General Science Links

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, CSIRO, ABC & BBC | Bureau of Meterology | Museum websites | Environmental agencies | More useful websites | More links! | Science Teachers’ Associations

Find out about the TLF Science Learning Objects here!

The following table allows teachers to conduct a more exhaustive search for resources.
The top row includes a direct link preset to search the EdNA database for General Science resources, while the bottom row includes a preset link to search the EdNA database for Science Lesson Plans and Units of Instruction. These links will open in a new browser window.

		Click the image for EdNA Online General Science resources: (Opens a new window)
		Click the image for EdNA Online Lesson Plans & Units of Instruction: (Opens a new window)

Science and innovation at the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

Here you will find the latest initiatives and reports relating to science and technology in Australia.
Links to Science Portal (see below), Backing Australia's Ability, Science Matters and Strike a Chord (the science of music)
You or your (more senior) students may also find useful information on the Science Portal (http://www.science.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx), although this portal is directed more towards practicising (or would-be practicising) scientists.

CSIRO Explore & Educate

• Science for Schools:
• CSIRO Science Education Centres
• Awards & Competitions
• Student & Teacher Research Scheme
• Double Helix Science Club School Groups
• Teacher Resources
• Science Clubs and Programs:
• Double Helix Science Club
• Science by Email
• Holiday Programs
• Scope
• Community Activities:
• Discovery Centre
• Telescope Visitor Centres
• Double Helix Scienec Club Chapters
• Do-it-yourself science
• Backyard biodiversity
• Biology experiments
• Chemistry experiments
• Environment experiments
• Physics experiments
• Games
• And more ...

• Astronomy & Space
• Energy
• Environment
• Farming & Food
• Health & Wellbeing
• Information & Communication Technology
• manufacturing
• Materials
• Mining & Minerals
• Transport & Infrastructure

The Lab

BBC Science & Nature

Bureau of Meterology

Museum websites

Museum Victoria

(http://museumvictoria.com.au/)
Updated urls 2008
Museum Victoria has a number of websites useful for Science teachers and students.
See the Discovery Centre at http://museumvictoria.com.au/DiscoveryCentre/, or Education Programs & Resources
(http://museumvictoria.com.au/Education/)
Discovery Centre

• Animals & Plants:Br>
  • Insects
  • Spiders & Scorpions
  • Other bugs
  • Marine Life
  • Freshwater Life
  • Frogs & Reptiles
  • Birds & Mammals
  • Dinosaurs & Fossils
  • Plants
  • Genetics
• Rocks & Fossils
• Astronomy
• Indigenous Cultures
• History & Technology
• Immigration
• Other Topics

• Time
• Fossils and the Scientific Process
• Life through Time
• Evolutionary Milestones
• Extinctions

Australian Museum Online

(http://www.amonline.net.au)
Investigate either:

Minerals & Fossils

or

Animals

Updated website.
Select your choice via the small "+" below the description.
Resources are indicated by the file, tours (useful for those in or near Sydney) by the calendar.

Powerhouse Museum Online discovery

Scitech online

Coming soon - another Australian Museum!

While you are waiting for more museums here, you can have a look for yourself by using ALLdownunder.com's (formerly WhatsTheNumber.com) Australian Museums links page. There are currently 72 museums listed.
(http://alldownunder.com/oz-k/entertainment/australian-museums.htm). All sorts of useful information on this website, though not necessarily science related!

Environmental agencies

Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
(http://www.environment.gov.au).
“Your gateway to Australian environment resources on the Internet”
Includes links to Climate change and Environmantal websites

A lot of stuff here!
Includes search and browse functions.
(Added to Lynx 24.02.05, updated 06.03.2007, 12.02.2008)

Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS)
(http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/index.html - url updated 06.03.07)
Includes numerous online resources.
Teachers should investigate their choice of resources to make sure of its suitability - the Flora of Australia, for instance, does not search well on common names, the Fungi resource is a single (very interesting) long page with a number of enlargable images.
Excellent material for more advanced students.
(Updated 24.02.05, 16.05.06)

Each State and Territory has a website devoted to Environmental Protection information.

Victoria: Environment Protection Authority - Victoria: For students
(http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/Students/).
Here you will find a wealth of information and ideas, including an entire section of the website for students, where the topics iinclude Air, Litter, Noise, Water, Waste and VCE students.
Other available resources include:

• Home Water Investigator
• Air Quality for Kids
• Greenhouse Calculator
• Ecological Footprint Calculators
• Car EcoMeter
• EPA Victoria Library

Queensland: Environmental Protection Agency/Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
(http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/).
Includes much useful environment material, but no specific teacher/student resources.
Try expanding the folders in the sitemap for a quick overview of what's available.

New South Wales: Environment Protection Agency: For Teachers and students
(http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/for_teachers_and_students.htm).
Environment topics include Air, Chemicals, Hazardous materials, Land, Lead safe, Noise, Pesticides, Radiation, Waste & recycling and Water.
Access the Airwatch program.

Western Australia: Department of Environment and Conservation
(http://portal.environment.wa.gov.au/portal/page?_pageid=233,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL).
New website under construction.
Links to Environment and Conservation. The Conservation link is more appropriate for juniors, while Environment contains much documentation that could be useful research material for seniors.

South Australia: Environment Protection Authority
(http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/epa/).
Use the Sitemap to gauge the website's usefulness for your purposes.

Tasmania: The Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIWE): Environment
(http://www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/ThemeNodes/DREN-4VH8CZ?open).
No specific teacher or student resources, but some useful information, often buried fairly deeply, in the following general categories:

• Living Environment Program
• Coastal Management
• Environmental Management
• Air, Noise & Water
• Waste and Recycling
• Environmental Assessments
• Enforcement, Compliance & Regulatory Activities
• Land Contamination
• Pollution Incident Complaints
• Environment Protection Fund Grant Scheme

Australian Capital Territory: Environment ACT

(http://www.environment.act.gov.au/index).
Fairly minimal resources, best located by using the Sitemap.

More useful websites

Science Continuum P-10

(http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/science/scicontinuum/default.htm)
Victorian Government Department of Education and Early Childhood development website.
Links to VELS Standards and Focus Ideas, Science Concept Development Maps and Additional support for teachers.

The Royal Society Students Homepage

(http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/landing.asp?id=3500 - link updated 06.03.07)
The Royal Society is one of the world's most prestigious science organisations
From the website:

Science means many different things to different people - a subject studied at school; what scientists 'do'; a secret activity of big business; the solution to some of the world's greatest problems. This site aims to give greater access to information about science and scientists, and to answer questions about how scientists work.

The National Measurement Institute has over 40 one page (pdf format) Fact sheets available.
(http://www.nmi.gov.au/index.cfm?event=object.showContent&objectID=07D9A558-FB1B-268B-CD3FEA364338A1F4)
These sheets all follow the same format: The Challenge followed by NMI's Response. Useful additional resources for any science topics relating to measurement. Quite a few sheets refer to aspects of environmental monitoring and sports drugs research.
(Added to the Lynx 26.07.2006)

Worldmapper - The world as you've never seen it before

(http://www.windows.ucar.edu/)
Paraphrased from their website:
Windows to the Universe - documents, images, movies, animations, and data sets that explore the Earth and Space sciences and the historical and cultural ties between science, exploration, and the human experience. Especially helpful for Earth and Space sciences. Three reading levels approximating elementary, middle school and high school reading levels. Option for teacher newsletter.

Numerous resources categorised into: Earth science/Geology, Atmospheric Science, Oceanography, Astronomy, Planetology, Space Science, Environmental Science, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mythology, History of Science, Other.
Added to the Lynx 16.05.2006

Medical & Science Media
(http://www.msmedia.com.au/SCIENCE/Science_HOME.shtml)
Sydney based supplier. Online catalogue and purchase of a range of Science resources - software, 35 mm slides, microscope slides, videos, OHPs and Media packages. Option for email alert.
Most products more suitable for middle and senior students.

ViSLAB @ Sydney University (http://www.vislab.usyd.edu.au/gallery/)
The Visualisation and High-Performance Computing Laboratory (ViSLAB) is the leading-edge site in Australia for advanced visualisation and computing.
You (and your students) can view some amazing, thought-provoking visual data presentations relevant to a range of scientific topics on their gallery page.
Data may be presented as still (gif) images and/or Quicktime movies.
Probably more relevant to senior students.

Find out yourself from a very useful website indeed!
ScienceResearch.com
(http://www.scienceresearch.com/search/index.php)
Publicly available web portal allowing access to numerous scientific journals and public science databases, hosted by Deep Web Technologies.
Scientific Disciplines: Astronomy, Biology & Nature, Chemistry, Computers & Technology Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering, General Science, Health & Medicine, Materials Science, Mathematics, Physics, Social Sciences.
Other links include: Directory of Open Access Journals, Library of Congress Online Catalog, Science.gov [Searches the [us] government's vast stores of scientific and technical information across 30 databases and more than 1,700 science websites and currently accesses over 47 million pages of government science information], Science Conferences and Scientific News.

NASA: Living in Space
(http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/living/index.html)
Everything you ever wanted to know about Space food, Space wear, Space work and Space Fun - from the experts!
Images, fact sheets, (Flash) Interactives and more.

And also from NASA:
A virtual scanning electron microscope (SEM)
(http://learn.arc.nasa.gov/vlab/index.html)
Developed by NASA, the Virtual Lab download completely emulates a scanning electron microscope and allows any user to zoom and focus into a variety of built-in microscopic samples. It also comes with a set of educational materials such as a demo on how a SEM works and movies of the real thing in action.
System requirements:
Mac OSX, Windows: 98, 2000, or XP
Powerbook G4 or Intel Pentium 3, Celeron or AMD Athlon
256 MB of RAM + 500 MB of disk space
Virtual Lab Notes. Further details on website.

schoolscience (http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/)
This UK based website hosts activities and resources for a wide range of topics – “The schoolscience site is packed with free on-line resources, showing the applications of the science you learn at school” – and it is!
Links to one of the best periodic tables (Periodic Table of Data) on the web!
Website is now organised into year groups and student/teacher sections.
Year groups: 5-7, 7-11, 11-14, 14-19.
Note: Some activities require Flash.

Molecular Expressions: Exploring the world of Optics and Microscopy
(http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/index.html)
Some wonderful java applications - see Secret Worlds: The Universe Within, (Powers of 10) which starts at the galactic local cluster (10⁺²³M) end ends in a swarm of quarks (10^-16M). Many other useful and fast loading applets relating to optics (lenses, mirrors, reflection and colour) and microscopy, including biological microscopy, and lots of images. Items for purchase. Careful - read the 'Rules and Regulations for Image Use'. (Added to Lynx 14.04.05)

The Vega Science Trust

Tech Topics
(http://www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/topics/topics.html)
Web based learning activities, including limited animation (requires Shockwave) and links to relevant websites. Essentially pages from an 'animated' textbook on the web, but reasonable quality.
Current topics are Earthquakes, Electricity, Cardiovascular System, Matter and Genetics
Teachers - click the 'Resources' button in the top banner for information and ideas about each activity - and the answers to the questions!
Suitable for Years 8-10.
(Added to Lynx 24.02.05)

Classroom Antarctica
(http://www.classroomantarctica.aad.gov.au/index.html)
Offers eight units, each with a number of activities available either online (no pictures) or in pdf format (including pictures), plus an extensive resource list. Units 1, 5 and 6 are explicitly science based and there are science activities scattered throughout the remaining units.
Designed for Years 5-8.
(Added to Lynx 24.02.05)

ScienceNetwork WA
(http://sciencewa.net.au)
Developed by Scitech in partnership with the Office of Science and Innovation, the ScienceNetwork WA website and e-journal support the formal education curriculum by providing links to many resources and learning materials for teachers and students. Includes ‘Ambassadors for Science’, who are leading scientists willing to share knowledge, describe research and encourage the uptake of scientific careers, ScienceNews Headlines and more!
See also Scitech Online in the Museums section.

Melbourne Water: Educational resources
(http://education.melbournewater.com.au/system/education_resources/search.asp)
Now a search page.
Ther are also sections for Primary and Secondary Students that link to the following areas: Water Supply, Sewerage, Stormwater & Rivers and Creeks.
Purchase the award winning virtual tour The Western Treatment Plant Explorer – the ideal tool to learn about Melbourne’s sewerage system (includes Curriculum links). $29.95
(Added to Lynx 19.10.04)

Yarra Valley Water: Water School
(http://www.yvw.com.au/waterschool/)
More information on water. One of the few websites to include information on drinking water treatment, as well as water recycling (see ‘Water Quality’ in the Seniors section).
(Added to Lynx 19.10.04, url updated 10.11.05)

The Exploratorium: tools for teaching
(http://www.exploratorium.edu/educate/index.html)
There are a number of useful pages in the ‘Hands-on activities’ – for instance, ‘Build a Solar System’ calculates all dimensions of a scale model of the solar system given a single input (requires Java).
See also Science Snacks (instructions for building replicas of Exploratorium models in class) and Iron Science Teacher – our version of Iron Chief!
(Added to Lynx 19.10.04)

Court TV.com: Forensics in the classroom
(http://www.courttv.com/forensics_curriculum/)
An interesting American website offering a selection of scenario-based activities involving the use of forensic chemistry. All require both teacher registration before accessing the activity and Adobe reader. All required information and instructions are contained in the download. As the scenarios are very socially based, these activities could well be useful to generate interest in general science courses.
Current activities:
The Cafeteria Caper, which requires students to conduct an enzymes test, as well as hair, blood and DNA analysis to find out who’s responsible;
It's Magic! which requires handwriting analysis, a pH test and paper chromatography;
The Celebration which involves a gun shot residue test;
The Car that Swims where students use footprint casting, and
Renters Beware, the most 'chemical' of the activities, where students use a flame test, a Kastle-Meyer test and fingerprint matching.
(Added to Lynx 19.10.04)

Planet Science
(http://www.planet-science.com/home.html)
Planet Science hosts numerous activities and information sheets. Includes Wired - online games & activites for all ages – some of which will require a reasonable download speed, Sci-Teach - classroom resources and ideas, Out There - activities & projects for everyone, and, of course a Library of the world’s best science websites.
Text only site available.

Technology School of the Future (TSoF): Resources for science teachers
(http://www.tsof.edu.au/resources/science/).
Hosted by the South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services, this page links to numerous resources and updates on competitions. Includes a link to the South Australian Science Teachers Association Online Resources for Science Teachers, which can be searched by Band, Strand, Keyword, Author, Context and Key Competencies.

A Science Odyssey
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/).
This American website, hosted by PBS has several menus. The site is several years old, and may not have been updated recently. Topics (with their website descriptions) include:

• Then + Now: A brief overview of this website that compares what we knew in 1900 to what we know today
• That’s My Theory: Meet some of the scientists who made twentieth century history on this made-for-the-Web game show
• On the Edge: These comic-book style stories take you back through time and present scientists soon after they made their discoveries
• You Try It: Cool activities, including Atom Builder, Probe the Brain, and Technology at Home (requires Shockwave plug-in)
• People and Discoveries: A databank of biographies of scientists and descriptions of key events and discoveries.

The Why? Files - science behind the news
(http://whyfiles.org/).
Hosted by the University of Wisconsin, you can find links to articles of relevance to science in the (American) news. You would need to examine the site contents for relevance to your teaching. Some of their activities require Flash.

Science Hobbyist
(http://amasci.com/)
This unusual American website includes such topics as ‘Good stuff’, ‘Amateur science’, ‘Cool science’ and ‘Weird science’ (which really is weird and not very scientific!). You would need to warn students that not all the material here is reliable. However, have a look at ‘Is you textbook Wrong?’ Why, for instance, do you think the sky is blue? [It’s apparently not the Tyndall effect and Rayleigh scattering, as I was taught!]

More Links!

You may also be interested in the following links:

Planet Science: science library
(http://www.planet-science.com/library/start.html)
There is some science material available on the Planet Science website, largely aimed at junior students (requires Macromedia Flash). However, their links pages are well worth a trawl.
Links classified by age group:

• everyone
• under 10s
• 10-15s
• 15+
• parents
• teachers

• astronomy
• botany
• chemistry
• earth sciences
• ecology
• food science & nutrition
• general science
• health & medicine
• human biology
• maths
• physics
• technology / materials / engineering
• zoology

Simply Science
(http://users.pipeline.com.au/jpearce/default.htm)
Developed for Primary School teachers and students, and uses both Frames and a lot of Flash. The most useful resource for secondary teachers is the Simply Science Furl (link at bottom of left frame) where new and interesting science sites are reviewed and categorised (includes RSS feed). Rate a website yourself!

Science Fair Projects
(http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/index.php).
"Science Fair Projects for all levels. We have hundreds of ideas for every science topic, from Astronomy to Zoology!"
Science Fair Projects equate to practical activities, of which this website holds descriptions and links to the (third-party) websites.
Current listings under the following headings:

• Biology: Botany, Human anatomy, Human psychology and Zoology
• Chemistry: Environmental Pollution, Food Science and Miscellaneous
• Physics: Astronomy, Electricity, Forces and Motion, Heat (Thermodynamics) and Miscellaneous
• Earth Science: Geology, Meteorology and Oceanography
• Engineering: Miscellaneous

The Educators Reference Desk: Science
(http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/res.cgi/Subjects/Science).
Hosted by the Information Institute of Syracuse, this page includes links to websites classified into the following groups:

• Agriculture
• Animals
• Biology
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Engineering
• Entomology
• Environmental Education
• Genetics
• Geology
• Instructional Issues
• Inventors
• Meteorology
• Oceanography
• Paleontology
• Physics
• Space Science

Teaching & learning on the web
(http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/tl/).
Hosted by the Maricopa Center for Learning & Instruction (MCLI), part of the Maricopa Community Colleges, Arizona.
“This searchable collection includes sites that range from courses delivered entirely via the web to courses that offer specific activities related to a class assignment or perhaps courses that offer class support materials via the web.
Last updated almost a year ago. (as of 06.03.07)

University of Sydney Science Education WWW Links
(http://alex.edfac.usyd.edu.au/Methods/Science/WWWFrameB.html).
Recently updated. Website now organised as follows:

• recently discovered websites of interest to science teachers
• an archive of science education websites
• internet search engines and directories
• on-line references for science and technology including current news
• a selection of general education sites

Charles Sturt University Education Virtual Library
(http://www.csu.edu.au/education/library.html)
Useful but hard to search collection of websites.

The Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA)
(http://www.asta.edu.au).
The Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) is a federation of eight states/territories Science Teacher Associations responsible for representing the national profession of teachers of science. Current projects and activities include: National Science Week, SCIps Partnership Project Grants, Bob Squire Annual Award for Excellence in Science Teaching and Ruth Dircks ASTA Scholarship to CONASTA. ASTA also provides a range of publications for members and for purchase by non-members.

Science Teachers Association of Western Australia (STAWA)
(http://www.stawa.asn.au)
The Science Teachers Association of Western Australia aims to:

• Provide professional development for teachers of science
• Promote equitable access in science education
• Promote the importance of science education
• Strengthen science and education and industry links
• Provide a range of resources to support the teaching of science
• Maintain and strengthen the Association's financial independence
• Strengthen the membership base of the Association
• Promote science teaching as a profession
• Maintain an independent voice in representing teachers of science