must keep the black piping in contact with their waist at all times. They are timed to see how fast they can get the marble around the tube! I could relay this to friction, gravity, force, intertia, etc. This book has some great ideas for those classes right before the holidays!! Fun, active stuff!
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|http://rubistar.4teachers.org/] - free rubric creator for "project-based" assignments
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|NPR science podcasts] - these podcasts can be great material for short essay responses
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|WritingFix science writing prompts] - a site that offers science writing prompts in the form of the RAFT organizing concept (Role, Audience, Format, Topic); could be used for generating essay assignments
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> [|Staples HS Science Writing Page] - Clearly for someone's class in CT, but it looks like it has good resources, writing organization techniques for students (e.g., note taking strategies, article templates) as well as source material links, and other forms and guides.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">CPR: [|Calibrated Peer Review] is a writing/teaching tool out of UCLA that is being used nationwide to elivate the writing of science students. The basis of CPR is that students read/watch/listen to several pieces of primary sources and then construct an essay synthesizing the materials. That's the first step. In the calibration stage, they must grade three instructor produced essays, answering basic questions regarding content and grammar before giving a grade. Then they must grade two peer papers and finally their own. If their calibration is way off, their score for the peer papers is weighted less than a better grader. It takes some practice, but It saves grading time and gets the students further into the concepts and metacognition than many other assignments.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Brainpop grammar great movies about grammar and parts of speech (requires subscription)
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Teachersdomain "These self-paced classroom activities are designed to enhance the literacy skills of struggling readers in grades 5–8. Each uses videos, interactive activities, note-taking, reading, and writing to present students with an engaging science or history topic."
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Scholastic Writing with Scientists from the American Museum of Natural History. In the workshop students will • use your notes and research for maximum effect• successfully structure your science report• publish and explore science reports online
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">NSTA Science Writing a book from NSTA on Science Writing ($1, FREE if you are a member of NSTA)
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">[|Read Write Think] is awesome!!!!