National Geographic Videos
Interactive solar system site.
<http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system?email=Inside21Dec07>
 

Take the JETS Challenge and Win Prizes!
The JETS (Junior Engineering Technology Society) Challenge is a weekly word problem posted each Friday during the academic year. Students can submit answers individually, teachers can use the Challenge in the classroom, or engineering clubs can use the Challenge as a team building exercise. How you use the JETS Challenge is up to you.
<http://www.jets.org/programs/challenge/index.cfm>
 

Journey North Project
Teachers and students in K-12 classrooms are invited to participate this spring in Journey North’s 15th annual global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change, a free Internet-based “citizen science” project. Students monitor migration patterns of butterflies, birds, and other animals; the blooming of plants; and changing sunlight, temperatures, and other signs of spring. They share their local observations and look for patterns on maps. Participants put their observations into a global context, and connect with field scientists. Spring projects begin February 1st.
<http://www.learner.org/jnorth/>

Earth & Sky International Polar Year Resources
On this website, Earth & Sky editors have compiled radio programs, podcasts, and a photo gallery with content related to polar science to help NASA celebrate the International Polar Year. They will continue to update this site with relevant interviews and sessions with polar scientists.
<http://www.earthsky.org/article/international-polar-year>

NASA Quest Challenge
NASA Quest Challenges are FREE Web-based, interactive explorations designed to engage students in authentic scientific and engineering processes. The solutions relate to issues encountered daily by NASA personnel. Registration for the next Challenge begins in February 2008. For more information, visit <http://quest.nasa.gov/>.
 

National Science Digital Library – Chemistry Resources

Live on the web – it’s the Periodic Table!  The new home page of Chemistry Pathway includes a point-and-click guide to each element, along with several other features that make web resources on chemistry easier to use. “ChemEd DLib will create new communities centered around different educational levels,” says Pathway PI John Moore.  “It will provide resources in different sub-disciplines of chemistry and different pedagogical areas, such as problem-based learning.”  The new site makes digital resources on chemistry much easier to find, and it gives a prominent position to the award-winning “Chemistry Comes Alive!” videos, with their slow-motion presentations of fires, explosions, and other chemical reactions.

<http://chemeddl.org>

 
Engineers Week
Engineers Week is next month and the festivities are lining up all over the country. Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day 2008 is celebrated Thursday, February 21. Thousands of women engineers and their male counterparts directly mentor more than one million girls and young women in K-12 with firsthand experiences in engineering.  Visit <http://www.eweek.org/site/News/Eweek/2008_nationalpledgeroster.shtml> to see a listing of Girl Day events nationwide and be sure to post your activities.  A free Girl Day kit is available for online ordering in the Engineers Week product catalog. More information about Engineers Week is available online at <www.eweek.org>.
If you are planning to entertain middle and high school students during an event for Engineers Week or later in the year, we have a new and fabulous pre and post engineer careers Bingo Game assessment. It gives you an engaging way to find out if students really understand what engineers do. The kit is for 30 students <http://engineeringedu.com/store/blast.html>.
 

Plan Now for Endangered Species Day

 Visit <www.stopextinction.org/endangeredspeciesday>. 
 

FREE DVDS PROFILE WOMEN SCIENTISTS

http://science.education.nih.gov/home2.nsf/Educational+Resources/Grade+Levels/+Middle+School/F4DC786C2DC6E5548525733E0063F93F
 

 Innovative New Outdoor Education Web Site

This new Maryland Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education (MAEOE) Web site features a user-friendly design and comprehensive information on the MAEOE conference, Maryland Green Schools, Schoolyard Habitat, and more. The new Schoolyard Habitat section features inspiring before & after photos and information on how to successfully choose, fund, implement, utilize, and maintain hundreds of habitat projects and avoid common obstacles. In addition, visit the interactive map featuring Maryland Green Schools & Centers, and (coming soon) Model Schoolyard Habitats.
<http://www.maeoe.org/>
 

New Marine Education Guide

Treasures in the Sea: Our Bahamian Marine Resources provides educators with scientific information and engaging, hands-on activities. Visit the Web site to download the book or sections of the book, link to resources related to the activities, find out about training workshops in the Bahamas, and share teaching ideas and experiences in marine conservation education. Developed by the American Museum of Natural History and Bahamian partners.
http://treasures.amnh.org/?mid=31
 

K-4 Curriculum on Global Sustainability

Facing the Future* is pleased to announce the release of Teaching Global Sustainability in the Primary Grades: A K-4 Curriculum Guide, a standards-aligned resource that addresses core concepts related to sustainability while encouraging critical thinking and a systems perspective among young students. The curriculum guide includes four lessons that explore topics including identity and culture, food, biodiversity, and systems. This curriculum features hands-on activities, teacher background reading, vocabulary, service learning projects, and assessment rubrics.

All lessons included in this book have been reviewed and field tested by content experts, teachers, and students. Free lessons are available at <http://www.facingthefuture.org/>.  For questions or comments, contact Kim Rakow Bernier at kim@facingthefuture.org or (206) 264-1503.