External Resources

Explore digital resources from the chemistry community!

General

Beyond Benign (All grades)

This site provides teaching and learning tools to support green chemistry in the classroom.

ChemEd Xchange (High School)

Formerly part of the Journal of Chemical Education website, ChemEdX provides a forum for teachers to exchange ideas and resources.

Connected Chemistry Curriculum (CCC) (High School)

These simulations help students understand topics such as molecular modeling, solutions, reactions, and gas laws. The files are downloadable and can be used on any computer for free.

Discovery Education Lesson Plan Library (All grades)

Discovery Education provides free lesson plans written by teachers, for teachers. The site includes standards-based digital media that can be used to improve student achievement. Use the lessons as they are or modify them to create your own.

Laboratory Safety Institute (All grades)

Offers free safety guides, posters, videos and other resources to teachers. Scholarships are available for K-12 teachers to receive one- to three-day science safety courses at greatly reduced prices.

Molecular Workbench (Middle/High School)

A simulation without instructional support is difficult for students to use. An optimal way of using simulations is to embed them into curriculum materials. MW has an authoring system for teachers and curriculum developers to create or customize their own online lessons that use models and simulations.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (High School)

This site provides five units on nuclear-related subjects that teachers can use in the classroom. In some instances, the instructional units can be modified to be taught by teachers with varying degrees of knowledge in this subject area.

POGIL (High School)

POGIL (process-oriented guided-inquiry learning) is a student-centered learning strategy that guides students to construct new knowledge. Students work in small groups with roles to ensure that all students are fully engaged in the learning process.

PhET (Middle/High School)

For free, PhET provides interactive simulations of physical phenomena. Students can make connections between real-life phenomena and the underlying science, deepening their understanding and appreciation of the physical world. Some simulations have teacher resources to accompany the activity.

Realism (Middle/High school)

This site provides free 3D gamified virtual labs that are inquiry based.

Science Friday (All grades)

Science Friday is a trusted source for news and entertaining stories about science. It started as a radio show, created in 1991 by host and executive producer Ira Flatow. Since then, it has grown into much more: SciFri produces award-winning digital videos and publishes original web content covering everything from octopus camouflage to cooking on Mars. SciFri is brain fun, for curious people.

Target Inquiry (Middle/High School)

These activities help teachers successfully implement standards-based inquiry instruction into their lessons. In addition to a host of free resources, Grand Valley State University also offers a 2.5 year program that assists teachers to develop an inquiry-based science classroom. Science teachers can earn a Master of Education with an Emphasis in Advanced Content Specialization or complete a 15-credit certificate program.