Science Websites

Live From Antarctica
quest.arc.nasa.gov:80/antarctica2

Another award winning website from the US National Science Foundation funded 'Passport to Knowledge' series. Students have the opportunity to go on an electronic field trip to Antarctica. The site includes reports, photographs and journal entries from the five scientists in the Ecological Research project team based at Palmer Station, Antarctica. Jan Wee, the Educational Coordinator, explains that this Internet project "offers a unique and exciting 'over-the-shoulder' view of the daily life and work of the Antarctic Team... men and women who dedicate their lives to expanding our understanding of this remote continent and its precious ecosystem". Children who become involved in the project and get the chance to interact with the men and women in the team. The website includes a very good map section. The Educational Coordinator has produced a complete set of lesson and activity plans. There is also a 'Journal Scavenger Hunt' where the students solve a set of clues by reading the online journals from the research team. A marvellous website for all the family. (KS2/3: Application of Science HR)

Ocean Planet
http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ocean_planet.html

This website is managed by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. The Ocean Planet is a virtual reality tour of the successful exhibition held at the National Museum of Natural History in 1995-6. The original exhibition attracted nearly two million visitors and now it has been made available to the rest of the world. The design of the website lets you click the floor plan to navigate, or you can search the site by subject. Most of the educational materials available here were developed specifically for the Ocean Planet Exhibition. These are in electronic form and can be retrieved for use in the classroom. Other organisations such as the University of Kansas and the New England Aquarium have also developed materials that link with the exhibition and these are also available from this website. There are also nine free fact-sheets that relate to the exhibition. A splendid website that is well worth the visit. (KS2/3: Life Processes HR)

The Nine Planets
http://seds.1pl.arizona.edu/nineplanets.html

The Nine Planets is an amazing website designed by Bill Arnett, a software engineer from San Jose, California. Bill Arnett is one of the pioneering figures of the Internet and is developing standards that hopefully others will try to maintain. Bill Arnett is to the Internet what D.W. Griffith was to the movies. The Nine Planet provides an overview of the history, mythology and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in our solar system. Each page has text and images and some have sound and video. Contents include 'Express Tour', 'Overview of the Solar System', 'Other Solar System', 'Spacecraft', 'Discovery Chronology', 'The Origin of the Solar System', 'Planetary Linguistics' and 'Astronomical Names'. The photographs of the planets and moons are spectacular. There is also an excellent glossary and links with other relevant websites. Bill Arnett's is one of the first stars of the Internet. (KS2/3: The Earth & Beyond HR)

Children's Butterfly Site
http://www.mesc.nbs.gov/Butterfly.html

The Midcontinent Ecological Science Centre has produced this very good butterfly site for younger children. There is a colouring page that shows the life cycle of the Monarch and a gallery of butterfly photographs. Another section provides answers to frequently asked questions about butterflies and moths. The website also provides links with other websites with information about butterflies. This includes very comprehensive sites such as the 'Butterflies of the United States'. (KS2: Life Processes UE)

The Laboratory
http://www.cb4kids.ca/norm-homepage.html

This website has been developed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Laboratory is an constantly evolving site which gives educators and chance to try out new ideas for teaching children science. There are regular features such as 'Weird News from the World of Science', 'Cool Experiments to do at Home', 'You Asked: Your Wacky Questions' and 'The History of Invention'. When the book was written 'The Big Bang' was the Labatory's main science feature. The writer provides a clear explanation of Leo Frank's 'Big Splash' theory, or what he/she calls 'Snowballs from Space'. Links with other sites that give more detailed information on Frank's ideas are also provided. The Laboratory is a site that is well worth a regular visit. (KS2/3: Various HR)

St. Louis Science Centre
www.sisc.org

St. Louis Science Centre is a museum that is experimenting with new and more interactive ways of displaying their exhibits. Their first online gallery is 'Ecology and Environment Past'. This gallery enables the user to explore 300 pages of photographs, animation, videos, drawings and text. 'Ecology and Environment Past' includes Dinosaur animations, a robotic T-Rex, Mississippian and Pennsylvanian dioramas and a Triceratops excavation. There is also an exhibition on the St. Louis area that explains how the region has changed through geological time, which creatures have lived there in the past, and what its current earthquake and tornado risks are. 'Science Adventures' is another popular part of the site. St. Louis Science Centre describe their science adventures as "pre-visit treasure maps that lead your class to the excitement of learning". Titles include: 'Struggle in the Steamy Swamp', 'The Talking Rock', 'Marooned on the Moon', an 'An Alien Report' They are currently designing these science adventures to be used by online visitors. (KS2/3: Various HR)

Science Museum of Minnesota
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us

This website is produced by the Science Learning Network and the Science Museum of Minnesota. Aimed at younger children, there are several interactive areas including projects on 'Windmills to Whirligis', 'Worms' and 'Monarchs and Migration'. Teachers and children all over the world are encouraged to participate in these projects. The philosophy of the project is clearly illustrated in the excellent 'Thinking Fountain' section. Teachers and students create 'Thinking Fountain' cards on templates provided by the museum. The goal is to encourage questioning and inquiry. Each card highlights an interesting resource related to science. It then refers you to three other selected connections that extend the learning process. The cards are arranged in three different ways: 'Card Clusters'. 'Mind Maps' and 'A-Z'. This is a model of interactive learning that hopefully will inspire other site providers. (KS2/3: Various HR)

Dinosaurs
http://www.nhm.ac.uk

The Natural History Museum has created 28 dinosaur data files with ideas for their use at home or in the classroom. The files have been designed so that they can be printed out and then used in the classroom. The files include information such as: meaning of name, pronuciation, where found, length, height, weight, how it walked, teeth, type of feeder, food, period, when it lived and dinosaur group. The National History Museum has also produced a list of suggestions of how they could be used in the classroom. There are some other very interesting Dinosaur sites on the Internet. A good one to visit is 'Dinosaur Land' (http://www.comet.net/dinosaur) as it provides a gateway to a whole range of websites on the subject. (KS2: Environmental Adaption UE)

The Virtual Zoo
http://207.71.29.70/zoo/main.html

This virtual zoo is provided by Vulcan Enterprises. It contains twenty-six animals and there are plans for more. There are images, text and sound for all the animals in the zoo. It is hoped that eventually there will be video as well. There is an overview of each of the five different categories of animals. On these pages there are links with other related sites. (KS2: Life Processes GA UE)

The Exploratorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu

The San Francisco Exploratorium is a museum of science, art and human perception with over 650 interactive exhibits. More that 660,000 visitors, including 67,000 children, visit the Exploratorium every year. Recently the San Francisco Exploratorium has been producing electronic versions on their favourite exhibits. This eighteen exhibits include: 'The Trapezoidal Window', 'Mutant Fruit Flies' and the 'Squirming Palm'. There are other interesting sections including 'What's New in the World' and Science Explorer' where students can carry out their own experiments. This is a website that really makes science fun and exciting. Not surprisingly the San Francisco Exploratorium has won a whole range of awards for its website. (KS2/3: Various HR)

The Why Files
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu

This site is funded by the US National Science Foundation and features stories that explore the technology and engineering involved in current events. In the past the 'Why Files' have dealt with events like the stock market fluctuations and archeological digs. The stories are changed twice a month. In August 1997, the two stories were the 'Sojourner Rover on Mars' and 'Endocrine Disrupters'. The second story is a good example of how a complex subject can be communicated in a clear and unpatronising way. Based on a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, the author provides information pages on how pesticides are causing problems for humans and animals. The story is linked to background information on hormones and a case-study of DDT and eagles' eggs. The final section explores what is being done and the prospects for success. Past stories are archived and can be recalled. Written and illustrated in a lively and attractive way, this site is well worth a regular visit. (KS2/3/4: Various HR)

The Skeptics Dictionary
http://wheel.ucdavis.edu/~btcarrol/skeptic/dictcont.html

This website has been created by Robert Carroll, a professor of philosophy and author of the book, 'Becoming a Critical Thinker'. The main objective of this website is to explain mysteries such as UFOs, crop circles and telepathy. We all like mysteries and I suspect that a large number of the 114,000 people who have visited the site would have been disappointed by Carroll's scientific and rational explanations. However, this is an impressive attempt to encourage rational thinking. (KS3/4: Systematic Enquiry HR)

Evolution
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/evolution.html

The 'Evolution' website has been written and designed by the staff of Berkeley University in California. There is information on twenty-five scientists involved in the development of the evolution theory. These scientists are listed under four different categories: 'Founders of Natural Science', 'Great Naturalists of the 18th Century', Preludes to Evolution' and 'Natural Selection and Beyond'. The subject is also looked at through three topics: 'Systematics: The Study of Phylogeny and Classification', 'Dinosaur Discoveries: Findings and Early Interpretations' and 'Vertebrate Flight: A Case Study in Convergent Evolution'. (KS3/4: Scientific Ideas 16+ UE)

Channel 4: Science in Focus
http://www.channel4.co.uk/schools/online_res.html

Channel 4 now provide free online resources that link with their Schools programmes called Net Notes. They are produced simultaneously with the programmes and can therefore offer accurate and current information on the subject and its relevance to the curriculum. Net Notes also provide links to related websites. This includes: Science in Focus: Life Science 3 (August, 97); Science in Focus: Materials 2 (December, 97) and Science in Focus: Physical Processes 2 (January, 98). Channel 4 Online Guides provide supporting material for teachers and students. This includes: Science in Focus: Human Biology (August, 97). There are also plans to provide Information Sheets to accompany programmes. Channel 4 Net Notes, Online Guides and Information Sheets may all be freely downloaded. (KS4: Various UE)

Einstein Revealed
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/nova/einstein

This website produced by the WGBH radio and television station, illustrates Einstein's revision of Newtonian physics through a series of illustrated articles, a timeline and interactive games. 'The Time Traveller Game' needs a shockwave plug-in (details from http://www.macromedia.com) and a compatible browser. The website also provides links with other Einstein based sites. There is also a Teacher's Guide available that suggests ways that the material can be used in the classroom. The notes also include a series of experiments that can be used to explain some of Einstein's ideas. (KS3/4: Scientific Ideas 16+ UE)