Browse this list of URL’s for teachers. A brief description of each site should help you select those that could benefit your professional development, enrich your lesson plans, challenge your students, or simply be fun. Go directly to the group of URL’s which have been grouped in the following categories:
General Teacher Sites| Social Studies| Black History| Mathematics| Reading and Literature| Technology for the Student| Science| Science Fair| Health| Physical Education| Art and Art Education| Language Arts (English, Writing, Spelling)| Games and Puzzles| Christmas| Olympics|
If you have a special site you want added to this page
or if you find a link that no longer works, please
email me; and I will add or delete the URL.
THE STATE OF TENNESSEE
http://www.k-12.state.tn.us/weblinks/Resources.htm
Welcome to these pages of links to the outside world.
These sites have proven popular and useful by teachers. Nearly all these
sites are here by request. These pages provide you all with a quick way
to find information. There are links to several resource pages for teachers
and kids.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
http://www.thegateway.org
Here's another one for all you over-burdened educators!
The Dept.of Ed's Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM) site is designed
to retrieve free educational materials on any subject and any grade level.
GEM contains more than 750 of the best lesson plans and classroom activities
from 140 federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial organizations.
Make sure you visit "Hot Topics" for curriculum materials related to upcoming
holidays and themes. Currently, you'll find more than 7,300 resources in
GEM, with new ones being added daily. Check it out!
AWESOME LIBRARY
http://www.awesomelibrary.org
In May 1997, the Evaluation and Development Institute
(EDI) began offering its database of educational resources through the
Awesome Library web portal. Awesome Library organizes 14,000 carefully
reviewed K-12 education resources, including the top five percent of sites
for teachers, students, parents, and librarians. To be included in the
Awesome Library, resources must meet strict criteria. They must have child-safe
links; be useful for teachers, students, parents, or librarians; and contain
actual documents, projects, pictures, and discussion groups. New sites
must be current and they must load quickly. All of the resources included
in the Awesome Library were reviewed for usefulness and appropriateness,
but 2 percent of the site's 14,000 resources also were given a star for
being the source for many other resources on the page, very comprehensive,
or unusually well-organized, or for containing essential information on
a topic. A great place to start when searching for information.
EDUHOUND
http://eduhound.com
The Engine for Everything Education K-12! This pre-screened
directory to more than 30,000 K-12 sites will help you easily locate the
very best educational web sites, resources, lesson plans, and webquests.
SURFNET KIDS
http://www.surfnetkids.com
Online archive of Surfing the Net with Kids - Sites categorized
by topic/subject and rated. This is also a great place to find many educational
games (under games - where else?)
TEACHERS NET
http://teachers.net/
Discover what other teachers are doing.
WWW FOR TEACHERS
http://www.4teachers.org/
Professional development, integrating technology, lesson
plans, teaching tools, etc. can be found here.
TRACK STAR - SEARCH FOR LESSONS
http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/index.jsp
Search for tracks already developed on topics you plan
to teach.
ALFY FOR TEACHERS
http://ALFY.com/teachers/teach/thematic_units/index.asp
Here you'll find ALFY's Picks, Internet Based Classroom
Activities, Lesson Plans, and related book resources all organized by conceptual
themes. THEY ADD 15 THEMES A MONTH.
WEB66
http://web66.umn.edu/schools.html
International School Web Site Registry - See what other
teachers and schools put on their web pages.
KATHY SCHROCK'S GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/index.html
Here is the ultimate list to teacher sites. The list
grows daily.
B.J. PINCHBECK'S HOMEWORK HELPER
http://www.bjpinchbeck.com/
Give this URL to your students. The title is self-explanatory.
BLUE WEB
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn
Here is a library of blue ribbon learning sites on the
web searchable by content, grade level, or subject area
TEACHER TIPS
http://www.ozline.com/learning/10stages.html
This site has great tips for teachers.
DIGITAL FILM MAKER
http://www.dfilm.com/
You have to try this site--kids and teachers alike will
all love it. You get to make your own movie, directed by: insert your own
name here! Have fun! I have made several, and you can send them to friends.
CREATE 7 KINDS OF PUZZLES FOR YOUR STUDENTS TO PLAY ONLINE
http://www.apte.com
A super way to teach facts in social studies, math, science
and language arts using crosswords, secret code, anagrams and word scramble
and more can be found here.
VIEW A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN ADDRESS:
http://www.cyber-nation.com/gettysburg_address_original.html#top
THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG:
http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/battle.htm#address
One of the most moving battles of all history--with extremely
heavy casualties over a 3-day period. The Union army had an excellent defensive
position, though at one point General Meade left only about 5700 in position
(thinking Lee would attack instead from the south) to hold up against the
mile long wave of pickett's charge before reinforcements finally arrived.
Confederate General Longstreet knew war strategy & position, and protested
the attacks several times to Lee, who nevertheless of course pushed on,
to a devastating loss for the Confederates, and a victory for the Union
army that would change the course of the Civil War, and United States history.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN TIMELINE/BIOGRAPHY: With photos, speeches,
etc.
http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/
ABRAHAM LINCOLN ON EDUCATION:
http://www.netins.net/showcase/creative/lincoln/speeches/educate.htm
Lincoln's formal education amounted to possibly only
one year; the rest is a self-made man. Read various excerpts from his writings
on his references to education:
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: With photos and links; a good resource.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/tl1861.html
ESCAPE TO FREEDOM: THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD:
http://www.headbone.com/derby/escape/
An interactive lesson plan examining slavery, An interactive
lesson plan examining slavery,the underground railway and routes to freedom.
Teacher's guide included.
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD @ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/
"You are a slave. Your body, your time, your very breath
belong to a farmer in 1850s Maryland. Six long days a week, you tend his
fields and make him rich. You have never tasted freedom. You never expect
to. And yet . . . your soul lights up when you hear whispers of attempted
escape. Freedom means a hard, dangerous trek. Do you try it?"
THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER, AND OUR CLASS CHARTER:
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/bookstor/kits/english/classcharter/page1.htm
The United Nations educational unit here teaches students
to think about world conflict. A provocative and potentially insightful
unit for studying both global and local concerns.
U.N. COUNTRIES AT A GLANCE:
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_glance.htm
All countries represented here are members of the United
Nations. Quick reference guide for population, area, languages and other
statistics.
PRESIDENT'S DAY ACTIVITIES & TEACHER'S NOTES:
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/presidentsday/pages/teachact.htm
Children will use the Internet to visit online Lincoln
and Washington museums, and learn more about these two presidents. Targeted
to the K-3 group
LESSON PLAN: STEPS IN SELECTING A PRESIDENT:
http://www.pbs.org/inaugural97/chart.html
Students will create and use flowcharts, timelines, and
newspaper articles to understand the election process. Optional subjects
can be addressed with the same lesson template, and include: how a bill
becomes law; the three arms of government, etc.
US MAPS
http://www.homeworkcentral.com/Top8/files.htp?fileid=65128&use=hc
This site uses the Xerox PARC Map viewer and maps of
the all of the U.S. You can select which features you want to display,
like rivers, roads, or railroads. You can zoom in, change colors and get
lots of details. It’s very easy to use and fast.
ANCIENT EGYPT
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/
"Board games were very common in ancient Egypt and people
from all levels of society played them. Many game boards from ancient Egypt
have been found by archaeologists." This British Museum exhibit (my pick
of the day) doesn't focus exclusively on Egyptian art, but rather presents
a marvelous interactive overview of ancient Egyptian life. Each of the
ten topics (for example Pyramids, Geography, Pharaoh) feature a Shockwave
challenge such as playing a board game or matching tools to the correct
tradesman. Teachers will find curriculum notes in the Staff Room.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/AfroAm.html
This collection of educational Web activities showcases
five different ways the Internet can be integrated into classroom learning.
From a simple hot list of Black History links, to an educational video
conference, these activities are of varying complexity. My favorites are
the Subject Sampler (find a topic that touches you emotionally), Interactive
Treasure Hunt (What was it that made Nat Turner lead his famous revolt?)
and Tuskegee Tragedy WebQuest (How does this tragedy compare to other historic
tragedies?)
THE INTERNET AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CHALLENGE
http://www.brightmoments.com/blackhistory/
"The Internet African American History Challenge is an
interactive quiz that helps you sharpen your knowledge of [19th century]
African American History. It's an open-book test. So if you're not sure
of an answer, you can check our reference material for help. Level I is
the easiest and has seven questions while levels II & III have ten
questions each and are a bit more challenging." Short bios are included
on a dozen black leaders of the 1800's, including Harriet Tubman, SojournerTruth
and Nat Turner.
HOW I FOUGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVITIES:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/rosa/index.htm
This lesson plan centers around Rosa Parks, with a teacher's
guide as well as background information and various activities. The extensive
project calendar lists both activities and resources for all grade levels,
with corresponding articles and links.
STAMP ON BLACK HISTORY:
http://library.thinkquest.org/10320/Games.htm
After your lessons, print out puzzles, games. wordsearches,
etc. on African American History.
SOUL OF THE GAME:
http://www.sportingnews.com/features/jackie/
With story files, photo files, timeline--much more.
GAMES ON GRAPHS:
http://www.cs.uidaho.edu/~casey931/mega-math/workbk/graph/graph.html
Besides providing several games that students can actually
play on graphs, this site also introduces activities which students can
explore in a problem-solving approach, using patterns, functions, graphs,
shapes, etc.
MATHEMATICAL BRAIN TEASERS AND PUZZLES
http://www.syvum.com/teasers/
Ultimate brainteasers. Tests our problem solving aptitude
to great levels."
ELEMENTARY PROBLEM OF THE WEEK:
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/elempow/
This site provides a word problem of the week for your
students to solve. Attention! Be sure to read the problems very carefully.
Perfect for group problem solving.
ADDITION TIC-TAC-TOE:
http://www.col-ed.org/cur/math/math50.txt
Anyone having trouble with addition and subtraction facts?
You may just have found what you needed to entertain them into learning!
Change the rules of the traditional tic-tac-toe game a bit, and children
will gain practice with addition and subtraction drills in a slightly different
manner.
FLASHCARDS FOR KIDS
http://www.edu4kids.com/index.php
Flashcards for Kids offers online practice in multiplication
as well as addition, subtraction and division. Choose from three levels
of complexity and control the size of your operands all the way up to 10,000.
Other choices include scoring, a timer, and whether to display the equations
vertically or horizontally. Even with all these choices, these flashcards
do not use Java or Shockwave, which means they are WebTV-friendly.
MATH.COM
http://www.math.com
This interesting site provides lessons and resources
for math teachers, parents, and students of all ages. The references are
very useful, such as English-Spanish math translations and the glossary
of math terms. Kids can use the site to get homework help; play games;
do practice worksheets; find tables, formulas, and resources; and generally
get past the reservations some students have about learning math. Users
can also generate algebra worksheets online and prepare for standardized
tests like the SAT and ACT. Teachers can use the site to create lesson
plans, locate useful resources, find ways to address state math standards,
and assess career information. Parents can even use Math.com to find ways
to help their kids with their lessons. The site also highlights some of
the practical day-to-day uses for math in the "Everyone" section, which
includes calculations and formulas for figuring basic problems around the
house. Check it out!
DOUCETTE INDEX: K-12 LITERATURE- BASED TEACHING IDEAS:
http://www.educ.ucalgary.ca/litindex/
This site offers various resources for a lengthy list
of novels in all grades, with teaching guides, activities, lessons, units,
etc. Enter the title and author (and/or illustrator) to search for teaching
ideas on the book you are studying.
INTERNET PUBLIC LIBRARY
http://www.ipl.org/
The Internet Public Library is the first public library
of the Internet and is committed to providing valuable services to
that world. Librarians have worked to provide library services to
the Internet community, to learn and teach what librarians have to contribute
in a digital environment, to promote librarianship and the importance of
libraries, and to share interesting ideas and techniques with other librarians.
There are sections for "Youth" and "Teens."
BEGINNING TO READ: ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE
TWO:
http://www.ed.gov/Family/RWN/Activ97/begin.html
This site includes several hands-on exercises to motivate
your young students into decoding sounds and words.
CYBERGUIDE TO READING K-3
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyk3.html
All the classic literature texts are listed here, with
some pretty great resources, lessons, and activities to go along with each
one.
CYBERGUIDE TO READING 4-5
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cy45.html
All the classic literature texts are listed here, with
some pretty great resources, lessons, and activities to go along with each
one.
CYBERGUIDE TO READING 5-8
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cy68.html
All the classic literature texts are listed here, with
some pretty great resources, lessons, and activities to go along with each
one.
WCU BOOKREAD:
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/bookread.txt
This online project connects classrooms (students and
teachers) reading the same books. This service helps establish links, decide
on books to read, and even sets up author interviews where available. Not
only does this service provide for literature enrichment, but it also enables
in-service education for teachers.
MUSEUM OF WEB ART
http://www.mowa.org/
Students in both art classes and computer or web-design
classes will love this gallery devoted to the finest artistic elements
of webdesign, counters, buttons, etc. For graphic art students,MOWA is
an incredible resource with many galleries and exhibits. Stories are available
for elementary students.
AMAZING PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEXT MILLENNIUM:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/world/9901/beyond-2000/index.html
A highly inventive and delightful site; let your imagination
take over in this guide to future technology!
BICYLE WHEEL GYRO:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/bicycle_wheel_gyro.html
SIMPLE MACHINES EXPERIMENTS:
http://www.galaxy.net:80/~k12/machines/index.shtml
Need some in-class activities to demonstrate a pulley?
Here are over 20 activities for elementary classes, designed to examine
and understand the workings of springs, friction, gears, pulleys, and inclined
planes.
MOTION, ENERGY AND SIMPLE MACHINES:
http://www.necc.mass.edu/MRVIS/MR3_13/start.htm
Students will explore Newton's Laws of Motion in detail,
including potential and kinetic energy, force, friction, and energy transfer.
To solidify the learning experience and further investigate motion, try
several hands-on experiments.
THE MECHANICS EXHIBIT AT THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE:
http://sln.fi.edu:80/tfi/exhibits/mechanic.html
At this online exhibit, see how the simple components
of machines work together to create complex functions. Also view a Quicktime
movie on the Foucault Pendulum, and try activities for early elementary
students
based on the pulley and the lever.
UNDERSTANDING LEONARDO HOMEPAGE:
http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeoHomePage.html
This site provides a wonderful resource for both students
and teachers alike. It provides information on machines, and especially
Leonardo's futuristic inventions. It also includes several interactive
activities, such as exploring linear perspective, or investigating aerial
perspectives. Teacher notes are excellent, and provide a starting point
for exploring this site as a possible addendum unit to simple machines.
MANATEE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES:
http://www.savethemanatee.org/edmat.htm
Teachers may write for a free educator's guide or a free
coloring and activity guide.
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE - KID'S PLANET
http://www.kidsplanet.org/
From facts to fun – this site has focuses on worldwide
endangered wildlife. Best clicks are Get the Facts (single page info sheets
on dozens of animals listed by continent), Wild Games (puzzles and quizzes),
Color Your World (printable animals for off-line coloring) and the wolf
curriculum for teachers and home schoolers (see Teacher's Table). "Native
Americans attributed an array of powers and miracles to wolves, from the
creation of tribes to healing powers. For example, the Kwakiutl of the
Pacific Northwest believed that before they became men or women, they had
been wolves."
EARTH SCIENCE ENTERPRISE - FOR KIDS ONLY
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/
"Can scientists predict the global impacts of increased
levels of pollutants in the atmosphere? Will the planet warm because increased
levels of greenhouse gases, produced by the burning of fossil fuels, trap
heat and prevent it from being radiated back into space? Will the polar
ice caps melt, causing massive coastal flooding? Have humans initiated
wholesale climatic change?." NASA studies the earth, not just outer space,
and has created this earth science site for kids and their teachers and
filled it to the brim with information, lesson plans and games.
VOLCANO LOVERS:
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/031volcano/index.html
From the Why Files, everything on eruptions for the last
few million years, by people who love investigating eruptions! Love that
lava: The volcano story - Volcanoes are the best proof that it's bloody
hot downstairs, geologically speaking. Since Earth's early days, they have
shaped our planet. Now we know they've shaped other planets as well.
GALLERY OF MINERAL PHOTOGRAPHS
http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/bestgall.htm
These awesome mineral photos literally jump off the screen
with clarity and color. There are also links to other mineral collections
all over the world.
STAR CHILD:
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
Specifically designed for the younger set, many resources
are offered here to teach your students about astronomy. A NASA project.
LUNAR ECLIPSE COMPUTER
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/data/docs/LunarEclipse.html
Want to know exactly when the total lunar eclipse is
coming to your town? Simply enter your location and select the January
21 eclipse from the drop-down list of recent and upcoming lunar events.
EARTH IMPACT (ASTEROIDS AND COMETS)
http://www.s-d-g.freeserve.co.uk/
"Small space rocks enter the earth's atmosphere on a
daily basis. Most burn up but some make it to the surface. In either case
they make little impact and are certainly not life threatening unless you
are unlucky enough to have one fall on your head. Of concern are the larger
interplanetary bodies - asteroids and comets - which we now know have collided
with the earth in the past and which pose a real threat to human life."
Be sure to read about "massive pale blue fireball" that exploded above
the Tunguska River valley in Siberia in 1908.
MYSTERY OF SPACE - STARS
http://library.thinkquest.org/25763/
This Thinkquest entry created by two middle school students
is simply marvelous! It is divided into two tours: one for twelve and under,
the other for older students. "You may have seen the picture of the Galaxy
M16 before, but not known what it was. It is an embryonic star cloud. Embryonic
star clouds are huge cocoons of dust grains, gas, and molecules, and are
the birthplace of stars. These star clouds can be so huge that some of
them are measured in light years."
STEPHEN HAWKING'S UNIVERSE - STRANGE STUFF EXPLAINED
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/hawking/strange/html/stuff.html
"For decades, black holes were the darlings of science
fiction writers but treated with perhaps a little less respect by physicists.
Although general relativity predicted that black holes could exist, many
scientists thought they were too bizarre to exist in the real universe.
That's all changed." British physicist and best-selling author Stephen
Hawking explains black holes (objects with infinite density), quasars (the
brightest objects in the universe), wormholes (a short cut through space
time) and other mysteries of space.
AURORAS
http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/index.html
Explore the natural beauty of the Northern Lights at
this online exhibit developed by the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Through
text, photographs, RealAudio clips of NASA's Goddard Space Center scientists,
and Quicktime movies, you can learn what the Aurora Borealis are, how they
are created, where they can be found, and what they look like from space.
Take a self-guided tour or use the "Aurora Links" page as a starting point
for research on related topics. You can also find suggestions on how to
use this site in the classroom or even post your own comments on great
ways to use this website.
GREAT NASA SITE
http://science.msfc.nasa.gov
The folks at NASA feature the latest news in science,
including weather, space travel, and astronomy. And make sure you check
out "Thursday's Classroom" for new lesson plans and activities based on
current vents and the latest NASA research. Links are also provided to
other key sites on the selected topics, and you can review lesson plans
and activity sheets for projects with fun names like "Spacey Charades,"
"The magneto What?," and the "SpaceWeather Brain Drain." This site is bound
to wow teachers, administrators, and students alike!
"FIND OUT WHY" APPEALS TO INQUIRING MINDS
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/events/fow/start.htm
Produced by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in
partnership with Time for Kids, "Find Out Why" lets you discover the science
behind news stories and events in your daily life. Find answers to questions
like: "Why do rainbows happen?" and "Why does a baseball bat have a sweet
spot where every home run slugger wants to hit the ball?" Each month's
questions include activities to help you discover the answers, as well
as a "cool science book of the month" that invites you to further explore
this topic.
THE EXPLORATORIUM'S BUBBLES:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/bubbles/bubbles.html
Who better to explain Bubble Science than the Exploratorium?
The physics of bubbles is all here, explained in an elementary-friendly
fashion, with experiments and activities (of course! This is the Exploratorium
we're talking about!) to accompany the text. Also included are bubble formulas.
EINSTEIN REVEALED:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/
Many resources are here from Nova. Originally written
to accompany Nova's tv program by the same name, they nevertheless are
more than suitable for use without the program. The Einstein timeline will
provide a backdrop to the great physicist's achievements, but be sure to
reach deeper by reading Genius Among Geniuses as well. Much is also available
to help portray the Theory of Relativity, including a Time-Traveler game.
SCIENCE PROJECT IDEA LIST FOR GRADES 4-6:
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/~jbarron/elem.html
There's no end to the many wonderful ideas you will find
here, all appropriate for upper elementary level. It's a great jumping-off
point for Science Fair projects.
EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE GUIDE: INTERMEDIATE LEVEL:
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/SciProjInter.html
This site provides an excellent lesson on scientific
methods, and the scientific steps involved with experimentation. It also
goes over errors, and the failure of a hypothesis.
YESMAG'S ULTRACOOL SCIENCE PROJECTS:
http://www.yesmag.bc.ca/projects/projects.html
Just in case nothing caught the attention of your students
from the above site, then try this one--it has "fun" built right in! Make
a geodesic dome from newspapers - one that you can actually fit into; or
how about building a telegraph, a toothpick bridge, or a leaning tower
of pasta!
ADVENTURES OF MR. REACH
http://www.mrreach.com/
With informative articles for parents and colorful Shockwave
games for kids, this Johnson & Johnson site covers all the bases. Parents
will appreciate the tips on encouraging good dental hygiene and the tooth
time line which shows tooth development from 3 months to twelve years.
And kids (of all ages, of course) can play Remember to Reach (a Concentration-style
tile game) and Dunk Mr. Plaque (a ball toss.)
THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: BRUSHING UP
http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/colgate/
"Your teeth aren't just hanging around inside your mouth!
They've each got a job to do! So come on in, click around and discover
what your teeth are doing, plus find out how to keep those teeth happy
and healthy." This animated Flash lesson has lots of chewing and biting
and is my pick of day. When you're done with the introductory animation,
continue onto Arnold's Great Tooth Exploration (which requires Shockwave.)
There is a printable tooth terminology word search and printable tooth
chart.
BBC ONLINE: KIDS HEALTH
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/kids/
This marvelous site covers both your physical health
(Body Works) and emotional well being (Mind Matters.) My favorite click
is the Shockwave Body Tour ("Find out how your body works! Do a body tour
and have a real close look.") Be sure to click on "Down" in order to view
all four chapters of the tour: The Body, The Muscles, The Organs, and The
Skeleton. For more anatomy (or if you don't have Shockwave), read The Body
in More Detail.
KIDS HEALTH
http://kidshealth.org/kid/
"Calling all kids. Ever wonder how your body works? What
makes you sick? Or how to keep safe? Get all the answers to your health
questions in this kids only section." This comprehensive site is my pick
of the day because of its depth, breadth and excellent organization. For
example, listed under "People, Places, & Things That Help You Feel
Better" are articles on Going to the Dentist (filled under People), What
Happens at the Emergency Room (found under Places) and Living with Braces
(listed under Things).
DRUG ABUSE – MIND OVER MATTER
http://www.nida.nih.gov/MOM/MOMIndex.html
The brain consists of several large regions, each responsible
for some of the activities vital for living. These include the brainstem,
cerebellum, limbic system, diencephalon, and cerebral cortex." Produced
by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of
Health, this site explains the effects of drug abuse on the body and the
brain for kids in fifth grade and above. The Teachers Guide gives additional
background and classroom activities. All material is in the public domain
and may be copied freely.
ARTS AND CRAFTS STARTERS:
http://www.cp.duluth.mn.us/~sarah/rdr010.html
Recipes for playdough, peanut-butter playdough, silly
putty, play slime, salt clay, bubbles, paper airplanes.....the basic ingredients
of good, clean fun!
WEB MUSEUM, PARIS
http://sunsite.unc.edu/wm/
This is another terrific resource for teachers and students!
Special exhibits include: Paul Cézanne and Medieval Art. The General
Exhibitions section lets you explore famous painting collections. You can
explore by theme: Gothic Painting (1280-1515); Impressionism (1860-1900);
Japanese Art and Architecture, and more. Or by artist: Francis Bacon to
Vincent van Gogh to David Hockney to Auguste Rodin. You can click on the
pictures to see an enlarged version, and there's wonderful bio information
for each artist.! (PS: remember to click on the inlined thumbnail images
to enlarge them...)
HOW TO READ A PAINTING
http://www.kcsd.k12.pa.us/~projects/critic/index.html
Learn art criticism skills to enrich any museum experience.
EGYPTIAN ART - METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/department.asp?dep=10
"The collection of ancient Egyptian art at the Metropolitan
Museum ranks among the finest outside Cairo. It consists of approximately
36,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance. ... Fifty
highlights from the department are presented online in approximate chronological
order, and are identified by dynasty and/or period."
ENGLISH ONLINE:
http://eleaston.com/
This is an extensive materials and lessons list for teaching
English.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
http://www.eslpartyland.com/teach3.htm
Find exercises in all aspects of English grammar.
ENGLISH ONLINE WRITERS WINDOW
http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/writers/home.html
Writers up to age seventeen are encouraged "to share
their work and help each other improve their writing." Published works
are categorized by age range and genre, and reader feedback is solicited
about each piece. Categories include short stories, poetry, research papers,
book reviews, television reviews and movie reviews. There are also five
continuous stories that you can add to.
ESL CONVERSATION QUESTIONS:
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/questions/
Over 25 topics listed, each having lists of good questions
to stimulate conversation.
PROJECTS FOR TEACHING ESL:
http://www.c3.hu/~ecsomay/nora/projects.htm
Using newspapers, cryptic puzzles, & Star Wars to
teach English.
KIDPUB:
http://www.kidpub.org/kidpub/
Now that you have your students writing, how about a
place to publish their creations? Try this online forum, and let children
read their own works, online. They can also add to the ongoing "never-ending
story."
ONLINE ALMANAC:
http://www.infoplease.com
Everything an almanac usually carries is here, but online.
It also offers a special featurescategory with highlighted and timely articles.
NICKELODEON
http://www.nick.com
Students enjoy one of their favorite TV networks. There
are many games and activities.
SURFNET KIDS
http://www.surfnetkids.com
Online archive of Surfing the Net with Kids - Sites categorized
by topic/subject and rated. This is also a great place to find many educational
games (under games - where else?)
JIGZONE
http://www.jigzone.com
jigzone is the grand daddy of online jigsaw puzzle sites.
They have a huge inventory of Java puzzles at all levels of difficulty,
feature a new picture daily, and allow you to email puzzles to friends.
But what I liked best was being able to control both the number of pieces
and their shape. For example, start with their puzzle of the day. Is the
sixty-seven piece classic a tad too difficult or perhaps too easy? Click
on Shapes and choose your own level of difficulty from among thirty-three
choices, ranging from a six-piece classic (preschool easy) to 240 square
pieces (for serious puzzle enthusiasts only!)
MaMaMedia JIGSAW PUZZLES
http://www.mamamedia.com/activities/jigsaw/home.html
This collection of colorful children's Java jigsaws is
arranged into twelve topics (such as Aliens, Pet Parade and Big Sports.)
All of the puzzles are a twelve-piece design, and you can choose among
four different shapes by clicking Change Shapes. If you need a bit of help,
click Hint to get the puzzles pieces outlined on the puzzle board.
SCRAMBLER FOR KIDS
http://www.edbydesign.com/kidsact.html#Scrambler
Scrambler is a Java tiled-jigsaw that is fun for the
whole family because you are timed as you play at one of three levels of
difficulty.
SET PUZZLE CONTEST OF THE DAY:
http://www.setgame.com/puzzle/set.htm
The object is to find six sets of three, all either different
of alike in some manner. Not as easy as it looks! This puzzle exercises
critical thinking skills for students who enjoy challenges.
GEOBEE CHALLENGE:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/geobee/
Daily geography challenges are posted at this site from
National Geographic. This is a great little starter for any class, but
particularly for TAG students! Globe-trot with five questions per day;
you can keep trying if you miss any.
THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS:
http://www.holidays.net/christmas/story.htm
Span the globe with this concise history of Christmas,
going back 4000 years.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD:
http://www.christmas.com/worldview/worldview.html
Did you know that in Japan, Santa (called Santa Kuroshu)
is said to have eyes in the back of his head, so he can keep an eye on
children all the time! In Jamaica, one wakened to the Jonkonoo men parading
the street! Though not every country listed is yet represented, nevertheless
this site is a good place to start to learn more about Christmas traditions
around the world.
THE GIFT OF THE MAGI:
http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html
O. Henry's story online, courtesy of the Gutenberg Project.
A nice feature here is the linked net dictionary to define difficult words.
YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS
http://www.educa.rcanaria.es/usr/zonzamas/virginia.htm
The 1897 New York Sun editorial for the famousletter.
MERRY CHRISTMAS IN 135 LANGUAGES:
http://www.flw.com/merry.htm
Learn them all by Christmas!! You can click on the country
for the flag and its national anthem as well.
CRAFT A LUMINARY:
http://users.hsonline.net/kidatart/htdoc/lesson51.htm
When lit up, these luminaries are quite beautiful, as
well as inexpensive to make. Not appropriate for younger children.
OLYMPIC GAMES WEBQUEST:
http://education.nmsu.edu/webquest/wq/olympics/olympicwq.html
"Tighten your togas"--we're going in! Students will research
the background and history of the Olympic
Games with this webquest unit, and learn something of
Ancient Greece culture as well.
OLYMPICS WEBQUEST:
http://www.maltar.org.il/k12/arazim/attar/webquest.html
Writing a guide to the Olympic Games for some alien visitors....
your students better know their stuff!
WEBQUEST--GAMES OF THE ANCIENT OLYMPICS:
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Class/est57280/kmeehan/webquest.htm
Are the Olympic sports the same today as they were in
Ancient Greece? Find out here, as your
students follow along with this webquest.
QUEST FOR OLYMPIC GOLD:
http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/schools/barrett/webquest/olympic/index.html
Students research info on nutrition and health this time,
understanding what athletes must achieve in
order to compete.
Updated 12-01-05
