Jacquelyn C. Olson

SLM 521

June 17, 2009

 

My Weblink Bibliography

 

          Elementary school teachers instruct students in many core content areas.  This weblink biography is designed for use in planning a variety of activities within each subject, including interactive activities.

 

General Planning Websites

 

ABC Teach - Choose from a variety of subjects to access free printable theme units, word puzzles, writing forms, bookmaking templates and other lesson activities.  For example, teachers can create shape books which are books in the form of a particular object such as an apple or a four leaf clover.  Within these books, write your own story for students to read or prepare the template with a writing prompt for students to complete.  For Valentine’s Day, teachers can download the Valentine Balloon template and instruct the students to create their own poem or story within it.  The ideas and free downloadable materials on this site seem endless.

Date site visited:  June 1, 2009

http://abcteach.com/index.html

 

Discovery Education - Download lesson plans and incorporate videos into science, health and math curriculum.  Visit their teacher resource library and choose materials to fit subject objectives and learning level. Supplement these activities by choosing one of Discovery Education’s corresponding videos. 

Date site visited:  June 10, 2009

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ 

 

Enchanted Learning - Select classroom materials from Enchanted Leaning’s vast collection of subjects.  For example, plan a lesson in social studies on explorers.  Simply choose Explorers from the list of subjects and decide what components to include within the lesson. Materials for reading, math, social studies and language arts can be accessed on the site.

Date site visited:  June 5, 2009

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html

 

Fun Brain - Incorporate subject based interactive games into lesson plans with this website.  Teachers can choose games for math, grammar, science spelling and history by selecting grade level or by standard being taught.  In addition, teachers can select quizzes based on their guidelines and requirements in the Quiz Lab.  Students can log-on in the computer lab or at home using a user name and password set by the teacher.

Date site visited:  June 3, 2009

http://www.funbrain.com/index.html

 

Reading A to Z - This website contains guided reading materials useful for supplemental instruction, and for groups of corrective readers.  Reading A to Z provides leveled books available in printable versions, lesson plans and worksheets.  This site is a wonderful resource to locate additional material for raising or maintaining your students’ reading abilities.

Date site visited:  June 1, 2009

http://www.readinga-z.com/

 

Reading Across America - Through the use of this website, instructors can combine reading and social studies instruction as students follow the trail through America by reading stories from different areas within the United States.  As students complete materials, they collect territory cards to show accomplishments.  Students also plot their success on their own personal map of the United States.  Students enjoy participating in this fun, enriching reading program.

Date site visited:  June 1, 2009

http://www.readingacrossamerica.com/

 

Scholastic - A variety of subjects are covered by Scholastic for teacher planning and interactive materials.  Instructors can subscribe to Scholastic to print worksheets and lesson plans for science, social studies, language arts and math.  Features include author interviews and videos, read-along stories, and interactive activities for all subjects.

Date site visited:  June 2, 2009

http://www2.scholastic.com/

 

Museum Websites

 

Smithsonian Institution - By selecting the teacher link on the Smithsonian Institution’s website, educators can take a virtual tour, locate lesson plans in art and design, science and technology, history and culture and language arts, prepare video footage for classroom viewing, and create personal digital images for use in classroom instruction.  For example, a teacher could incorporate this website in a lesson plan requiring students to research Owney, the unofficial dog mascot of the United States Postal Service.  From the school’s computer lab direct students to follow the link created for them by their teacher.  From this point, students might conduct research independently or be guided through the lesson.  Teachers have the option to select any topic from A to Z and locate exactly the right information for their plan.

Date site visited:  June 5, 2009

http://www.si.edu/

 

Culture and Diversity Websites

 

CultureGrams - This website is a subscription database.  The Kids Edition teaches students about life in 89 cultures around the world.  Students begin by selecting the continent where the country they are researching is located.  They can then select the country they wish to learn more about.  On this country’s, page students have several options.  They might listen to the country’s national anthem, see an image of the country’ flag, view a photo album of everyday life, learn about the country’s history, culture and population.  They might also select “life as a kid” which helps the student understand what someone their own age would experience in their life living in that country.  This is an excellent resource for lessons dealing with culture and diversity.

Date site visited:  June 5, 2009

http://www.culturegrams.com/index.htm

 

Math and Language Arts Websites

 

ABCya! - Created by teachers, ABCya! offers free computer activities for elementary students in reading and math.  Students can practice their math skills by choosing one of the many games available.  Immediate results help students to build on their current skills and progress to new levels.   Through the sites many reading activities, students can practice specific skills and build their understanding to advance in fluency and comprehension.   

Date site visited:  June 13, 2009

http://www.abcya.com/

 

Internet 4 Classrooms - Teachers can use this site to help the K-12 learner practice and reinforce the skills they have already acquired and to achieve new growth.  This site provides standard based links to language arts activities and math practice activities organized by grade level.  As a teaching tool in the school’s computer lab, teachers provide students with direct links to specific practice activities.

Date site visited:  June 13, 2009

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/

 

Math is Fun - Good source for supplemental materials to reinforce content.  Teachers can find puzzles, games and interactive materials to help students understand concepts from basic math to complex algebra and geometry.  

Date site visited:  June 7, 2009

http://www.mathsisfun.com/

 

Poets.org - Teachers can create lessons and plan activities for students with this website’s educator link.  They can access tips for teaching poetry and great poems to teach. Students can research a particular author and search the site’s database for the poet’s work.  Teens have their own link which includes poetry 101, a help link for writing poetry, and online resources.

Date site visited:  June 14, 2009

http://www.poets.org/

 

Science Websites

 

NASA for Educators - Teachers can use this website to plan lessons on science and space exploration according to their students’ education level and their curriculum guidelines.  By selecting the link to the Kids Club, students can play games and research what NASA is all about.  

Date site visited:  June 14, 2009

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html

 

NASA Kids’Club - NASA Kids’ Club is an educational website where kids can play space games, learn about space exploration and interactively experience the types of research the scientists at NASA perform.  For instance, they can learn about wind tunnels, aerodynamics and weightlessness.  They simply choose their topic and follow the information links.

Date site visited:  June 14, 2009

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html

 

National Geographic Kids - Students can use this website to learn about animals, people and places, watch videos and take pictures.  They can also play games and participate in fun activities while learning about the world around them. 

Date site visited:  June 13, 2009

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

 

Smithsonian Institution:  National Museum of Natural History - Students can participate in interactive activities in paleobiology including dinosaur digs.  They can research dinosaur fieldwork and expeditions, discover dinosaur facts and look at dinosaur collections and exhibits.

Date site visited:  June 14, 2009

http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/info/main/index.html

 

Think Classroom:  Online Fieldtrips - Thinkport provides online fieldtrips and resource materials for classroom instruction.  Students experience multimedia and interactive activities throughout each trip.  Fun and educational, virtual fieldtrips enhance classroom instruction and incorporate a hand-on active learning experience for students.

Date site visited:  June 12, 2009

http://www.thinkport.org/Classroom/trips.tp 

 

What’s That Bug? - Teachers can use this website with their students to identify and learn about bugs.  One feature of this website is the ability to send the researchers on the site a digital photo of a bug, and they will identify it for you and tell you about it.  Users can also ask questions about bugs, and the will receive answers.  In addition, What’s That Bug has a large collection of clip-art to share. 

Date site visited:  June 7, 2009

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

 

Author Websites

 

Jan Brett - Visit Jan Brett’s website to create fun and engaging lesson plans to use in conjunction with this popular children’s author’s books.  Teachers can provide their students with the information on the site or students can visit the website in the school’s computer lab.  Learn about Jan Brett by reading her interview and looking at photos or watching a video clip, participate in a session to learn how to draw characters from her books, and download instructions for fun activities.

Date site visited:  June 7, 2009

http://www.janbrett.com/

 

Mona Kerby - Visit Mona Kerby’s website to learn about her life and the books she has written.  Most recently, Dr. Kerby has published an interesting children’s book on Owney, the dog adopted as the unofficial mascot of the United States Postal Service.  Watch a three minute video clip of what life would have been like at the time when Owney was enjoying his position with the Postal Service.  Download coloring pages and a reader’s theater version of Owney, The Mail Pouch Pooch.

Date site visited:  June 8, 2009

http://www.monakerby.com/index.htm

 

Robert Munsch - Share story time with the beloved children’s author Robert Munsch.  Visit his virtual story time and listen to his books, read his autobiography, look at his pictures and create story lessons with his website.

Date site visited:  June 8, 2009

http://www.robertmunsch.com/ 

 

Katherine Paterson - Share Katherine Paterson’s library with students through her official website.  Learn about her life through reading her biography and sharing her photographs.  Visit her Questions link to discover what motivates her to continue to write and create inspiring stories for young readers. 

Date site visited:  June 9, 2009

http://www.terabithia.com/

 

Reading Rockets - Reading Rockets is a website devoted to developing young readers’ skills.  This site excellent resource for teachers as it contains materials on specific authors, including video clips and interviews.  Create engaging lesson plans by incorporating the site’s video footage and audio files.  Topic selections include: tips for helping struggling readers, techniques for teaching reading, finding great books and authors for children and articles from a to z. 

Date site visited:  June 9, 2009

http://www.readingrockets.org/

 

APA and MLA Citation Tools

 

Noodletools - Teach students how to compile MLA and APA formatted citations. Generate scholarly reference bibliographies to import into WORD documents.  Locate the best sources for searching information on the internet.

Date site visited:  June 13, 2009

http://www.noodletools.com/index.php