Air Composition
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http://www.mistupid.com/chemistry/aircomp.htm Name: MIStupid.com
– The Online Knowledge Magazine This site contains minimal but good quality information on air composition and atmospheric layers. The major components of air are presented in a large 3D pie chart. The concentrations of each major component and other minor but measurable components are listed very neatly into a table. Every component is also listed alongside its chemical symbol. The section on atmospheric layers contains a diagram showing where each layer begins and ends in relation to Earth’s surface. This diagram is accompanied by a table listing each layer and its start & end points in kilometres and miles. This site is very light on text, which may make some students happy. Teachers will like how the site gets right to the point. The information is right in front of you and you never have to hunt for it. However, its lack of in-depth examinations makes this site suitable only for quick reference. Information is well organized and self-explanatory along with large charts and tables. This is a good quick reference site for both teachers and all students. |
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Name:
Evolution
of the Atmosphere The first section of this site begins with an examination of the 4 main stages of atmospheric evolution going through its origin, chemical/pre-biological era, microbial era, and biological era, with most of the focus on the biological era. The explanations are accompanied by pictures, charts, and chemical formulas normally seen in Grade 11 chemistry. The second section of this site examines the composition of our present atmosphere, which includes an examination of greenhouse gases and an interactive activity showing each greenhouse gas selectively absorbs radiation. The third section of this site examines the atmospheric layers, which includes an interesting discussion on temperature profiles of each layer. The final fourth section is simply a summary of the site’s information. This site is clearly geared towards upper levels in high school Science. The language, formulas, and charts are normally seen in textbooks of older students. This site is interesting in that there’s no navigation involved. Everything is presented on a single page. It does a pretty good job of it too considering how much text and pictures there are. Long pieces of text are interspersed with nice pictures and charts so that it never really seems like too much. All the information is presented in an organized and ordered manner. This is a good site for both teachers and students in upper level Science courses. |
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Name:
DiscoverySchool.com This site contains complete lesson plans for studying Earth Sciences at any level from K-12, including objectives and suggestions for evaluation in each lesson plan. Teachers can look forward to lesson plans on Earth’s surface, geological phenomena, oceans, weather, and tectonic plates, but this is by no means a complete list of lesson plans that can be found on this site. If that wasn’t good enough, many of the lesson plans even contain suggestions for adapting the lesson for different grade levels. This is hands-down one of the best resources for all teachers, and not just Science teachers. The site is colourful and well laid out. All sections of the site are accessible from the always-present menu. Some of the important concepts even have sound files attached to them so that you can listen to its pronunciation. This site is mainly geared towards teachers. |
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Name:
The
Geological Society of America This site contains complete lesson plans for studying Earth Sciences at any level from K-12, including any required worksheets. Lesson plans are organized by specific topics in Earth Sciences. The section on rocks and minerals is impressive on its own. Lessons for each topic are also further subdivided by grade level. Most lessons appear to be lab-based and very hands-on. Finally, there are literally tons of links to other educational resources within each topic. This is another amazing resource for teachers, but definitely geared towards Science teachers only. The site is colourful and well laid out. There are so many lesson plans and resources that are listed that the site even provides a handy function to sort by topic or age group. If that wasn’t enough, the site also provides suggestions for readings and class discussions of critical issues. This site is mainly geared towards teachers. |