By Phil Nast, retired middle school teacher and freelance writer 

Cause of Color Exhibit: Explore why we see the brilliant colors of butterflies like the Blue Morpho.

WebExhibits is an interactive and cross-curricular museum of science, humanities, and culture for K-12 and higher. Exhibits explore color, color vision, pigment, calendars, daylight savings time, poetry, Van Gogh’s letters, Bellini, and butter. No link from the homepage is provided for an exhibit on perspective, but Science & Art of Perspective is still available on the Internet.

The Causes of Color examine the three causes of color: light made, lost, and moved. Separate sections discuss light from electricity, chemical reactions, and thermal radiation; light lost or absorbed by objects; and light moved by objects. A four section looks at vision and color issues. A link to teaching resources includes a toolbox of tips for using the exhibit for K-12 and higher as well as one-day activities and two lessons for middle school and high school.

April is National Poetry Month. Poetry through the Ages presents poetry by era, explains poetic forms (famous, classical, obscure, and 21st century) and prompts students to create their own poetry. A background section covers the business of poetry, how to read it, and common poetic terms. The exhibit can be viewed in standard linear fashion or in nodes, which would work especially well for whiteboard presentations.

Teaching provides handy access to all the website’s activities, lesson plans, and teacher guides.