8th Grade General Science
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| Tides |
This website has a great animation of the tidal bulge that the moon's gravity creates here on Earth as it revolves around us. Click on the icon "Tides" along the side menu. That will take you to the animation. |
| Earth View |
This site provides various images of the Earth in real time. Plus, you can change your perspective of the Earth. This is a good view of day vs. night of our lonely planet. |
| Windows to the Universe |
This is a great site to go to in order to research information about our place in the solar system. The "Our Planet" section, which is most relevant to our 1st unit, helps to explain the various phenomena we experience here on Earth as a result of our rotation on our axis and our revolution around the sun. There is also a section about astronomy in general. |
| "Climate Control" animation - The Mountain Effect on Precipitation |
This animation is used to illustrate the effects of mountains on precipitation. The windward side will be a climate with higher precipitation. The leeward side will be a climate with lower precipitation. As the wind travels up the windward side of the mountain it cools causing the water vapor to condense rapidly and precipitate. The leeward side will have little precipitation causing a drier climate. |
| Introduction to the Atmosphere |
This section provides a brief overview of the properties associated with the atmosphere. This is a companion site to the activity "The Air Up There." |
| Heat Transfer Tutorial |
Convection, conduction, and radiation are explained in this interactive tutorial. Use this to supplement "Great Balls of Fire." |
| Hurricanes |
This site sponsored by NASA is an excellent resource for reviewing how hurricanes are formed and how they move. It's interactive and provides many animations to demonstrate the forces that influence hurricane movement and formation. |
| Wind |
Sponsored by Weather Wiz Kids, this site provides a good tutorial on how winds are formed. It addresses sea breezes versus land breezes with diagrams. Use this page in conjunction with the activity "Which Way Does the Wind Blow?" Use the homepage to this website as a tutorial on other weather related topics. |
| Wind with Miller |
Sponsored by a wind-energy company, this tutorial is a cute and interactive way to demonstrate the formation of winds due to the uneven heating of the Earth's surface. Use in conjunction with "Which Way Does the Wind Blow?" |
| Storm News and Storm Chasing |
This site chronicles storm chasers in the midwest U.S. It also has footage of approahing storms that can be viewed for the activities "Air Heads" & "Storm Troopers." |
| MSNBC Birth of a Tornado |
Use this interactive animation with "Strom Troopers." It models the creation of and conditions necessary for the formation of a tornado. |
| Tropical Twisters: Hurricanes & What They Do |
Use for the activity "Twist & Shout." Sponsored by NASA, this site provides an excellent resource for the formation of hurricanes. |
| Hurricane Lesson: the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. |
Use for the activity "Twist & Shout." Another great resource for hurricane formation. Sponsored by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. |
| Hurricanes: Weather Wiz Kids |
Use for the activity "Twist & Shout." Another great resource for hurricane formation. Sponsored by Weather Wiz Kids. |
| National Hurricane Center |
This site contains live and up-to-date information on the latest hurricanes. It's also a great resource for the formation of hurricanes. Sponsored by NOAA. |
| Hurricane Basics |
Use with "Twist and Shout." This site utilizes various images, graphics, and animations to model hurricanes. It also explores the role of satellites, remote sensing and technology in the prediction of hurricanes. |
