Earth and Space Science Resources

Atmospheric Science

Project BudBurst is a national campaign to study Phenological changes that are associated with changing climate.
Climate Change Education website has several links to teacher resources and some entertaining links (like music about climate change).
Colorado State University houses the CloudSat Outreach efforts; however, this is an internationaleducation/ outreach program.
The Center for Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes at Colorado State University is committed to education and outreach. Their goals are to help teachers, students, and citizens understand atmospheric science and climate change. They host many Professional Development workshops for area teachers and have teamed up with CSU's Little Shop of Physics to provide these PD opportunities.
CoCoRaHS is the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network....great resources for teachersof Earth Systems Science
From the NASA Langley Research Center, this site provides lesson plans that use MY NASA DATA (realscientific data) for grades 5-12. All lessons on this site have been peer reviewed through the NASA Earth& Space Science Education Product Review.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is very committed to educating young people about Earth System Science and global climate change. Check out the link to PBS video modules and the Global Ice Viewer.

NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

For an international economic development perspective, visit the website of the Office for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is an international organization that seeks to unite countries to find solutions to internationalissues (such as science and mathematics literacy OR climate change education OR economic trade and development).
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) creates reports in which climate is assessed. This is hard data that can be used in the classroom.
The US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) was mandated by Congress in 1989. Thirteen departments and agencies participate in this program. This implicates real world data to research climate change.
An educational series produced by the Colorado Climate Center with CIRA and the Poudre SchoolDistrict. Colorado State Climatologist Nolan Doesken is coordinating this effort with attention to thelimitations of living in an arid climate.
Students sometimes confuse weather with climate; however, understanding both are important for being Earth science literate. This page was developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Geosciences

Space Sciences

The Canadian Space Agency also offers lots of resources for educators including complete lesson plans.
"From Stargazers to Starships" by David P. Stern offers "a coherent, self-contained [astronomy] course at the high-school level" including lesson plans and math reviews.

NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This site lets students set a scaled down size for the sun (eg. 2 meters) This then tells the students the actual average distances between the planets and the sun and the scaled down distances as well. If you input your coordinates into the provided space, the website will create the orbits of the planets on google maps, with the sun being your current location.
The UC Berkeley Space Science Lab contains research for educators and students about space, including lessons, workshops, and online activities.

Environmental Sciences

This website is an on-line magazine that aims to connect researchers and educators about the importance of getting kids outside to learn. The CNN organization is a huge proponent of Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods book. They have designated the month of April Children & Nature month.
Find out more about how Colorado Division of Wildlife is committed to education and outreach. There are links on this page to Project Wild, Project Wet, and Learning Tree programs.
Environmental Inquiry for high school students. Cornell University. Students learn specific research protocols and conduct interactive research projects.
EETAP is a program that provides professional development to teachers, as well as resources to support environmental education.
The EPA office of Environmental Education has information for fellowships, grants, resources, and professional development opportunities.
Global Sustainability curriculum finder. Enter your grade level and subject and it takes you to hands-on lessons with action extensions.
This is a site that was started here in Fort Collins and is very useful for finding ways to be environmentally friendly (being sustainable not just about global warming). It is mostly a compilation of links that lead you to the right places to find things like bike maps, recycling, local growers, alternative energy and etc... I would send students here if they become interested in finding out how to be greener or if I want to take a group of students to a green event.
This site provides ways to have kids do ecological research and get outdoors. It includes lots of activities and assessments, and data can be submitted to the site and compared across the country. It was created by Annenberg Media. This is a purpose blip from the site: "Seasonal change is all around us. Children see it in the length of a day, in the appearance of a flower, in the flight of a butterfly. Journey North is a free, Internet-based program that explores the interrelated aspects of seasonal change. Through interrelated investigations, students discover that sunlight drives all living systems and they learn about the dynamic ecosystem that surrounds and connects them."
Natural Inquirer - a middle school educational journal that discusses environmental issues of today. The reading material is for middle school students, but could be modified to meet the needs of high school students. There are also lesson plans for educators on environmental issues
NatureServe is a conservation biology group that emphasizes making scientific knowledge available to benefit ecosystems, maintain biodiversity, and inform decisions.
This is a site that promotes objective energy education. Great resources for the classroom as well as professional development opportunities.
National Environmental Education Foundationg (NEEF) is a K12 program that helpssupport formal K12 educators integrate env. sci into their classrooms.
Project Learning Tree - great interdisciplinary resources; lesson plans that have been developed and tested by teachers first. Most materials are K-8 friendly, but there are others that are more high school oriented.
Science Teacher Program
An interactive map that uses EPA data to display toxic chemicals in communities.
The Wild Classroom program has all kinds of materials on biodiversity issues relevant to classroom teaching. Their activities are aligned to the National Science Education Standards too!
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