http://www.estuaries.org/top-10-estuary-facts.html  students gain information about in estuary complete a graphic organizer.  By completing the graphic organizer while visiting the website the students are taking notes and gaining knowledge in a fun and creative way.  Graphic organizers allow students to put meaning into what they are learning. Graphic organizers can be used for any topic and subject, while completing a graphic organizer about estuaries the students become experts on a topic, and in this case estuary experts. 


 





http://www.estuaries.org/restoration-video.html--students watch a video explaining the importance of estaury restoration.




http://estuary-webquest.tripod.com/id1.html fun Webquest that aloows students to collect information about estuaries.  If you use a Webquest in the computer lab, the students are working on the same project, but creating different views and opionions about the topic. Some Webquests engaged higher oreder thinking skills.  In this case some students may need to be paired with a partner to make sure the tasks are being completed.  This is a Webquest that most of my students could complete independently or in a group.  I will pair students in groups to complete this Webquest this allows for cooperative learning opportunities.  Students can also use a thinking map, while completing the tasks on thisWebquest, thinking maps allow the studets to scaffold information about the Chesapeake Bay as it relate to other estuaries. 

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/blog/post/five_signs_of_spring_in_the_chesapeake_bay_region

This website shows students vivid pictures of the wildlife along the Chesapeake Bay.  These pictures can be used to show students how wildlife interacts with one another along the Bay. 
If last week’s sixty-degree days weren’t enough to convince you that winter has bid us farewell and spring is just around the corner, these harbingers of the changing seasons surely will! Take a look around your  backyard, community or local park for these five telltale signs of spring in the Chesapeake Bay region.

1. Spring peepers are peeping

(Image courtesy bbodjack/Flickr)
If you happen to live near a pond or wetland, you may be accustomed to hearing a chorus of “peeps” in early spring. The northern spring peeper is one of the first to breed in spring. This small amphibian’s mating call is described as a “peep,” but it can be almost deafening when hundreds of frogs sing in one location.

2. Daffodils are blooming

(Image courtesy bobtravis/Flickr)
These yellow beauties are the first bulb plants to pop up each March, sometimes emerging through melting snow and always signaling warmer weather ahead. Any gardener will tell you there’s no way to tell exactly when daffodils will bloom, but they seem to pop up almost overnight. A website tracks photos and reports of the first daffodil sightings each year around the world.
If you can’t get enough of these buttercup blooms, head over to the American Daffodil Society’s National Convention in April in Baltimore.

3. Bees fly in

(Image courtesy Martin LaBar/Flickr)
Where there are flowers, bees should follow – but native bee populations have fallen rapidly in recent years. Find out how you can make your yard a bee haven and help give bees a home! (Don’t worry – most of the Chesapeake Bay watershed’s native bees don’t sting!)
A bee-friendly backyard will benefit you and your garden: bees pollinate plants and crops, a service that’s worth millions each year to our economy.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/09/14/03stem_ep.h31.html

In order to compete globally in the 21st century STEM schools are opening across the United States and i attempting to target minority students, who typically are under served in the area of Technology, math, science, and engineering classes.  Usually these programs target and identify the top math and science students in a school or on standardized tests.  The STEM schools that are opening now are attempting to reach the minority population regardless of current grades or GPA's.  this is being done to prompt the interest of minority students by exposing them to experiments and high tech schools that offer many class and programs that the average schools lack.
One key question that this article still asks, is will these STEM schools motivate these students to study and pursue STEM classes in college and as a career?

I think that when attempting minority interest in STEM classes, hands-on science experiments is a must.  Students must be able to feel science and explain how something works and interacts with nature and/or robotics.  Often times students feel intimidating with "big" words and long definitions.  Providing hands-on experiments offer a chance to actually see how something works together.

Allowing the students to create simple machines and robotics opportunities will also increase interest in the STEM field.  Many student may feel that creating a robot and wires is too confusing but when they are given a chance to explore and create a simple robot, they will see that is is not that complex and that everything is connected and works together.

http://www.iteaconnect.org/Publications/ttt.htm

Technology and Engineering Teacher, v71 n3 p18-21 Nov 2011

In the journal Technology and Engineering Teacher, a discusses increasing minority students specially girls to exposure to STEM classes and experiments.  This articles mentions that increasing exposure science programs. projects, and field trips students confidence and motivation will be increased.  Increasing student confidence is important because minority students must feel comfortable exploring and learning in all STEM classes.  Females must be given opportunities to explore STEM classes in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. 
Female students must be welcomed into discussions that included topics that are interesting and relative to what they are interested in studying.  Teachers must support constant collaboration between minority professional in the STEM workforce.  The following programs can be used to provide support to teachers and students in the STEM field.

www.psctlt.org
This programs lists opportunities for females students to become involved in exploration related activities.

http://newsone.com/the-education-zone/associatedpress4/stem-african-americans-declining-math-science/

http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/we-already-know-what-to-do-when-it-comes-to-african-american-success-in-the-stem-fields-why-don%E2%80%99t-we-do-it/27818

The links listed above describe the declining number of African Americans that are entering the math and science fields.  The above abstracts list the causes and possble solutions to this growing problem.  The artcile and abstract listed mention specially three reasons why African Americans are not pursuing careers in the math, science and technolog field. Some of the reasons offered are discouragement, self doubt, and stereotypes. 
As educators, we must motivate our all students, we should encourage them to pursues careers that they are interested in regardless of socioeconmic status.  We should expose our students to math and science opportunities outside of the classroom.  Fieldtrips and webquests provide students the opportunit to explore and discover the wonderful world of science. 
These to articles could be shared with parents and teachers, this would expose them to some causes that prevents students from studying math.  If parents and teachers begin to understand that students just need a little motivation and encouragement hopefull the ccle of discouragement can end. 

http://estuary-webquest.tripod.com/

This website is a webquest about estuaries, this website allows students to explore and gather information simultaneously.  This will be enjoyable for the students and this webquest can be completed with a teacher generated reading guide. 

This book has vivid picture and text boxes that explain the topics and contents of the picture in a way that is easy to understand.  Although this book does not mention or discuss the Chesapeake Bay many of the pictures  and sea animals mentioned in the book, will be valuble and worth the students exploring. 

I am including this book in my Annotated Bibliography to allow students a chance to sketch or draw the sea animals we are discussing.  Often times educators leave art out of science, we must include all learning styles in our instruction. 

http://www.celsias.com/
This website describes the acidity of the Chesapeake Bay this website along with a Bay clean up project can be used to emphasize the importance of keeping the Chesapeake Bay clean for the animals and plants of the Bay.  The accidity of the Bay can harm the clams. oysters, and crabs, we depend on these for food and recreational activities along the bay. 

There is a video found on YouTube titled Life on the Chesapeake Bay , this video is a great tool to use in the classroom to explain how the Bay was formed and its importance.
The video may help a struggling reader because they can focus on listening instead of reading a book that may be above grade level.