Life Science
Besides the websites listed here, don't forget to check the websites of various learning channels & the Cable in the Classroom listings for more ideas, lesson plans, & television shows to supplement you listings. Links for these, as well as some links to popular educational shows, can be found here. Don't forget to check out the Online Schools & Courses page for some online classes or helps. The reason that some of them are there instead of here is because they have gone private & now charge for any use at all.
General/Multiple Life Science Topics
A to Z's Home's Cool Biology includes lots of free resources to use for teaching biology & life science!
Access Excellence is chock full of lessons, articles, & lesson plans for studying life science. You can just browse through the various listings or use the keyword search to find a lessons & activities for a specific topic.
BBC Schools offers a multitude of lessons! The Bitesize Revision Guides are mini-lessons, quizzes, lesson plans, worksheets, games, & a Q&A website. Key Stage 2 is for 3rd - 6th, Key Stage 3 is for 7th - 9th, Key Stage 4 is for 10th & 11th & AS level is for 12th grade. You can also find activities by picking an age group &/or topic. The games section has games for an assortment of topics! You can also check out the Learning page, which has a lot more interactive websites, most of which go with educational shows that eventually show up here in the US!
'Biology Curriculum has an assortment of online & downloadable lessons for high schoolers.
Biology Class Online is a basic biology text online.
Biology Corner contains worksheets, web lessons, web quests, & images. The listings in each section give you a nice idea of what is covered to help you figure out if it is what you are looking for!
Biology in Motion is an animated, interactive site, using Flash, JavaScript, & Shockwave, is broken down into nine sections. The first section, Cartoon Mini-Lectures, currently includes 3 lectures: Intestinal Gas, Enzyme Characteristics, & Receptor and Signal as "Lock and Key". The second section, Organize It, allows you to learn biology terms by dragging and dropping to show category relationships & currently includes over 20 mini-quizzes that can be done in practice or puzzle mode. The other seven sections are the Evolution Lab, ATP and Energy Storage, Fat Digestion and Bile, Thyroid Gland and Negative Feedback, the Cardiovascular System, Cell Division Exercise, & Urince Concentration in 3 Easy Steps.
Biology, Life on Earth Companion Website was set up for the textbook of the same name. Even if you don't have that book, there is a lis of questions based on each chapter, multiple choice tests, links to other websites, articles, projects, vocabulary, & a chat area. With a little work, this site could probably be used as a syllabus & you could use it as a research starting point, either online or off!
The Biology Project is full of mini-tutorials & projects covering cell biology, human biology, molecular biology, immunology, & genetics. Make sure you check out the Kids Corner, Science Connection, Biotech Program, & the Center for Insect Science links for more experiments & projects!
Biology Revision is an online tutorial on Biology for 11-14 yos (Key Stage 3) & 14 - 16 yos (Key Stage 4/GCSE). Each section is broken down by topic & there are lots of animations & graphics to help explain each topic. Most topics have a review test at the end. Since this page is located in the UK, be aware that some of the words are spelled differently.
Brainpop covers many science topics. Each section includes a mini-movie, projects, experiments, quizzes, & comic strips with more in-depth info. You are only allowed to view a total of 2 sections a day (for example one movie & activity on the same topic or 2 movies) per day without subscribing. If you subscribe, you get unlimited access to everything for 1 year.
BioZone publishes AP/Honors worktexts that can be used as self teaching guides for biology. On this site, you will find tons of helpful links, sample pages, & the listings of 4 different versions they have available.
Cells Are Us is a middle school curriculum in Cell Biology and Environmental Health. It is broken down into 5 units & includes worksheets, assignments, readings, a study area & more! Some of the content on this site may also be useful at the high school level.
Discover Biology Online is the companion site to the non-major college biology textbook. It is also good as a self study guide with an outline of important points, a glossary of words, & a self test. There is also a link to biology news
e-Skeletons Project enables you to view the bones of a human, gorilla, and baboon and gather information about them from our osteology database. There is a glossary, a section for comparing the skeltons, & a self test.
The Field Museum is a great resource for studying life science! Under their On-line Resources, you can go to the expeditions@fieldmuseum link & check out 2 previous trips that deal with life science: Janet Voight from the East Pacific Rise explored the Hydrothermal Vents to learn more about the life found there & Peter Makovicky from Bighorn Basin, Wyoming studied Dinosaurs of North America. Project E.R (Environmental Rescue) studies ecology & biodiversity & ways to preserve ecosystems. The Sue Files is about the T-Rex that has been dubbed "Sue." Under Online Exhibits, you can find info on the Lions of Tvaso, Underground Adventure (a really good investigation for you naturalists; it includes ideas about how to keep a nature journal & the way this project is done can be easily transfered to ANY nature study!), Butterflies, Africa, Bug Databases, & Life Over Time, a study of dinosaurs. In theCollection Database Directory you can find several databases for studying Botany & Zoology.
Franklin Institutes "Learn" section includesmany online science lessons, including life science topics such as the heart & the brain!
Grossology is the official website of the author of this book series. Here you can learn about various science facts that most people consider gross. Kids love it!
IBM Lesson Plan Index offers various lesson plans & links. All are offered in .pdf format. You will have to fill out a contact sheet before you get to the page where you can download lessons. Here is a list of life science topics they have units for. Under K-2, they have exploring zoo animals, exploring insects and spiders, dinosaurs, nutrition, oceans, the rainforest, bats, and the human body. For 3rd-5th, they have Biomes, exploring zoo animals, dinosaurs, nutrition, oceans, the rainforest, bats, and the human body. The 6th-8th units cover Biomes, plant and animal biology, dinosaurs, nutrition, oceans, the rainforest, and the human body. For the High School level they have plant and animal biology.
The Internet Science Room has complete high school science curriculums on-line for Biology, Botany, Chemistry, & Physical science.
Investigating Science Online contains 2 complete biology curriculums. Biology, unfortunately, has broken links BUT you can easily find the correct ones by going to the On-line Biology Book & looking up the correct chapter to read & then go to Scope, Sequence, and Coordination Micro Units for High School & downloading the correct units by number &/or title. The AP Biology is much more complete but is based on a specific McGraw Hill textbook. You could probably adapt it to the On-line Biology Book.
Learn.co.uk is a UK site that has tons of mini-lessons & self tests. There are science tutorials for grades 3 through 12. Most tutorials include flash animations & virtual experiments.
Liberty Science Center has online, interactive learning resources including Brainpower, Deep Sea Science, The Science Behind Tobacco, Roach World, Prenatal Imagery, Sports Psychology, and Burps, Farts, & Snot (if a lesson you are interested in DOES NOT show up on the list at this page, simply roll your mouse over the Online Learning Resouces bar located on the bar menu across the upper section of the page). There are also various lesson plans on the Discovery Challenges Matrix page. Although these are aimed as lessons & projects to be down pre- & post visit, most of these can be easily accomplished with out going to the museum & by doing a little research on your own. Life Science topics in this area include Design a Natural House , Design a Healthy Workout (3rd - 6th, 6th - 12th), Design an Ecosystem(3rd - 6th, 6th - 12th), Design an Organism (3rd-6th), Create an Artificial Limb (6th - 12th), Plan a Greener Neighborhood (6th - 12th), & Design an Ergonomic Chair (6th - 12th).
Life Science Connections is an animated site designed by a 7th grade teacher. The easiest way to find everything there is to go to the Online Notebook. You will find a list of topics on that page &, by clicking on each topic, you will find the animated tutorials & quizzes that she has created!
MIT Biology Hypertextbook is an introduction to molecular biology.
Mr. Biology is a must see if your covering high school or AP biology! There are class lecture notes, labs made up of things you can find in the grocery store, curriculum outlines, activities, worksheets, & sample tests! You can even purchase his curriculum if you like the samples provided!
Ology is a constantly evolving website from the American Museum of Natural History. Current topics include Marine Biology, Genetics, Einstein, Biodiversity, Paleontology, & Astronomy. Each section has tons of information & self tests. Kids can sign up & collect virtual cards which include even more in-depth information. They can then take those cards & arrange them as projects on the homepage they are given so others can view them. There are also interviews with scientists, projects to do away from the computer, & more. New topics are added several times a year, so check back often!
On-line Biology Book covers all of the topics found in a typical college introductory course.
Physical Anthropology Tutorials has sections on heredity, genetics, evolution, & taxonomy.
PVscience allows you to ask science questions by e-mail. You will also find helpful hints here on dissection, what science to teach when, and prepared specimens you can purchase.
Robert Krampf's Experiment of the Week currently contains over 120 experiments in many topics! You can either browse through the archives or use the search function if you are looking for an experiment in a specific topic.
The Science Room has Biology and Anatomy & Physiology classes online. Each class includes brief lessons, assignments, labs, links, & vocabulary. There are also demonstrations, some of which look impractical to do at home, & a glossary.
SciShop is aimed at middle schoolers. Just pick a topic under "Unit of Study" on the main page & then either pick a question from the next page, to see a list of sites dealing with that topic, or leave it blank to see all the pages that deal in the main subject.
Surfing the Net with Kids: Science has a large listing of links broken down by topic. It gives in depth descriptions for each site so that you can easily decide if a site is suites your needs.
SDSC Science Enrichment Program has several lessons in life science: Life Through a Microscope, From Caterpillar to Butterfly, Inside a Cell, Life Cycle of a Frog, & The Microscopic World.
Teachers First has hundreds of lessons & projects for studying life science! Just go Classroom Resources & then choose Matrix. Look down the Matrix to Biology & then choose a grade level. You can also use the keyword search on the Matrix page to look for a specific topic.
USC Biology Course Material has notes from lecures, study guides, & labs in .pdf format.
YLP Project is full of mini-units. Just choose a year & look for a link to either Exemplary Lesson Plans, Exemplary Mini-Units, or Exemplary Curriculum Units. Next to each listing, I have added the grade level the lesson is aimed at. For 1994, they have Insects (2nd-3rd), Dinosaurs (K-1st), Bears (K), Vertebrates (5th), & Ecosystems(?). For 1995/1996, they have Habitats: Deserts and Oceans (2nd-3rd), & Deserts and The Southwest United States (3rd). For 1996/1997, they have Bats (2nd), Fossils (K), & Pigs (1st-2nd). For 1997/1998, they have Bears (K), The Five Senses (1st-2nd), & Dinosaurs (K).
Zoom School offers lessons on various animals & human anatomy: Dinosaurs, Apes, Whales, Birds, & Sharks. You can also click on the animal area of the "classroom" at the top of the screen to learn about animals that live in whatever country is featured. If you click on the archives, you will also find lessons on the rain forest, aardvarks, alligators, beavers, ladybugs, & tigers. Many of these lessons have worksheets you can download & at-home activities you can do.
Biodiversity & Ecology
A Charlotte Mason Education - Nature Study has ideas for nature studies & a nature notebook for you budding naturalist.
Aliens Explore Earth is aimed at 4th - 8th graders. Although it is short on graphics, the information is easily understandable & covers the basics.
Animal Report Outline from RHL School.
Australian Knowledge Resources Activity and Worksheet Books has several science worksheets you can download. Topics include Antarctica, Australian Animals, Camouflage, Endangered Animals, Life in Trees, Minibeasts, & Seashore Life.
Bluebirds, Bird Watching, & Feeding is a great place for budding bird watchers! Besides hints & tips for beginners, there is a message board & several projects for attracting birds in your area such as a milkjug bird feeder, homemade seut holder, & how to biuld bluebird nesting boxes. There are also links to other bird identification sites.
BugBios aims to help you really see insects for the miniature marvels they represent and to understand how intertwined our cultures have become with these alien creatures.
Charles Darwin Foundation is a great resource for doing an in depth study of the Galapagos wildlife! Besides articles, pictures, short movies, & research info, there is also a Kids Corner with sections on Galapagos Tortoises, Dinosaurs, & more!
Colgate's Kids World has some cute shockwave activities about wildlife aimed at 7-9 yos.
E-Nature.com is a very cool place for the budding naturalist/botanist/zoologist in your family. You can look up wildlife in general or by your zip code. If you sign up, you can keep a journal of what you've identified as well as when & where it was spotted!
Encyclopaedia Britannica Presents Discovering Dinosaurs is a unit on dinosaurs with lesson plans for grades 4-6 & 6-8.
Environmental Explorers Club is a site from the EPA. It includes tons of informations, resources, volunteer & group projects, internships, etc. There is a special link to the teachers area where you can find lessons & freebies, too!
Fermilab Life Science Data has flora & fauna databases & activities & lesson plans about prairies broken down by age group.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Resources for Educators has several wildlife coloring books you can download!
Key To Stream Invertebrates is a taxonomic key that can help you learn about classification of invertabrates & figure out what that invertabrate you found is.
Linda's Homeschool Page has a mini-unit on ants.
Marilee's Endangered Animals Links has links to info on many endangered species.
National Wildlife Federation has lots of info & resources for you budding naturalist/zoologist! They also have a specialized area called the Kidzone, which is broken down into areas by age & magazine: Wild Animal Baby (1-3), Backyard Buddies is the companion site to Your Big Backyard (3-7 yos), Go Wild is the companion site to Ranger Rick (7-13 yos), &, for ages 13 & up, The Earth Tomorrow Network. Each site contains articles, projects, games, parents & educators sections, & more!
The Pleasures of Wildlife Ponding is a guide to help you set up a wildlife pond in your own backyard to attract wildlife native to your area!
North Harrison College Biology Department is a great resource! There are lots of links to other websites, including companion sites to the texts they use, two entire sections of science animations, movies, & interactive tutorials (found here and here), and a large listing of biology reference sites!
Rainforest Action Network Kids Corner has articles, activities, & even a movie about the rainforest!
Sea World/Busch Gardens has some excellent resources for learning about wildlife! Under Animal Resources, you will find fast facts on animals, animals in the news, animal sounds, in depth articles, lesson plans, an article on careers at Zoological Parks & the educational requirements, & more!
Tree of Life is broken down by kingdoms, sub-kingdoms, etc. Great for classification studies.
Virtual Zoo is a Thinkquest site that lets you tour their online zoo & learn about the animals there & various habitats.
"Whales of the World" Educational Program is full of information on whales.
When Dinosaurs Roamed America is the companion site to the Discovery Channel show. There are also dino-links on this page to their first show Walking with Dinosaurs, a dino guide, & more!
The Wild Ones is the children's education section of the Wildlife Trust. There are projects, articles, resource lists, & a downloadable newsletter aimed at 10-14 yos.
Cells, Microscopes, & Microscopic Life
There are many places to buy microscopy equipment. If you don't have a microscope, want to purchase some blank or pre-made slides, or would like to purchase books on the topic, you can find many listed on the Vendors & Suppliers A - M & Vendors & Suppliers N - Z pages.
GreatScopes.com Microscopic Adventures is a list of activities to do with a microscope.
"I Don't Know; Let's Do The Experiement": Microscopes, Cells, DNA, & You is aimed at elementary aged children, but could probably be used with a slightly older child. You can either view the lessons individually or download them all at once.
Lab Essentials Easy Experiments to Try at Home has 4 introductory microscope labs.
Learn.co.uk's Intel Microscope Activities is a short introduction to using the QX3 microscope.
Microbus has information on how to choose & use a microscope. There are also several activities & lesson plans available.
QX3Fun is a collection of links, tips & tricks, & movies and animation that were done with the QX3 microscope. While you are there, make sure you sign up for the QX3 Yahoo Group so you can found out how other people are using it & check out what they have done!
Three-Dimensional Interactive Cell is a work in progress. Currently, it includes a picture of a 3-D, and a downloadable .avi of a plant cell.
Using the Digital Microscope by Brian J. Ford is an excellent guide to using the QX3. Besides explanations on how to use it & the history of the microscope, you will find projects such as taking it to the shore and time lapse photography!
Using the Intel Play QX3 Microscope explains how to use the QX3 with a regular microscope.
Virtual Cell includes a tour of the cell, a mini-textbook which includes info on cell biology & organic chemistry, worksheets to use, & even an area where you can download parts of the site & use them off-line!
WWW Cell Biology Course is a tutorial work-in-progress.
Online Dissections
About.com Biology - Virtual Dissections has a nice little listing of virtual dissections on line.
Froguts is THE COOLEST dissection page I have ever seen! It goes in depth, with nice explanations of everything as well as worksheets to go with each step of the dissection. They are in the process of switching to a subscription plan, but it looks like the price will be very reasonable!
Netfrog offers 2 versions of its dissection: the original from 1994 & a new improved digital version!
The Virtual Frog Dissection Kit allows you to dissect the frog on the computer rather than at the kitchen table or in the bathroom. 8-)
Virtual Creatures gives a unique perspective on animal anatomy! Instead of dissecting a frog, you can see right through it!
Human Anatomy, Health, & Genetics
Colgate's Kids World has activities aimed at 4 - 9 yos to teach them about dental care.
The Heart: An Online Exploration, was inspired by the Franklin Institutes actual walkthru tour of the heart. This virtual tour includes a glossary, resources, enrichment activities, & in depth lessons on the heart, from basic anatomy to taking care of your heart! While you are there, check out the lesson on The Human Brain.
Genetics Learning Center has tons of info on genetics including experiments you can do at home, genetics topics in the news, & tutorials.
Grey's Anatomy is now online!
Human Genome Project is offering a free multimedia kit! It includes a CD-ROM with seven varied segments, an award-winning video documentary, The Secret of Our Lives, a commemorative poster & an informational brochure, Genetics: The Future of Medicine.
Interactive Assessment Worksheets has several activities for teaching children about matter & the body systems.
Neuroscience for Kids has projects, experiments, worksheets, & more!
Oral-B Learning Center has k - 5 lesson plans, tips, a section on oral health topics, & other useful information on oral hygiene.
Physical Anthropology Tutorials has sections on heredity, genetics, evolution, taxonomy, & human biology.
Virtual Autopsy is an interactive site where you try to figure out the cause of death. Although it sounds like it might be gross, the reports seem to only have sections of various organs shown, rather than actually showing a cadaver. There is a section on Anatomy & Physiology to help you understand the body & find the cause of death.
Plants
E-Nature.com is a very cool place for the budding naturalist/botanist/zoologist in your family. You can look up wildlife in general or by your zip code. If you sign up, you can keep a journal of what you've identified as well as when & where it was spotted!
Virginia Carolina Peanuts has recipes, lesson plans, & more about this food.
© 2004 mtanis@geocities.com
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