Below is a list of Internet
resources appropriate to teaching the competency goals for grade
levels 6-8 consistent with the criteria that was generated through
this effort. Following a brief discussion of the goals, the strengths
of the discussed Internet applications for promoting learning related
to the four curriculum strands and the twelve content areas (four
at each grade level) are briefly considered. Descriptions of how
each interactive web site might be used to teach middle school science
are included in Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Internet
Activities for Grade 6 Competency Objectives
Table 1
presents the identified Internet resources for teaching the 2000 North
Carolina Standard Course of Study grade six competency objectives,
which are organized into the following categories:
-
-
Matter
and Energy Flow through Ecosystems
-
-
Internet
Activities for Grade 7 Competency Objectives
Table 2 presents
the identified Internet resources for teaching the 2000 North Carolina
Standard Course of Study grade seven competency objectives, which are
organized into the following categories:
-
Atmosphere
-
Cell Theory
-
Genetics/Heredity
-
Matter
A
particularly useful Internet resource for teaching a difficult subject
within these content areas is Cells Alive (http://www.cellsalive.com),
which provides a wide range of interactive utilities for exploring
the structures and functions of cells and organelles.
Table 2
Internet Activities
for Grade 8 Competency Objectives
Table 3 presents
the identified Internet resources for teaching the 2000 North Carolina
Standard Course of Study grade eight competency objectives, which are
organized into the following categories:
-
Hydrosphere
-
Population
Dynamics
-
Evolution
-
Motion
and forces
Within these content areas,
River Run (http://www.uncwil.edu/riverrun)
and Water on the Web (http://www.waterontheweb.org/)
are noteworthy because they allow students to interact with primary
data in understandable and engaging ways. For example, the Data Visualization
Tool in River Run allows students to explore major ecological events
such as hurricanes, agricultural waste spills and a 500 year flood.
Using the Data Visualization Tool, students can easily generate interactive
animated graphic displays, which reveal details of important ecological
events in ways that demand notice and invite further inquiry using
the supplied Internet tools. Water on the Web allows for similar inquiry
of lake data. For more information on both of these resources see
Internet tools for facilitating inquiry (Moore and Huber, 2001) http://www.citejournal.org/vol1/iss4/currentissues/science/article1.htm.
Table 3
