Category: Science

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Earth Science Photography Contest

To celebrate Earth Science Week, October 14-20, 2018, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is sponsoring a photography contest. The photography theme for this year is “Inspired by Earth.” The contest is open to interested persons of any age, who are residents of the United States. Entries must be original, authentic, unpublished photographs that capture evidence of ways people are inspired by Earth in their art, whether through dance, sculpture, or some other art form. A panel of geoscientists will judge the photographs on creativity, as well as on relevance to and incorporation of the topic. The winner will receive a prize of $300 and a copy of AGI’s The Geoscience Handbook. In addition, the winner’s name and photograph, and the names of the finalists will be posted on the Earth Science Week website.

Deadline: October 19, 2018, 5 p.m. (ET), for entries

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SimPop for Science Simulations

SimPop is a web-based simulation program created by students for students in grade 6-12.  It encourages scientific inquiry, makes the invisible visible and helps build visual mental models. There are a variety of options and settings for manipulating each science activity. As students interact with these simulations, they explore cause-and-effect relationships. It makes understanding science concepts much easier with a visual hands-on approach. Resource is free so check it out.
simpop simulations

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Summertime Learning for Young Children

* App to Grow a Plant

Wouldn’t it be fun to grow a plant from a seed and then create a time-lapse movie of it?

Seedling’s Grow is a free iOS app that will excite students to grow a plant by themselves. The interactive platform walks them through each step of the germination process, from planting seeds to sprouting leaves. Once their plant has grown, students can create and share time-lapse videos with family and friends. 

The app also provides gardening tips and facts to educate children about plants and inspire them to become ecologically aware.

* APP to explore nature with image recognition

Seek by iNaturalist is a free iOS app that encourages outdoor exploration and learning by harnessing image recognition technology to help users identify plants and animals from their photos.

Students can choose from a list of nearby plants, animals, and fungi and collect photographs of as many species as they can find. They can earn badges as they photograph new species, become more engaged with the wildlife around them, and learn cool facts about the critters and plants that live in the outdoors of their neighborhood. Registered users can pin their finds to their personal collections, provided the app’s recognition technology produces a match.

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STEAM Solve for Tomorrow Contest

Samsung ContestDesigned to boost interest and proficiency in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM), the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest challenges public school teachers and students in grades 6–12 to create solutions using STEAM skills that can be applied to help improve their community. All you have to do now is start thinking about a local or relevant issue that impacts your school. Once the next school year begins, Samsung will remind you to brainstorm a solution with your students for a chance to win a share of $2 million in Samsung technology for your school. Sign up now to receive Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest emails and updates to be the first to know when the contest officially starts.

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Game Based Learning for Science

Legends of Learning is a game-based platform that offers Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science activities that are standards aligned.  This GBL (game-based learning) resource is suitable for elementary and middle school students.
Curriculum focuses on vocabulary, discussion questions,  and concepts for teaching or reinforcing skills.  An example of learning objectives for Life Science at the elementary level are shown below.
Accounts for teachers are free. Playlists can be created and then assigned to the class, groups, or individual students.  Take a look.  This would be a nice resource to use in a blended learning environment.