ARKive
http://www.arkive.org/
Award winning site exploring the world of living things.

What is the site about?

This is a digital library of living things on earth. It has profiled thousands of the world's endangered species, using photos, videos and fact files, all of which are freely available for educational use. It is divided into a Threathened Species section and a British Species section. The site also contains a link to ARKive Education, which is aimed specifically at students and teachers.

Why was it chosen as site of the week?

It was chosen because

• It is the most comprehensive site on living things, covering 9 topics which  inlcude mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, plants and algae, fungi and lichens
• Topic listings are presented alphabetically and/or by scientific name. There are over 700 listings for mammals beginning with the letter "A"
  
• It contains free multi-media resources with downloadable ready-to-use modules on a wide range of curriculum topics in the Arkive education section   (Resources are categorised by age group and subject, making it easy to access relevant modules)
• There's a multi functional search function allowing you to seach for videos, images, species or all
  
• You can get a google earth plug-in to trace endangered marine life
  
• Approx 10 games are featured in the Arkive education section which are suitable for reinforcing and testing knowledge
• The site is very visually appealing and easy to navigate
• The FAQ is very useful for general info about the site
  

How can it be used as an educational resource?

The main focus of the site ties in with the Environmental awareness and Care strand of the Primary Science Curriculum.

The image bank of photos and video clips may be used for research. It facilitates enquiry based learning and the study of Living Things, another strand in the primary Science curriculum.

The educational resources provided are interactive PowerPoint presentations or PDF documents. They are categorised by age ranging from 5 to 16+. By using the presentations with a data-projector, the class group can become involved in discussing the topics. For example the ‘Predators and Prey’ presentation allows students to choose between several possible interventions to increase numbers of the endangered species.

‘Plant Life Cycles’ is an audio-visual guide to plants. It is particularly relevant for Junior Cert Science, linking with the ‘plant structure’ and ‘reproduction and germination in plants’ sections of the syllabus.

There are excellent notes provided on a range of topics, including coastal habitats, rain forests, geography and science issues that threaten species in the world today. These will be useful for teachers or older students.

The games section is suitable for independent use by students of all ages.

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