Science Information Websites
Whether it’s an experiment with sea urchins or an article on genetic engineering, Science Daily makes scientific news understandable for readers of all ages. It also links stories to the original research, a nice feature for school teachers.
NPR’s science section covers global issues like climate change, but also dives into technology innovation and new directions for space exploration. Their “Brain Candy” segment addresses more esoteric science topics like why Olympians drink non-alcoholic beer and what happens when you program a neural network to write romantic messages on candy hearts.
Cool Science
The website arm of the San Francisco Exploratorium brings its hands-on experiences to your computer screen. The interactive material covers a variety of science disciplines, including biology, physics, earth sciences, and astronomy. It also has a parent and teacher section with free resources to help you incorporate its materials into your classroom.
Designed for children in kindergarten through grade 5, this site features fun, free online activities on topics like dinosaurs and life cycles. The games help students build on their science vocabulary, explore the elements, and practice a variety of skills.
Using popular PBS characters (like Dinosaur Train and Sid the Science Kid), this site offers online learning games on life cycles, the seasons, animals, dinosaurs, and more. This one-stop site for engaging animated videos also includes lessons that align with the Next Generation Science Standards.
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium was founded in 1969 by Frank Oppenheimer, a physicist and a lover of education. This museum in San Francisco combines science, art, and human perception to create interactive learning experiences. It occupies a former waterfront pier on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, and visitors should plan to spend several hours exploring the many exhibits.
In addition to interactive science exhibits, the Exploratorium offers online classroom tools that teachers and students can use. These include videos and activities that show how physics concepts can be applied to everyday life. For example, a student can learn how soap destroys viruses or discover why fog forms through experiments on the Internet.
The Exploratorium is also conducting research in the fields of museum schooling and informal science education. For example, a project called the CILS (Curriculum and Innovation in Learning Studies) investigates features of effective museum-based teacher professional development programs and museum schools. CILS also conducts research to understand how schools and informal science institutions can better work together for student learning.
Bill Nye
Bill Nye is an American mechanical engineer, television personality and science educator. He is best known as the host of the children’s television show Bill Nye the Science Guy, which ran from 1993 to 1998 on Seattle public TV station KCTS-TV and later in national broadcast syndication. The show, which featured a theme song declaring “Science Rules!”, was a hit among both kids and adults.
A Cornell University graduate, Nye worked as a mechanical engineer at The Boeing Company and Sundstrand Data Control (now Honeywell). He developed a hydraulic pressure resonance suppressor used in the Boeing 747 that helped win him a patent.
Nye is a founder of The Planetary Society and travels the world lecturing on science and space exploration. He also advocates for scientific inquiry and critical investigation, especially against pseudoscience and extraordinary claims. He is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and has written several books. The New York Times bestselling author calls for us to “be the change we want to see”.
Science News for Kids
Science News for Kids is a website from a popular magazine that provides simple, interesting articles about science news. It covers topics like technology, health, animals, space, gadgets, and environment. It also has interesting science videos and newsletters. The site is free to use, but you must subscribe to the magazine to access premium content.
The site is updated several times a day with breaking scientific news and discoveries. Its articles have vocabulary and sentence structure appropriate for a grade 7 reader. The articles address fun and intriguing subjects such as American cannibalism and predicting tsunamis.
The Exploratorium in San Francisco offers hands-on experiments and tutorials that teach scientific concepts. Its website brings its lessons to students via their computer screens. It has interactives that cover biology, chemistry, and other high school core science topics. The website also has a series of comprehension questions and discussion prompts to help students practice reading comprehension. It also has a digital library that has dozens of activities tied to Science News articles.