A user-friendly environmental site is "Environmental Quality Statistics" maintained by he Council on Environmental Quality which coordinates federal environmental efforts and works closely with federal agencies and the White House. What makes the site especially useful is that on-line Excel tables exist for Population, Economy and Environment, Public Lands and Recreation, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Air Quality, Aquatic Resources, Terrestrial Resources, Pollution Prevention, Energy, Transportation, and the Global Environment, allowing students to manipulate data for class assignments related to the site. http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/reports/statistics/ It is often difficult to find sites relating to environmental quality issues for a K-8 audience. The "Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Kids Page" fills this niche. Crossword puzzles, dot to dot, word find and other fun activities should spark student interest in recycling, pesticides, and air pollution. There is also an extensive section on frogs which discusses some of the reasons for frog deformities in the state. http://blue.pca.state.mn.us/kids/ A short, easily understandable USGS booklet titled, "Geologic Time" by William L. Newman discusses the relative time scale, fossil succession, rocks and fossils, and radiometric time scale. This is a good introductory resource for students without much a background in the geologic time scale. http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/contents.html Need mnemonic devices to help remember the order that the periods and epochs occurred? Try "Dr. Bob's Geologic Time Page." For periods consider the first letters of each word for, "Quiet Time Can Just Tease People Particularly Men Dodging Spouses Ordering Chores" or "Cold Oysters Seldom Develop Many Pink Pearls, Their Juices Congeal To Quickly" http://oldsci.eiu.edu/geology/jorstad/geoltime.html These sites are archived at RESOURCES FOR EARTH SCIENCE AND GEOGRAPHY INSTRUCTION at http://personal.cmich.edu/~franc1m/homepage.htm The links are organized around the sequence of topics typically taught in an introductory earth science or physical geography class. Links are also, available for environmental science, earth science/geography education, career opportunities, and more. The sites selected are based on image quality, ease with which lesson plans can be developed, organization, authenticity, scope, and format. Please contact me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] to remove yourself from the mailing list, add a new subscriber, or suggest a site to be listed. Mark Francek E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This is the ISTA-talk mailing list. To unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://www.ista-il.org/ista-talk.asp> To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/ista-talk@lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
