1. USGS water for schools
Description:
This website for upper elementary grades includes lots of information about water on earth for kids to explore. Provided by the United States Geological Survey, has games, facts, pictures and questionnaires. It even includes valuable factiods such as "how much water does it take to make a hamburger"
Critique:
This is a website that had few graphics. It can also be a little tricky to navigate with its small font and changing information structure. It should be guided by the teacher or at least modeled for the students about how to access information and games.
2. Kids Know It
Description:
I would recommend this site for grades 4th-7th. This is a vast website full of resources. The neatest part of this website is the amazing collection of educational songs about numerous topics. It also includes a nightly skymap mapping out the stars for the evening, short movies on numerous concepts including eclipses and podcasts.
Critique:
This site is pretty wordy and can be difficult to navigate. It might be best for a teacher to use it as a resource, or give students a specific location to go to. Some of the movies have a computerized voice that may be annoying to listen to for extended periods of time.
3. Yahoo Kids Science
Description:
This site for grades 4 and up contains a lot of factual information as well as science videos, quizzes, and jokes. This site links students to encyclopedias, homework help, and a question asking section. my personal favorite is the snippets of BBC's Planet Earth that students can stream.
Critique:
This site has other aspects that don't include scholastic information appropriate for class like a music and movies section. The teacher should be clear with their students about the expectations while on this site, and give clear rules about what is appropriate.
4. Science News for Kids
Description:
This website for students grades 5 and up is a wealth of scientific news for students to use to complete research projects of any other science related assignments needing articles. It also includes puzzles, games and science fair help.
Critique:
The layout of this site is not the most user friendly. It may help to do a tutorial with you students showing them how to navigate it. Some areas like the science fair zone, and some of the articles are for a high readiness level reader, if the students are interested in this section it may be important for the teacher to give the students proper scaffolding by means of buddy reading with an mcp, a dictionary, or one on one help etc.
5. The Dynamic Earth
Description:
This interactive site for students grades 4 and up includes video and audio tours of some of earths most interesting aspects. The viewer can choose between four selections: plate tectonics, minerals and gems, the solar sysemt, and rocks and mining. Each sections contains a interactive power point like presentation. There are no advertisements on this site.
Critique:
Because the graphics and sound is so intricate if the school has slow internet it may take ahwile to load these presentations. The site is packed with information so the students should have a goal while interacting. Possibly taking notes for a research project they themselves are working on.
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