Internet Web Sites for Texas
Biology Classroom Use
July 26, 2004
ED 6310
Dr. Eisenwine
In the process of meeting the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) objectives, today’s Texas biology teachers are looking for help from many different areas: local universities, in-service training, curriculum directors, or whoever may have some knowledge to help meet the TEKS requirements. The Internet is a great tool to use, but with thousands of sites from which to choose, which ones can help the most? By using the TEKS objectives, which are spelled out for teachers, one can find and use the information gathered from the Internet to meet the goals set forth and even gather new ideas to bring into the classroom. The web sites given below offer many great ideas in helping teachers meet the TEKS objectives and will also help an educator have a great school year by supplying some innovative ideas that will help Texas students pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) each April.
1.
The Biology Project, The University of Arizona
URL: http://www.biology.arizona.edu
The Biology Project was developed
at the University of Arizona and is designed for students in high school and
above. The site has many biology topics
to review. These range from
biochemistry, cells, genetics, and immunology to human biology. Tutorials in
the form of written notes, vocabulary, mini-labs, and short quizzes for
understanding are offered for each topic.
The site has detailed graphing and good computer animation, which can be
used to show students what they are going to be looking for when using the
microscope during certain studies. This
is a very good site to utilize, for the material in each lesson corresponds to
TEKS objectives.
2.
Access Excellence
URL: http://www.accessexcellence.com
Access Excellence (AE) is a
fantastic site for science educators.
This site offers much information for teachers not only to present, but
also to learn themselves. AE offers
links in which teachers can participate in discussions, chat rooms, and
lectures from other educators, and even a mentor link for support and help. Teacher can access current scientific news
and information on taking their classes into the twenty-first century. Because of the support a teacher receives
from this site, this site should definitely be bookmarked, but for classroom
use, the site is even better. The use of
computer graphics, x-rays, high-level thinking labs, and various
problem-solving situations makes the site worth noting. The site has an Activity Exchange that is
focused on thinking strategies. The
exchange includes a source for many lab ideas on various subjects. This database is very large and is full of
great ideas. The Graphics Gallery has
high-quality printouts and graphics.
This site is a must for any educator who feels he needs a jumpstart or
new ideas for a new class of students.
3.
The Educators’ Reference Desk
URL: http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/lessons.cgi/Science/Biology
This site is a good site for
teachers who are in need of new lab ideas or teaching strategies. The Educators’ Reference Desk offers many
lesson plans for science as well as many other subjects. The plans are very detailed and written by
teachers in the subject area. One may
navigate the site very easily, and it offers areas for Resource Guides, a
Questions archive, and the ERIC database as well as the Lesson Plan tab. This
site gives ideas that can be used to fit the TEKS objectives and will work well
for Texas educators. The site allows one
to submit a lesson plan or add ideas to an existing plan. Having other subjects in the database allows
the educator to tie subjects together to allow for deeper understanding of the
material presented. The Topics A-Z icon
at the bottom of the page allows one to find any educational topic and be able
to access the link very easily. This is
a user-friendly site that provides many good plans and ideas for the Texas
educator.
4.
Science Netlinks
URL: http://www.sciencenetlinks.com
Science Netlinks is another fine
web site that can be used by Texas teachers.
The TEKS objectives can be met by using the site’s lessons, tools, and
resource icons. The Lesson icon takes
one to the lesson index in which lessons are broken into several groups: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. This allows easy access to the grade level
for which the teacher is looking. Lesson
ideas are developed and give the teacher a plan to follow and let the teacher
know if the lesson offers hands-on learning or printable worksheets. The Tools icon allows access to lab ideas set
up in the same fashion as the lessons.
The labs are easy to follow and detailed. The Resource icon accesses the Resource Index
that presents many reviewed sites for each grade level and can be used for
lesson ideas. The site is a good one for
ideas to update lecture notes, for group work, or for labs. Science Netlinks is very user friendly and
has a science update to keep the educator in tune with current science news or
ongoing projects from various contributors to the site.
5.
The Gateway to Educational Materials Project
URL: http://www.thegateway.org
The Gateway to Educational
Materials Project is sponsored by the United States Department of Education and
is a very amazing and unique tool for any Texas educator. The web site allows one to access any subject
by typing in key words, age level, broad or narrow searches, high level
education, and free or by subscription resources. This site lets an educator view many topics
and web pages and is a link to almost all educational sites. This is a search engine that can give an
educator lesson plans, labs, group projects, moral support, and mentoring. Teachers can also submit ideas, review
current scientific news, print worksheets, download movie clips on various
subjects, or anything else one might need to do in order to educate today’s
youth. This web page can be an
invaluable tool for Texas science teachers.
By knowing the TEKS objectives and typing in a keyword, one may access
many pages of information to present to students in order to meet any
particular objective.