STEM Resources
Our nation needs a strong focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to remain competitive in today’s globalized economy. Below are some resources I compiled for STEM teachers from lesson plans to sites for students to explore and do simulations.
STEM General Resources for lessons:
PBS offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning through television and online content.
Thinkfinity strongly supports the STEM initiative and offers lesson plans, activities and interactives to help you build a cross-curricular classroom. Access lesson plans, student activities, reviewed Web sites and other resources.
SCIENCE EDUCATION RESOURCES
BrainPOP creates animated, curriculum-based content that engages students, supports educators, and bolsters achievement.
BrainU is an organization which provides resources (glossary, standards, etc.), lessons, and interesting information for Grade 5-12 educators in the field of neuroscience.
Try Science is a gateway to the exciting world of contemporary science and technology through on and offline interactivity with science and technology centers worldwide.
Science Buzz is a website focused on science in the news, emerging research, and seasonal science.
CELLS alive! represents 30 years of capturing film and computer-enhanced images of living cells and organisms for education and medical research.
Access Excellence is a national educational program that provides health, biology and life science teachers access to their colleagues, scientists, and critical sources of new scientific information.
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
NSTA is the largest organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
Resources for high school biology teachers
How physics effects amusement park ride designs
Resources from the Sea World/Busch Gardens Education Series
This website represents over 25 years of experience capturing film and computer-enhanced images of living cells and organisms for education and medical research.
Integrated education materials that foster the use of live insects as teaching models and background information about arthropods and how to use them in the classroom
A colorful, well-designed site for the high school chemistry student; includes “tricks” for remembering aspects of atomic structure
Facts and information about endangered species in the United States of America from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
eThemes is an extensive database of content-rich, age-appropriate resources organized around specific themes. These resources are created for educators to use in their classrooms.
Exploratorium was one of the first science museums to build a site on the World Wide Web. Our site now contains over 15,000 Web pages exploring hundreds of different topics.
Science topics include earth science, life science, physical science, and air/space science.
Interactive simulation of a frog dissection
Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM)
This site provided by the Department of Education, provides educators with quick and easy access to thousands of educational resources found on various federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial web sites.
The Heart: An Online Exploration
Explore the heart
Just Science Now focuses on inquiry which means that students are handling science; they are manipulating it, working it into new shapes and formats, integrating it into every corner of their world, and playing with it in unknown ways.
Search the image library for microscopy images from the following categories: Algae, Arachnids, Bacteria, Crystals, Fungi & Slime Molds, Insects, Invertebrates, Medical, Miscellaneous, Plants, Protozoa, Vertebrates, and Viruses.
Live from the Hubble Space Telescope – Teacher’s Lounge
Interact with leading astronomers as they make observations using the world’s most powerful space telescope
A game which allows people to calculate how long they will live based on various lifestyle factors
A constantly growing collection of mineral descriptions, images, and specimens
Links to resources and stories by National Geographic. The web site also has sections for kids and teachers.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Topics include weather, ocean climate, coasts, fisheries, and navigation. Also links to real time satellite data. Some of the featured products cover Vegetation Health, Hydrological, Geostationary Satellite imagery, Atmospheric, Climate, and Oceanic Research.
Programs provide either direct (i.e., from NSF) or indirect (i.e., from an awardee institution) funding for students at this level or identify programs that focus on educational developments for this group such as curricula development, training or retention.
NSDL – National Science Digital Library
NSDL is a digital library of exemplary resource collections and services, organized in support of science education at all levels.
Online Resources from University of California Museum of Paleontology
Thousands of pages of content about the history of life on Earth, including a section of specific K-12 resources. *
Periodic Table of the Elements
The periodic table with information on each element
Information ranging from motion to magnetism
The mission of Science@NASA is to help the public understand how exciting NASA research is and to help NASA scientists fulfill their outreach responsibilities.
Resources to support the NPR radio program Science Friday including how to subscribe to Science Friday Pod Cast.
Science Links from Fed Resources for Educational Excellence
Links to Science resource for all areas of science such as: geology, oceanography, biology, chemistry, botany and more.
Science.gov is a gateway to over 50 million pages of authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. government agencies, including research and development results.
Make toys at home with common household materials, often in only a few minutes, that demonstrate fascinating scientific principles.
Created by Students, the ThinkQuest Library provides innovative learning resources for students of all ages on a wide range of educational topics.
Information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their history, and characteristics
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
TIMSS resulted from the American education community’s need for reliable and timely data on the mathematics and science achievement of our students compared to that of students in other countries. TIMSS provides trend data on students’ mathematics and science achievement from an international perspective.
living resources, natural hazards, and the environment.
WISE web-based inquiry science environment
WISE is a simple yet powerful learning environment where students examine realworld evidence and analyze current scientific controversies.
ENGINEERING EDUCATION RESOURCES
Engineering is Elementary is a program aiming to increase engineering literacy and engineering education by manufacturing curricular materials which integrate engineering and technology concepts with science lessons.
TeachEngineering digital library provides teacher-tested, standards-based engineering content for K-12 teachers engineering content for K12 teachers to use in science and math classrooms.
Engineering Pathway offers information on different educational communities and resources for high-quality teaching and learning in applied science, math, engineering, information technology, and engineering technology for K-12 and university students and educators.
Try Engineering is a portal which provides information about engineering and engineering careers, and helps young people understand better what engineering means, and how an engineering career can be a part of their future.
Engineer Your Life is a guide to engineering for high school girls, which provides information on what engineering is, and how it is useful for women in the workforce.
MATHEMATICS EDUCATION RESOURCES
Illuminations is a resource in different areas of education, including: online schools, home school curriculum, math tutoring and many more.
The Math Forum’s mission is to provide resources, materials, activities, person-to-person interactions, and educational products and services that enrich and support teaching and learning in an increasingly technological world.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is a public voice of mathematics education supporting teachers to ensure equitable mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students through vision, leadership, professional development and research.
AAA Math illustrates and provides interactive arithmetic exercises and problems for grades K-8. Hundreds of pages of basic math lessons, interactive practice, explanations of math topics, challenge games, and randomly created problems.
Explores Geometry and measurements, functions and algebra, and probability and analysis.
Algebra Help uses some of the latest technology to help you learn and understand algebra. This web site features lessons to learn or refresh old skills, calculators that show you how to solve problems step-by-step, and interactive worksheets to test your skills.
Links to web sites which will assist with teaching algebra.
Algebra Review is a review of High school Algebra. Though written to prepare a student for the Math Placement Exam II at The University of Akron, the tutorial is suitable of all students.
Algebra Tutorial – Ms. Lindquist:The Tutor
An intelligent tutoring system that teaches student how to translate algebra word problems into algebra expressions.
Allmath focuses on math that we will use for the rest of our lives by providing loads of pages of fun math sites. Did you know that magic squares have been a fascinating topic in mathematics for centuries? How about online flashcards? Allmath also provides an online glossary of math terms, printable multiplication tables and metric converters, just to name a few.
Animated characters delve into the worlds of numbers and operations, measurements, Geometry, Algebra, and data analysis.
Useful calculators from basic, square root, scientific and Trigonometry.
Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum
The CSMC serves the K-12 educational community by focusing scholarly inquiry and professional development around issues of mathematics curriculum.
Explore this amusement park of mathematics! Have fun with interactive activities and games like Lemonade Stand and Arithmattack. There’s even stuff for parents and teachers too
These problem-solving activities provide opportunities for students to solve problems across multiple strands of the Sunshine State Standards.
This module covers fractions, exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, series, functions, derivatives, and integrals.
This site allows you to learn a bit about Trigonometry or brush up on what you may have previously learned. There are a few exercised for you to work on and the short answers are provided as well.
Dositey.com offers a collection of interactive educational modules and printable worksheets for grades K-8. Interactive lessons, exercises and worksheets, educational games, open-ended questions in Math and Language Arts, and more. The activities on the site are designed to be fun and easy to use.
e-Calculus is a Calculus I tutorial. Features include verbose discussion of topics, online examples and exercises with solutions, multiple choice quizzes, and pop-up graphics.
Interactive, educational activities for children between five and fourteen years old. Challenge your addition and subtraction skills or learn about base ten counts.
Elementary Mathematics Methods
This project reflects the development of an Elementary Mathematics Video Library that addresses fundamental mathematics concepts across the elementary mathematics curriculum.
Elementary School Student Center
List of lots of links for elementary school math students. Students, parents and educators will find links to math resources, including software, Internet activities, brain teasers, puzzles, and the Internet Mathematics Library.
eThemes is an extensive database of content-rich, age-appropriate resources organized around specific themes. These resources are created for educators to use in their classrooms.
Eric Weisstein’s World of Mathematics
A full-text searchable, comprehensive alphabetical encyclopedia of math terms, equations, and derivations, with explanations, examples, references, and much more.
An online guide to Geometry.
Play with the interactive tools at ExploreMath.com. Select a category (Conic Sections, Quadratics, Complex Numbers), and then a problem or tool to experiment with. The big advantage here is that animated equations show you visually how changing variables will alter the curve of an arc or the slope of a line.
Famous Problems in the History of Mathematics
The purpose of this site is to present a small portion of the history of mathematics through an investigation of some of the great problems that have inspired mathematicians throughout the ages. Included are problems that are suitable for Middle school and High school math students, with links to solutions, as well as links to mathematicians’ biographies and other math history sites.
FCAT Secondary Mathematics Resource Booklet
A resource for students to use in the mathematics classroom to help increase student achievement on FCAT. Specific attention is given to vocabulary.
Mathematical Challenges for Families provide interesting math challenges that middle-school students can do at home with their families. Figure This! offers students and parents resources that support math studies, including homework assistance, examples of math in literature, and fun facts related to mathematics.
Collection of mathematics links arranged by grade level. Lessons and resources.
Trying to tear your kid away from TV and video games? Get help at Funbrain, which features interactive flash-card-like games that you can pick by age, grade level, or subject. They aren’t as fun as The Legend of Zelda, of course, but they’ll keep kids’ skill sets sharp.
Test your math skills with lots of fun problems on all kinds of topics like fractions, Geometry, money, and more. Some lessons are available in Spanish.
Harcourt Multimedia Math Glossary
This interactive math glossary provides a searchable database of math terms by grade level. Students in grades one through eight can search the glossary for math definitions accompanied by illustrations and, where appropriate, animated examples.
Students, parents and educators will find links to math resources, including software, online Internet activities, brain teasers, puzzles and a link to the Internet Mathematics Library. The high school math search link will provide information to other math sites on the High school level.
HMC Mathematics Online Tutorial
An online tutorial that explores single-variable Calculus, multi-variable Calculus, linear Algebra, and differential equations.
Internet resources to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics for all students. Provide professional development for teachers of mathematics and provide Standards-based resources for the classroom use.
The Math Forum’s Internet Mathematics Library contains a Recreations category, with topics from the lighter side of mathematics. The Library also offers collections of math games and math-oriented sports sites.
Moving figures which help students to grasp the meaning of Trigonometry concepts.
Provides math activities for all grades K-8. Simply choose a grade level, subject, and activity from the Grade Level Material section. Additional links for teachers, students, and parents.
Learning Page is a huge collection of professionally produced instructional material for you to download and print. Lesson plans, books, worksheets and much more can be found on the site.
Harcourt Math and Activities Resource Center provides a wealth of resources designed to bring math concepts to elementary students, teachers and parents. Peruse many online activities and math models for students up to sixth grade. An online animated glossary is a great reference for math terms and definitions.
The MacTutor History of Mathematics
a collection of interesting facts about math history, including biographies of famous mathematicians
Manipula Math Applet Collections: Trigonometry
Interactive programs that can be manipulated and animations that help to grasp the meaning of mathematical concepts.
The Calculus Resources online area of the Mathematics Archives contains information and links to numerous Internet resources, which could be used for teaching and learning of Calculus.
Math Central is a service for people involved in mathematics education from kindergarten to grade twelve. Math Central provides a meeting place for teachers to share resources and information, a service to teachers, students and parents who may need an answer to a mathematical question.
Math.com – The World of Math Online
Math.com is dedicated to providing revolutionary ways for students, parents, teachers, and everyone to learn math. Math.com offers homework help, practice programs, games and online calculators and other tools. English and Spanish.
Mathematics WWW Virtual Library
This collection of Mathematics-related resources is maintained by the Florida State University Department of Mathematics as a free service to the online community.
Every sport uses numbers in some way, whether it’s for scoring, determining averages, or figuring percentages. And when numbers are involved, it usually means math is being used as well. Examples of sports that use math.
This site provides instant access to dozen of formulas, tables and properties.
Interactive Flash tutorials which teach middle school math concepts. Topics covered include: whole numbers, percentages, number sense, fractions, geometry, probability, ration/proportion, and algebra.
MathWorld is a comprehensive and interactive mathematics encyclopedia intended for students, educators, math enthusiasts, and researchers. Although it is often difficult to find explanations for technical subjects that are both clear and accessible, this Web site bridges the gap by placing an interlinked framework of mathematical exposition and illustrative examples at the fingertips of every Internet user.
Mathematical Power for all Students K-12
This document summarizes the three essential curriculum components of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Framework, and Florida’s Sunshine State Standards.
Matrix of Articles from Teaching Children Mathematics
These articles illustrate lessons to engage children in rich mathematics.
Math Goodies is a free math help site featuring interactive lessons, homework help, worksheets and forums! Math Goodies has over 400 pages of activities for students, teachers and parents.
Interactive multiplication tables with answers.
Mathematics are a fundamental part of aerospace research. This area contains educator guides and classroom online activities relating to mathematics for all grade levels.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) – U.S. Department of Education
The primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the United States and other nations. NCES collects, collates, analyzes, and reports complete statistics on the condition of American education; conducts and publishes reports; and reviews and reports on education activities internationally.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
NCTM is a public voice of mathematics education, providing vision, leadership, and professional development to support teachers in ensuring mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students.
National Library of Virtual Manipulative’s
Virtual manipulative’s related to the NCTM standards for grades 3-5. Explores numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability using abacuses, charts, base blocks, color patterns, fractions, tessellations, tan grams, etc.
An independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting science and engineering through programs that invest over $3.3 billion per year in almost 20,000 research and education projects.
For over 350 years, some of the greatest minds of science struggled to prove what was known as Fermat’s Last Theorem — the idea that a certain simple equation had no solutions. Now hear from the man who spent seven years of his life cracking the problem, read the intriguing story of an 18th century woman mathematician who hid her identity in order to work on Fermat’s Last Theorem, and demonstrate that a related equation, the Pythagorean Theorem, is true.
NUMB3RS, the hit TV show on CBS provides resources for educators. As part of the show they solve various math problems as crimes are solved. This web site provides activities/lesson plans, for you to use with your students, related to math problems used in the show.
Some people say that mathematics is the science of patterns. That’s not a bad description. Not only do patterns take many forms over the range of school mathematics, they are also a unifying theme. Visit the lab and explore logic, number, and word problems.
View lesson plans and activities, select a grade range and topic or view free video lessons.
Plane Math, a place to learn cool things about math and aeronautics. The student activity pages will allow students to go directly to lessons, which relate to various aeronautics skills. The mission of this project is to stimulate and motivate students with physical disabilities in grades 4-7 to pursue aeronautics-related careers via the development and delivery of accessible math education materials on the Internet, but can be used by all students.
Play games designed by a teacher to learn about the ABC’s, numbers, holidays, and more! Have fun teaching children how to tell time. Read ebooks, send postcards, or print coloring pages, stationery, and certificates!
Everything you ever wanted to know about prime numbers, including their history, the largest known prime, how to find primes, how many primes there are, and special types of primes.
integration and probability. Work through these topics by solving a series of exercises (solutions provided).
QuickMath is an automated service for answering common math problems over the internet. Think of it as an online calculator that solves equations and does all sorts of algebra and calculus problems – instantly and automatically! Quick Math will automatically answer the most common problems in algebra, equations and calculus faced by high-school and college students.
Superkids Math Worksheet Creator
Make your own worksheets here at Super Kids for free! Simply select the type of problem, the maximum and minimum numbers to be used in the problems, then click on the button! A worksheet will be created to your specifications, ready to be printed for use.
Created by Students, the ThinkQuest Library provides innovative learning resources for students of all ages on a wide range of educational topics.
Visual Calculus offers a collection of modules that can be used in the studying or teaching of Calculus.
WebMath allows users to enter their problem, and then WebMath searches its database for similar problems to allow the student to see similar solutions to the problem. WebMath provides the frustrated student with a place to start when stumped by a math problem.
This Web Site contains word problems for students and teachers. The problems are classified into grade levels, 5-12.
These four sets of activities encourage students to work with manipulatives including Cuisenaire rods, geoboards, tangrams, and pattern blocks.
*credit resources
