It’s Tuesday, and time for Science and I would like to ask you to check out the following websites for Homeschooling Science. If you have used these resources in the past what did you think of them and why?
Age Range: 9 and up (Grades 4 and up; children with parental supervision) This ad-supported website helps kids (of many ages) learn about geography through earth sciences.
When you get to the site, read the introduction as it contains good info on where to start and how to navigate for best use. To get started scroll half way down the home page and click on “Next Stop On Site Tour”, or use the menu to explore:
- Earth Energy – Explore global Geometry, electromagnetic radiation, waves and particles, solar energy, atmospheric interaction, and temperature including Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin scales.
- Earth Structure – Learn what the Earth is made of including the plates, mantles, the liquid inner core, the magnetic fields, rocks and minerals, and discover what tectonics has to do with earthquakes and volcanoes.
- Biosphere – Learn about our living world including ecology, ecosystems, food chains, soil, water, climates, energy, erosion, oxidation, and how it all interacts to support life.
- Atmosphere – Find out what composes the atmosphere, thermosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere. Learn about temperature and air pressure, altitude, the Coriolis Force, and the Greenhouse Effect.
- Hydrosphere – Discover how all kinds of water moves through the world including freshwater, seawater, and groundwater. Learn about wetlands and aquatic biomes. Learn how to identify cloud types.
- Climate – Explore weather, climates (polar, subtropical, tropical), seasons, clouds, hurricanes and monsoons, and check out the instruments used to measure the force and effect of it all.
- Cycles – Learn about the interactive cycles of our ecosystem that include carbon, water, oxygen, nitrogen, iron, phosphorus, and rocks.
When you are through exploring each section of the site, you can take interactive quizzes to test your knowledge. A bonus feature is that this site provides links to its “sister” sites for further study in the fields of astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, and math.
This is a terrific resource. We recommend you bookmark it to return often .
Recommended Website: Fish-On!
Age Range: 9-18 (Grades 4-12, with parental supervision) This site from Wildlife Forever offers a Fish On! Lesson Plan for Grades 4-12, but it can be tweaked for the younger grades. Learn all about fish!
When you get to the site, you can read the introduction. The art contest has ended for this year, but you can still use the lesson plan and have your kids draw. Scroll down through the lesson:
- Objectives
- Vocabulary
- Background
There are also student worksheets with quizzes, puzzles and math facts. Keep scrolling down for a glossary of terms, a list of each fish by state, and then to the fish! Each fish is on its own page – there’s a colorful illustration, details about each one, and ends with “Did You Know?” And you can see some of the art contest winners’ entries from previous years throughout.
Recommended Website: The Biology Place
Age Range: 10-18 (Grades 5-12, with parental supervision) This site, sponsored by textbook publisher Pearson, offers free biology lessons and lab animations. This multi-media resource can be used in conjunction with any basic biology textbook or curriculum, or as a fascinating exploration for the incurably curious.
When you get to the website you’ll see a menu of three items:
- BioCoach – This section is designed for reviewing and enhancing biology information gleaned from textbooks and classroom lessons. However, the animations and interactive aspects really help all learners (including those outside classroom walls) to visualize and understand biological concepts including:
- Biomembranes
- Biomolecules
- Cardiovascular System
- Cell Structure and Function
- DNA Structure and Replication
- Meiosis
- Mitosis
- Plant Structure and Growth
- And more!
- LabBench – This is an interactive virtual lab that helps students further understand basic biology concepts. References are made to actual classroom lab activities (for example, an instruction to look at a slide under a microscope). However, the virtual lab offers a picture of what you would see if you were viewing the slide through a microscope. So, while you might not have the hands-on experience, you can still learn a lot. You can even take a quiz at the end of each lab to see what you retain. There are 12 labs in all that include:
- Diffusion & Osmosis
- Enzyme Catalysis
- Mitosis & Meiosis
- Plant Pigments & Photosynthesis
- Cell Respiration
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics of Organisms
- Population Genetics
- Transpiration
- Circulatory Physiology
- Animal Behavior
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Glossary – Get definitions of biological words, terms, and phrases.
This is a good resource for introducing biology concepts, supplementing any study of biology, and it can be used to refresh your memory about biology course material as well.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
