Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Valuable Internet Resources for teaching science

In my first year of teaching high school science, one of the most challenging concepts for students to comprehend has been the location of electrons around the nucleus (positions of the different orbitals), energy levels and electron configurations, and how the valence electrons determine the chemical properties of an element, as well as, why they will form ionic and covalent bonds with different atoms to become stable. In my searching, I have found 2 very useful websites that offer interactive models to help supplement lessons and facilitate understanding for my students.

The first site is Learner.org and the web page is simply called Interactives. This site provides interactive lessons in science, mathematics, language arts, arts and history. You can click here to go straight to the Interactives site. This site provides an excellent walk through basic atomic theory, atomic structure, electron energy levels, orbitals, and configuration, and ends with a explanation of the information provided in each box of the periodic table and groups and periods of the elements within. The site includes games for the students to play with interactive models to test their knowledge on the concepts being presented that involve identifying atoms, ions, and isotopes of an element. As well as, arranging and properly filling orbitals with electrons in the correct orbital.

The second site is Skool Interactive Training. This site is great for the subsequent lessons on different groups of elements in the periodic table. It does a very good job at explaining valence electron configurations, why certain groups of elements are more reactive than others and how ionic bonds are formed between cations and anions. It visualizes ionization of atoms and the interactions between cations and anions in forming stable, electrically neutral, bonds.

A third site that I have found very useful for different science activities and lesson plans is The United States Geologic Survey website. This site offers information on a very wide range of activities and lessons for earth science and biology. My favorite thus far has been the water cycle game. The site provides you with materials for print, instructions, assessment ideas, and extensions to comprehensively teach the water cycle, energy transfers, and pollution tracking through the water cycle. Complete with key words and information for further study. I have used this very active and engaging activity with both my junior high class and my 10th grade biology class with fantastic results.

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