Science and cultures

Science News Explores  publishes daily news and features online that are written by experienced science journalists. You can search for topics that enhance a theme or subject, use one of the collections, assign a science concept of the week,  conduct your own experiments or have learners choose a daily article as an independent study activity. All articles have options for printing, emailing and assigning in Google Classroom. If you create an account, you will be able to access additional teaching resources including follow-up questions for the articles. You can also scaffold learners' knowledge and reading development by assigning a corresponding article available in Science News, a publication for the general public. A non-profit organization devoted to science education manages both publications.

Copyrighted. Options are available to save, email, sync to Google Classroom and print. Create an account to access additional teaching resources.

Level - Targeting ages 9 and above and most content can be readily used with adults. Vocabulary and sentence structure aligns with Grades 3 to 8. "The breadth of technical subjects, tone and ease of reading continues to make Science News Explores a go-to source for adults, too." 

Computer Science Unplugged for elementary students and the Computer Science Field Guide for secondary students are open-source resources that teach computer science concepts and processes. Although CS Unplugged is for elementary students, the topics (e.g., binary numbers, network structures) are interesting for adults. The use of engaging games and puzzles could also be a fun way to teach the concepts to adult learners. The CS field guide is comprised on an online text and interactive activities. Both resources can be shared and adapted with attribution. Also available in French.

CC BY-SA 4.0  

Level - Targeting children and youth but most content can readily be used with adults.

OpenSciEd is a collection of open source science units at the Grades 6-8 levels. A unit or particular lessons could be used to provide engaging and interactive curricula to support adult learners who are preparing for the GED or PLAR for credit assessments. Here is what the developers write.

OpenSciEd is more than a curriculum. It’s a paradigm shift that reimagines the experience of science education to ensure that all students can excel in and outside of the classroom. In OpenSciEd classrooms, teachers are learning facilitators, not lecturers. Our professional development courses support teachers in this paradigm shift to maximize our curriculum’s impact. Because of the flexibility of the open source Google Apps for Education platform, we host most of our materials in Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets. We encourage teachers to copy our resources and modify them to suit their classroom needs.

 CC BY 4.0 

Level - Grades 6, 7 and 8 but appropriate for adults.

Shouting Whales is a marine science teaching resource from Open School BC. Although designed for middle school students, the content can work for adults who are interested in marine biology. The teaching unit is comprised of seven lessons with instructions for in-person and online use. It offers multimedia, projects and activities. All lessons are available in PDF and Word formats. Shouting Whales extends a video segment produced by Ocean Networks Canada (segment is on the left). 

CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Level - Grades 6, 7 and 8 but appropriate for adults.

Bringing the universe to America’s classrooms was developed by PBS/GBH and funded by NASA. Although it has a variety of resources, the most comprehensive and ready-to-use are the online interactive lessons. An example is Daylight throughout a Year. Once learners have the link they can launch the lesson and work on it independently or as part of a larger lesson or theme. The easiest way to explore the site is to browse the materials by topic and grade level, determine the right level and look for resources marked interactive lesson.

Copyrighted. Create an account to save materials, create lessons and sync to Google Classroom. 

Level - Resources cover K-12 and can be filtered (i.e. K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12). 

Callysto is a free, online learning tool that helps Grades 5-12 students and teachers learn and apply in-demand data science skills including data analysis and visualization, coding, and computational thinking. The main feature are a series of learning modules that can be used across the curriculum (i.e. in language arts, social studies and math courses) introducing coding using the Python language and Jupyter notebooks. Take a look at the Teacher Starter Kit to learn more. In another section, that doesn't involve coding, students can access 12 different Data Visualization Exercises. 

CC BY 4.0

Level - Grades 5 to 12

Google Arts & Culture "is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world." Start with  3 Tips for Teachers — Google Arts & Culture for ideas about using the platform. Also consider using themes, street view, historical events and the open heritage collection. There's even colouring online!

Copyright information: The Google Arts & Culture platform only accepts copyright-free or copyright-cleared images from partners. 

Level - All

National Geographic Life is "a six-level integrated-skills series with grammar and vocabulary for young adult and adult English language learners. It is available in American and British English. "Through stunning National Geographic content, video, and engaging topics, Life inspires a generation of informed decision-makers. With Life, learners develop their ability to think critically and communicate effectively in the global community." It is available through a paid subscription. However, an older version contains all of the files, which can still be downloaded. The set-up is complex. A place to start is a section called Interactive Reading Practice where "teachers can can download the full text, an audio file, a comprehension activity, extra practice activities and answer keys for a ready-made lesson." Each of the 11 topics contain materials at three difficulty levels (beginner/elementary, pre-intermediate/intermediate and upper-intermediate/advanced). 

Copyrighted. An older version of the site has PDF files available. 

Level - Targeting young adult English language learners from beginner to advanced.

TedEd is a collection of short educational videos on a range of topics. Each video is accompanied by online multiple choice questions, additional insights and resources and a guided TedEd discussion. Also available on the site are collections of videos exploring a certain theme, tools for teachers to builds their own lessons and collections and opportunities for educators and students to produce and submit their own videos. Create an account to access more features.

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Content (audio and video files, transcripts and/or information about a speaker) can be distributed when the site makes the means available (i.e. share, print, email, download, copy URL and embed icons, etc.).