Cal Alive!

Contact Information

Main Contact: Roger Renn

Phone: 925-631-2481
Fax: 925-631-2484

Email: roger@calalive.org

Street Address: 1660 School Street
Moraga, California 94556

Last Updated: 01-08-2009

Compendium Resource

Reviewer Comments

General Content
"One of the main purposes of Cal Alive! is to explore the reasons why California has such diverse habitats, plants, and animals. This has been accomplished on a grand scale. An admirable work."

Presentation
"Excellent graphics."

Pedagogy
"Student directed activities allow for an individualized pace of learning."

Teacher Usability
"This is definitely not for the technologically timid."

Requires a computer to fully use the curriculum.

"Material could be tabbed for easier access."

"Clear correlations to standards."

Focus on Communities
"Covers geology, climate, biology, and human history."

EE Program/Resource ss Details

Provided by: California Institute for Biodiversity

Description: Cal Alive! – Exploring Biodiversity is a comprehensive curriculum tool aimed at getting students interested in the diverse habitats that California has to offer. Cal Alive! engages students through three unique CD-ROMs: Habitats, Activities, and Tutorials. These discs allow you to explore California’s biodiversity through interactive programs, video clips, animations, and virtual panoramas that bring complex concepts to life. Also, detailed descriptions of 53 habitats encourage students to explore California’s environments while at the same time focusing them on state science standards. This series also has an accompanying 400-page Classroom Guide, which contains a wide array of classroom activities along with detailed directions on how to begin using Cal Alive! straight from the box.

We also now offer Habitats Alive! – An Ecological Guide to California’s Diverse Habitats, in partnership with Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden. This brand new 513-page volume details all 53 California habitats complete with information on each habitat’s location, plants and animals that reside there, and how humans are working to preserve each habitat. It also comes complete with a copy of the Cal Alive! Habitats CD-ROM. Habitats Alive! is the perfect resource for teachers looking for a more in-depth guide on how to interact with California’s unique biodiversity.

Visit us at our store for more specific details on how you can order these educational tools for your classroom today.

Web Address: http://www.calalive.org

Program/Resource Type: Computer Software, Curriculum, Multimedia, Publication

Audience Served: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Teachers

EE Focus: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecosystems-General, Ecosystems-Chaparral, Ecosystems-Coast/Marine, Ecosystems-Desert, Ecosystems-Forest, Ecosystems-Grassland, Ecosystems-Mountain, Ecosystems-Watershed, Ecosystems-Wetlands, Endangered Species, Environmental Sciences, Nature Awareness, Plants & Animals, Stewardship, Water

Academic Focus: Science

Correlated to these State Standards: English/Language Arts, Science
Correlations to Standards have been determined by the Provider and have not been verfied by CREEC Network staff or CDE.

Counties Served: Statewide

View Sample Pages (PDF)

Report Card

Overall Grade
General Content
Presentation
Pedagogy
Teacher Usability
Community

B+
A-
B+
A-
A-
B+

Discipline Emphasis

Science
History/Social Science
Health
Mathematics
Visual/Performing Arts
Language Arts
Industrial/Vocational Ed.
Foreign Language