Environmental Education Resources - May 2010

 

African Dust, Coral Reefs, and Human Health

The USGS offers this website with an overview video of Coral Mortality and African Dust.  The documentary identifies how recent changes in the composition and quantities of African dust transported to the Caribbean and the Americas might provide clues to why Caribbean coral reef ecosystems are deteriorating, and how human health may be impacted.  The documentary also offers the transcribed narrative.
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/african_dust/
http://gallery.usgs.gov/videos/223

Climate Change Curriculum

Activities for Conceptualizing Climate and Climate Change, from Purdue University and partners, offers a digitally-based instructional program that contains data-rich case studies and visualization activities as well as a visual library, as a resource for grade 7-12 teachers and students.  A central goal of this program is to explore the complex interface between science and society that forms the basis of management decisions related to climate change issues.  Modules include Ecological Impacts, Current Climate Maps, Extreme Weather, and Natural Processes.  Individual activities include Climate Change Debate, Mid-Latitude Cyclones, Volcanoes and Climate Change, and more.
http://www.iclimate.org/ccc/

Coral Reefs: Moorea, French Polynesia - Online

COSEE-West invites formal and informal educators who are interested in learning more about coral reef formation and ecology to participate in a free workshop, Coral Reefs: Moorea, French Polynesia, to be held this April-May, 2010.  Follow an undergraduate class from the University of California, Los Angeles as the students conduct research on Moorea, French Polynesia.  Course lectures, student blogs, and a final course symposium will be available live and archived on the web.
http://www.coexploration.org/cosee_west/moorea2010/

CREEC on Facebook

The California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network is now on Facebook, and will post links to, and summaries of, EE research, capacity building, conferences, model school descriptions, and more.
http://www.facebook.com/creecnetwork

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Contact Information

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance Environmental Education Network offers Gulf States contact information for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill as a downloadable Word document.  Click on the oil rig drawing on the main page.  There is also a Deepwater Horizon Response website which offers news, volunteer links, and additional information.
http://gulfallianceeducation.org/
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/#

Digital Library for Earth System Education

The Digital Library for Earth System Education is an online library of web-based resources at all educational levels for teaching and learning about the Earth as a system.  It can be searched by keyword, grade level, resource type, collection, and by national standards.  The updated website offers an improved K-12 Educator’s page, Newest Resources in DLESE, and much more.  Turn to this website for great resources.
http://www.dlese.org

EarthKAM

EarthKAM is a NASA-sponsored project that provides photographs of Earth taken from the space shuttle and the international space station.  Check out the photo galleries and upcoming missions.
https://earthkam.ucsd.edu/

Earth Science Curricula

The American Geological Institute, with support from the National Science Foundation, offers a comprehensive portfolio of geoscience education products and services for students and teachers, from kindergarten to high school and beyond.  EarthComm: Earth System Science in the Community is for high school students.  This curriculum is based on the problem-solving, community-based model of instruction.  For middle school students, IES: Investigating Earth Systems emphasizes inquiry - testing ideas, observing phenomena, collecting data, using scientific reasoning - and the interrelation of Earth systems.  Elementary students have K-5 GeoSource, with online professional development for K-5 teachers.  The website features content instruction, lesson plans, classroom activities, teaching resource links, downloadable images, cross-curriculum tips, assessment tools, career vignettes, literacy strategies, and more.  In addition, the Environmental Awareness Series addresses major societal concerns and illuminates the complexity and interconnection of the natural systems, with a balanced review of key issues and topics, such as water, petroleum, metal mining, geologic mapping, and more.
http://www.earthsciweek.org/forteachers/bestineducation.html

EcoHealth 101: Environmental Change and Our Health           

EcoHealth helps sort the science from the sound bites on five major topics including global warming.  This website is aimed at grades 5-8 with lesson plans, video clips, links to more information, and more.
http://ecohealth101.org/

Energy Choices and Climate Change

From the NCAR Online Education, Energy Choices and Climate Change looks at issues related to energy and climate change.  In the scenarios within this online module, participants make decisions about the types and amount of energy used and see what effect the decisions have on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere.  The goal is to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere from fossil fuel emissions while keeping costs within reason.  There are two scenarios – from a family’s energy use or global energy use.  The website also offers links to greenhouse gas background information.  And if you haven’t explored the Windows to the Universe website in a while, be sure to click on the link at the bottom of the page.
http://www.windows2universe.org/modules/energy/

Environment Yale

The Journal of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies has a new website for the Fall 2009 issue, with links to past Issues on the previous website.  The journal is published twice per year.  Past issues have a search feature.
http://environment.yale.edu/magazine/

Expeditionary Learning

King Middle School in Portland, Maine has been refining its expeditionary learning projects for nearly two decades, and has developed Fading Footprints, a six-step rubric for designing a project.   The Fading Footsteps project is a twelve-week interdisciplinary ecology unit centered around the guiding question: How does diversity strengthen an ecosystem? Using this project as an example, see how King Middle School creates an action plan around each step.
http://king.portlandschools.org/files/onexpedition/expeditionproducts/footprints/frameset/frame.htm

Explore the Ocean

This website by the author of the Agnes Pflumm books offers links to a variety of ocean literacy resources students and teachers.  Check out the links to science and art, the Science Rap, and much more.
http://www.agnespflumm.com/secret_seven_explore.htm

Extreme Eukaryotes

This article from the Natural History Museum in London is an early summary of information about free-living eukaryotes in extreme environments.  The article includes list of peer-reviewed references up to 1997.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/euk-extreme/

Extremophilic Bacteria and Microbial Diversity

This online enhancement chapter of a textbook for undergraduate majors examines the many prokaryotic organisms that inhabit extreme.  Topics include using new molecular techniques to discover more about bacteria; life at high temperatures, low temperatures,
extreme pH levels and in a brine; and extremophiles in the evolution of life.
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/raven6b/graphics/raven06b/enhancementchapters/raven30_enhancement.html

Faultline

This website from the Exploratorium provides an introduction to earthquakes and their effects.  The site contains an introduction, real time data on earthquakes, activities, and much more.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/index.html

FedFlix

As part of a joint venture between the National Technical Information Service and Public.Resource.Org, the Internet Archive has created this archive of government training films from the past six decades.  Users can browse the collection by title or subject, or by word search.  The films come from a wide variety of government agencies, including the U.S. Army, NASA, and more.  (A simple search on “ocean,” and “moving images” produced an interesting array of items).
http://www.archive.org/details/FedFlix

Flow of Energy

The University of Michigan’s Global Change Curriculum offers The Flow of Energy: Primary Production to Higher Trophic Levels, an on-line lecture about energy transfer.
http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/energyflow/energyflow.html

Getting WILD About Environmental Literature

The University of Texas at San Antonio, in collaboration with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, has put together this compilation of literature readings with annotations for all levels that align to the Project WILD activities.  Check out this useful resource.
http://www.naaee.org/photos/news-images/gettingwildaboutenvliterature.doc

Great Whales Curriculum

The Great Whales Curriculum, developed by the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, is now available for downloading in pdf format.  The curriculum is geared for grades 6-9. 
http://mmi.oregonstate.edu/outreach

Hō‘Ailona’s Journal

The University of California, Santa Cruz offers this online Hawaiian monk seal education resource.  The website provides information about a young monk seal, Hō‘Ailona, the ongoing research with her, and conservation observations.  Follow along on monthly updates, and keep your eyes out for contests and other projects in which kids can participate.
http://www.monkseal.ucsc.edu/KP2/Home.html

International Society for Reef Studies

International Society for Reef Studies offers this new website with links to organizations, publications, and more.  The principal objective of the organization is to promote the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge and understanding of coral reefs, both living and fossil.
http://www.coralreefs.org/

International Year of Biodiversity

The United Nations Convention on Biodiversity has set up a website to celebrate 2010 as the year of biodiversity.  The website offers links to worldwide celebrations, multimedia resources, and more.
http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/

Introduction to Planning and Facilitating Effective Meetings

NOAA’s Coastal Services Center offers this facilitations skills primer.  The guide explains the role of a facilitator and describes how to plan and execute meetings that deliver results. Topics include planning a productive meeting or workshop, conducting an effective meeting, using proper tools and techniques for meeting facilitation, and facilitating teleconferences, videoconferences, and webinars.
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/publications/effective_meetings.html

Marine Debris

Each year, Ocean Conservancy provides a global snapshot of marine debris collected and recorded at more than 6,000 sites all over the world on a single day during the International Coastal Cleanup.  The world’s largest volunteer effort for the ocean and waterways works towards global solutions through the cumulative efforts of volunteers around the world.
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=program_marinedebris

Mountains in the Sea

The March 2010 issue of Oceanography magazine is a special issue on deep-sea seamounts.  The open-access articles are posted online.
http://tos.org/oceanography/issues/current.html

MPA Mapping Tool

NOAA’s National Marine Protected Areas Center has created a new interactive online mapping tool that allows users to view boundaries and access data for more than a thousand marine protected areas in the United States.  Data for the mapping tool comes from the newly updated MPA Inventory, a comprehensive database of existing U.S. MPAs, containing a range of information on each of the 1,637 protected areas established or managed by federal, state, or territorial agencies or programs.
http://mpa.gov/

NEwswave

NEwswave is the e-journal of the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative, bringing news and events from member organizations and associates, a collaboration of forty institutions from across the region including aquaria, museums, universities, and science and research centers.  The NEwswave Blog is updated daily with information about ocean science education in New England and includes Member News, Ocean Science Education e-Resources, Professional Development, and much more. 
http://neosec.wordpress.com/

NYSMEA Website

The New York State Marine Education Association offers a newly redesigned website with lesson plans, job postings, research opportunities, field trip destinations, and marine-related links.
http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/nysmea/

Ocean Acidification FAQs

The U.S. Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry program has compiled a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about ocean acidification.  The website also offers additional links to presentations, educational tools, and resources.
http://www.whoi.edu/OCB-OA/FAQs/

Ocean FEST

Ocean FEST (Families Exploring Science Together), developed by educators at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, puts science in the hands of Hawai‘i’s students, teachers, and their families.  The overarching goal of the program is to interest Hawai‘i’s kids in careers in ocean science and related Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields through fun, hands-on activities.  The website offers links to information on marine science careers, program information for Hawaii schools, and additional links, resources, and activities for teachers.
http://oceanfest.soest.hawaii.edu/

Ocean Garbage Patches and Predicting Oil-Spill Trajectories

The Ocean Motion website offers a review of the surface circulation of Earth’s ocean and classroom investigations appropriate for various disciplines at the high school level.  Follow the path of plastic to the ocean gyres and read about what happens to plastic after it circles the ocean gyres for decades.  Check out the Casco Bay and Exxon Valdez oil spills.
http://www.oceanmotion.org/html/impact/marine-resources.htm

PIMRIS Portal

The Pacific Islands Marine Portal project is a collaborative project between the Pacific Islands Marine Resources Information System (PIMRIS) and the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange Programme (IODE) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO to improve access to Pacific marine information for the Pacific Islands community.  The portal offers news, articles, and directories of websites relevant to Pacific fisheries and to the coastal and marine environment of the Pacific.  
http://www.pimrisportal.org/pop/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

QuikSCience Lesson Plans

The University of Southern California, Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, and Quiksilver Foundation offer downloadable lesson plans from the QuikSCience Challenge.  Topics include global warming, marine pollution, and more.
http://www.usc.edu/org/cosee-west/quikscience/lesson_plans.html

Resources for Earth Sciences and Geography Instruction

Central Michigan University hosts this clearinghouse for science educators and students interested in the fields of earth science and geography.  The website is organized alphabetically around the sequence of topics that one might encounter in an introductory earth science or physical geography class, including Atmospheric Circulation, Earth Science Animations, Rivers, Water Resources, and much more.   Each topical area includes links to online resources, complete with a short description.
http://webs.cmich.edu/resgi/

Sea & Ships

The goal of the National Maritime Museum in England is to illustrate the importance of the sea, ships, time, and the stars and their relationship with people.  The Sea and Ships Directory divides the material up by Subjects, People, Collections, Online Galleries, and Games and Interactives.  Check out the Your Ocean link from the Games and Interactives.  The Your Waste lesson gives visitors the opportunity to test their skills at managing an oil spill clean-up operation; other interactives include Your Climate and more.
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/explore/sea-and-ships/

Sea Turtle Resources

SEE Turtles is a non-profit ecotourism project.  In addition to study trips, they offer lesson plans, in-class presentations, and other education resources.  The curriculum was teacher-developed to engage students from grades 6-12 on various subjects related to sea turtles. 
http://www.seeturtles.org/1352/classroom-resources.html

SocMon

The Global Socioeconomic Monitoring Initiative for Coastal Management (SocMon) has launched a redesigned website.  One of the site’s major improvements is the new SocMon database, which has access to completed SocMon site reports searchable by location, author, monitoring purpose, and other fields.  The website also includes interactive maps depicting work done at specific sites around the world and improved access to data, publications, and images.
http://www.socmon.org/

Spatial Trends in Coastal Socioeconomics

The Spatial Trends in Coastal Socioeconomics website provides coastal and ocean managers with one-stop shopping for associated demographic and economic information.  The website offers dynamic access to national-scale datasets in those geographic units that coastal and ocean managers must work with daily.
http://marineeconomics.noaa.gov/socioeconomics/

STEMresources.com

The Tennessee Department of Education and Middle Tennessee State University offer STEMresources.com, where teachers can access standards-based instructional tools, curriculum materials, and Internet materials.  Among the many resources available from this website are standards users guides, curriculum frameworks, links to other STEM websites, teacher work samples, and much more.
http://www.stemresources.com/

Tagging Whales in the Antarctic Seas

From May 4-June 13, 2010, scientists and students will journey to the Antarctic Seas to apply suction cup tags to humpback and minke whales to measure their underwater movements and behaviors, in addition to taking measurements of the distribution, abundance, and behavior of prey and physical features of the water column.  Follow along with their web log and photos, and check out the 2009 expedition.
http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/antarctica/2010/

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Education Resources

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils.  Their Education Corner offers student activities, video episodes from Fishing in Old Hawaii, and much more.  Use the search feature to find many useful resources, and check out the Media Center for downloadable posters, and the Library for additional items.
http://www.wpcouncil.org/education.html

Where Words Touch the Earth

In this new digital media collection for grades 3-12, students from American Indian Tribal Colleges interview Elders, students, and community members to provide a Native American perspective on climate change and its effects on their communities.  Downloadable videos touch on key environmental science issues and indigenous knowledge of the depleted salmon population in Washington State, the ecological function and spiritual role of wetlands, and the relationship between humans and nature.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/special/nasawords/

Windows to the Universe Website Update

Windows to the Universe has moved to a new home with the National Earth Science Teachers Association, offering new capabilities and opportunities for partnership.  The shift is designed to help make the site an open educational resource and to allow scientists, university faculty, K-12 educators, and others to contribute content more readily in support of the geoscience education community.  The website offers Earth and space science content, professional development, and much more.  Each page is geared to three different reading levels, from beginner (upper elementary) to advanced (high school).
http://windows2universe.org/

 

 

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES - July 2009

Climate Change: Fitting the Pieces Together

The Meteorology Education and Training website provides a wide range of resources pertaining to climate change.  The Climate Change module discusses climate change, particularly as it is currently being affected by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases emitted by human activities. It also covers signs of climate change, how scientists study climate, the current thinking on future changes, and what can be done to minimize the effects.  Free registration is required.
http://www.meted.ucar.edu/broadcastmet/climate/

Climate Program

NOAA’s Climate Program Office education website offers links to a variety of climate change materials, including presentations; the guide from AAAS, Communicating and Learning About Global Climate Change: An Abbreviated Guide for Teaching Climate Change; and more.
http://climate.noaa.gov/index.jsp?pg=/education/edu_index.jsp&edu=literacy

ConserveOnline

ConserveOnline is an online public library, created and maintained by The Nature Conservancy in partnership with other conservation organizations.  The library makes conservation tools, techniques, and experience available to a broad community of conservation practitioners.  ConserveOnline offers an open forum for sharing successes and failures, and for connecting scientific research with field-based conservation practice.  They welcome anyone with documents, data, maps, or images relevant to the science and practice of conservation to make these resources publicly available through ConserveOnline, and to share their expertise through the discussion groups.
http://conserveonline.org/

Ecolibrary

The EcoLibrary is a source for free photographs useful for illustrating concepts in ecology, conservation biology, and the environment.  The website currently contains several hundred annotated photographs that illustrate key concepts and as the site grows, maps, sounds, panoramas, and interactive exercises will be added.  Check out the pictures associated with the themes under the Lessons section.
http://ecolibrary.cs.brandeis.edu/index.php

Expedition: Blue Planet

Expedition: Blue Planet highlights a journey across 5 continents to explore critical water issues, focusing both on water itself and our connection to water issues around the world.  The website includes blogs, photos, and more.
http://www.alexandracousteau.org/

Fishy Newsletter

The May/June 2009 issue of the Long Island Sound Study newsletter, Sound UPDATE, focuses on fish populations in the Long Island Sound watershed, the methods for managing these populations, programs that encourage watershed residents to go fishing, and simple ways people can help keep Long Island Sound and its fisheries healthy.  The newsletter can serve as a good introduction to many issues surrounding fisheries, including outreach, management, monitoring, and more.
http://www.longislandsoundstudy.net/pubs/news/spr09.pdf

Forces of Change

This website from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History explores climate change, ecological change, and cultural change.  Drawing on a wide range of research, the site looks at how different types of changes are affecting life on earth.  Some of the processes covered include El Nino, volcanic eruptions, and changes in the atmosphere.  The website includes interviews, interactive features, research reports, and more, and includes a special educators’ section.
http://forces.si.edu/index.html

Global Change Research Program

The U.S. Global Change Research Program coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society.  The program is a consortium of government agencies, major universities, and research institutions.  The website hosts links to publications, including an online catalog, reports, and more.  The website also includes links to regional and sectoral climate information.  The recently released scientific study, Climate Change Impacts, was expressly written in plain language so that its findings are readily accessible to the public, the media, and decision makers.  You can view key findings or download the full report.  Check out the Resources section, and the Climate Change Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit for formal and informal educators.
http://www.globalchange.gov/

Inside Birding

More from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:  Inside Birding is a new video series designed to provide birders with the information they need to improve their skills and make their experience more rewarding.  The video series is made up of four, ten-minute video segments covering bird size and shape, color, behavior, and habitat.  This series can serve as a primer for those interested in watching and identifying birds.  The videos are a bit choppy for slow connections, but the wait can be worthwhile. 
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1270

Interactive Shipwrecks Website

The Ventura County Star newspaper hosts this website featuring coastal shipwrecks of the Channel Islands.  The website links to an overview article and underwater views highlighting dives on several of the wrecks.
http://www.venturacountystar.com/special/shipwreck/

Marine Conservation Agreements Toolkit

The Nature Conservancy, with the assistance of partners, offers a Practitioner's Toolkit for Marine Conservation Agreements.  The website includes a field guide, descriptions of field projects, and more.  Be sure to check out the resources, which include funding databases and sample proposals, sample legal documents, contacts, and much more.
http://www.mcatoolkit.org/

Migratory Species Resources

The Rainforest Alliance has developed the bilingual (English and Spanish) Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative Pathway.  Supporting the initiative's goal of conserving migratory species through international cooperation and communication as a means to share valuable project information and best practices across geographic and language barriers, the website features resources related to migratory species conservation.  Materials include lessons learned, monitoring and evaluation, and an Eco-Initiative of the month.
http://www.eco-index.org/migratory/

Nature Rocks Activity Finder

Nature Rocks is a national program to inspire and empower families to play and explore in nature.  The Nature Rocks Website offers ideas for outdoor explorations keyed to time available, location, age, and more. 
http://www.naturerocks.org/find-activities.aspx

Nature Video Archive

This website from Nature, the International Weekly Journal of Science, is designed to complement selected articles and letters from their print magazine.  These videos feature analysis and commentary from Nature editors and selected scientists.  Video topics include ancient tsunamis, deep sea biodiversity, and more.
http://www.nature.com/nature/videoarchive/

Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions

The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions currently focuses on the areas of climate, energy, coasts and oceans, and water.  Downloadable files include policy briefs, working papers, commentary, and more.  Reports cover climate change, ecosystem services, offsets, and much more.
http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/institute/products.html

Polar Visions

Polar Visions is an educational film about the effects of changing climates on humans and ecosystems, particularly in polar regions.  The film contains seven stand-alone segments appropriate for use in classrooms and informal settings from the middle level through college, and was developed to align with the National Science Education Standards across all science subjects.  You can watch the first episode or download it from the website, or contact Tina Arthur for a copy and standards alignment information
https://www.denveropenmedia.org/project/polar-visions
Contact Tina Arthur at tina.arthur@colorado.edu

Resources for Learning

The American Museum of Natural History offers Resources for Learning, an online collection of activities, articles, and more, for educators, students and anyone interested in teaching or learning about science.  There are over 1000 resources to choose from, browsable by topic, keyword, and special collection.  Topics include earth science and biology; special collections include water, climate change, and Ology, the museum’s website for kids.
http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/

Science Nation

The National Science Foundation offers Science Nation, a weekly series of video programs examining breakthroughs and the possibilities for new discoveries.  Each program features a two-minute and five-minute version.  Current videos include extremophiles, tornadoes, and more.
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/index.jsp

Sea Turtles

The Caribbean Conservation Corporation has updated the Sea Turtle Information section of their website.  This includes an expanded section on threats to sea turtles, educational animations, additional sea turtle habitat information, and interactive sea turtle nesting site maps powered by Google Maps.
http://www.cccturtle.org/seaturtles

Sponge Guide

The Sponge Guide is a web-based, fully searchable pictorial guide to Caribbean sponges, a photographic guide to over 170 species of sponges found on Caribbean coral reefs and associated rocky and lagoon environments.  The simple search can be by color, consistency, and/or morphology.
http://www.spongeguide.org/

Teacher Booklets

The National Aquarium in Baltimore offers downloadable Teacher Booklets containing pre- and post-visit activities on a variety of subjects for students of all grades.  While the booklets are designed to complement aquarium programs, they also work as stand-alone pieces in any classroom.  Topics include adaptations (grades 2-4), wetland monitoring (grades 9-12), squid (grades 6-12), and many more. 
http://www.aqua.org/teachers/booklets.html

World Database on Marine Protected Areas

The World Database on Marine Protected Areas (WDPA-Marine) is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive set of marine protected areas data available.
This website allows users to view information on marine protected areas in their web browser, to visualize them in Google Earth, to download data, and more.
http://www.wdpa-marine.org/

Build Your Own ROV

NOAA scientist Doug Levin has developed a detailed manual to explain how to build a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for underwater use.  The manual lists parts and pieces, where to find them, and photographs of how to assemble them.  The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary website publications page offers the downloadable manual, along with ROV lesson plans, origami and other activities, and much more.
http://monitor.noaa.gov/publications/

Climate Post

The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University introduces The Climate Post, a weekly narrative overview which aims to provide commentary on the news, trends, and events that shape climate policy.
http://theclimatepost.wordpress.com/

Coastal Climate Adaptation

The NOAA Coastal Services Center hosts the Coastal Climate Adaptation website, which focuses on adaptation-related resources such as local and state plans, new policies, case studies, risk and vulnerability assessments, and decision-support tools.  There is a forum where users can suggest new resources, engage in dialogue on the issues, and submit comments and questions.  Check out the list of tools for adaptation already on the website, along with the initial outreach and education offerings.
http://community.csc.noaa.gov/climateadaptation/

Ducks in the Flow

Ducks in the Flow: Resources about Surface Ocean Currents for the Upper Elementary Classroom, intended for grades 3-5, includes a storybook and three classroom activities.  In the storybook, the three kids work collaboratively to explore and investigate surface currents found in the ocean and the Great Lakes while learning about the journey of a seafaring plastic duck.  Three hands-on activities for the classroom further explore the science content and provide instruction in basic science process skills.
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/teacher_resources/ocean_education/currents_main.html

Ecological Impacts of Climate Change

The National Academies offers a downloadable booklet based on the 2009 report, Ecological Impacts of Climate Change.  The booklet explains general themes about the ecological consequences of climate change and identifies examples of ecological changes across the United States.  The website also offers downloadable Powerpoint presentation modules on ecological impacts, developed to assist educators in sharing information about the ecological impacts of climate change.  The presentations are offered for different geographic region, and presenter notes are embedded in the files.
http://dels.nas.edu/climatechange/ecological-impacts.shtml

EPA Science Notebook

The EPA Science Notebook website showcases EPA science and scientists using assorted multi-media, including science blogs, videos, interviews, and more.   A scientist’s notebook is home to ideas, questions, drawings, and data and offers information about the scientific process.  The website aims to make scientists and their research more accessible, understandable, and interesting to the public.
http://www.epa.gov/sciencenotebook/

Hurricane Resources

June 1 is the start of the hurricane season.  Annenberg Media offers resources that can help you learn and teach about hurricanes.  The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science, Unit 2 describes hurricanes in Section 7 of the online textbook.  In an interview with MIT Professor Kerry Emanuel, transcribed in the second link, below, he explains what a hurricane is and how it forms.  The weather interactive in the third link helps you to understand the forces that influence weather, hurricanes, and other powerful storms.  Dr. Emanuel explains what computer models and an energy systems approach can reveal about the behavior of hurricanes in Science in Focus: Energy, Workshop 6, "Energy and Systems," while the last link brings you to his MIT home page with additional information on hurricanes, tracking models, and various resources related to cyclonic storms.
http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=2&secNum=0
http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/scientist/scientist.php?shortname=emanuel
http://www.learner.org/interactives/weather/
http://www.learner.org/workshops/energy/workshop6/icon4.html http://wind.mit.edu/~emanuel/home.html

ITEST

The Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program was established by the National Science Foundation in response to current concerns and projections about the growing demand for professionals and information technology workers in the U.S. and seeks solutions to help ensure the breadth and depth of the STEM workforce.  The ITEST program connects students, teachers, and scientists to increase awareness about careers in STEM.  The website includes publications, a resource library, and more.  The ITEST professional development collection on Teachers' Domain documents hands-on science, community partnerships, and career exploration; the videos can give you ideas to use in your school.
http://itestlrc.edc.org/
http://www.teachersdomain.org/special/its/

Joides Resolution

The R/V JOIDES Resolution is an earth and ocean science research vessel run by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program.  The core samples and data that its scientists and crew bring up from the seafloor every day hold significant clues to Earth's history, climatic changes, geologic events, and more.  The website offers students the opportunity to ask scientists questions, track the ship's location, explore daily ship blogs, and more.  The website includes activities for young children, classroom materials for teachers, tracking globes, multimedia, and much more.
http://joidesresolution.org/

Kindergarten EE Resources

The California Coastal Commission offers two new Kindergarten-level Environmental Education resources on their website.  The classroom activities introduce the topics of global warming (The Earth has a Fever!) and the origin of drinking water (Our Melting Ice Cube), with tips on how students and their families can help protect the earth.
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/directory/global_k.html

Media College

MediaCollege.com is an educational and resource website about all forms of electronic media.  Topics include video and television production, audio work, photography, graphics, web design, and more.  The website offers hundreds of tutorials with supporting illustrations, videos, sound bytes, and interactive features.  You'll also find reference material, utilities, and other useful tools, as well as a helpful forum.
http://www.mediacollege.com/

Parks Canada Videos on the Internet

Parks Canada has launched video channels on YouTube, MySpace, and Yahoo Video, with videos on Canada’s national parks and national marine conservation areas, as well as other historic sites.  Videos will include promotional pieces, wildlife and habitat shorts, and scientists and staff discussing issues facing these protected places.
http://www.youtube.com/ParksCanadaAgency
http://www.myspace.com/parkscanada
http://ca.video.yahoo.com/people/5743950

Pocket Guide to Marine Debris

The Ocean Conservancy and the EPA published the booklet, Pocket Guide to Marine Debris.  This book is designed for beach cleanups, to serve as a reference to standardize terminology for marine debris items and to help volunteers identify unknown debris items.  It offers Quick Tips about what to bring and how to prepare for different situations that may be encountered during debris cleanup.  The booklet can be found in different formats on the web:  as html, a slideshow, and a downloadable pdf file.
http://sacoast.uwc.ac.za/education/resources/marinedebris/index.htm
http://www.slideshare.net/vicmanlapaz/pocket-guide-to-marine-debris-presentation
http://www.cobsea.org/cleanupeas/docs/ICC_PocketGuide_EN.pdf

Teens for Planet Earth Social Networking Site

Teens for Planet Earth has been transformed into a social networking site, and sports a new look and ways to help teens (and adults who work with teens) carry out environmental service-learning projects.  Members can connect with other members, share photos and videos of their projects; post upcoming events related to their projects; find resources to help carry out a successful project; receive advice on conducting service-learning projects; and much more.
http://www.teensforplanetearth.org

Underwater Universe

The History Channel will present Underwater Universe, a two-hour special tonight, June 1, 2009 at 8pm EST.  Throughout history, tidal waves, storm surges, hurricanes and cyclones – fueled by the ocean – have wreaked great destruction on the cities and people in their path.  Underwater Universe tracks the history and evolution of the ocean's seven deadliest zones.  This program helps explain to viewers the how and floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, whirlpools, and underwater volcanoes develop.
http://www.history.com/schedule.do?action=daily

Visiting Geoscientists: An Outreach Guide for Geoscience Professionals

This American Geological Institute guide is written to provide Earth science enrichment for students.   Many geoscience professionals already visit classrooms, lead student field trips, and involve K-12 students in research.  The guide includes a discussion of what effective modern enrichment can be like, including key components and why Earth science enrichment matters; how K-12 students learn science best, with an emphasis on discovery and inquiry; a review of the current state of Earth science in K-12 education, from curriculum issues to science frameworks and standardized testing; Classroom Tips to provide ideas to help get into (and out of) the classroom, and how to make the most of the time spent there; and sample activities, material lists, and other resources.
http://www.agiweb.org/education/aapg/index.html

Voices in the Sea

The Whale Acoustics Lab at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography is continuing to support and update the Voices in the Sea website.  Teaching resources include a student journal and grading rubric for each of the lessons, while the Kids Page offers interactive games.  There are videos, interviews with experts, and a special edition section for IPY and commercial vs subsistence whaling. 
http://cetus.ucsd.edu/voicesinthesea_org/Flash/

World of Change

Inspired by their 10th anniversary, NASA’s Earth Observatory has pulled together a special series of satellite images documenting how the world has changed during the previous decade.  Images are include Amazonian deforestation, evaporation of the Aral Sea, Arctic and Antarctic sea ice, and more.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/

Year of Science June Theme: Ocean and Water

The Year of Science 2009 is a chance to celebrate science. Throughout the year, participating groups from around the world will engage the public in science and work to improve public understanding about how science works, why it matters, and who scientists are.  The website includes educational activities, online games, and other resources.
http://www.yearofscience2009.org/themes_ocean_water/celebrate/