WEBSITE OF THE MONTH
Links provided on this page will provide access to new, different, innovative and interesting sites related not only to curriculum, but to the time of year. These sites are not exclusive to any one content area, but provide access to resources and ideas which can be used across the curriculum or just for fun.
Featured Sites From Past Months (Descriptions)
2005: Septl Oct l Nov l Dec/Jan l
2006: Feb l Mar l April l May l June l July l Aug/Sept l Oct l Nov l Dec/Jan
2007: Feb l Mar l April l May l June l July l July l Aug l Sept l Oct l Nov l Dec/Jan
July, 2008
http://illuminations.nctm.org/
NCTM Illuminations provides teachers and users with a searchable dabase of lesson plans, activities, standards and web links related to the teaching of mathematics. It is web page designed to make available K-12 standards-based resources aligned with the vision and best-practices recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Users can limit by grade level as well as by standard, or can do a keyword search for lessons and activities relating to the desired topic or concept. Illuminations is part of the Verizon Thinkfinity program.
June, 2008
Fashion-Era.com has over 690 free content rich pages devoted to fashion trends, costume and fashion history. It was created by Pauline Weston Thomas, an honours Dress, Textiles and Design graduate and British qualified teacher since the 1970s, and her husband Guy Thomas who helped to design and build the website. The site is arranged by era and it analyses the mood of each, considering how changes in technology, leisure, work, cultural and moral values, homelife and politics have all contributed to lifestyle trends which influence the clothes women in particular choose to wear. The site also outlines the history of Jewelry, Perfumes, Cosmetics, Corsetry and Underwear, and manipulation of the body silhouette. There are suggestions for British museums to visit, paintings to view and contemporary books to read. Teachers can download and duplicate costume silhouettes and outlines for school use in history and craft lessons. This will be a great resource for students looking for details about styles and clothing, historical research projects, drama and theater classes seeking information for period dress and costume.
May, 2008
http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/default.htm
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust is a comprehensive, award-winning website which was produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. The content is presented from three perspectives: Timeline, People, and The Arts. In addition to the major content sections, additional resources are available in the forms of photographs, original documents, links to external Web sites, maps, video, music, artwork, etc. the creators caution that although this site is meant to be used as a resource by teachers, Holocaust study is a very sensitive subject, and the appropriateness of material is dependent upon individuals. In order to help teachers with their review and selection process, the site offers guidelines for Holocaust study in cooperation with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.
April, 2008
http://www.loc.gov/topics/baseball/
America’s Pastime: Historic Baseball Resources from the Library of Congress, recently launched by the Library of Congress, is a terrific, new multimedia site for baseball enthusiasts featuring photos, news articles, audio and video clips, links and teaching materials related to their vast collection of baseball materials. There’s a short bibliography of baseball book titles for children and young adults, with recommended grade levels, and educators are invited to contribute to this list by submitting their students’ favorite books about the sport. The For Teachers section features lesson plan ideas using primary sources for secondary students. Under the Baseball Cards section you will find links to The Library of Congress educational sites, (The Learning Page: Collection Connections and American Memory) with writing prompts and lesson plan ideas for various grades and subject areas including Arts and Humanities, U. S. History, and across the curriculum for using primary sources and inspiring critical thinking.
March, 2008
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
StarChild:A Learning Center for Young Astronomers was developed by a team of middle school teachers who worked with NASA to create a useful, accessible informational site for children interested in the study of outer space. The "Starchild" component is geared toward elementary school students, and includes pages filled with clear concise information, diagrams, animations and explanations about space objects and exploration. There is even an audio feature which will "read aloud" the selected pages. For older users, aged 14+, more in-depth explanations and higher level topics can be found on the "Imagine the Universe!" site which is linked from StarChild. It also includes activites, teacher pages and links to more sites with information.
February, 2008
Mathwire.com: Standards-Based Math Activities is designed to provide activities and appropriate worksheets for teachers to use in their classrooms. All activities and worksheets support the constructivist approach to learning mathematics and the NCTM Standards. Teachers are welcome to download any of the activities for free use in their classrooms. This month features Valentine Math activities which include Valentine Probability, Valentine Discrete Math, Valentine Quilts and Valentine Symmetric Faces.
December, 2007 - January, 2008
http://www.educationworld.com/
Looking for seasonal lessons and activities? Education World is featuring "A Blizzard of Winter Lessons" for the month of December.
(http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson247.shtml)
By the way...
Education World is an extensive online resource that includes all of the following great features:
- a search engine for educational Web sites only, a place where educators can find information without searching the entire Internet;
- original content, including lesson plans, practical information for educators, information on how to integrate technology in the classroom, and articles written by education experts;
- site reviews;
- daily features and columns;
- teacher and principal profiles;
- Wire Side Chats with the important names in education;
- employment listings.
November, 2007
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/
Poetry 180 presents more than 180 poems suitable for reading and sharing, in printer-friendly style, with advice about how to read a poem aloud and suggestions about good times and places for sharing peotry on a daily basis.
"Poetry 180 is designed to make it easy for students to hear or read a poem on each of the 180 days of the school year. I have selected the poems you will find here with high school students in mind."
Billy Collins - Former Poet Laureate of the United States
October, 2007
"Open Vault provides online access to unique and historically important content produced by public television station WGBH for individual and classroom learning. The ever-expanding site contains video excerpts, searchable transcripts, a select number of complete interviews for purchase, and resource management tools. Open Vault was made possible through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS.)"
September, 2007
Dr. LeBeau's Homepage: A Resouce for Teachers, Students and Curious Adults: Sue LeBeau is an Associate Professor in Education for Northcentral University in Prescott Valley, AZ. Her web site includes numerous pages of links organized by audience and interest as well as topics. Lesson plans, professional organizations, literature, interactive fun, and resources for every subject area and age can be found in this extensive listing.
August, 2007
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/
"Skillswise is the BBC's adult literacy and numeracy website aimed at all adult learners, their tutors, trainers and advisors - and in fact anybody with an interest in promoting basic skills. Learners can dip into a range of games, quizzes and other activities, as well as being able to track their own progress.
Skillswise is great fun and can help you improve your literacy and numeracy."
July, 2007
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/
Find over 3,000 FREE, original Lesson Plans.
You can search for topics or add your own lessons!
June, 2007
Aaron Shepard’s RT (Reader's Theater) Pageis created and hosted by children's book author Aaron Shepard. Find a wealth resources for reader’s theater (or readers theatre) including background information, free scripts from Reader’s Theater Editions, worksheets for scripting, tips and much more.
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May, 2007 |
EPA Environmental Kids Club is a great place to explore the many aspects of environmental protection with kids of all ages. The Teaching Center offers ideas on how to use the site and links to further resources such as community service projects, lesson plans, scholarships, and grants as well as other EPA related sites and divisions. For kids, there are stories and information related to topics such as Air, Water, Garbage & Recycling, Plants & Animals, and Environment. Visit the Art Room, Game Room, and Science Room for links to games and activities.
April 2007
http://www.thinkfinity.org/home.aspx
Verizon Thinkfinity is the result of a merger of two programs already well-known to educators – the program formerly known as Verizon MarcoPolo and the Verizon Literacy Network. Thinkfinity contains more than 55,000 authoritative educational and literacy resources for teachers, students and community programs including standards-based K-12 lesson plans, student materials, interactive tools and web sites.
March 2007
http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/
National Gallery of Art: Classroom allows teachers and students to connect Art to other areas of the curriculum. Resources are searchable by curriculum area, topic or artist and they include activities, lessons, links and images. Don't miss the link to NGA Kids where there are animated and interactive games, and creative activities.
Feb.2007
http://classroom.kidshealth.org/index.jsp?Grade=0&Section=welcome
KidsHealth in the Classroom provides free health curriculum materials and teacher's guides for all grades and subject areas, including discussion questions, activities, and reproducible handouts and quizzes. All lessons and materials are aligned to national health education standards.
Dec. 2006 / Jan. 2007
The Why Files: Science Behind the News explores the science, math and technology behind the news ofthe day, and presents those topics in a clear, accessible and accurate manner. The site includes weekly news stories, a biweekly column by science reporter Tom Siegfried, a series of interactive science animations, "Cool Science Images" and a series of Teacher Activity Pages linked to the national science standards.
Nov. 2006
Calisphere - A World of Primary Sources and More
http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/
The University of California's Calisphere provides access to primary source materials contributed by various institutions and made available through a Public Service Project of the California Digital Library. More than 150,000 digitized items — including photographs, documents, newspaper pages, political cartoons, works of art, diaries, transcribed oral histories, advertising, and more. Some have been collected into sets supporting the California Content Standards in History-Social Sciences, English-Language Arts, and Visual Arts for use in K-12 classrooms. Site also includes information and links about teaching and learning with primary sources, sample lesson plans, primary source analysis sheets, and more.
Oct. 2006
read-write-think
http://www.readwritethink.org/
ReadWriteThink, established in April of 2002, is a partnership between the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the Verizon Foundation. NCTE and IRA are working together to provide educators and students with access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction through free, Internet-based content.
Aug.-Sept. 2006
American Library Association - Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, the annual event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.
July, 2006:
The OWL at Purdue
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
The writing lab and resources at the Award winning OWL site have been available since 1993. This is a great place to find help with grammar, style, formattting and help with writing tasks. Information is clear, concise and useful for teachers and students alike. Included are APA and MLA formatting and style guides, links to the writing lab resources, tutorials, and a wealth of materials related to the writing process across disciplines and purposes. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) website is divided into four major sections: handouts and materials, Internet resources, workshops and presentations, and Writing Lab and OWL information.
June, 2006:
A Maths Dictionary for Kids by Jenny Eather
http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/
This animated, interactive dictionary of math terms and concepts includes definitions, examples, activities, practice and calculators. Over 500 common mathematical terms are explained, each with a clear definition and a graphic or interactive display. For example, a definition of “height” allows the user to click on an arrow to increase the height of waves in the picture. An explanation of Fibonacci Numbers allows you to build a spiral and see how the math applies. The user can click on any letter of the alphabet for a list of terms, then click on the term for the information and display. The “Rainforest Math” section provides more than 500 interactive activities organized by grade level from K-6. Users can immediately check their answers and try again. The site is well organized and very easy to navigate. Eye-catching colors and interesting images make this site colorful and fun for kids of all ages.
May, 2006:
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy's 21st Century Information Fluency Project (21CIF) is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and provides free resources and training to Illinois' educators and learners so that they may locate, evaluate and use digital information resources more effectively, efficiently and ethically. The handouts, presentation information, activites and models for searching are free and available online to all through their web page.
April, 2006:
The Poetry Archive
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/home.do
According to the mission statement, “The Poetry Archive exists to help make poetry accessible, relevant and enjoyable to a wide audience.” The site provides recordings of contemporary English-language poets reading their own work, and we get to experience the poems as they were meant to be heard. You can search by poets last name, title, form or theme to find selections. The section for teachers provides suggestions, lesson plans and tips for listening and reading poems. A colorful and accessible children’s page [ http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/home.do ] features “Ask a Poet”, selected favorites, brief biographies and a search box where students can locate children’s poems by topic or poet. Links to more poetry sites are also provided. Plenty to listen to, see and read here for celebrating National Poetry month or to celebrate poetry all year long.
March, 2006:
The Yuckiest Site on the Internet
http://yucky.kids.discovery.com
WARNING: THIS SITE TO BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT AND A SMILE!
Join Wendell the Worm as he guides you to more than you ever wanted to know about things like roaches, worms, poop and snot. Created by DiscoveryKids, this site takes advantage of kid's natural curiosity about gross and "yucky" subjects to create an educational and fun place to learn. The "Parents Guide" contains information about Internet safety, and links to more resources. "Teacher Center" provides standards-based suggestions and activities for the classroom. And the kids sections, well, you should probably just experience them for yourself! The kid-friendly design is colorful, funny, and easy to navigate, and the science, although a bit simplistic at times, is accurate and engaging. The target audiences listed for the site are varied. Some reviewers suggest grades 3-5 and 6-8, others recommend for grades 9-12 and Professionals. The site itself offers lesson plans for as early as K-2. In some ways, this is a site for everyone, and in others, your own discretion should be your guide. Go ahead - investigate the yucky. Enjoy the diagrams, fun facts, activities, sound effects and videos which are sure to captivate kids of all ages.
February, 2006:
Enchanted Learning
http://www.enchantedlearning.com
Enchanted Learning produces educational web pages for children. Links are provided to over 18,000 pages containing information, games, print-outs, activities of all kinds suitable for elementary age students and their teachers. Instructions and interfaces are clear and accessible and navigation is intuitive, making use of the various pages fun and efficient. Check out the “Zoom” sections of the site for teaching basic research on dinosaurs, butterflies, animals, rainforests and more. “Little Explorers” provides picture dictionaries, phonetic activities, and theme pages for K-3 with links to simple crafts, nursery rhymes, coloring book printouts, information, and/or quizzes based on the topic. Teachers can find cloze activities, graphic organizers and sight-word lists with suggestions for classroom use. Try the links to astronomy, inventors and inventions, biomes, and explorers for basic research in upper elementary grades. Although EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site, most of the pages can be freely used and viewed. Membership is not required, but some pages and activities may only be available to members. (For example, as a non-member, you might see a thumbnail of an activity rather than the actual printable page.) As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages. Enchanted Learning states the following mission: “To produce the best educational material, software, and games that emphasize creativity and the pure enjoyment of learning. The underlying message is that curiosity and exploration lead to delightful learning experiences.” A truly delightful site with a wealth of resources for students and teachers alike.
December, 2005-January 2006:
Jan Brett's Home Page
Since 1996, Jan Brett has provided a wealth of materials on her website for children, parents, teachers, and librarians. With over twenty-nine million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author/illustrators of children's books. You may know her if you've read "The Mitten" or "The Hat" or perhaps "Armadillo Rodeo". If you haven't visited her site lately, it's time for another look. Jan Brett generously grants users permission to use and display all of the artwork and text the on her pages, and to download and print materials available, as long as it is solely for personal, classroom, or library non-commercial use. You will find coloring pages, masks, calendars, place mats and many wonderfal art and craft activities. Teachers can print classroom materials such as alphabets, flashcards, Dolce and high frequency word lists, and more, all beautifully designed and illustrated. Newer features include videos which demonstrate how to draw various objects and creatures, allow you to observe Jan on location, or listen to a story being read aloud. You can send Email postcards, design holiday cards and envelopes and enter contests to win an author visit to your school from Jan Brett.
November, 2005:
Library of Congress Web site has received an “Outstanding Website” award from the Web Marketing Association. The award recognizes excellence in Web site development in a number of categories. The Library’s Web site at loc.gov offers several specialized sites, including:
- American Memory,provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
- Spotlight on Families, a site for kids and families which includes "America's Library", "Today in History","Places in the News" "and "Portals to the World"
- Spotlight on Teachers, inclused a link to "The Learning Page" with lesson plans and activities using primary sources
- Global Gateway, a site of international collections from the Library and around the world,
- THOMAS, a site dedicated to the workings of the U.S. Congress,
- LC Catalogs, which provides access to catalog records for the multimedia collections.
October, 2005:
Teacher Planet Halloween Resource Page
http://www.teacherplanet.com/halloween.php
You can find links to just about everything here – your one-stop shoppping for ghoulish delight! You will find access to lesson plans and unit ideas, worksheets, activities for kids, safety tips, and links to even more resources. Be sure to scroll down and check out the Halloween Activities for Kids links. Some of the animated sites are fantastic and feature online games and fun. One link not listed at this site, but also worth a look is The Pumpkin Nook. It has great information, activites and fun facts about pumpkins, Halloween and Thanksgiving.
September, 2005:
Education World : ICEBREAKERS
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson131.shtml
This site has great ideas for getting to know your students during those first days of the school year. Icebreakers can ease tension, get kids thinking and help build a collaborative spirit as you begin the year in your library or classroom. Scroll down for some new ideas, but don’t miss the hotlink to more than 150 additional activities and icebreakers archived at this site.
Curriculum Resources Laboratory
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