InfoGuides: Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center: Find Environmental Education Resources

Databases for Teachers

National Geographic Virtual Library This link opens in a new window
Provides a cross-searchable platform for the Society publications from 1888 to present including maps, videos and images, as well as the Magazine.
Education Research Complete This link opens in a new window
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Covers all aspects of education including multilingual education, health education, testing, curriculum instruction, administration, policy, funding, and all levels of education from early childhood to higher education. Provides indexing for over 1,800 journals, as well as full-text for over 900 journals, 81 books, and numerous education-related conference papers. Tutorial for the Education Research Complete database.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
References to thousands of educational topics. Indexes journal articles, books, theses, curricula, conference papers, standards, guidelines and more. ERIC documents (non-journal literature) are available full-text, 1993 to the present. View a tutorial on this database here.
JoVE Science Education: Basic Biology This link opens in a new window
Access sections about general laboratory techniques, basic methods in cellular and molecular biology, lab animal research, and lab safety. Also contains sections about three model organisms and three vertebrae species commonly used in life sciences research.
JoVE Science Education: Environmental Sciences This link opens in a new window
Access sections about environmental and earth sciences as well as environmental microbiology.

Images for Instructors

TROUTNUT
Aquatic Insect Encyclopedia with over 1000 subjects
Encyclopedia of Earth
Supported by the Environmental Information Coalition and the National Council for Science and the Environment.
Key to Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
PDF about macroinvertebrates by the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation
USGS MultiMedia Gallery
Includes Water Videos related to water topics such as water quality, ground water, surface water, and more; Biology: Items related to study of living and fossil organisms
Birds of the World
Birds of the World contains image and video galleries showing plumages, behaviors, habitat, nests and eggs, and more. And most online BOW accounts now feature recordings of the songs and calls of their species, recordings selected from the extensive collection of Cornell's Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds.

Local Resources for Teachers

Project Learning Tree
Lesson plans are correlated to the new Standards of Learning and use science, language and social studies skills. Project Learning Tree is sponsored jointly by the Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Tech College of Forestry and Wildlife, and the Virginia Forestry Association.
Virginia Museum of Natural History
Exhibits, traveling educational kits, and programs about natural sciences reach students and adults throughout Virginia, including a summer institute for fourth- and fifth- and sixth-grade teachers.
Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Teacher tools for environmental education K-12
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office: Education
By supporting learning in classrooms and communities, NOAA improves knowledge and understanding of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Education Resources
More than 300 resources spanning a multitude of Natural History and Science disciplines
Bay Backpack
Bay Backpack provides educators with the tools they need to support Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences, or MWEEs, for their students.
Virginia Association for Environmental Education Resources
Discover local resources, organizations, and initiatives dedicated to creating a more sustainable future for Virginia.
Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin Educator Resources
Lessons include graphic-packed presentations, hands-on labs, campus-based outdoor field studies, models, on-line mapping, and more

Other Resources

Discover the Forest
Download curriculum or take a virtual hike; sponsored by USDA Forest Service
The Nature Education Knowledge Project Library: ECOLOGY
The Knowledge Project is an effort to work with the scientific community to build a reliable, state of the art, open access library of peer reviewed educational articles accessible to college and high school students.
The USGS Water Science School
Features an Activity Center, Water Glossary and Picture Gallery for students and teachers.
EPA: Teacher Resources and Lesson Plans
Find an array of environmental and science based lesson plans, activities and ideas.
National Geographic Education: Teaching Resources
National Geographic Education creates high-quality materials and programs for both educators and learners. These are delivered online, in print, and in person. Learn about geo-literacy, and how you can participate in National Geographic’s geo-literacy efforts.