The Environment Site Eco Teachers: Environmental Resources

ACID RAIN: EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
Links to lessons plans and activities from About.com

ACID RAIN LESSON PLANS
Lesson plans and student activities for grades 6-8 from The National Park Service Air Resources Division.

ALLIANCE TO SAVE ENERGY
FREE Hands-on lesson plans on Energy Efficiency, providing multidisciplinary learning opportunities in: Mathematics, Science, Language Arts and Computer Skills.  Reduce your schools energy costs, while educating your students.  Complete lessons are downloadable online. 

AMAZING SPACE
Space Telescope Science Institute's education page.   Contains a collection of online interactive educational resources for grades K-12.  Using spectacular Hubble images, students explore the universe while learning the principles of math and science.

AMERICAN OCEANS
Apples for teachers link to websites helpful for lesson plans on marine mammals and other sealife.

AMERICAN SCHOOL DIRECTORY
Searchable database of information on 108,000 K-12 schools in America, alumni directory, vendor/product guide, Education Connection with learning activities and resources.

ANIMAL DIVERSITY WEB
Basic facts on approximately 1500 species.   Descriptions of orders and families, physical characteristics, economic importance, endangered status, behavior, breeding, capabilities, geographical range, habitat, images, photos, sounds, conservation issues.  Site contains a Glossary.
Note: "P" contains pictures, "t" means written by a student, "a" is an anatomical image, and "s" is for sound.   Accounts written by students of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology have not been checked by experts, but are probably 95% correct.

ASTRONOMY SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC
Astronomy education at the ASP brings scientists and teachers together.  Project ASTRO is a program for grades 4-9 for astronomers who want to "adopt" a classroom and work with teachers.  Project SOFIA hooks teachers up with a NASA project.  Teacher's Newsletter is a free publication for teachers of grades 3-12.  Black Holes to Blackboards and Education newswire (Mercury Magazine), teachers resources, hands-on project ideas,   pseudoscience, catalog of Nat'l Astronomy Education Projects.  This is the website you want for reliable information pertaining to astronomy and astrophysics.

AUDUBON
Audubon Adventure Kits for grades 4-6, Earth Stewards partnership programs, teacher resources, nature camps and workshops.  Also go into their home page and click into Birds and Science.

BBC SCHOOLS ONLINE
More than Telletubbies!  Education Schools Online, Resources, News, Links, Curriculum, Careers.

BIOINTERACTIVE
- Learning modules and animation clips.  Go into the Virtual Labs.  See how our bodies function.  (May require Shockwave, QuickTime or Flash to view animations.  Free downloads available on the web.  See links below for download sites.  Allow each animation clip to fully load.  May need to click on small dark arrow below image to begin the animation, and you can click it again to view it multiple times.)
Virtual Labs on CD for classroom use available free on their site (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)

BRIDGE
Ocean Sciences Education Teacher Resource Center.  Online resources screened by science educators for marine science education.

BURTON'S BOOKMARKS
Extensive directory of linked resources for administrators, teachers, students and parents.     Look through the resources by subject, or conduct a search for links to information you are seeking.

CALIFORNIA INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD
Waste management information that encourages "reduce, reuse and recycle" in the classroom and at home through action-oriented, critical-thinking skill building activities.  Curriculum, experiments and activities:  Closing the Loop, Earth Resources - A Case Study:  Oil (high school level), Project Learning Tree - Municipal Solid Waste Module, Worms, Worms and Even More Worms.  Materials available at no cost by attending workshops.  If unable to attend workshops, some material may be obtained at very nominal cost.  Information on school funding for waste recycling and prevention, publications, links.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER
So you don't have money, connections, or insider information?   Here is a website to find the information you need on seeking funding, networking, salary surveys, the academic job market, career advice, forums - and the Grant Doctor is in!  No appointment necessary to get the right prescription for seeking a grant.

CHARACTER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP 
Comprehensive programs with resources to help develop moral character and civic virtue in students grades K-12.   Search the database of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive character education resource center.

CLASSROOM CONNECT- Internet-based curriculum and training for K-12, lesson plans, exciting and informative worldwide adventures online, resources for your classroom, staff development, educators message boards and discussion groups (some free resources).

CLASSROOM OF THE FUTURE- NASA's premier research and development program for educational
technologies.  Programs to complement and extend curriculum, challenging students in various grade levels to solve problems as they investigate the known frontiers in science.
ASTRONOMY VILLAGE:  Investigating the Universe (9th and 10 grades) and Investigating the Solar system (middle school)
BIOBLAST-  Multimedia curriculum supplement for high school biology classes
EXPLORING THE ENVIRONMENT -  Temperate Rainforest, Global Climate Change, Earth on Fire, UV Menace, Tropical Poison, Korean Enigma, Volcanoes, Water Quality, Mountain Gorillas, El Nino: The Child Returns, Weather or Not?, Rift Valley Fever, Mars Landing, Strangers in Paradise, Severe Weather:  Hurricanes!, Yellowstone Fires, and Florida Everglades.  (5th through 12th grades)
EXOQUEST -  Astrobiology:  The study of the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe.  Multimedia educational project exploring the question of whether extraterrestrial life exists in the universe (grades 7-9).
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CHALLENGE - Curriculum supplement challenging high school students in design, construction, assembly and operational processes of the International Space Station.

CONSERVATION EDUCATION (CE)
- Program to develop critical thinking necessary to understand the complexities of ecological problems.  Site includes National Conservation Education Task Force Report, curricular resources, educational resource links, program information targeted to specific grade levels and various audiences.

CYBERSLEUTH KIDS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES - Links to teacher resources, tools, tips, professional development and classroom management websites.  Categories:  English as a Second Language, College Info, Curriculum, Early Childhood, Education Research, Home Schooling, K-12, Learning Theories, Lessons, Special Education, Teachers, Test Preparation, University, Adult Education.

EARTH DAY NETWORK PROJECT LIBRARY
- Great ideas for projects to celebrate our Earth and help our environment.  Lots of useful links to resources on the web, suggestions for what we can do to help the Earth, guidelines and a downloadable Manual with instructions on how to organize activities and events, and information and reflections on Earth Day.

EARTH SHARE - Environmental resources for students, teachers, and citizens.  Some are offered free of charge.
(scroll down for lists by subject)

ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA  
K-16 faculty enhancement projects, syllabi, web teaching resources, links to science ed sites.  "Tried and true experiments to teach ecology." 
Ecological and science education resources

ECOLOGY WWW PAGE - Searchable 600 link database compiled by Anthony R. Brach (Missouri Botanical Garden and  Harvard University Herbaria).  Mirror sites maintained in Canada and France.

EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT WATER
- University of Wisconsin - Extension
Over 100 curriculum reviews and ordering (some material free)

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) -  A national information system with access to an extensive body of education-related literature.  ERIC is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, and the National Library of Education.

EDUCATION WEEK on the WEB
- Daily News and Special Reports of importance to all educators
Special Report
on technology in the schools.  Frustrated with education technology?   You're not alone!

EDUCATION WORLD Over 120,000 sites "Where educators go to learn."

EDUCATOR'S TOOLKIT - Resource links for kids, parents and teachers
Special Education (General, ADD, Behaviour Exceptionalities, Learning Disabled,  Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment, Other Disabilities, Gifted/Talented Education) - Portfolio Assessment - Lesson Plans - Projects - Ontario, Canada, curriculum links

EE-LINK
- Environmental Education on the Internet.  Professional Resources, Classroom Resources, Organizations and Projects, Environmental Information, Grants and Jobs.  Click on Site Map (lower left) for a quick view of links.

EISENHOWER NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE 
Comprehensive collection of math and science curriculum resources.  Professional  development materials, free products and services. 

ENCARTA (Microsoft Network) - Resources for Teachers

ENERGY STAR RATING FOR SCHOOLS - Learn about the new national energy target for K-12 schools.  Save money on energy bills, help the environment, and show your community leadership.  Click on "New Energy Star Label for Schools,"  then click on "New Video:  Energy Performance Rating for Schools."

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN, INC - Non-profit non-advocacy organization dedicated to wetland restoration, research, and education since 1972.  Instructional guides for indoor and outdoor settings in lesson plan format.  Workshops and Facilitator Training available.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND TEACHERS GUIDE - Resources for your classroom on current environmental issues (biodiversity, health, climate, water, activities) and links to other sources for online environmental information.  Also see Earth to Kids link on the EDF website (kids' wildlife art, games and booklists)

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION 
Background Information (provides fact sheets, brochures and webpages to assist you in teaching about the environment), Curriculum Resources, Community Service projects for students, Workshops, and Grants.
And don't miss looking into their Contacts and Links to other quality environmental education sites, such as: Smithsonian, USGS, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Mgmt, Peace Corps and Afterschool.gov - all designed to help you educate your students.

EXPLORATORIUM TEACHER INSTITUTE
- The Teacher Institute offers activities, discussions, classroom materials, web-based teaching resources.  The Web Science Workshop offers a great collection of hands-on classroom activities

FEDERAL RESOURCES FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE
- Hundreds of education resources which are available free.

FEMA FOR KIDS - The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides resources to help teach children about safety and what to do in case of a disaster.  Information is presented with lots of colorful graphics and is geared towards young children.

GETTING ENERGIZED!  (Nat'l Renewable Energy Laboratory - U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Comprehensive learning activities for 3rd-6th graders pertaining to energy sources, uses/limits, conversion, conservation, renewable and non-renewable energy, energy for the future, assessments, and evaluation.  Includes a Teacher's Guide and detailed instructions for projects.  Each activity follows a format developed by the National Center for the Improvement of Science Education.

GIVE WATER A HAND
- Educational materials on watersheds, water resources, water quality.   Have your class follow step-by-step instructions for a community service project to protect and improve the watershed resources in your community.  For additional educational materials, click on "Our partners and how they can help you."   A program of the University of Wisconsin, supported by government environmental agencies.

GLOBE SCHOOLS PROGRAM- Globe (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide network of students, teachers, and scientists.   Globe teachers and their students work with scientists to learn, make environmental observations and collect data, which will be sent to a Globe student data archive.   Global images based on this data are then displayed on the World Wide Web.   The program helps students achieve higher levels of success in science and math.   To participate, teachers must attend Globe Teacher Training.

LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY - Currently LBL conducts research in advanced materials, life sciences,
energy efficiency, detectors and accelerators.
Click on Educational Sites to find some excellent science education resources.

LEARNER.ORG - Annenberg/CPB partnership.  Professional development workshops and resources to advance excellent teaching in American schools.

LEARNING WEB - From the U.S. Dept. of the Interior/U.S. Geological Survey)
Educational materials on biology, geology, hydrology, geography.  Activities, lessons, daily living  topics (acid rain, earthquakes, weather, radon gas, household water, volcanoes), and lists of educational resource links.

LIGHT MEASUREMENT HANDBOOK - (International Light)
What is light?  64-page online handbook of basic concepts of light measurement and how it behaves (with technical graphics).  Scroll down to Contents.

NASA SPACE SCIENCE NEWS- Click on "Thursday's Classroom " for excellent educational information, and related lesson plans and activities for your students.  Sign up for their Express News Email service and receive notices of the latest science headlines (free weekly subscription service).  Dr. John Horack, Science Directorate of the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, invites you to write them your comments about their resource and to let them know how they may best serve your needs.  We're going to write and thank them for a great educational website!

NASA'S "THE EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATOR"
Hundreds of teaching and learning resources to bring a wide range of earth science research into the classroom.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES KIDS PAGES  - Also en Español
Stories, brain teasers, riddles, activities, word scrambles, science spelling bee, science project help, hot topics in environmental health (in Read All About It), science/health/homework resources and lots more.

NATIONAL LIBRARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT - Environmental Education Programs and Resources
Read about the National Council for Science and the Environment's programs and collaborative efforts in a shared understanding of science and the environment, and towards promoting science in the environmental decision-making process.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION HOME PAGE
Faculty Interests
Education Program Information
Teacher Resources

NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSN - Subjects of critical interest to science educators.
sciLINKS - Take the guided tour to learn about connecting your textbook to the world
Textbooks featuring sciLINKS - With sciLINKS-enabled textbooks,

NATIONAL SNOW AND ICE DATA CENTER - Center for collection and dissemination of information about snow cover, avalanches, glaciers and ice sheets, floating ice, ground ice and permafrost, atmospheric ice, paleoglaciology and ice cores.

NATURE - International weekly journal of science.  Keep up to date in every discipline.  Register for free online info, or subscribe to full service.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - Climate Change and Our Planet
Answers to frequently asked questions on global warming.  Links to information on climate, weather, El Nino, greenhouse effect, the Arctic, natural hazards, oceans and coasts, and marine mammals.

NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION - Guidelines for environmental education (K-12), professional development activities, environmental links, publications, forums, training, neighborhood ecology, newsletters.

OPTIMUM POPULATION TRUST - The Optimum Population Trust carries out research into environmentally sustainable population levels and campaigns for a smaller population for Earth and for the UK. Statistics and other information can be downloaded from its website

PACIFIC BELL KNOWLEDGE NETWORK EXPLORER - 
Comprehensive training tutorials for online learning.  How to use the Web in your classroom.
Tasks, problem solving, activities, lesson plans, projects, hotlists, resources, videoconferencing, internet safety, Spanish language sites, literacy skills, workshops, internet search strategies, education technology news.

PROJECT LEARNING TREE- The Colorado State Forest Service Project Learning Tree is an award-winning environmental education program designed for Pre-K through 12th grade students.
PLT is administered nationally by the American Forest Foundation and co-sponsored by the Council for Environmental Education.

PubSCIENCE - Physical Sciences and energy-related journal literature database just came online in October.  Currently contains information from 21 publishers and 1,000 journals, and the database will continue to increase.  The focus of PubSCIENCE is on researchers reports on scientific discoveries.  Most have free abstracts and recent listings have links to journals' home pages.  Full-text articles may become available soon.  "This represents a major milestone in the goal of Bringing Science to the Desktop."

RAINFOREST DATABASE - From The Living Earth
Links provided to information about different types of rainforests, diversity of plant and animal life, plant reproduction, plants and herbivores, nutrient cycling, indigenous peoples and forest dwellers.  Word links provided throughout to glossary definitions.

SCHOLASTIC - Professional Resources for educators, Lesson Plans and Reproducibles, Online Activities, Instructor Idea Exchange, Software, Book Clubs, Reading Programs, Funding Sources, News, Articles, Parents section, Resource Finder, links to resources.  Teaching with Technology - Learning and teaching basic internet skills, using the internet as an instructional tool, internet safety, internet glossary, internet projects, plus many more ideas and tips for integrating technology into your daily teaching.

SCHOOLYARD HABITATS - Develop your school grounds into a wildlife habitat, which will not only help wildlife, but also offer opportunities for teaching in science, math, language arts/English and art, as well.  Project information and Schoolyard Habitats Kit available from the National Wildlife Federation.

SEAWEB
Earth is a water planet.  Click on U.S. map to find links to a sea of resources.

SECOND NATURE
Education for Sustainability (EFS) - Online destination for individuals seeking to incorporate principles of sustainability into higher education,  to help in preparing future professionals for the increasingly complex environmental challenges we face.  Contains guides, resources, workshops, one-on-one consulting, information exchange.

TEACH SPACE
Easy-to-teach space science lessons for upper-elementary and middle-school grades.
Each month, the site centers on a different theme with a monthly module,  hands-on lessons, a fun Believe it or Not quiz and a poll that links to a graphing activity.

THE EDUCATOR'S TOOLKIT
Canadian website.  Comprehensive list of web resources by topic, lesson plans, projects, library of reference sites, computers and technology, parents section, kids area, and safetynet newsletter.

THE GROUNDWATER FOUNDATION
Offers an activities and resources kit through their Awesome Aquifer Club.

THE JOURNEY INSIDE:  THE COMPUTER
Technology educational program being offered free (U.S. and Canada) to qualified teachers of math, science or computers, grades five through nine. Program includes:  Teacher's guide, lesson plans, videos and hands-on chip kit  (Intel and the International Society for Technology in Education)

THE LIVING OCEAN/SeaWiFS Project
Teachers Guide, activities, discussion questions (Life in the Ocean, The Ocean Isn't Just Blue, Phytoplankton, The Earth-A Giant Greenhouse, Carbon-Where Does It Go?).   Prepared for teachers of grades 9-10 by NASA.

THE OCEAN PROJECT
The Ocean Project is launching a campaign to educate the public about the importance of oceans and the need to protect them. The project is currently planning for the development of major programs and exhibits at aquariums, zoos and museums, educational films and materials for teachers and more.

TRIBOLUMINESCENCE EXPERIMENTS
From a Professor of Chemistry at Towson University, MD.  If you can find a room with no windows or set up a dark room, your students can experiment and discover light emissions from various sources, leading to lots of discussion about light energy, atoms, chemical properties, electrical charges, energy absorption and emission, etc.  And they can have a nice treat while doing it.

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE DIVISION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES
Resources to learn more about endangered species - and other resources not specifically related to endangered species.  Downloadable brochures, links to lists of links regarding Materials for teachers, Where Can I Find It?,  Federal Government Internet Education Resources, Federal Government Cross-Site Indexing Project, the National Library of Education, and other sources of information.

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY LEARNING WEB
Educational materials:  teaching packets, booklets, posters, fact sheets, and CD-ROM's designed for K-12 teachers.  Links to educational resource sites.

WATER EDUCATION FOUNDATION
School Programs (elementary grades through college level)

WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION
Educational pages, elementary through college, curriculum, lesson plans, Spanish curriculum, glossary, hands-on activities, complimentary materials.

WATER RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STATES
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) informational site containing color-coded maps for streamflow readings, maps of acid rainfall, water quality, resources about groundwater and surface water, pesticides and toxics, publications, water atlas of the U.S.  See Water Science for School feature.  Links upon links of resources about water - a great pool of information.

WEBQUESTS
Web-based problem solving activity formats for PreK-Higher Education students, to help them develop solutions to real-life problems.  (also click into links provided at bottom of page for more resources)

If you know of any other great eco resources for teachers then send us an email and let us know so we can add it to the list