FREEBEE FRIDAY: 3, 2, 1 Blast-Off

It’s been four decades since men first went to and walked on the moon, and NASA is now taking the first steps back toward sending astronauts on lunar missions. The first tangible step in the next journey to the moon is the test firing of the new Ares 1-X rocket, which occurred yesterday morning. The rocket’s innovative engine fired for the expected 2 minutes, the second stage separated and fell back to earth for recovery. In other words, it was a success. The NASA Web site has more than enough resources for a middle or high school science class to look at and learn from the test. The best part is images and video of the rocket’s Ullage engine being tested, which could easily be the basis of a lesson Newton’s laws of motion. The video is very cool and has a lesson inside it.

FREEBEE FRIDAY: Instant Science Curriculum

If you’re looking for software to help teach everything from graphing to atomic weight, but don’t have a budget to buy it, Golden K Star has a variety of math, chemistry and physics programs that are available for free download. The 3.5MB file contains 9 Genius Maker mini-apps that range from curve fitting and resolving matrices to the refraction of light and molecular weight along with 25 trial programs for other subjects. Created by various institutes and universities across India, all the apps are interactive and guaranteed to grab the imagination of young scientists, but the software wants to run at either 800 by 600 or 1,024 by 768 resolution.

Put it in Motion

Why use static images or hand drawn images for teaching science when you can use mini animation sequences to show how things actually work. EduMedia has hundreds of interactive clips that show everything from how Tsunamis happen and how CAT scans work to the different geometric figures. Each has an age range and are just as good for students to work with individually as when shown to the class with a projector or large screen monitor. There’s a free trial to try it out, and the system sells for $5 per month for an individual to $400 for a year-long subscription for an entire middle or high school.

FRIDAY FREEBEE: Blast Off

Buckle up, put on your space suit and get ready for a trip to the moon. On the 40-th anniversary of Apollo 11’s trip to the moon, the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum has put together an interactive journey that includes the spaceship’s trip and the first walks on the moon. With the use of 3-D models, archival footage and a map showing the journey’s progress, We Choose the Moon is the next best thing to actually going to the moon. Don’t forget to bring your helmet. When you return to earth, check out NASA’s celebration events.

 

Weather or Not

Forget about trying to teach weather and climate with charts of high pressure zones and average temperature and rainfall readings when you can let students experience the weather with an integrated weather station. The WeatherHawk Signature system consists of everything needed to record the weather, from temperature, humidity and air pressure to solar radiation, precipitation, wind direction and speed. It’s all shown on a clear and concise screen that students can read and interpret. It sells for about $2,500.
www.weatherhawk.com

Kid Science

One of the hardest things any teacher can do is teach science to young students without boring them or dumbing it down. Learning.com’s Elementary Science curriculum can help by integrating science, technology, engineering and math. The online package includes three Aha!Math (for K through fifth grade), Aha!Science (for third through fifth grades) and EasyTech (for K through eighth grade). Through interactive learning, games, simulations and activities, the idea is to stimulate an understanding and appreciation of math and science that will blossom with a new generation of scientists.

FREEBEE FRIDAY: Earth Science Online

Having trouble getting through to students about volcanoes, earthquakes and how the earth works with dusty old textbooks? Geology.com has a slew of lessons that can explain everything from plate tectonics to what the inside of the earth look like. Each lesson has drawings, animation and interactive goodies. A big bonus is links on the left for things like Google Earth’s view of the San Andreas Fault, a geology dictionary as well as maps.

 

Making Chem Lab Relevant

Tired of running through the same old chemistry labs year in and year out? Vernier’s “Investigating Chemistry through Inquiry” lab book can open a new world of investigation for students with more than two dozen inquiry-based experiments. The labs cover essential skills, like vapor pressure, stoichiometry, enthalpy, oxidation-reduction titrations, and mesh well with Vernier’s probes and equipment. The book costs $48.

Integrating Population Studies into Earth Science

Think earth science and you think of rocks, water and the physical elements that make up our planet. But what about the people and animals that inhabit the earth. Population Education has a new way to teach about ecosystems by putting the focus on population. “The Earth Matters: Studies for our Global Future” high school classroom CD-ROM curriculum includes 16 units that contain 32 student readings, 43 classroom activities and a wide assortment of information about climate change, distribution of wealth and food as well as economic development. Everything can be printed for students to take home or work on in class. Produced by Population Education, the Earth Matters works with both Macs and PCs and costs $15.

 

Inside Ed’s Head

Teaching science with blackboard and chalk or even whiteboard and colored markers doesn’t cut it anymore with kids brought up in the digital era.EdHeads Web site has interactive games and animation sequences that show science in action much better than any science teacher can. At the moment, there are only eight online activities ranging from playing with simple and compound machines like levers and pulleys to the surgical replacement of a hip. My favorite is investigating a car accident, which takes students from examining the evidence and interviewing witnesses to interpreting the data. Teachers have written innovative lesson plans for some of the activities but they are posted separately. Although EdHeads is free, there’re advertisements that are easy enough to ignore. You can also donate to help Ed get some more heads.