Explanations

Exploring Butterflies in Kindergarten
http://www.shrewsbury-ma.gov/schools/beal/curriculum/butterfly/butterflies.html
Explanation and diagrams of a butterfly life cycle.

Frog Lifecycle
http://www.ipcc.ie/lifecycle.html
Simple diagram and large text explanation of frog life cycle.

Year 1 and 2 Sites

The Life Cycle of Australian Ants
http://www.ento.csiro.au/science/ants/life_cycle.htm
Diagram and explanation of ant life cycle.

The Ant Colony Cycle
http://research.amnh.org/entomology/social_insects/ants/ant_colony_cycle.html
Diagram and explanation of the life cycle of an ant colony.

Common Goldfish
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/fish/printouts/Goldfishprintout.shtml
Facts and a diagram about goldfish.

Garden Spider
http://www.wellesley.edu/Activities/homepage/web/Species/aspidergarden.html
Description and diagram of a spiders web.

Parts of a Termite
http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~dewart/junk.html
Sketch of a 'typical' termite. Click on a button to highlight the named body part.

Life Cycle of Salmon
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/research/genetics/kids/salstory.htm
Click on a life stage to learn more about the life cycle of salmon.

Australian Museum: Frogs
http://www.amonline.net.au/webinabox/frogs/about/
Answers to several questions about frogs. Includes life cycle.

Frog Life Cycle
http://www.cap.nsw.edu.au/bb_site_intro/stage1_Modules/frogs/life_cycle_information_.htm
Large print explanation of a frog life cycle.

Lessons Life Cycles of Animals
http://esd.iu5.org/LessonPlans/LifeCycle/animals.htm
Lessons on the life cycles of various animals.

Life Cycle Puzzles
http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/steps/students/1-2Years/life/cycle.htm
Web-based puzzles about ant, butterfly and frog life cycles.

The Life Cycle of the Butterfly
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/lessons/ButterflyLifeCycle.shtml
After listening to fictional and non-fictional literature about caterpillars, and observing Students write a "biography" of a caterpillar using appropriate vocabulary and time lines.

What is History? Timelines and Oral Histories
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=406
Students construct a timeline based on events from their own lives and family histories.

Resources Frog Lifecycle Images
http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/bioinformatics/frog/images/fthumbliv.htm
Thumbnails to Victorian frog images.

Life Cycle Links
http://www.beenleigss.qld.edu.au/requested_sites/lifecycles/
Links to explanations of ant, frog, butterfly and plant life cycles.

Sequencing Ideas
http://ci.coe.uni.edu/facstaff/kuse/Skills/timechronfolder/sequence.htm
Ideas for providing students with practice with sequencing.

Year 3 and 4 Sites

Eye Site
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002330/
Numerous original graphics, diagrams, and interactive games help illustrate the eye and how it works.

The Life Pump
http://infozone.imcpl.org/kids_circ.htm
Diagram of the major arteries and veins in the human body.

How the Heart Works: The Heart House
http://www.childrenheartinstitute.org/educate/heartwrk/hearthse.htm
To simplify how blood flows through a normal, healthy heart think of the heart as a house. Diagrams included.

Inner Body
http://www.innerbody.com
Inner exploration of Human Anatomy. Each topic has animations, 100’s of graphics, and thousands of descriptive links.

Food Factory: The Digestive System
http://infozone.imcpl.org/kids_diges.htm
Diagram and facts about the digestive system

All about Sharks
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/sharks/species/Dogfish.shtml
Description and diagrams about physical and behavioral characteristics of sharks.

The Separation of Gondwanaland  
http://www.bigjude.com/Page58.html
Diagram showing links between South America, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia before separation.

Bobsledding Explained 
http://www.nctimes.net/~bobsport/explained.htm
Diagram and explanation of the sport of bobsledding.

Understanding Earthquakes  
http://www.crustal.ucsb.edu/ics/understanding/
Animation shows the gradual buildup of stress that leads to earthquakes.

Savage Earth: Earthquakes 
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/earthquakes/index.html
Explanation and animated diagram about earthquakes.

Lessons Build a Food Web   
http://www.gould.edu.au/foodwebs/kids_web.htm
Interactive site where students put together a food web using the plants and animals in the left frame.

WebQuest: Shopping for a Healthier Planet   
http://www.memphis-schools.k12.tn.us/admin/tlapages/shopping_planet.doc
Students are on a mission to find ways to shop for a healthier planet.

Resources Silkworms
http://www.pclaunch.com/~kayton/silk.htm
Information and resources about raising silkworms in classrooms.

Frog Unit
http://www.tased.edu.au/schools/claremop/Library/frogs%20_unit.htm
An integrated Science and Technology unit about frogs.

Year 5 and 6 Sites

How Stuff Works
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
All about how stuff works.

How Computer Viruses Work
http://www.howstuffworks.com/virus.htm
Explains viruses so that you can learn how they work and also understand how to protect yourself.

Ozone Hole Tour
http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/index.html
Explanation of what the ozone hole is and what causes it.

First World War
http://www.firstworldwar.com/
Explanation of the various types of weapons of WWI and a timeline.

All In The Senses
http://www.hhmi.org/senses/
Explanations about sight, hearing, and smell.

The Northern Lights
http://www.northern-lights.no/
Explanations about the Aurora Borealis and photos different patterns.

Solar Eclipses
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/eclipses.html
Diagrams and explanations about solar eclipses.

Eye Magic Optical Illusions
http://www.harmsy.freeuk.com/eyemagic.html
There are many tricks that can be played on the eye without having the need of a conjurer. Try these out for yourself and read the physical explanation.

Monsoon
http://www.kjc.gov.my/htdocs3/english/education/weather/monsoon01.html
Explanation of monsoons in Malaysia.

Nessie of Loch Ness
http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/lochness.htm
Possible explanations for the Loch Ness Monster.

Select A Disorder
http://www.ygyh.org/?syndrome=hemo
Explanations about various genetic disorders.

BrainPOP: SARS
http://www.yahooligans.com/content/science/movies/sars.html
Flash animation that explains what SARS and how it spreads.

Nicotine
http://www.nida.nih.gov/researchreports/nicotine/nicotine.htm
Explains what nicotine is and how it is addictive.

Mountain of Ice
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vinson/
Life cycle of a glacier in Antarctica. National Geographic:

Parasites
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/parasites/splashframe.html
Life cycle of various parasites.

BrainPOP: The Food Chain
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/foodchains/
Animated explanation of a food chain.

Food web Ecology
http://www.yvw.com.au/newed/seniors/ecology/freshwatereco/pondfoodweb.html
Diagram of a food web that shows the feeding relationships between the various plants and animals.

Lessons Wetlands Food Web
http://www.cwmb.sa.gov.au/kwc/section5/5-09.htm
Worksheet where students create a food web using cutting and pasting.

WebQuest: Roald Dahl
http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/webquests/roald_dahl/summary.html
Children write an explanation of what makes a great book.

WebQuest: Flashback To The Middle Ages
http://www.moffatsd.org/webquest/medievalages/
Students create a coat of arms and write an explanation of the symbols.

WebQuest: A Journey Inside the Human Brain
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/edis771/fall99webquests/student/scarolpayne/home.html
Students design a model of the human brain or a portion of the brain that explains major parts.

WebQuest: Inventions - Australia's Best!
http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/hbutler/austinvent/webquest.htm
Students research the Australian invention that has made the greatest impact on society.

Putting Together Body Parts and Naming the Organs http://www.askeric.org/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Anatomy/ANA0007.html
Students work in groups to construct a diagram of the body.

Graphic Life Map
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=74
Students brainstorm for important memories, create graphics or symbols for their most important memories, and construct a life map.

Resources

Teaching Explanations
http://www.nccs.nsw.edu.au/QTPWEB/explanations.htm
Defines the purpose and structure of explanations in simple terms.