This fun Web site is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they take a close look at the interdependence of all living things in the Dzanga-Sangha. The site opens by introducing kids to BaAka, a young girl who will guide them through the site. In the Connect the Dots, an interactive game, kids learn how the people, animals, and plants depend on each other to thrive three in habitats: Forest, Bai, and River. In Visiting Dzanga-Sangha, kids get to meet six people who have visited the rainforest as part of their work: an ornithologist, artist, historian, video maker, anthropologist, and ethnomusicologist.

Students learn the genetics of the ABO blood type system and use simple chemicals to simulate blood type tests. Then they carry out genetic analyses to determine whether hospital staff accidentally switched two babies born on the same day. Students learn about Punnett squares, codominance, and multiple alleles of a single gene. This activity helps students meet the Next Generation Science Standards.

In this video, Jonathan travels to Holbox, Mexico in search of the massive whale shark‰ŰÓthe world‰ŰŞs largest fish. Reaching 50 feet long, these animals grow larger than a school bus, but they are completely harmless since they eat only plankton and small fish. Jonathan gets up close and personal to a mouth the size of a small car in his investigation to discover why so many whale sharks visit Holbox every summer. Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.

This unit gives students insight into how various living things, inanimate objects, and environmental factors are related. It is designed to be completed in four to seven sessions. The unit investigates the following two questions. What kinds of relationships exist among plants, arthropods, and abiotic factors? Can the presence of a plant species predict the presence of an arthropod species, and visa versa?

Do you eat like a horse? Or more like a bird? As you might expect, different animals eat different things. Some animals specialize in eating one particularly rich food source, while others eat whatever they can find. This video segment samples the diversity of feeding habits among some of the world's creatures.
Recommended for: Grades K-5

Biodiversity is the spectacular variety of life on Earth and the essential interdependence among all living things. Students begin to learn about the term biodiversity at its most basic level. On their first field trip, students observe a natural space and report on what they see. They also begin to see the need for keeping written records and how to make scientific observations of their site. A series of optional mapping activities are presented that develop the skills required to create detailed and representational maps derived from observations and data.

In this classroom activity, middle school students learn what distinguishes dinosaurs from other animals. The activity opens with background information for teachers about these prehistoric reptiles. As a class, students compare the stance of lizards and dinosaurs in pictures and try to replicate both reptiles' walks. Students then learn that Museum paleontologists classify birds as dinosaurs, and work in groups to compare a T. rex skeleton with pictures of birds.

This is a lesson about characteristics necessary for life. Learners will identify the top candidates for life in the solar system by examining Habitability Cards, which discuss each planet and the six large moons in terms of water temperature, atmosphere, energy, and nutrients. A math extension is provided on the Inverse Square Law. Includes background reading for teachers, student activity guide, reflection questions, and blackline masters. This is activity 3 of 5 in the educators guide, Astrobiology in your Classroom: Life on Earth..and Elsewhere?

Students review the structure of angiosperm plants and learn about the diversity of plant form by using evidence from examination of fruits and vegetables to identify which part of the plant each fruit or vegetable is.

Students analyze evidence to evaluate four hypotheses about where a plant’s mass comes from. For example, students analyze Helmont’s classic experiment, and evaluate whether his interpretation was supported by his evidence. Thus, students engage in scientific practices as they learn that plants consist mainly of water and organic molecules and most of the mass of organic molecules consists of carbon and oxygen atoms originally contained in carbon dioxide molecules from the air. This activity is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.

In this video segment from Planet H20: Water World, experts and teens inside and outside the Great Lakes watershed provide different perspectives on sharing the water from one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world.

In this activity, students learn how to test for triglycerides, glucose, starch, and protein and then use these tests to solve a mystery. The activity reinforces students understanding of the biological functions and food sources of these different types of organic compounds.

In this video segment adapted from United Tribes Technical College, listen as six Native American students share their concerns, hopes, and knowledge about climate change.

In this video adapted from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, see how volunteers care for sick or injured animals. Also learn why human interaction is not always the best solution.

In this What's Up in the Environment? video segment, learn how various indicator species are used to monitor the environmental condition of the Everglades.

In this video you learn what happens when a Beluga whale, normally found far north in the arctic, suddenly shows up in a Bay in Nova Scotia? What happens when she starts swimming with people and approaching boats full of tourists? This segment shows how one incredible friendly whale transformed a town, and captured the hearts of children and adults alike. Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.

In this video segment adapted from Haskell Indian Nations University, meet Elders who describe dramatic changes that they have witnessed in their local environments.

They have big, sharp teeth, long eel-like bodies, and they look like they could bite your fingers right off‰ŰÓbut Jonathan can pet them. They‰ŰŞre Wolffish, and in this video Jonathan visits both Atlantic and Pacific species. You won‰ŰŞt believe the amazing encounters he has with these friendly but mean-looking fish. Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.

This site features World Wind 1.3, a NASA Learning Technologies application that lets the user zoom from any satellite altitude into any place on Earth. It features 3D Engine, Blue Marble, Landsat 7, SRTM, Animated Earth, MODIS, GLOBE, Country & State Borders, Place Names, Visual Tools and Landmark Set. The user can download World Wind, reference an online manual, post to an online forum, view screen shot examples from various satellites, and read press coverage about World Wind.