Collaborative Projects

Cleaner Oceans- this is a collaborative project made by the UN that focuses on pollution of the oceans. The project is 6 web pages long and it has activities on each page. Students will study graphs that show amounts of garbage collected from the ocean in one day, accidental oil spills that have occurred over 2 decades and initiatives taken by the IMO to prevent ocean pollution.

http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/bookstor/kits/english/oceans/page1.htm

The UN in Space- This branch of the UN makes sure that countries with space programs meet up with those who don’t and share information obtained in space. It explains how kids participate in space research, interesting things that have been developed because of space exploration and why the UN is worried about space trash. There is a separate page for teachers that contain classroom activities based on the information at the web page.

http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/unspace/index.html

Journey North- This is a cool site where classrooms can share information about migration and seasonal change in their region. They can report anything from birds flying south for the winter to the budding of flowers. A graph can be made and updated for the whole class to share. There are also links and classroom activities that teachers can use.

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

Soil Fertility- This is a project where students measure fertility in soil by testing for minerals in soil that plants need to grow. Some of these are N (nitrogen), P (phosphorous), and K (potassium). The project is intended for high school students and is available in pdf form so that teachers can print it out.

http://www.globe.gov/tctg/section_98.pdf?sectionId=98

Fire Fuels- Fire and burning can be important for certain ecosystems. Here, students in high school will learn what is to use for fire fuel and what is not. They will use GPS technology, worksheets and tree identifiers to discover what burns best. This activity is available in a pdf form so that teachers can print it out in advance. This activity requires student prep time and the locating of a burn site. All data is shared on the website.

http://www.globe.gov/tctg/section_589.pdf?sectionId=589

Hummingbird Watch- Students will observe ruby-Throated hummingbirds as they arrive and depart in their area. They will record migration times, nesting habits and feeding preferences of the birds. They will also learn how to sex the birds and why weather plays a large role in their behavior. All data is shared on the web site. This is intended for high school students.

http://www.globe.gov/tctg/section_250.pdf?sectionId=250

The Everglades- This is a webquest where students become reporters. They actually construct a newspaper that reports on the controversy surrounding the everglades and its imminent destruction. This is a long project that could be done over the course of a semester. It is a contest among different schools and has a rubric that a class can follow. It is intended for older students.

http://wneo.org/gasp/webquest.htm

Elephants of Cameroon- This is a site that allows students to take virtual field trips. This part of the site focuses on elephants and their fight for survival. Students can visit a wildlife sanctuary, watch elephant slideshows and movies, talk to a field biologist and read stories about the region to gain knowledge. They then go to an online discussion page to share their insights and gain knowledge from other users. There is also a teacher resource page with projects intended for high school students.

http://www.fieldtripearth.org/div_index.xml?id=3

Genes- This site allows high school students to make their own web page about alleles present in their school. They do a short study of students and then determine what characteristics are present in their gene pool. They do this by taking surveys, making hypotheses and then using other school’s hypotheses from around the world to test their own. This is an introduction to how genetics are actually studied. It is a great way for students to communicate with other students their own age in other countries.

http://k12science.stevens-tech.edu/curriculum/genproj/

The Australian Atmosphere- Although this is mainly for Australian students, they do invite international schools to post weather recordings for their area. You can register your school and record weather everyday. The site will keep a record and make a graph for you to follow in your classroom. The data is kept at the site so that other schools can access it and you can access their data in return. Good for studying weather patterns around the globe.

http://www.schools.ash.org.au/paa2/deliver/content.asp?pid=658