Hot Websites

Teaching Pre K-8, Apr 2001 by Lindroth, Linda

In April, we celebrate Earth Day and I've found some special web resources to enhance your life science study. From recycling to energy, these sites offer great lessons to motivate students to accept the challenge of protecting our environment.

Paper University www.tappi.org/paperu

Paper University is a wonderful website created by TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry).

In the All About Paper area, students research the history of paper. A Piece of Our Lives challenges students to brainstorm ways we use paper. Paper Clips is a slide show about paper. Earth Answers gives extensive answers with bright, colorful illustrations to questions such as "How is paper recycled?"

The Fun with Science area offers lots of experiments, complete with Activity Pages, to explore the science of paper and paper products. Test paper towel strengths, balance a book on one piece of construction paper or accept the challenge and try to step through paper without tearing it. For more lessons with paper, see www.teachingk-8.com

Art Class holds lessons for using papier mache and other craft projects. When I Grow Up offers students info about careers in the paper and pulp industry. Media Center has resources and links for more information about paper.

TAPPI has also created a CD-ROM, Forests & Paper Forever. You can read the review about it in my Blue Ribbon Software column this month.

Energy Quest www.energy.ca.gov/education/

The California Energy Commission has created a comprehensive database of resources for Energy Education. Many of the resources can be used as a curriculum base for a study of energy. The Energy Story contains 15 chapters on energy topics which can be read online or printed from PDF files. Topics include electricity, fossil fuels, ocean energy, solar energy and more. Poor Richard's Energy Almanac has ties to Ben Franklin and energy saving ideas. Science Projects offers lots of energy investigations with lessons on preparing and presenting a science fair project.

The games and activities include Watt's That, a Jeopardy-style game with sound, and Watt's That, Jr. for primary. Percy's Puzzles has dozens of printable word searches, word scrambles, mazes, and other puzzles. Research is easy with Ask Dr. Questor, and Super Scientists has facts about energy pioneers.

Be sure and check out Educational Resources with dozens more websites for your energy explorations.

Recycle City www.epa.gov/recyclecity/

Recycle City is a website with lots of facts about recycling, set in a fun simulation of a town. An interactive map lets students click on areas of the town and enter buildings to discover information about recycling and ways to reduce, recycle and reuse. An activity guide suggests ways to use the city with your class. You can print a scavenger hunt to use with Recycle City at www.teachingk8.com

Students will love the simulation game, which challenges them to clean up Dumptown so it looks like Recycle City. As the City Manager, students make decisions to use 10 different recycling programs to improve their city. Charts and graphs help them make good decisions as they use their knowledge to recycle.

Linda Lindroth is a K-5 Technology Teacher, a Teaching Editor and Website Coordinator for Teaching K-8. E-- mail: Linda@TeachingK-8.com