|  Page last modified: 1/5/06 |

CA Standards, Frameworks, & Blueprints Standards-based Lesson Plans Differentiated Instruction for the EL Student Differentiated Instruction for Special Needs Interdisciplinary Instruction Formal & Informal Assessment
Additional Web Resources Books & Publications Teacher Professional Organizations Family and Community Resources Tips and Tools for Promoting Learner-Centered Classroom Instructional Technology Resources
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California Standards, Frameworks, & Blueprints

Science Standards
http://www.cde.ca.gov/standards
-California Department of Education's official Webpage for K-12 Content Standards; provides the scope and sequence for instruction at each grade level.

Science Curriculum Framework
http://www.cde.ca.gov/cfir/curfrwk.htm
-California Department of Education's official Webpage for K-12 Curriculum Frameworks; a comprehensive document which incorporates standards, strategies, and rationale.

California Standards Test Blueprints
http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/star/resources/blueprints.html
-California Department of Education's official Webpage for K-12 Curriculum Blueprints; assists teachers in making instructional decisions in order to prepare for the annual state assessments (STAR).

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Tips and Tools for Promoting Learner-Centered Classroom

Engaged Learning in Science
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/math/ma2lindi.htm

Teaching for Conceptual Change
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/workshops/teachingforconcept.html
Excellent article present information and research on the impact of teaching for conceptual change.

EDC's Center for Science Education
http://cse.edc.org/
Excellent website for teacher professional development and resources to promote student achievement in Science.

K12 Science Curriculum Centercation Development Center, Inc.
http://cse.edc.org/work/k12dissem/default.asp

Fermilab K-12 Site
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/education/k-12_programs.html
Entry to amazing website with resources for students and teachers.

Fermilab Science Materials for K-12 Teachers
http://www-ed.fnal.gov/trc/sci_matls.html
Excellent resource for designing science lessons and accessing information.

Draw the Scientist Activity
http://www-ed.fnal.gov/projects/scientists/
Page provides a before and after opportunity for students to describe a scientist before a unit of study to learn about or meet real scientist.

Fermilab Classroom Activities and Units
http://www-ed.fnal.gov/projects/labyrinth/games/
Engaged learning lesson webpage.

Annenberg/CPB Learner.org
http://www.learner.org/index.html
-Extensive Standards aligned resource integrating arts, science and social studies curriculum.


 

 

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Standards-based Lesson Plans

Ask Eric: Lesson Plans
http://askeric.org/cgi-bin/lessons.cgi/Science
-lesson plans for topics in science from agriculture to space sciences for grades K-12.

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse (ENC)
http://www.enc.org/features/lessonplans/science

-lesson plans and activities for many science topics including process skills for grades K-12.

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
http://www.mcrel.org/lesson-plans/science/index.asp
-links to sites that contain lesson plans for grades K-12.

National Science Teachers Association
http://www.nsta.org/recommendedsites/default.asp?category=14
-links to sites that contain lesson plans including the American Teacher that includes 200,000 plans.

SCORE - Schools of California Online Resources for Education
SCORE Science Lessons

http://scorescience.humboldt.k12.ca.us/
-the official site of the Humboldt County of Education that contains lesson plans tied to the California Science Standards.

Boggle's World ESL Worksheets and Lesson Plans
http://bogglesworld.com/
-This site has worksheets, flash cards, and lesson plans for ESL students, with some interesting Science topics.

 

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Differentiated Instruction for the EL Student

California Science Project Newsletter Articles on English Learners
http://csmp.ucop.edu/csp/news/connection.html
-the September 2000 issue of the Newsletter contains articles about science education for English Learners.

California Science Project English Language Development Initiative
http://csmp.ucop.edu/csp/initiative.html
-statement of policy in regards to ELD from the California Science Project.

Center for Multilingual Multicultural Research
http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~cmmr/BEResources.html
-links to articles of general interest to a teacher of English Learners.

Electronic Journal of Literacy through Science
http://sweeneyhall.sjsu.edu/ejlts
-articles on diversity and multiculturalism, scientific literacy and school practices.

Effective Instruction for English Language Learners: A Discussion
http://www.csus.edu/ier/reports/bilingual.pdf
-the text of a discussion on Effective Instruction for English Language Learners sponsored by the California Education Policy Seminar and the California State University Institute for Education Reform.

English Learners: Language and Culture in Education
http://www.cde.ca.gov/el/
-the California Department of Education's website for English Learners and implications of the federal policy of No Child Left Behind on science education.

ESL/SDAIE Resources for Secondary Teachers of Science
http://www.stanford.edu/~kerrye/science.htm
-ESL/SDAIE resources, especially science study skills, for secondary teachers of science, grades 6-12.

Everything ESL.net
http://www.everythingesl.net
-lesson plans, teaching tips, and classroom activities for ELLs, grades K-12.

National clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs NCELA)
http://www.ncebe.gwu.edu
-online library and links to articles about learning science for ELs; perform a search using "science" as the key word.

Teaching Science Effectively to Limited English Proficient Students
http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/digest/dig87.asp
an article from ERIC Digest; also contains a comprehensive reference section.

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Differentiated Instruction for Special Needs

The Association for Science Education
http://www.issen.org.uk/
-a UK website describing activities for SEN, special education needs, in science education.

Science Special Education Resources
http://cesme.utm.edu/resources/special.html
-articles and links to science resources for special education from the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Education Development Center
http://www.edc.org/spotlight/mosaic3/student.htm

-an article entitled "Teaching Inclusive Science Through Collaboration" from the Education Development Center.

Teachers Helping Teachers Special Education
http://www.pacificnet.net/~mandel/
-Provides a variety of lesson plans for K-12 teachers.

LD Online Teachers Homepage
http://www.ldonline.org/teaching/index.html
-Extensive resource for Special needs teachers including strategies and techniques and more.

Edbydesign.com
http://www.edbydesign.com
-This web site has activities for children with disabilities, including art, learning computers, math development, language, basic science skills, and more.

I Love That Teaching Idea
http://www.ilovethatteachingidea.com/WRCenter/WRCenter.htm
-This is an excellent site with worksheet reproducible centers that includes the subjects of Math, Science, Language arts, Holiday and seasonal, Social Studies, Art, First day, health, classroom management, reading and spelling.

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Interdisciplinary Instruction

Science and Literacy
http://www.aaas.org/education/
-the American Association for the Advancement of Science project 2061 advocates the necessity of teaching science literacy, and science and literacy.

Reading and Science
http://www.wested.org/
-WestEd, a Regional Educational Laboratory, is nonprofit organization dedicated to educational research and professional development.

Habits of Mind
http://www.project2061.org/research/articles/wapost.htm
-a delightful article that captures the essence of being a scientist for an elementary school student.

IN THE CLASSROOM:  SCIENCE ITALIAN STYLE
http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/4_class/45_pguides/pguide_503/4553_pisa.html
Great lesson idea where students  act as engineers to study problematic situations such as the tilt of the Pisa tower, they often construct physical models. Here's your students' chance to build their own tower and measure its maximum tilt before it topples.

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Formal & Informal Assessment

California Department of Education, Standards and Assessment Division
http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/celdt/celdt.html
-exam blueprint for the California English Language Development Test (CELDT).

Formative Assessment in Science
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/SEAL/Presentation/Presentation%20PDF/On%20Formative%20Assessment%202001.pdf
-pdf file of the value of formative assessments in science.

Implementing Assessment in the K-12 Science Classroom
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/cose/Implementing_Assessment.html
-provides a rationale and methodology for implementing formative assessment in the K-12 science classroom from the National Academy of Science.

Assessment in Science
http://www.mcrel.org/programs/hpc/products/EdThoughts_Science/assessmentInSci.html
-Mid-continent Eisenhower Regional Consortium articles about assessing inquiry in the science classroom.

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Additional Web Resources

SciLinks - Connects Teachers and Students to Websites, Experts and Activities through a textbook
http://www.scilinks.org
-resource that connect science concepts in textbooks with a smorgasbord of web links; use with Harcourt science series, grades K-5; Holt, grades 6-8; Prentice-Hall, grades 6-8.

Ferbilab Web-based Instructional Materials
h
ttp://www-ed.fnal.gov/trc/projects/index_all.html
Streaming video photographs and quicktime movie resources available from this link.

Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM), The
http://www.thegateway.org
-educational resources, including science, found on various federal, state, university, non-profit and commercial Internet sites.

Full Option Science System (FOSS) - Lawrence Hall of Science, U. C. Berkeley
http://lhsfoss.org/
-the philosophy of the program and a link to FOSSweb.com that contains interactive activities and teacher support for the FOSS program divided into grades K-2 and 3-6.

Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS)
http://www.lhsgems.org/
-GEMS alignment with science standards and philosophy of the program; online science activities and videos.

Harcourt Brace Publishers
http://www.harcourtschool.com
-articles for teachers and parents, science video clips and interactive activities for students for the K-5 Harcourt textbook series.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - teachers
http://www.epa.gov/teachers/
-links to grants, grant writing, community resources, workshops and conferences for teachers.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - students
http://www.epa.gov/kids/
-games, links to websites, and air quality information for kids; also links to middle and high school sites.

Busy Teachers Website - Georgia Tech
http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/busyt/
-links to biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy and other science topics.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History Presents Native Americans
http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmnh/exhibits/north-south-east-west/index.html
Site offers a beautiful integration of Museum artifacts and Native American history.

Exploring Leonardo
http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/InventorsWorkshop.html
Interactive site incorporating the works of Leonardo da Vinci to teach about inventions, and art.

American Memory Historical Collections & the Learning Page
http://rs6.loc.gov/learn/
http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/index.html
Part of the National digital library with access to all its collections online, including the learning page for teachers with lesson plans, activities, and collection connections.

smART Kids
http://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/smartkids/
smART Kids helps students, particularly 7 to 12 year olds, look at art, learn art vocabulary, explore materials, and find out about historic pieces of art.

Career Voyages
http://www.careervoyages.gov
-Current and updated lists of careers and "hot" occupations reported by states. The site lists the fastest growing occupations by state, the educational requirements for the occupations, and salary ranges.

Volcano World
http://volcano.und.edu/
-Current and updated lists of volcanoes worldwide with images and links to more information.

1st Headlines
http://www.1stheadlines.com/
-Provides international and U.S. current event coverage with links to most major newspapers, and extensive search and browse features.

 

 

 

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Books & Publications

Atlas of Science Literacy, NSTApress
http://www.project2061.org/tools/atlas/default.htm
-49conceptual maps depicting a timeline for conceptual growth in science
.

Science and Children
http://www.nsta.org/120/#journal
-NSTA’s professional journal for elementary schoolteachers.

Science Scope
http://www.nsta.org/122/#journal
-NSTA’s professional journal for middle school and junior high school teachers.

Journal of Research in Science Teaching
http://journals.wiley.com/0022-4308/
-official journal of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching; only abstracts of articles are available online.

The International Journal of Science Education
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/tf/09500693.html
-the source page for access to other international science education journals.

NARST Research Matters - to the Science Teacher
http://www2.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/publications/research/research.html
-more than 40 articles exploring research in science education .

Advanced Placement Digital Library for Biology, Physics and Chemistry
http://apdl.rice.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx
-A National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project that provides access to a database of science resource links for teachers and students.

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Teacher Professional Organizations

National Association for Research in Science Teaching
http://www2.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/
-a worldwide organization of professional educators committed to the improvement of science teaching and learning through research.

National Science Teachers Association
http://www.nsta.org/
-the world’s largest organization devoted to the teaching and learning of science; their mission statement is “... to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all."

California Science Teachers Association
http://www.cascience.org/
-from the organization’s vision statement: “Promote and support all aspects of effective science teaching, including new technologies and instructional strategies; encourage the natural curiosity of learners at all levels; increase scientific literacy and the application of science to everyday life; promote science as a vehicle for lifelong learning for all citizens; assume a leadership role in advocating for science education and creating an understanding of the value of science.”

Greater Los Angeles Science Teachers Association
http://www.lalc.k12.ca.us/GLATSA/glatsa_index.html
-hosts an annual science conference in Los Angeles at the end of February, K-12.

National Association of Biology Teachers
http://www.nabt.org/
-provides resources for biology and life science teachers, K-16.

American Association of Physics Teachers
http://www.aapt.org/
-AAPT's mission is “to enhance the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching” at all grade levels.

National Earth Science Teachers Association
http://www.nestanet.org/
-site contains information about the association, membership, the association’s journal “The Earth Scientist”, and events.

American Chemical Society
http://acs.org
-the Society’s 163,000 members contribute to scientific knowledge and education; the wondernet website provides safe new activities for youngsters, K-16.

Council for Elementary Science International - division affiliate of NSTA
http://unr.edu/homepage/crowther/cesi.html
-The Council is designed for teachers of grades K-8 and for pre-teachers of those grade levels; the Council produces a periodical called CESI Science.

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Family and Community Resources

Los Angeles Urban System Program
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/offices/lasi/
-a resource funded by the National Science Foundation and LAUSD; provides professional development and materials for teachers grades K-12; maintains six science centers throughout Los Angeles.

K-12 Science Alliance
http://www.k12alliance.net/product.html
-an alliance of formerly three science organizations providing professional development of science teachers throughout the State of California.

Los Angeles River Tour
http://www.lalc.k12.ca.us/target/units/river/tour/
-virtual river tour of the Los Angeles River.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
http://www.nps.gov/samo/
-site dedicated to the resources in this vast urban wilderness.

Channel Islands National Park
http://www.nps.gov/chis/
-this National Park contains many hiking trails and is accessible by charter boat.

Fermilab Family Science Links

Info Please Homework Center
http://infoplease.com/homework/
-This is a great site for homework resources and more, providing reference materials including an almanac, dictionary, encyclopedia, and biography database. They also provide maps and atlas materials and a map library.

Smithsonian Education Resource Library
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/resource_library/resource_library.asp
-The Smithsonian Education Resource Library is a finding aid to the many education resources provided by the Smithsonian. It allows searching for lesson plans, labs, field trips, and more by grade level, subject, keyword , media, and institution. The Smithsonian Education site is subdivided into sections for teachers, students, and family. This finding aid is a great way to search all sections.

 

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Multimedia Resources

Lesson Study in Japan: Can you Lift 100kg?
http://www.lessonresearch.net/LessonCycle.html
-Part II of a three part video involving a lesson in Japan of 5th graders who are assigned the task of designing a device to lift a 100kg weight.

Great Explorations in Math and Science
http://lhsgems.org/videos.html
-nine videos that orient the teacher to classic GEMS units

NASA Classroom of the Future
http://www.cotf.edu/
Using state-of-the-art educational technology, we create professional development programs, online curriculum, and various other tools and resources.

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Instructional Technology Resources

MarcoPolo: Internet Content for the Classroom
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/index.aspx
-Science NetLinks contains a plethora of lessons, tools, resources for K-12 teachers

Instructional Technology in Science
http://www.mcrel.org/programs/hpc/products/EdThoughts_Science/instructTechnology.html
-Mid-continent Eisenhower Regional Consortium article about the use of technology to improve science skills and science inquiry

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