http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/SegwayEd
This site, supported by NASA scientists, contains fascinating lessons on space, including units on how satellites work and measuring solar temperature. Teachers can choose from a collection of movies and games to support their science curricula and then store their resources online.

www.sciencenetlinks.com
Science NetLinks offers standards-based lesson plans that incorporate reviewed Internet resources, such as a challenge for students to “build a better pencil.” All these lessons can be chosen by grade level or content standard. The content benchmarks included are those created by AAAS to improve science literacy.

http://sciencespot.net
This site is a treasure trove of lesson plans, handouts, science links, and an extensive list of science-of-the-day questions. Students will enjoy exploring the thorough “Kid Zone” portion of the site, which features links to kid-friendly information on insects, plate tectonics, and much more. 

http://whyfiles.org
This site seeks to explain the science behind current events, from stem cell research to the use of steroids in professional sports. Each news story includes a background essay with embedded hyperlinks and glossary words, links to many related sites, and a bibliography of sources.

http://particleadventure.org
Your upper graders will come away from this award-winning interactive tour with a better knowledge of how scientists have answered the most fundamental question: What is the world made of? Use the worksheets and activities provided here to support their new understanding.

www.hummingbirds.net
What better way to get kids interested in biology than setting up a hummingbird feeder outside your classroom? This site will give you all of the necessary background and set-up info, including lots of hummingbird facts, tips for attracting birds to the feeder, streaming video of hummingbirds in flight, and more. 

http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov
In addition to the educational activities and games you might expect at NASA's site for children, this Web site surprises with a virtual gallery of children's art, stories, and poems about space. Check out the “Art & Stories” section of the site for great ideas on how to make your own cross-curriculum connections between the sciences and language arts.

www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave
If you don't teach a unit on caves already, the beautiful digital photographs available on this site will make you want to schedule one. Here your students can safely explore the craggy depths of erosional caves and the delicate rock formations of solution caves. Informational illustrations explain how various types of caves are formed.

www.npwrc.usgs.gov
The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center offers invaluable resources for your biology and ecology lessons. Click on “Biological Resources” to access information about a wide variety of animals in the prairie ecosystem, including a butterfly page with photographs of each individual species, checklists, and distribution maps.

www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein
The life and work of the genius scientist is made accessible to middle- and upper-graders at this PBS site. A teacher's guide offers activities and related resources while students can meet Joe, a virtual kid whose bedroom just happens to be full of light-refracting objects. Your students will be able to identify them after exploring “The Light Stuff” section of this site.

http://education.jlab.org
Jefferson Labs, a Virginia research facility, offers a wealth of science education resources on their Web site. “Homework Helpers” for students include a glossary, the table of elements, and frequently asked questions, while a Who Wants to Be a Millionare-style trivia game helps to review basic concepts. Teachers will find a variety of downloadable worksheets, information about advanced degrees in science education, and helpful lesson plans, including one for a science vocabulary BINGO game.

Kathy Schrock (www.kathyschrock.net) is the administrator for technology at Nauset Public Schools in Orleans, MA. This article was originally published in the March 2004 issue of Instructor.