Real World Science Projects

Falcon Quest | Bird Web Cams | Journey North | Science Explorations

Science from the Poles:
"In November and December 2006, the Exploratorium celebrates the start of the upcoming 2007-2008 International
Polar Year with a special series of Webcasts highlighting the work of scientists at field sites surrounding the North and South Poles." Visit the Climate Change link at this site for info on global warming, the South Pole Telescope to watch scientists building the largest telescope in the polar region, or any of the six links at the bottom of the page to watch videos filmed in the polar regions.

Live @ Exploratorium Participate in live webcasts with scientists doing research around the world!

The Futures Channel internet site provides short videos highlighting real world science careers. They also create four page teaching guides to build a curricular connection with concepts featured in the video. Sign up to receive a newsletter with teaching ideas and an announcement of the movie of the week. Here is a link to all the science movies at this site. You'll especially enjoy the one of Amar Bose describing how he determined the best solution for blocking unwanted noise in headphones.

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Falcon Quest

Peregrine Falcons, Tower City/Cleveland, Ohio. The Ohio Division of Wildlife and APK.net have teamed up to present one of the most exciting real world science projects online. Students have a rare opportunity to develop literacy skills as they read posts, complete research projects, and record observations of the mating, nesting, hatching, and parenting behaviors of peregrine falcons. Students practice their observation and scientific research skills by watching and journaling about the behavior of falcons on a web cam and later analyzing those recorded observations. As the students compare their personal observations and inferences with those made by professional biologists, they will naturally be challenged to learn new scientific concepts.

Falcon Quest Project
Lynne Harvey's Class Falcon Project
Visit their amazing falcon observation logs at their Falcon Watch website.
Raptors in the City
Cleveland Falcon Cam

Live Web Cams

Eagles: this cam focuses on a nest off the west coast of Canada and includes a live streaming feed with sound.
Eagles: on the east coast of Maine with a live video feed including sound.
Birds around the world: web cams of hundreds of species of nesting birds all over the world.
Live Nest Box Cams: Here are additional live cams on nests throughout the world. The barn owls are amazing.

Journey North and Journey South

The Monarch Migration: Visit one of these two websites to participate in scientific research investigating the migratory path of the Monarch Butterfly. Students can even help "tag" butterflies for the team. While the Monarchs spend winter in Mexico, students can write to classes in Mexico who are monitoring the behaviors of the butterflies and sharing the information. The University of Kansas sponsors the Monarch Watch. (Sign up for their newsletter!) Another site that monitors Monarch Migrations is Journey South. Journey South also monitors other species your class may find interesting. Journey North adds another element of research to your students' work. Riverdeep added an excellent article to their site about the Monarch Migration. It includes an excellent bibliography and even has a print-friendly version.

Scholastic Science Explorations
with the American Museum of Natural History

Scholastic and the American Museum of Natural History have teamed up to create six standards-based Science Explorations this year. Each unit will include live chats with real scientists. Take time to check their schedule.

Energy Conservation 4th-7th Grade

To make energy conservation more meaningful to students in grades 4 - 7, San Diego Gas and Electric, together with the San Diego County Office of Education and the Energy Coalition, has developed an energy education program called PEAK

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Current Map of Worldwide Political and Geological Events

This Croatian web site tracks all political, geological, meteorological, social, and medical problems around the world. Just click on the map to visit their site. The current map will have icons that you can click to read full reports on all events.

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Current Map of Worldwide Political and Geological Events

Earth Climate Course:
What Determines a Planet's Climate?

NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies Institute on Climate and Planets presents an excellent learning module titled: Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate?

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