Free+Tech+Resources+from+Jared+Curtis

Category___________________ Resource Location____________________________________________ Science TEKS___ Lesson Description________ Strengths_____ Weaknesses 5.5A -measure, compare, and contrast physical properties of matter, including size, mass, volume, states (solid, liquid, gas), temperature, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float; 5.5B -predict the changes caused by heating and cooling such as ice becoming liquid water and condensation forming on the outside of a glass of ice water || Students are able to manipulate several variables to investigate the effects of different variables on the state of matter of a substance; they are also able to see how the state of matter relates to the actions of the molecules/atoms of that substance. || Students are able to manipulate one variable at a time and see its effects represented dynamically in several different ways || Some of the information is above a middle-school level and there aren’t any instructions/lesson plans on the actual model page ||
 * Student #1 || [] || 7.8A - predict and describe how different types of catastrophic events impact ecosystems such as floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes || Students are able to build and prepare a community to be able to withstand the impact of a natural disaster. || The ability to be creative and build their own city based on their understanding of how catastrophic events impact areas. || Learning how to use the program takes some time; the shortest scenarios are about 25 minutes long. ||
 * Student #2 || [] || 8.3B - use models to represent aspects of the natural world such as an atom, a molecule, space, or a geologic feature;
 * Student #3 || [] || 7.3B - use models to represent aspects of the natural world such as human body systems and plant and animal cells;

7.12D - differentiate between structure and function in plant and animal cell organelles, including cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondrion, chloroplast, and vacuole; || Students are able to view and rotate a 3D model of both a plant cell and an animal cell. They are able to select specific organelles and learn about their functions and what they look like in detail. || The model allows the cell to be viewed from different angles and to view one organelle at a time and compare them to the whole of the cell. || The students are not able to move the organelles around and the text is small (although it can be made larger) ||
 * Student #4 || [] || 7.10C - observe, record, and describe the role of ecological succession such as in a microhabitat of a garden with weeds. || Students are able to watch a simulation of primary succession and read about it. They are able to control which steps they are looking at to determine the order in which things occur || Students are able to control which segment they are looking at, and are able to watch the animation as it is narrated as well. There is also a quiz so the students can assess themselves. || Students are not able to choose which plants could survive at a specific time, and they are only given one type of succession to watch. ||
 * Student #5 || [] || 7.12B - identify the main functions of the systems of the human organism, including the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, digestive, excretory, reproductive, integumentary, nervous, and endocrine systems; || Students are able to put together observe and place the different organs in the human body in the correct places; they are able to match the different parts of several organ systems to each other to see how they work together || Students are able to rotate and orient the organs within the simulation; they are able to learn where the organs are located and how they function together and individually || Not all of the organ systems are represented ||
 * Teacher #1 || [] || 7.3D - relate the impact of research on scientific thought and society, including the history of science and contributions of scientists as related to the content. || Students are able to take pictures of important scientists (or anything else) and make them “speak” by adding a mouth that moves according to a recorded message. Students can use this to demonstrate their understanding of the contribution of scientists/mathematician to their field by having their pictures describe those contributions. || Students are able to impersonate anyone (or anything) with a picture that talks. It increases student engagement in learning about people significant in science or math (or any other subject) || When I last used it you could download the movies for free; this may change soon. ||
 * Teacher #2 || [] || Lots || This is a blog that has TONS of different resources for teachers. It is constantly update to keep you on the cutting edge of what is out there for free! || Constantly updated; created specifically for teachers; multidisciplinary ||  ||
 * Teacher #3 || [] || Almost all elementary and science TEKS || This is a web-based source of many non-technology resources for teaching science. It has labs, notes, worksheets, and even some web-quests for almost anything you would want to teach (or have to teach) in science ||  || Most of the resources are not technology based; they are just located on a website. ||

And just for good measure…

7.14A - define heredity as the passage of genetic instructions from one generation to the next generation 7.14C - recognize that inherited traits of individuals are governed in the genetic material found in the genes within chromosomes in the nucleus || This website has MANY simulations and online activities that help students understand basic genetic and evolution concepts. Many of the activities are geared toward high-school level TEKS, but there are some basic level activities as well. A basic cell animation is also found on the website. ||  ||   ||
 * Teacher #4 || [] || Lots || This website has many different simulations that teachers in both and science can use to help their students understand the content. || Most of the simulations are very interactive and the students are able to see the effects manipulating the variables that are involved. ||  ||
 * Teacher #5 || [] || 7.11C - identify some changes in genetic traits that have occurred over several generations through natural selection and selective breeding such as the Galapagos Medium Ground Finch (//Geospiza fortis//) or domestic animals.
 * Teacher #6 || [] || Many || This is a website that allows teachers and students to create graphic organizers and flow charts for free! This can be used to help students learn processes in math and in science, and can help them organize the ideas that they are learning in a unit || Students are able to create their own free accounts (you could use gaggle or some other district-approved email) and can save up to three graphic organizers at a time. They can be printed for free as well. ||  ||
 * Student #6 || [] || 7.1A - demonstrate safe practices during laboratory and field investigations as outlined in the Texas Safety Standards; and

7.1B - practice appropriate use and conservation of resources, including disposal, reuse, or recycling of materials. || This is a free 3D interactive game that allows you to create your own avatar and explore a lab, completing missions as you learn to follow lab safety rules. || Immersive 3D environment allows the user to learn lab safety rules in all aspects of the game, from character design to completion of quests. || It is a large file and takes some time to Download. Not appropriate for the entire class, but could be good for tutorials or a homework assignment if some way to make the kids accountable is found. ||
 * Student #8 || [] || 7.11C - identify some changes in genetic traits that have occurred over several generations through natural selection and selective breeding such as the Galapagos Medium Ground Finch (//Geospiza fortis//) or domestic animals. || This simulation allows the student to play the part of a bird trying to eat as many moths as possible. It shows the change in percentage of white vs dark moths in the population. The simulation where the background has changed is also available to show how changes in the environment are able to affect populations. || This would be great to use on a smart board with the kids coming up and “eating” the moths. ||  ||