Welcome to TL Gifted & Talented Resources

Thomas Lake Gifted & Talented Program Links

How Stuff Works
http://www.howstuffworks.com
A great site to help you and your students with how just about anything works-- from serial ports to dieting, and everything in between; even includes a section on "how things will work" in the future.

Jline Paper Airplanes
http://www.freehomepages.com/jline
Jline Paper Airplanes has great easy-to-follow illustrations and text to create great flying planes. The site is colorful and easy-to-follow. New planes added at least once a month.

cool G&T Science Links

Misconceptions in Science
http://www.enc.org/focus/misconceptions
Misconceptions are everywhere! From movies and television shows to resources we have come to trust such as news articles and textbooks, misconceptions can be found in all sorts of places.

ExplOratorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu/explor/handson.html

What Students Need to Know About Genetics
http;//www.enc.org/focus/genetics
The science of genetics plays a huge role in our global social and economic structure. Our understanding of genetics helps us to counter birth defects and disease, increase food production, explain evolution, improve the quality and length of human life, and preserve natural habitats and species. It also provides a growing body of knowledge for other applications.

Cool Science for Curious Kids
http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience
This site aims to make science "fun, practical, and realistic." The site provides a collection of science projects specially adapted for the Web.

Science 101 Crossword Puzzle
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/science-cw.htm

cool G&T Math Links

Art and Social Studies in Math Class!
http://www.enc.org/focus/artmath
Helping students see a cross-curriculum connection builds on the idea of educating the whole person, taking into account the student's background, culture, special learning abilities, motivation, and interests.

Math: Math League Help Topics
http://www.mathleague.com/help/help.htm
This easy-to-use index of help topics can guide upper elementary students through the toughest math stumpers. Click on one of the broad topics to arrive at a list of more specific subjects, such as whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. Each subject is linked to clear, concise explanations and examples.

Math Mastery
http://www.mathmastery.com
Although the site promotes a fee-based service, there are plenty of free Flash math games here too. Best clicks are CyberChallenge and DailyBrains.

How Many Pennies Does It Take...
http://www.kokogiak.com/megapenny
Did you ever wonder if saving all those pennies would add up to much? How about visualizing a large amount of pennies? Visualizing huge numbers can be very difficult. When people talk about millions of miles or trillions of dollars, it can still be hard to grasp just how much that really is. The MegaPenny Project aims to help by taking one small everyday item, the U.S. penny, and building on that to answer the question: "What would a billion (or a trillion) pennies look like?" All the pages have tables at the bottom, listing things such as the value of the pennies, size of the pile, weight, and area. All the weights and measurements are U.S. standards, not metric. So let's go count some pennies...

Surf the Net with Kids Fun with Math
http://www.surfnetkids.com/math.htm

Electricity Links

Electricity
http://www.surfnetkids.com/electric.htm
In 1752, with his famous storm-flying kite, Ben Franklin discovered lightning was electricity. In 1879, Thomas Edison perfected the electric light bulb. In the twenty-first century, we take our electricity for granted until we don't have any. A few weeks ago my family lived without electricity for thirteen hours. It wasn't the infamous rolling California blackouts that got us, but rather a tree that fell on an overhead power line during a storm. Although I enjoyed the quiet, it was a bit bizarre living without email, electric lights, heat, the microwave, or television.

BrainPop: Electricity
http://www.brainpop.com/science/electricity
On the subject of electricity, BrainPop offers not just one of their educational animations, but five. Topics include a general introduction to electricity, static electricity, batteries, energy sources, thunderstorms and atoms. Each topic page (geared toward upper elementary students) features an animated movie, a quiz ("What are the three components of a circuit?"), a printable activity sheet and a try-it-yourself experiment.

Electricity Online
http://library.advanced.org/28032
"Materials may be classified into one of three categories depending on their electrical conductivity (their ability to conduct a current). Conductors conduct electric charge better than semi-conductors, which in turn conduct better than insulators." This extensive site was created for the ThinkQuest Internet competition by teens from three different countries: India, Netherlands and United States. It is divided into Lessons (several dozen on topics such as circuitry and electrostatics), Applications (including Solar Power and Telecommunications), History and Activities.

Energy Story
http://www.energy.ca.gov/education/story/story-html/story.html
An outstanding article for middle and high-school students on energy sources from fossil fuels and hydro-power to solar and nuclear power. Chapter Two (What is Electricity?) and Chapter Eleven (Electricity Transmission System) explain electricity from atoms to volts. Be sure to visit the comprehensive Energy Quest site. You'll find its link at the bottom of any Energy Story page. Built just for kids by the California Energy Commission, Energy Quest includes games, quizzes, and experiments. If life has given you lemons and you are tired of lemonade, try the lemon battery at http://www.energy.ca.gov/education/projects/projects-html/lemon.html .

IPPEX Online
http://ippex.pppl.gov/ippex/module_4
"During a thunderstorm, clouds become negatively charged relative to the ground (or other clouds.) Since opposite charges attract, a lightning bolt will appear as charges are exchanged between the cloud and the ground." Presented for middle- schoolers in a fun, interactive format, this site was created by a team at Stevens Institute of Technology to "demonstrate that the Internet can be used for science education and participation in ways that are not possible with a text book or a standalone computer."

Science Made Simple: Static Electricity
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/static.html
"Static electricity is the imbalance of positive and negative charges" explains the "Curious Kids' Science Newsletter." A wonderfully in-depth analysis of static electricity for middle and high-school students, along with an "I CAN READ" section for early elementary students. Terrific illustrations and at-home experiments make this a great site!

Current Affairs: Electricity Crossword
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/electricity-cw.htm

Dakota Electric Association
http://www.dakotaelectric.com

Environmental Issues Links

Malaysian Elephant Appeal
http://www.elephantappeal.org
The Malaysian Elephant Appeal aims to create an elephant sanctuary and conservation education centre in central Malaysia. The website gives an easily understood explanation of the current situation (which is not a good situation)and how things can be improved in the future to help to protect the resident elephants in particular and their species in general.

Other SurfNet Links to Elephants
http://www.surfnetkids.com/elephant.htm

National Geographic's Wild World
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld
With NationalGeographic.com's new Interactive Atlases, site visitors can learn about the plant and animal life, climate, and conservation issues of hundreds of different 'ecoregions' of the world (areas that share distinct ecological features) by clicking on the areas of maps that interest them most.

MN Dept. Of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us

Ask the Experts Connections

Have a question, ask Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/askexpert
It's as interesting now as it was back in 1845. Things haven't changed that much -- we're keeping Scientific American as vibrant as it always was, with the introduction of this new online edition. We will also be featuring interviews with scientists in the news and query experts in any discipline to answer readers' questions about science and technology in a section called ask the experts.

How Stuff Works
http://www.howstuffworks.com
Have you ever wondered how the engine in your car works or what makes the inside of your refrigerator cold? Then How Stuff Works is the place for you!

How Things Work
http://rabi.phys.Virginia.EDU/HTW/
Think of this site as a radio call-in program that's being held on the WWW instead of the radio. If you ask how something works, I'll try to provide an explanation. You'll find a more comprehensive discussion of many common objects in my book: How Things Work: the Physics of Everyday Life . I'm trying to encourage everyone to learn about the physics and science of the world around them.

How Things Work II
http://www.iao.com/howthing
So much has happened since the end of World War II. We have seen the Atomic Age, the Computer Age and the Space Age. Isn't it amazing? A whole era has been concentrated into a brief lifetime. However, these wonders are liable to become ignored and taken for granted. We are able to flick a switch, press a button or even put a coin in the slot and expect things to happen without asking...How? Well, we would like to provide you with the opportunity to find out just How Things Work.

AskMe.com
http://askme.com
Get answers to your questions from real people - for free! Join the 1.2 Million people using AskMe.com and browse our categories to read over 200,000 answers.