The Science NetLinks team is happy that the cherry blossoms are finally blooming. We hope you are excited about all the signs of spring and these resources for your classroom.
Earth Day Teaching Resources
Earth Day is April 22nd and 2009 marks the 39th anniversary of this event. Consider using this collection of Science NetLinks resources in your classroom to help celebrate ecology and enviornmentalism. Students can learn to distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy, investigate the plight of endangered species, and explore possibilities in green roof designs.
Thinkfinity Earth Day Content
Another great place for Earth Day resources is this collection from Thinkfinity. They've highlighted their partners' lessons, interactive tools, and features about the environment and its challenges. Students can learn about the state of the polar bears, calculate their human footprint on the planet, and find tips on greener living.
White House Easter Egg Roll
The White House Easter Egg Roll is Monday, April 13th. This annual tradition dates back to 1878 and celebrates the start of spring. This year's theme is "Let's Go Play" and AAAS has been invited to participate in the fun! We'll be out on the South Lawn with a hands-on activity encouraging children to explore eggs of all different shapes and sizes, from a variety of animal parents. So, if you're lucky enough to be there, too, stop by and say hi. And even if you aren't able to be there in person, we've added some fun egg-related resources to use in your classroom here.
An Egg Is Quiet
An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston, with beautiful illustrations by Sylvia Long, won the Children's Science Picture Book category in the 2007 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books. Science NetLinks created a lesson around this book to introduce students to the different parts of an egg and to explore all the different sizes, shapes, colors, and textures of eggs that can be found in nature. A podcast interview with the author and illustrator gives some background and further insight into this wonderful read.
National Poetry Month
Celebrate National Poetry Month in your classroom this April!
The Academy of American Poets started this month-long celebration in 1996 with the hopes of bringing attention and appreciation to the art of poetry. National Poetry Month is designed to honor poetry, living poets, America's complex poetic history, and increase the visibility and availabilty of poetry in popular culture. Check out the Science NetLinks resource, Poetry Across the Sciences, about the ability of poetry to enhance science instruction. The Academy's website is also a great place to get ideas on how to bring poetry into your class, get information on local events, and find poems for every day.
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