ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

I. BUILDING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Map machine

http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/

A variety of maps (physical, geographical, satellite and thematic) are available. You can capture with screenshots in your local computer. Maps can be sent to email addresses.

My World GIS

http://www.myworldgis.org/

II. EXPLORING LIFE AT OUR STUDY SITE

The World's Biomes

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php

Major biomes are described, illustrated, and linked to subdivisions. Key characteristics are listed.

Earth Trends (World Resources Institute - WRI)

http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/watersheds/index.php

Pick your region and compare with yours on a dimension (e.g. amount of forest, amount of built urban landscape, amount of cropland, population density, number of fish species, number amphibian species

http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/index.php?theme=7

See maps of, for example, Ecoregions in this large map collection.

Fun with Maps: Map Wizard

http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/fun/map.asp

US -centric, but interesting dynamic maps of wildlife spread.

e.g., spread of Zebra mussels:

http://nationalatlas.gov/dynamic/dyn_zm.html

Encyclopedia of Life

A new project to create an online reference source and database for every one of the 1.8 million species that are named and known on this planet.

http://www.eol.org

III. SIGNALING SEEDS

Bottle Biology

http://www.bottlebiology.org/

The best known of the US's National Science Foundation's-sponsored growing projects. Project has extensive curriculum and research strategies requiring the simplest low-cost materials.

Growing a School Organic Garden

http://www.championtrees.org/Goff/History.htm

Inspiring record of school's creation of an organic garden, including soil replenishment. This strategy could be coupled with seed preservation.

Agripedia – Seed Identification

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agripedia/agmania/seedid/

Basic seed identification for beans, grasses, vegetables and weeds.

IV. DOWN THE SCALES TO MOLECULES

Nanoscale Education

http://ced.ncsu.edu/nanoscale/

Includes extensive web links on scale:

http://ced.ncsu.edu/nanoscale/scale.htm

Molecular Expressions

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/micro/gallery.html

This brilliant site relates the history of optics with the discoveries enabled by the microscopes. It includes a Powers of Ten

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/index.html

and Levels of Magnification.

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/virtual/magnifying/index.html

V. EARTH HISTORY RECORDED IN ROCKS

Schoolyard Geology (USGS)

http://education.usgs.gov/schoolyard/index.html

Detection of rock history in one's schoolyard, e.g. glacial striations, fossils, erosion.

Rock Stories

http://education.usgs.gov/schoolyard/RockActivity.html

Rocks and Images, includes information on the three types of rocks.

http://geology.usgs.gov/index.htm

http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/explorer/topic_rocks.htm

American Geology Institute

http://www.agiweb.org/geoeducation.html

This is a rich site with many curricula for earth science (ex. http://www.agiweb.org/ies/) and maps (http://www.agiweb.org/education/ies/maps.html)

Growing Crystals

http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/u/scienceprojects.htm#s3

Practical steps on growing crystals

University of California Museum of Paleontology

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/

Field notes from paleontologists in process of working, a huge set of exhibit related materials, a mystery fossil of the month.

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/index.php

VI. THE GL SNAPSHOT (SPRING)

Angle of the Sun

http://www.waukesha.k12.wi.us/South/EarthScience/AngleOfTheSun/AngleOfTheSun.shtml

Includes calculator

Sun Lab review and links

http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/teacher_feature/teacher_feature104.shtml

One teacher's innovative way to engage students in sun measurement.

Project Budburst

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst/

A site in which all can contribute their findings related to timing of the seasons as measured by the timing of bud opening.

VII. YOUR STUDY SITE IN TIME

National Geographic Time Line includes the breaking apart of the early large continents. Viewers can see the early forms of life in 3D.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters/timeline/index.html#introduction

Virtual Dig

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters/virtualdig/index.html

Uncover fossils using the tools of paleontologists, hammers, picks and brushes.

Atlas of the Human Community

https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html

Study the migration of humans and the trail of genes.