Retired "New Links"
Giggle Poetry
-- A fun resource for would-be young poets that features the poetry of Bruce
Lansky and other poets. "This site is vibrant, colorful, and engaging,
with such activities as Read 'em, Rate 'em and Poetry Fun." (Education
World A+ site)Black
Loyalists Our History, Our People -- A useful site for teachers looking
for background information, this page from Canada's Digital Collections
explores the role that black loyalists played in the Revolutionary War.Geography
World -- This teacher-produced website offers links to "everything
on the web a geography teacher should need."It's
a Pond's Life -- Students in Austin created this site for the International
Science Day competition. Students discover how science works in a pond ecosystem
and how acquiring water monitoring skills can benefit their community. Also
see Bridging the
Watershed, a site with performance-based curriculum activities for studying
the watershed.Mrs. Carroll's
Music Room -- Great music information for students and teachers, including
"Music Teacher Resources" link to a broad variety of lessons,
activities and ideas.Periodic
Table ADventure --This site was created to "introduce and explore
basic chemistry concepts and to practice these concepts using engaging web-based
research and activities."Free math
ideas online -- Publisher Macmillan/McGraw Hill offers free math lessons
through an online service for teachers of pre-kindergarten through sixth
grades. The free math lessons are sent each month via e-mail.Follow
three families in The Frontier House -- Students can go to "The
Frontier House" site for weekly updates on the lives of three families
as they experience life as it was on the American Frontier in the 1880s.
Also, look for biweekly essays on the history of the American Frontier.
The results of this adventure will be broadcast on PBS in 2002.Back-to-School
Ideas for Principals -- Once again Education World comes through with
a collection of 20 articles for principals that can help get the new year
off to a good start.Integrating Technology
and Instruction -- A list of useful resources developed by the George
Lucas Educational Foundation.Ancestors
in the Americas -- This companion website for the PBS series explores
the history and stories of Asian Americans. A timeline shows events that
shaped Asian American history, and a resource section allows further exploration
of the Asian American experience. The site includes guides with discussion
questions for teachers and an online discussion. Outta
Ray's Head - Language Arts-- This great site, full of lesson plans,
ideas, and other resources contributed by teachers, has a new web address.
The lessons focus on literature, writing, poetry, and library activities,
in middle and high school. Contribute something of your own!The Lost Museum
-- Explores P.T. Barnum's American Museum, which epitomized popular entertainment
and education in the U.S. for nearly a quarter of a century. The museum
was destroyed in 1865 in one of the most spectacular fires in New York City's
history.Scholastic
News Zone -- Presents current events in a fun and appealing way for
students in grades three through eight. Colorful, and engaging.Web for Teachers
-- This page at the University of Kansas "4Teachers" website helps
teachers integrate technology into instruction. It features various tools
for teachers: one for creating quizzes that students can take online, another
for organizing and annotating web sites, a third for developing rubrics,
and more. United
States Scavenger Hunts -- Here's another good article from Education
World, challenging students to sharpen their Internet searching skills as
they learn about the history and landscape of the United States. "Let
the Walls Come Down" -- This project, led by middle grades teacher
Brenda Dyck, will provide online experiences for students to move beyond
bare information to real revelation as they tour the Berlin Wall, the Western
Wall in Jerusalem, the VietnamVeteran's Memorial and the Great Wall of China.
Students will write a short report about the visible and invisible "
Walls" in our world.The
Secret's in the Little Things -- These "simple tips for successful
teachers" include ideas for getting to know your students, communicating
with parents, getting your day of to a good start, and much more! (Education
World feature)To
Clone or Not to Clone -- A model lesson plan suitable for eighth grade.Online
Harry Potter Games -- Need we say more? A collection from Surfing the
Net with Kids.Teaching
with Biographies -- Students may initially view them as dull, but biographies
can be the stuff of great classroom activities, says this curriculum article
in Education World. Includes a list of "10 Ways to Teach Biography."Asleep
on the Job -- Her yearly Grade-Six Sleepover prompts teacher Brenda
Dyck to consider how incorporating fun and humor into teaching may help
create memorable learning experiences. Article at the Education World website.Lewis
and Clark Expedition Bicentennial -- A selection of resources compiled
by ASCD for teachers and students who can use the expedition to study history,
math, geography, science, and more. EarthTrends: The
Environmental Information Portal -- The World Resources Institute put
together this database of datatables, country profiles, maps and other features.
Use the pull-down menus under each topic, such as Coastal and Marine Ecosystems,
or Climate and Weather, to find links to information.Electronic
Postcards from Around the World -- This project lets you exchange postcards
with classrooms in other communities. Registration begins now, with the
exchange beginning in September, 2001 until May 2002. Find more information
at the site, including how to protect student privacy.Dictionary
of Difficult Words -- Help increase your students' vocabularies and
supplement elementary level dictionaries found in some classrooms.Connecting
the Continent -- What does it take to connect a continent for communication?
In these days of satellite transmissions, it does not seem like such a huge
task. Go back in time, and across the continent of Australia, to 1870 to
connect the continent together with an overland telegraph line. This website
traces the route, the stories, and the settlements that grew along its path.
Students can participate in a webquest, observe Virtual Reality (VR) images
of the countryside, and hear audio clips of assorted residents. (Blue Web'n
review)How
Volcanoes Work -- Just the thing for those perennial volcano projects!
San Diego State University and NASA provide comprehensive information on
volcanic eruptions with illustrative diagrams and photos. Cell Biology
-- Cells are the Lego's of all living things, says Barbara Feldman, host
of Surfing the Net with Kids. She's collected a group of websites that can
help introduce students to the mysteries of cell biology.Who
Dunnit? -- This site challenges students (Grs. 6-8) to solve a crime
by learning how forensic scientists analyze evidence. Cute, colorful graphics
and Alfred Hitchcock music set the scene for this detective mystery. (Education
World review) Teaching
With the Newspaper -- Education World offers 10 "terrific classroom
activities that use the newspaper to teach all sorts of valuable skills
-- including reading and writing for meaning, map reading, media literacy,
sequencing, word meaning, and math."Help with Algebra
-- This free service allows you to select, edit, or enter a problem and
automatically receive a printable step-by-step solution. An
Animated History of Books -- The BBC offers high or low tech versions
of the history of books and writing from cave paintings to the future of
electronic media. Cloudman's Gallery
of Clouds -- If it's clouds you're interested in, this is the place!Presidential
Profiles -- "Mr. President" profiles U.S. leaders at the Smithsonian
Center for Education and Museum Studies website.The Gilder Lehrman Institute
of American History -- The Institute, which hosts summer workshops for
teachers, has made a remarkable array of instructional materials available
online, including a U.S. history textbook and over 400 annotated documents,
supplemented by primary sources on slavery, Mexican American and Native
American history, and U.S. political, social, and legal history, and more.2001: Destination
Space -- This website compares the science and technology found in the
film 2001: A Space Odyssey (released in 1968) to real science and technology
of today. See and hear interviews with six visionaries. Learning resources
include activities on space and planning for the future. (Blue Web'n review)Youthealth.com
-- Child Health Monitor presents health information in easy to digest nuggets
for children and young teens.Cool
Math Sites -- Need some ideas on integrating math and technology? Here's
a hotlist of Teacher-made
middle grades lesson plans -- Visit this collection at Education World,
which pays a $50 honorarium for each lesson it publishes on the web.Digital
Photography -- Surfing the Net with Kids offers this collection of websites
for kids (and teachers!) who want to learn more about taking digital photographs
and posting them on the Web.Bridging
the Watershed -- Students learn which plants, macroinvertebrates, and
fish are signs of a healthy watershed. Teachers can use student service
project ideas in their communities, or extend the lesson by investigating
and comparing local watershed areas.Paul
Revere Virtual Museum -- Developed for California's SCORE project, the
museum offers five Paul Revere exhibit halls, exploring the poem by Longfellow,
The Real Story, Colonial Boston, Ride with Paul Revere across the Charles
River, and Music of the Revolutionary War. Activities and resources are
covered in each exhibit hall. (Blue Web'n review)ScienceMaster
-- A wealth of information for science teachers, students, or hobbyists.
The site devotes an entire section to each of the five areas of science:
Earth, Space, Life, Physical, and Technology. Learning
from the fossil record -- Forget Jurassic Park and all its countless
blockbuster sequels: at this site, you'll get the real scoop on what fossils
can teach us about where we've come fromp;and where we might be going.
You'll find information about paleontology, classroom activities, and articles
about valuable but underused paleontological resources. (Gr. 7-12, ENC Digital
Dozen)Teaching
Through Invention -- Invite your students to invent a better mousetrap
-- or a better mouse! These lessons focus on inventors and inventions, challenging
your students to see the world in a whole new way. (Education World curriculum
feature.)Chemistry
experiments you can do at home -- ENC's Digital Dozen reports that this
site is suitable for grades 6-12. "Never mind all those commercials
you see on television that warn: Do not try this at home! At this web site,
you'll find a bunch of experiments expressly made for students to do at
home-with adult supervision, of course. Topics include gases, reactions
with oxygen, and solutions, as well as quantitative tests for substances."Eyewitness to history
-- The theme at "Eyewitness" is "history through the eyes
of those who lived it. These days, that means audio and news clips. In older
times, it meant reading excerpts from diaries and other personal accounts.
Suitable for middle schoolers on up.The
Megapenny Project --Designed to help people visualize huge numbers by
using a small, commonplace objectp;the U.S. pennyp;and using it
to visually represent an answer to the question: "What would a billion
(or a trillion) pennies look like?" (Gr. 5-9, ENC Digital Dozen)Find
Those Grants! -- K-12 Funding opportunities with links to grantseeking
for teachers, learning technology, and more.Toshiba
America Foundation Grants -- Grants for programs and activities that
improve the classroom teaching of science, mathematics, and technology for
middle and high school students. The Small Grants Program awards grants
of up to $5,000 monthly throughout the year.Only
have one computer in your classroom? -- Check out this "Hotlist
on the One-Computer Classroom" Blue Web'n says it's "a great resource
to kick off a staff development period, with small groups exploring each
site to come up with creative ideas for using computers in education. Very
practical."Civics Online
-- This resource for K-12 teachers and students contains a collection of
primary sources related to U.S. government and democracy.The Everglades
Ecosystem-- Learn about the habitats, animals & endangered species
of the Everglades, as well as threats to what remains of this "river
of grass" -- population growth, water quality, loss of species, introduction
of non-native species, & more. Everyday
Life in the Civil War -- "So You Want to Learn About the Civil
War?" helps students understand daily life for soldiers at Petersburg
(VA), the supply center to the Confederate capital and site of the longest
siege in American warfare. NCTM's Illuminations
-- The newly revised National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
math principles and standards site includes Web-based multimedia activities,
video vignettes of teaching and learning, lesson plans, and a rich network
of links. (ASCD's Web Wonders)Virtual
Manipulatives -- "Hands on" gets virtual at this site, which
collects uniquely interactive, Web-based manipulatives or concept tutorials
aimed at K-8 math learners. With the aid of JAVA applets, students can visualize
such concepts as the Pythagorean Theorem, tessellation, base 10, or comparing
fractions. Award from the National Science Foundation. (ASCD's Web Wonders)Born in
Slavery -- Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project (1936-1938)
records the remembrances of African Americans living in the 1930s who had
been born into slavery. Youthealth
-- A fun multimedia experience for young people that promotes good health
practices.Dolphins
-- Five websites where students can learn more about the popular sea mammal.Teen
Pregnancy -- Released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy,
this new report reviews some 250 studies on teen pregnancy programs. The
review finds that long-term programs have made a genuine difference in teen
pregnancy, abortion, and birth rates, the last of which is now at its lowest
level recorded. Geography
Research Pathfinder -- A middle grades librarian created this page "to
guide students who are researching other countries and cultures for geography
classes."Your Sky
-- Help your students build a sky map. This program lets you choose a nearby
city, or enter your latitude and longitude, to find out what is in the sky
presently. Using fairly easy-to-use controls, you can then manipulate the
data to find a star map for the next night, or the next week. (Blue Web'n)Women and
Geometry -- "An Archive of American Patchwork Quilt Designs,"
these photographs and illustrations bring quilts to life and serve as a
great resource to use when teaching about color and pattern.Science
Playwiths -- This teacher-created site offers simple everyday science
experiments for grades K-6, some more challenging activities for older students.
Some great ideas!PBS
Pioneer Living Series -- Promotes integration and inclusiveness and
is produced by new Americans and targeted to immigrants, multicultural audiences
and their educators and employers. The series is suitable for grade levels:
7-12. The series features over 100 guests from over 40 countries. Description
of all 18 episodes at this page.Geography
-- A collection of useful links from "Surfin' the Net with Kids."Articles
about teaching adolescent literature -- The ALAN Review offers thought-provoking
perspectives for middle grades literature teachers. Many articles from this
NCTE journal are on-line. Explore the tables of contents and find essays
like "Ethical
Dilemmas in Teaching Problem Novels."Using
picture books with young adolescents -- A collection of resources for
teachers.Out of the
ordinary teen booklists -- Reading Rants, a site developed by a middle
school librarian, answers the question for young teens, "Is there life
after Judy Bloom and Gary Paulsen?" Many topics, good reviews, and
frank discussion. Example: The Bare Bones List -- Honest Fiction about Weight
and Eating Disorders.How
much was that money worth? -- This hotlist helps answer the question:
"How much would a specified amount of money at a certain period of
time be worth today?"Encyclopedia
Smithsonian -- From Accessibility to Zoology, find out all about collections
and other information from the Smithsonian Museums in Washington D.C. Under
Traveling Exhibitions, there are lessons and activities for students, including
"The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly: Attitudes Toward Animals."
(Blue Web'n review)Talking
about Adolescent Lit -- Do you want to talk to other teachers about
teaching literature to adolescents? Sharing ideas and concerns about language
arts and literature is the purpose of this open e-mail forum designed primarily
for middle school teachers. Also check out AdBooks,
an e-mail forum for teachers, teens, and parents who love good books and
want to discuss books written for adolescent readers.Middle
School Gifted -- A list of useful web resources.History
of an American House -- "Within these Walls," a Smithsonian
website, follows the history of a house in Massachusetts and its inhabitants
over two hundred years. Students can find out about the five families that
lived there, artifacts from each time period, and how to uncover more information
about your own house or neighborhood. (Blue Web'n)Masks.org -- Photographs
of masks from many cultures can be found here. Students can view winners
of an annual mask competition and find out how to enter.Antimatter:
Mirror of the Universe -- This site was created by CERN (European Organization
for Nuclear Research) and offers an introduction to antimatter aimed at
the general reader. The text and illustrations make the topic easy to understand.
AdCracker.com
-- In a culture bombarded by advertising, students need to learn all they
can about the strategies of ad creators. At this site, they'll find out
how the buyer buys, how ads can make people think, feel and act, and how
to create a brand. For a somewhat different approach, check out the AdBusters
site.Emergence
of Advertising in America -- Presents over 9,000 images related to the
early history of advertising in the U.S. Materials include cookbooks, photographs
of billboards, print advertisements, trade cards, calendars, almanacs, &
leaflets for various products. Library of Congress.California
School for the Blind Pioneers Program -- The Middle School Preparation
Program prepares students who are blind to make a smooth transition into
middle school -- and into the real world beyond.China
-- Another in Education World's series of "Great Sites for Teaching
About...." May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month; this week's
sites are among the best on the Web for studying China.MacDougall
MacDougall in Time -- MacDougall MacDougall, an imaginary Scottish time
traveler and "misadventurer," is at the heart of this multidisciplinary
Web- and e-mail-based project that teaches history, geography and technology.
Teacher Euan Bradley never imagined how much students, known as "MacTrackers,"
would come to love MacDougall as they follow him across the world and through
time.After-School
Science PLUS -- An inquiry-based science program for after-school programs
serving children and youth ages 6 to 14. Designed to help after-school programs
facilitate inquiry-based science activities that are fun to do and, at the
same time, develop higher-order thinking skills. The program also seeks
to dispel stereotypes about who can do science.Fractions
-- Barbara Feldman offers five sites that will " take you by the hand
and explain everything you've always feared you could never learn about
fractions." If you're looking for student tutorials, try MathPower.com,
where Blue Web'n Reviews says that basic math skills "are explained
very clearly." Students explain step-by-step how to solve unequal equations,
algebra word problems and factoring polynomials.Journalism tips
for students -- Get budding journalists started early with the Paper
Lake Times. Students go to the Newsroom can learn the right way to use quotes,
what makes something newsworthy, and the importance of objective reporting.
Four writing assignments allow students to apply their learning. (Blue Web'n)Teaching
about Chemistry -- Education World's selection of some of the best websites
for teaching about chemistry.Home safety
-- Rover the Home Safety Hound teaches students to make safe, smart choices
in and around the home through games, activities, online contests, crafts,
and do-it-yourself projects.Defuzzing
the math debate -- MathematicallySane.com promotes "rational reform
in school mathematics" and challenges critics of new math teaching
strategies who describe non-traditional methods as "fuzzy math."
The site includes success stories where reform has been implemented.The
English Room -- For teachers who wish to explore poetry with their students,
take a look at 30 Days of Poetry. Students have a poetry writing assignment
each of the 30 days, or teachers can assign several types of poems for students
to experience. Check out this site for other creative ideas that English
and writing teachers can incorporate into their curriculum. (Blue Web'n)Medieval
Technology Pages -- "Seeing technology and medieval in the same
phrase may cause you to rethink the term technology and what it has meant
to people over the ages," writes Blue Web'n reviewer about this intriguing
site. Examine technologies developed between 500 and 1600 AD in Western
Europe. Or view a timeline.Earth Imagery
-- For a small fee, obtain full-color images of locations on Earth from
the perspective of an earth-imaging satellite.Middle school
technology -- Meridian is an on-line peer reviewed journal publishing
articles for researchers and practicioners about middle school computer
technologies, with support from a interdisciplinary group of graduate students
at North Carolina State University.Asteroids
-- Help students learn the difference between an asteroid and a comet with
this list of resources from Surfin' the Net with Kids.Explore Math: Slopes
and Distances -- Students having a tough time with the concepts of slope
calculation and distance formula? Try some lessons teachers have contributed
to ExploreMath, a site that features lessons, multimedia activities, and
"Math in the News." (Blue Web'n review)The Constellations
-- For those new to stargazing, this site offers a good deal of information
about the 88 constellations. All you need is the naked eye or binoculars
to get started at the Beginner's Guide to the Heavens.StarChild
--This learning center for young astronomers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center covers the solar system, the universe, and space travel. Choose from
two levels of difficulty. And while we're in space, check out Your
Weight on Other Worlds for a fun lesson on mass and weight. Hmm. 15
pounds? This must be Pluto!News
Services for Kids -- The Los Angeles Times reviews three news services
designed to involve students (Gr. 6-12) in current events. Includes links.Who
Dunnit? -- Learn to be a sleuth by exploring the world of the forensic
scientist. Middle school students can learn to take fingerprints, analyze
unidentified powders, and other techniques to solve "The Case of the
Barefoot Burglar." (Recommended by Blue Web'n reviews.)Teaching
About Web Literacy -- "But I Read It on the Internet!" Can
you trust everything you read on the Internet? Teach your students which
Web sites to trust! (Education World article)A
project to share across cultures -- The Learning Space "One Voice,
One Dream" Connections Project begins April 16th, and k-16 teachers
are encouraged to participate. "During this integrated project participants
will be able to view information from other participants so that they may
form their own conclusions about the similarities and differences between
cultures. We hope to show how each culture is similar in their hopes and
dreams." The month-long project is free.Biomes:
Mysterious Journey -- Education World describes this Thinkquest as "a
wonderful resource for teachers and students." The site provides information
about three biomes -- rain forests, deserts, and grasslands. Hotlinks in
the text take users to a glossary that defines unfamiliar. Acid
Rain -- A collection of websites from Surfin' the Web with Kids.Eleanor
Roosevelt -- Brings to life one of the century's most influential women.
This website includes a Roosevelt family tree, newspaper columns written
by Mrs. Roosevelt, a clip from a TV appearance, a timeline that highlights
events in her life & in the nation, & more. Teacher's guide.Napoleon
-- Companion website to the PBS film that chronicles the life of the infamous
French leader. The website is designed to help teachers use the PBS "Napoleon"
video series.Child
labor -- "Who Really Built America" is a long-term student-driven
project that examines primary source materials related to child labor in
America from 1880-1920. The unit helps students see the role of labor in
our emerging industrial society and its effect on American children.Earthquake Hazards
-- This U.S. Geological Survey site answers frequently asked questionsTour an orchestra
-- At Playmusic.org, students accompany Koda the Conductor as he takes them
on a tour of his orchestra, demonstrating instruments through animation
and sound. A+ grade from Education World!The Reconstructors
-- An interactive online game that has students work as scientists, historians,
geographers, and detectives. Each episode helps students understand more
about drugs and enables them to make more informed choices when it comes
to avoiding drugs of abuse. (K-8)Fast Facts
-- Find just the statistic you need at this reference list, which links
to many government agencies and publishers. Something on just about everything!Study
Guides and Strategies -- A no-frills stie with more than 75 links to
articles about learning strategies. Education World says the site "contains
a great deal of useful information regarding study skills and ways of increasing
school success. Some pages provide downloadable graphic organizers for students
to use in planning their own projects and assignments."An on-line community
for kids -- Brainevent.com lets kids connect with their peers to talk,
keep up with the latest news, have their writing and art published, seek
the help of experts, read an online novel, and find information about becoming
involved in social organizations.The
Lone Star Dilemma -- In this webquest, students assume the role of a
mexican rancher, Steve Austin (founder of the Austin colonies), Davy Crockett,
or other people that were living in Texas in 1836. Their task is to determine
the answers to these questions: Do the American settlers have the right
to take Texas away from Mexico? Highly recommended by Blue Web'n reviews.The Official Roald
Dahl Website -- Blue Web'n says this site is not for those of us with
little bandwidth -- you n eed a network connection. But if you have one,
rejoice, as this site brings to life Dahl's classics -- Willie Wonka and
the Chocolate Factory, Mathilda, and James and the Giant Peach. "Teachers
will enjoy the lessons and classroom activities available for download."ClassroomClipart.Com
-- A former classroom teacher put together this site that is easy to use
and has great images. Be sure students read the terms of use and understand
that these are to be used for educational uses only. You're welcome! (thanks
to Blue Web'n)"Building
Big" -- This website, developed in connection with a PBS documentary
film, helps kids think about structures they see every day and the impact
of technology on society. Can be used to help teach basic physical science
concepts. Includes animated interactive labs on engineering concepts and
problem solving activities; and historical overviews that introduce bridges,
domes, skyscrapers, dams, tunnels, and the forces that affect them. Use
with or without the video.Presidents'
Stuff -- Authentic objects on all the Presidents, from the general's
uniform worn by George Washington to an interactive 360-degree "BeHere"
camera used at a 2000 a national political convention. The site includes
letters written to past Presidents, tells what Presidents did after leaving
office, and offers lesson plans on how to use these objects with students.Science
Mysteries -- This page at the National Health Museum website offers
a series of health mysteries that can engage students in science discovery.
Teachers can also contribute mysteries of their own. One of our favorite
middle grades science teachers recommends "The
Blackout Syndrome." Be sure to check out the many other recourses
at the "Access Excellence" section
of the Museum!Cloning
-- What does it mean to clone an animal such as a sheep, a pig or a human
being? Should we care? Students can explore the issues surrounding cloning
at these five sites, recommended by Surfin' the Net with Kids.AmphibiaWeb
-- An online database of information related to amphibian biology and conservation.
The main database is fully searchable by genus, species, vernacular name,
family, or order, and users can browse by scientific or vernacular name.
(Grades 6-12)Fascinating
History Lesson -- This new teaching site, created by the Journal of
American History, is aimed at college faculty and students, but any history
teacher in love with her/his subject will be intrigued and perhaps inspired!
Authors of featured JAH articles will provide tips, documents, and other
materials to demonstrate how their work might be taught in an undergraduate
US history survey. Library
of Congress Teacher Resources -- The "Learning Page" helps
teachers use the Library of Congress "American Memory" website
to teach about U.S. history & culture. Includes suggestions for using
photos, objects, life histories, and other primary sources in the classroom;
tools for analyzing primary sources; & a "lesson framework"
for incorporating primary sources into all phases of instruction (not just
research projects). It features 40 lessons developed by teachers on 17 topics,
including the Revolutionary Era, the Civil War, the Emergence of Modern
America, and the Great Depression.Girls
Around the World -- This new social studies lesson at the the wNetSchool
site is subtitled "Communicating Through First-Person Narratives."
Students explore the status of girls across the globe.Absurd
Math -- Send your students on a mission to defeat the Powers 2B and
save the alien creature and the mathematical knowledge it holds. Each episode
of the game calls for higher levels of mathematical knowledge as students
work their way from simple equations to multi-step problem solving. (Grades
6-12)Early America.com
-- Blue Web'n says you'll find a wealth of newspapers, documents, maps and
images at this site, which focuses on the late 18th to early 19th Centuries
in the United States, including a page about "How to Read a 200 Year
Old Document."Dino Directory
-- Students can search this dinosaur site by body type, or location where
dinosaur bones/fossils have been found. "A great activity," says
Blue Web'n Reviews, "would be to look at different type of dinosaurs,
and map the countries where their bones and fossils were discovered."Lots
of Ghost Stories -- "The Haunters and the Haunted: Ghost Stories
and Tales of the Supernatural" includes 57 ghost stories from literary
works, folklore and myth. This 1921 anthology, available on-line at Bartleby.com,
"is both a textbook of the supernatural and storybook of the middle
world of ghosts." Bartleby offers many
other full-text books that are old enough to be in the public domain,
including -- yes --
Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener."Yummy
Venn Diagrams -- In this complete lesson plan, students use Ritz crackers
and Oreo cookies to create a Venn diagram and write a paragraph comparing
and contrasting the two foods.Great Books Online
-- Education World gives Bartleby.com an A+ for its comprehensive collection
of reference, verse, fiction, and nonfiction works. "This site has
tons of material to use with elementary and middle school kids working on
report-writing skills or with older students working on in-depth research
projects."Sun/Temperature
Project -- Join schools from around the world as they try to figure
out how proximity to the equator affects average daily temperature and hours
of sunlight. (Over 200 schools registered for the last run of the project.)
Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
-- Still the best single website resource for science and math teaching.
Lots of lesson ideas,
curriculum resources, inquiry-based
professional development tutorials, a monthly
list of 12 great math and science sites, and much, much more -- including
this favorite math inquiry activity -- Petals
Around the Rose.Eighth
Grade Sci-ber Text -- Teachers in the state of Utah have created this
online resource for their Eighth grade science curriculum full of activities
and links. Topics covered include matter, energy, forces, machines, and
earth.Visible Earth
- NASA -- A solid and easy-to-use collection of images and animations
of our planet. A nice resource for both teachers and interested general
users. (Scout Report)Articles
about Ancient History -- If you haven't discovered the Ancient Vine
site, here's a good place to begin your exploration: 40 articles written
by members about wide-ranging topics, from the Picts to "Attila the
Redneck." A fascinating site where teachers and students can submit
their own work.School is Funny
-- This new humor website offers the kind of wacky, off-the-wall humor that
kids and readers of Mad Magazine seem to enjoy. A teacher's lounge is in
the planning stages. Teachers -- check it out first.The Columbia Encyclopedia
-- The Sixth Edition (2001) of this well-respected general encyclopedia
is available at the Bartleby.com
website and is fully searchable -- and free! Includes about 51,000 entries,
including 17,000 biographies, with over 80,000 hypertext cross-references,
as well as links to other resources such as maps, speeches, and other collections
held by Bartleby.The National
Math Trail -- The National Math Trail project challenges K-12 teachers
and teams of students to observe their surroundings, and create math problems
about what they see and what they want to figure out. Teachers can find
examples of math trail projects and other resources on this site.How
Volcanoes Work -- Middle school science teachers can add movies and
interactive quizzes to their volcano lessons at this site created by the
San Diego State University Geology Department. Publish
Student Poetry Online -- Surfin' the Net with Kids profiles five sites
where students can publish their poetry.Tribal
Village Life -- "Knife River: Early Village Life on the Plains"
describes village life in the Hidatsa & Mandan tribes (North Dakota)
during the peak of their culture in the late 18th to early 19th centuries.
Students can compare information about these seasonally nomadic Plains villagers
with the more popularized film & textbook history of nomadic horse-culture
Indians such as the Lakota & Cheyenne. [The Scout Report]Amazon
Expedition -- Teachers and students can follow the progress of the expedition
while pondering the big questions in this inquiry based project. Suitable
for middle grades. Expedition includes a seventh grade teacher. Teacher
resources; live chat, e-mail exchanges with experts, and more. Begins March
27. It's free!Iditarod
-- Looking for resources about the great Alaskan Iditarod dog sled race
from Anchorage to Nome? Surfing the Net with Kids has collected quite a
few.School
Safety Resources -- A comprehensive list of Web resources about school
safety and violence prevention.Resources for Women's
History Month -- Dozens of resources that can help teachers present
fair, balanced, accurate representations of the role of women in history.
The
Speed of Light -- Describes how the speed of light was measured. Curriculum-based
science quizzes about light for students (Grs. 5-7). Great
Webquest Resource -- This is a great page for teachers and others interested
in exploring the usefulness of webquests. Lots of resources, background
papers, and links.Beginning
Teachers Toolbox -- An assortment of resources and advice from veterans.
Publications and free tips.Crania Mania
-- Education World gave this interactive practice and learning site an A+.
It allows students to improve their academic skills by practicing curriculum-based
quizzes or competing with other students from around the world for prizes.
The Premier registration is fee based, but teachers can register their classes
free. Science
Fair Projects -- Barbara Feldman (Surfing the Net with Kids) writes:
"Each year there's a fresh batch of them, but the pleas are all very
similar. 'Help! My daughter needs a science fair project. Can you suggest
one?' My answer is always the same. I make it a point not to do my own kids'
schoolwork -- so don't expect me to start doing your children's homework.
But I do know where your kids can go for ideas that will get their own creative
juices flowing. And that I'm very willing to share." You'll find her
selections on this webpage, including this
activity on the scientific method and this Kids
Guide to Science Projects. And check
out our science project resources.The Jigsaw
Classroom -- Learn the 10 steps necessary to use the "jigsaw"
technique with students (or adults) and explore the history and utility
of the jigsaw at this site dedicated to the subject.Students
can participate in human genetics project -- The "Worldwide Search
for the Dominant Trait" invites students at all grade levels to complete
surveys of observed physical characteristics, formulate hypotheses, and
use the data compiled by students around the globe to test their hypotheses.
Register now for the March 5th to May 25th project.Daily
Vocabulary Activities -- The "Surfin' the Net with Kids" website
has compiled an assortment of useful sites where teachers and parents can
find vocabulary-building activities. Includes word-of-the-day sites, a fun
"idiom" site ("chilled to the marrow") plus quotes-of-the-day
and the Random House Maven site, where teens can learn the etymology of
words like "Wassup?".Mr. Kash's
History Page -- Jeff Kash, a history teacher at Madison Middle School
in North Hollywood CA, designed this page to be used by history students
and teachers interested in exploring the Internet as part of their history
studies. "The site is frequently updated to highlight the celebrations
and events of the month."Egypt
Antiquities -- Information about Egyptian history, places, rulers, culture,
people, religions, and mythology -- and a virtual museum tour. Teachers,
students, or anyone who has an interest in Egypt will find plenty of information
here. Created by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism.How
to differentiate instruction -- This tutorial at the "Teach-nology"
website offers a brief exploration of differentiated instruction, with links
to appropriate resources on the Web. Teachers can also find tutorials
that will help them integrate technology into their daily lessons.Rubrics,
rubrics, rubrics -- This page, maintained by Mrs. Barnard and her students
at Eagle Creek Elementary, compiles rubrics resources from all over the
World Wide Web. They have missed one great page, however; it's right
here at MiddleWeb!Visual
Thesaurus -- An exploration of sense relationships within the English
language. By clicking on words, you follow a thread of meaning, creating
a spatial map of linguistic associations. Women and Social
Movements -- Includes a Teacher's Corner with sixty lesson plans and
assignments to facilitate use of the primary documents in United States
History. Good teacher resource. Aimed at high school and college students.Depictions
of Slavery -- Inventive social studies teachers will no doubt find interesting
ways to use the archive at this Lousiana State University page, "Beyond
Face Value: Depictions of Slavery in Confederate Currency."Over 100
digital images of Confederate notes, browseable by state or activity (field
scenes, individuals with cotton, sugar plantations, etc.). Accompanied by
an overview of the Civil War.San
Diego Zoo's "Wild Ideas" -- Teachers will find lots of activities
and lesson ideas at this special page on the San Diego Zoo website.The
1876 Centennial Exhibition -- The Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia,
which featured the wonders of the Industrial Age and exhibits from 37 countries,
was the talk of the times. The Philadelphia Library has digitized artifacts
and put them online. Students might be interested in the diary of a teenager
that attended the exhibition. Included are ideas for classroom activities
in History, Mathematics, Language Arts, and Music. (Blue Web'n review)TryScience --
Offers tips to parents and teachers on ways to engage students in the world
of science. The
Invention Dimension -- This MIT program encourages young people to enter
the fields of science, mathematics, and technology. Includes resources for
young inventors.Mexico:
Splendors of Thirty Centuries -- This collection allows access to over
100 images and articles about the art and culture Mexico.Weather
Maker -- This interactive feature of the Scholastic "Winter Storms"
site
lets students create their own weather conditions and learn more about the
science of storms. Includes teacher's guide.A teacher
manual for middle grades reading -- One of the members of the MiddleWeb
listserv has written a useful book on middle grades reading. Get information
about ordering "Balanced Literacy for Secondary Students: A Manual
for Teachers" at this link.Virtual Field Trips
-- This new site offers virtual tours on nature topics by linking to some
of the best sites on a subject. Teacher's resources are included. Trips
include some old favorites like hurricanes and oceans, as well as new trips
on rainforests, endangered species, and more.ZooNet --Gathers
links to zoos and an image gallery of animals found in zoos across the world.Latino-Oriented
Books for Kids -- This page at the American Library Association lists
winners and honor books for the Pura Belpre Award for children's literature
that "portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino/a culture."
Making
special education inclusion work -- Part one of this two-part series
at the Education World website offers some history, looks at the pros and
cons, and describes the characteristics of successful inclusion. The second
installment takes a closer look at successful classes. Odyssey
Online -- Aimed at middle school, this site leads students on an exploration
of Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and sub-Saharan African cultures.
Education World gives it an "A".Reading Rants
-- "A superb set of reading lists on topics teens really enjoy,"
says Teacher Librarian magazine. The annotations are short, to the point
and attract teen readers. Developed by a middle grades librarian.National
Geographic WildWorld -- Through this site, your students can learn the
latest about the rarest and most endangered areas on earth, as well as fragile
ecosystems in their own region. Sights and Sounds brings interviews and
information about specific regions of the world. CongressLink
--A new Congress has been sworn in. Do you know who's who? Visit this site
to learn all about the 107th Congress, as well as access lessons on topics
as broad as "Checks and Balances: The Line Item Veto," "Congressional
Workloads," and "Eulogy and Obituary as Historical Evidence."
Type in your zipcode to find your representatives.Girlstart --
Girlstart is a nonprofit organization that promotes science, math, and technology-related
skills for girls. The Web site is a gathering place for middle school-age
girls. LitSite Alaska
-- This online literary magazine includes an online showcase of student
work. Users will find some interesting reading in the Family Gatherings,
Alaska Traditions, Alaska Reads, and Alaska Writes sections. Two workbooks
are designed to help teachers develop activities in reading and writing.A
Biography of America -- Produced by WGBH Interactive for Annenberg/CPB,
this site functions as a companion to the 26-show telecourse and video program
of the same name (though one need not have seen the videos to appreciate
the site). Each section includes a timeline of central events, a map, a
transcript of the video, and an annotated list of links.Camping
With the Sioux -- This 1881 fieldwork diary relates the experiences
of anthropologist Alice Fletcher lived with Dakota Sioux women on reservations
in Nebraska and South Dakota for six weeks and recorded her experiences
in two journals. This digital version of her diaries made available by the
National Museum of American History includes her daily entries, 26 drawings,
and 36 photographs.Strategies
for Integrating Technology -- Tutorials at this useful site include
"Creating a Web Site For Your Students," "Using the Internet
To Stimulate Higher Order Thinking," and "Search Engines: A Foreign
Object to Teachers," and much more.Big Dog's
Schoolhouse -- Teacher and student lesson plans, activities, and units
for grades 6-8. Developed by three middle grades teachers who have assembled
a nice collection of free and low-cost resources in many subject areas.Facing History
-- How do ordinary people influence history? Several middle grades teachers
recommend to us the unit at this site, "Choosing to Participate,"
especially with 8th graders. Students talk about problems in their community
and what they can do to help.The
Presidency -- The website "Surfing the Net with Kids" offers
these five sites, in connection with the swearing in of George W. Bush on
January 20 as 43rd president of the United States. Costumes.Org--
Costumes galore. Read about the history of costumes, or look under "Ethnic"
costumes for costumes from all over the world. Great links.America's
Best Schools? -- There is no magic formula for determining a good school.
Class size, attendance rates, teacher retention, and test scores are a few
important factors. But they can't really tell you what it's like to walk
down the hallway or sit in a classroom or whether the teachers and students
look happy. DigitalCity has attempted to list America's best elementary,
middle, and high schools. A forum for feedback is available for you to post
your opinion of their rankings.Blue
Web'n Ed Resources -- We list this site from time to time, to remind
visitors of this great resource. One of the best education indexing sites
on the Web! Search for webquest activities, subject area resources, units,
lessons, and more.The
Five Paragraph Essay -- "Everything students need to know to be
successful at writing five paragraph essays." Cooperative
Learning discussion group -- "This discussion group was created
for sharing ideas about cooperative learning strategies that work. The focus
will be on sharing practical ideas for teaching strategies, classroom management,
team formation, and assessment practices related to cooperative learning
theory and practice." Literary
Fan Club -- Most students understand the idea of a fan club. Why not
apply that same concept to authors? Students work in groups to research
their favorite authors and create and market a fan club for that author.
(Blue Web'n review)Celebrate
the Century -- Education World offers a websearch activity that supports
students as the search the Web for U.S. history of the 1990s -- "Seinfeld,"
the "Titanic," extreme sports, the Persian Gulf War, and more.The Skyscraper
Page -- By learning about skyscrapers, students can integrate the use
of mathematics (comparing heights), mapping skills (chart the location of
skyscrapers on a world map), and design. Students can see if a city in their
area has a skyline photo on the site, or draw the skyline in their community.
(Blue Web'n review.)MusicLand
Theme Park -- Classes in grades 5-8 work in teams to create the different
genre lands within the MusicLand Theme Park. Students learn about musical
theater, Early Jazz (Ragtime, Dixieland, and the Blues), New Jazz (Roaring
'20's, Swing, and Be-bop), Rock and Roll, Country & Folk, and Pop music.
The teams design an area within the park that illustrates not only the music,
but how that music fits within a historical context. (Blue Web'n review)The Port
Chicago Disaster -- This resource and the accompanying activities outline
the events of 1944, when a major explosion rocked Port Chicago, CA. Was
there racism involved in the decision to court martial African-American
soldiers who refused to continue to load munitions under unsafe circumstances?
Students can investigate using webquests, or teachers can lead students
through the essential questions surrounding this historic event.Water
Quality Guides -- This site was put together by the Center for Environmental
Quality at Wilkes University to help people learn more about their water
and how it can be tested. Learn about hard water, bacteria, and odors found
in water, as well as testing parameters for individuals and communities.Physical
Education Lesson Plans -- These are online lesson ideas for teachers
to use offline, both inside and outside. Games, activities, and classroom
management ideas are easy to implement. Integrated curriculum ideas, fitness
activities, and dances are included.The Electric
Teacher -- Education World says this is "a great resource for teachers
who are beginning to integrate technology into the curriculum."A
Celebration of Peace -- During the months of December, January, and
February, MidLink Magazine will celebrate hopes and dreams of peace and
understanding. These projects "are ideal for the holiday season,"
and all are linked to curriculum standards. The Early
History of American Advertising --Contains images of over 9,000 advertising
items and publications dating from 1850 to 1920. The site is designed "to
chronicle the rise of consumer culture in America in the late nineteenth
century as well as the development of a professionalized advertising industry."Great Earthquakes
Site -- Time to shake up your class. This United States Geological Survey
website puts together materials about the past, present and future of earthquakes.
Under Education, check out Earthquake ABCs, Today in Earthquake History
and Cool Earthquake Facts. Students can learn more about Seismic Networks,
How to Become a Geophysicist, and Current Earthquakes that may rattle their
classroom. (Blue Web'n review.)Native American
Geometry -- Students (Gr. 3-9) can explore designs from various Native
American nations to illustrate the physical geometry of the simple circle.
Instructions and templates for creating two-dimensional geometric designs.
Teachers can easily reproduce lessons, using tools available in most classrooms,
such as a compass, a ruler, paper, and crayons. (Education World)Codes
and Ciphers in the Second World War -- This site lets students see how
technology and mathematics helped break codes during World War II. Take
a virtual tour of Bletchley House, Death
Penalty Information -- The current implementation of the death penalty
in the United States is making headlines. Michigan State University has
assembled materials to help students explore, debate, and discuss this controversial
important topic involving federal and state laws and personal values. Includes
the history of the death penalty, stages in a capital case, interactive
US maps and state data and policies, arguments for and against the death
penalty, and four actual courtroom cases, along with lesson plans for teachers.Involving
Students in Community Action -- ASCD's "Education Update"
newsletter offers a rich set of resources for teacher who want to encourage
community action among their students or include community service in the
curriculum. Among the suggestions: The
Activism 2000 Project website "is a good road map on how to get
started in community action." For curriculum ideas, the National
Service-Learning Clearinghouse compiles resources for integrating youth
activism and service into classroom lessons. Also see: Voices
of Youth (global youth issues for younger students); SERVEnet
(an online database of volunteer opportunities); and ImpactOnline
(virtual volunteering). Search for the 11/17/00 Bulletin to get all the
details.EdHelper -- Education
World gave this site an A+ rating, and little wonder. This teacher resource
currently offers more than 1,000 WebQuests, 6,200 lesson plans, and almost
7,000 other resources, including one of our favorites -- the webquest builder
"Filamentality."ED's
Special Education Resources -- The U.S. Department of Education offers
many online special education resources to help families, teachers, &
others who work with children with disabilities (ages 0 through 21). Systematic
Classroom Management -- This column by former teacher Cherise Kelley
describes her discoveries about classroom management, from TESA to the Fred
Jones system. A helpful discussion, especially for new teachers.How
the Electoral College Works -- Little did we suspect how handy this
story in the Washington Post from Nov. 6 would be! And don't
miss the Federal Register's "frequently asked questions" about
the electoral college.Primary
Sources about Dred Scott -- This site at St. Louis' Washington University
offers a remarkable collection of digital images and transcriptions (HTML
or Word) of 85 original documents from the Dred and Harriet Scott cases
tried in St. Louis courts between 1846 and 1852. History teachers will also
appreciate the brief
chronology and links for further information.Have
your students write to Harry Potter characters -- Or have them portray
HP characters and write back! This interesting project is the brainchild
of Canadian middle grades teacher Paul Grey. His website includes all the
details -- and a rubric teachers can use to assess student writing to fictional
characters. It's all at the Harry Potter Novel Exchange!Learn Spanish
-- Extensive Online Tutorial accompanies Verb Drills, Vocabulary Practice,
Cultural Notes, Travel Helper, and an Idiom Generator. Teachers can register
to take advantage of the site's student progress monitoring capabilities.
Also check out Casa de
Joanna, a storehouse of links to language websites.The
Chaucer Pages -- If you teach the middle ages (or Chaucer), you might
direct your students to this reading of The Canterbury Tales in "middle
English" at this
page. (You might want to stick with the prologue -- some of the tales
are PG-13.) Potentially of more use is this index
of Medieval Life and Times resources, including links to pages about costumes
and cooking.Life
on the Rocky Shore -- This Thinkquest Junior website helps students
explore tide pools and learn more about oceans and the creatures within.
Activities range from interactive quizzes to ideas for a paper mache tide
pool. Several tide tables and links to major aquariums are included.Wacky Uses
-- A good starting point for students to learn more about the scientific
process, the site describes unusual ways to use familiar products.So
you have to do a Research Project? -- Give 4th to 8th grade students
information to help them complete a research project; access tips, worksheets,
and resources that help build information literacy skills.Science Field Guides
-- At eNature.com, you'll find a comprehensive collection of field guides
to plant and animal species, habitat guides, and an ask-the-expert section.
Users can browse the database by species group (such as mammals, amphibians,
fishes, butterflies, and insects), do a simple keyword search, or do a more
advanced search by characteristic within each group.Ancient
Egypt: Lesson Plans for Teachers -- One of the middle grades' most popular
study topics! Developed by the Detroit Institute of Art for grades 3-8,
this site offers cross-curricular lesson plans for teaching about ancient
Egypt.English Grammar
101 -- Painful memories? Perhaps, but this site (aimed at grades 6-12)
is good news for language arts teachers. It provides interactive tutorial
instruction in English grammar for language arts, home-school, or ESL students.Endangered
Earth -- Endangered Earth, a source of information, pictures, and videos
about many endangered species, comes highly recommended but includes banner
ads.Math World
-- A comprehensive Web encyclopedia of everything to do with the discipline
of mathematics, appropriate for grades 6-12. Great
Sites about Teaching: World Wars I and II -- This weekly
feature at Education World collects some of the best sites on a teaching
topic and presents them in annotated fashion for easy teacher access. Includes
images from both wars, diaries and oral histories, among other resources.Finditquick.com
-- This online resource guide/homework helper directs middle-school
children to kid-friendly and safe URLs that provide answers to
FAQs for popular topics in entertainment, science, our universe,
history, and famous people.1066: The Battle of
Hastings -- Rich in graphics, this site explains much of what was happening
in England preceding this turning point in history and weaves together various
aspects of the social, political, and cultural scene into what one reviewer
says is "a fairly evenhanded account despite some editorializing on
religion."Native
American Heritage Month -- Education World offers a dozen new lessons
that explore Native American cultures, including many for the middle grades.
Profile
of a Scientist -- The three ThinkQuest links at this site demonstrate
to students some of the roles scientists play in our society. "Although
these quests were designed for high school students, middle school students
could also benefit from these activities." (Blue Web'n reviews)Teachers'
Guides to Penguin Putnam Classics -- Includes guides to several of Shakespeare's
plays and books written by Jane Austin, George Orwell, Mark Twain, John
Steinbeck, and more (Grades 6-12). Also see the Ballantine
Teachers' Guides and the Random
House Teachers' Guide Search.Africa
Focus -- Subtitled "Sights and Sounds of a Continent," this
site is a joint project of the African Studies Program and the General Library
System at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The content focuses on all
aspects of the African continent.ExplorAsource
-- Incorporate many different types of materials that are tied to curriculum
standards for your state, or the national standards. MediaSeek has partnered
with publishers of software, textbooks, videos and websites to link key
materials to standards in this powerful database. Choose either a resource
search or a standard search (choosing the standard you need to meet) to
find well designed activities and lessons. (Blue Web'n Hot Site)Life
Science Safari -- Seventh-grade life science teacher Jennifer Vilenski,
from Roger Ludlowe Middle School, in Fairfield, Connecticut, has put together
this interactive lesson that explores cell structure and the classification
of living things. (Education World A+ site)National Gallery of
Art Kids' Page -- Users can not only view the individual paintings but
also interact with them, enhancing understanding and appreciation of the
artworks. Students can make the art of John Singleton Copley's Watson and
the Shark come alive with virtual reality. A companion activity encourages
students to tell their own stories.The Creative
Teaching Web Site -- Articles, essays, free materials, education quotations,
and other materials for veteran or new teachers to consider. Run by a 30-year
teaching veteran.The
Victorian Web -- Perfect for an interdisciplinary approach to history,
students can explore the Victorian age's literature, art, technology, politics,
and society -- including the official reports about sanitary conditions
of the working classes or conditions in the factories of the Industrial
Revolution.A
Pocahontas Primer -- Here's the authentic historical account of Pocahontas,
the Indian princess who helped Virginia's early Jamestown colony in the
1600s and later married colonist John Rolfe. And see
this defense of the well-known account of Pocahontas saving the life
of Captain John Smith.Beginner's
Guide to Anti-Matter? -- Folks who know more about this than we do say
that this site is suitable for middle schoolers, at least in part. "Antimatter:
Mirror of the Universe" explains matter, antimatter, and their place
in our lives. Learn how antimatter is manufactured, and how it may be used
(examples are both from the real and fictional worlds).Englishcompanion.com
-- Created by teacher/author Jim Burke, this site is designed to help English
teachers find materials and ideas they can use in the classroom. Included
are links to daily poems, words, and history; literary and grant resources;
links to English conversation sites; and tools for teachers.Rainforests
-- A selection of good links from Surfing the Net with Kids.Finance for middle
schoolers -- Coolbank.com is sponsored by Florida-based Republic Bank.
A 14-year old reviewer says it "gave good scenarios and explanations"
to coach young teens on consumer rights and spending wisely.Good Counselor
Resource -- At the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) site
you can download "Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools,"
look at violence prevention resources, and find out about safe school conferences.
You'll also find national standards for school counseling programs and a
listserv for staff who are implementing the standards.Popular
Science's Favorite Sites -- Popular Science magazine has recently
released the 2000 version of its annual listing of the Web's 50 best science
sites -- listed in ten categories, including visual science, science learning,
the universe, and high technology, among others.History Matters
-- Recommended for high school and college students, middle grades teachers
can still find lots of useful information and project-related material at
this website. Links for many themes explored within survey courses. Real
Audio is needed to listen to the oral histories. Browse or search for resources
such as lessons (Digital Blackboard), interviews, and diary excerpts.DNA From the
Beginning -- Comprehensive, multimedia teaching tool that organizes
the key concepts of Classical Genetics, Molecules of Genetics, and Organization
of Genetic Material. (Grades 8-12)The
Northern Great Plains -- This Library of Congress "Learn More About
It" page (1880-1920) helps teachers and students to use this collection
as a first-hand account of the settlement of America, from immigration and
developments in agriculture and industrialization, to the replacement of
Native American cultures with frontier communities.Efarmlife.com
-- Studetns can "take a trip to the country with out stepping in the
smellMom's
Vote -- Connect for Kids' nonpartisan Moms Vote feature pulls together
a collection of articles, links and factsheets to help parents make a decision
and give all kids and families a voice on November 7, 2000.Kids
Voting USA -- This site offers curriculum to help teachers and parents
bring K-12 students into the official polling sites on election day to vote
just as adults do. All year round, Kids Voting USA works with the community,
classroom and family to get kids engaged in democracy from the start. Take
their "constitution quiz," check their resources or access sample
curriculum online. (Connect for Kids review)Election
Co-nection -- Let your students participate in this free project, with
Co-nect Education
World's Election 2000 -- As interest in the election builds, teachers
can build student awareness of the candidates and issues, with help from
Education World.POTUS
-- Find out all the information about the past presidents of the United
States, and gain some insight into the man who might be the next President.
Students can discover typical bibliographic information, or go beyond the
ordinary, by studying the text of famous presidential speeches, the educational
background of each president, how they used military power, and who was
appointed to the US Supreme Court during their term of office. (Blue Web'n)History of
Televised Presidential Debates -- Created by the Museum of Broadcast
Communications, this site explores the history of televised presidential
debates. The online exhibit explores the "The Great Debate" of
1960, offers a Presidential Debate History (1960-1996), and examines the
impact of television on the political process.Journey
to the Ballot Box -- In this Internet project supported by "The
Learning Space," classrooms across the United States will work together
to determine the outcome of each state's presidential election, based on
samples of other participating classrooms. As the project proceeds, classes
will look at the presidential campaign issues and statistics and predict
winners. Examples
of Kid's Election Studies -- OnLineClass (for a modest fee) brings together
schools, teachers and students to work on curriculum-based projects together.
One of this fall's projects, "The Balloteers," includes an on-line
newspaper posted the work of middle and high school students -- and ideas
from teachers. Check it out and find out more about how
to join the fun.Yahoo Politics
-- A good place to keep up with current election/politic stories and themes.
Election
Connection -- Time Magazine for Kids has created a fun site for students
who want to follow the 2000 elections. News, background information, an
"electionary"with definitions of political jargon, and a
teacher page with lesson ideas and an opportunity to exchange teaching
strategies with colleagues through a discussion board.Ben's
Guide to U.S. Government for Kids (Grs. 6-8) -- Beginning with basic
ideas such as symbols of the government, the site progresses to topics such
as the branches of government, historical documents, national versus state
government, and citizenship. The Parents and Teachers section offers curriculum
links and links to government Websites for kids.The PBS
Kids Democracy Project -- Want to give students an understanding of
how the government plays a part in our daily lives, or what the President
of the United States does during the day? This easy to navigate site lets
students explore these topics, or go virtually into the voting booth. (Blue
Web'n review) Mrs. Newmark's
Page of American History -- Newmark is a social studies teacher in Raleigh,
NC. Although she created this page primarily for her academically gifted
students, it's a great resource for middle grades teachers and students
in other schools.Exploring
the Renaissance -- Newspaper columnist Barbara Feldman, who writes the
popular "Surfin' the Net with Kids" column, offers a selection
of good sites for Renaissance study. She includes "A
Journey through the Renaissance," a ThinkQuest activity designed
by high school students.A
"Hemingway Adventure" -- Betsy Norris, a middle school classroom
English teacher in Tennessee, developed these lesson plans to accompany
the PBS series "Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure." Includes
geography, journalism, and language arts lessons. Part of the PBS TeacherSource
web resources.A
Biography of America -- Middle grades history teachers will be delighted
to discover this companion site to the Annenberg/CPB video series "A
Biography of America." Twenty-six pages of resources, spanning United
States history from early exploration to contemporary America. Each page
features key events, a map, a full transcript of the video program, and
a "webography" with links to sites with primary and secondary
source materials related to the topics. FactMonster.com
-- Information Please, the well-known reference folks, have launched a new
searchable site for kids that combines essential reference materials, fun
facts and features, and homework help. Arithmetic
-- This site contains more than 200 pages of online lessons in basic arithmetic
skills for grades K-8. The layout is a simple index that uses no graphics.
(Education World)The Learning
Space -- Regular projects and web-based lesson plans "to provide
educators with opportunities and tools to develop, implement and share effective
uses of technology to improve student learning." A good all-around
site for teaching resources.How
to create a portfolio -- This page at the Los Angeles County Department
of Education website reprints useful information about creating student
and teacher portfolios, both on paper and in electronic format. The ideas
about building a
professional teacher portfolio (from ASCD's "Education Update")
are especially helpful.Teachers can create
mini-websites -- TeacherWeb allows teachers to create a free mini-website
easily. Build a hotlist of favorite links students can access in class,
at home, or at the library. TeacherWeb also allows teachers to fill in announcements,
homework, and a short bio on the teacher so that students and parents can
access this information. Register and build by filling in the blanks; the
website is on TeacherWeb. See
a sample. (Blue Web'n)Publishing
student writing on the Web -- An annotated collection of websites where
students can publish their work -- and get some help from adult writers.National Gallery of
Art Kids' Page -- A collection of kids's activities, several focused
on individual paintings. While these activities will appeal primarily to
elementary school kids, even middle schoolers should enjoy the wry humor
in Susan Finley's animated presentation "Lizzy and Gordon Visit the
Sculpture Garden", in which Lizzy and Gordon reluctantly take what
their mom calls an "artistic adventure." (Scout Report)EdGate's
Olympics Lesson Plans -- These ready-to-use plans include class activities,
handouts, and worksheets related to the history, themes, sports, and stars
of the Summer Games in Sydney. (Grades 4-8)Australia
-- Lots of links about down under, from the Surfin' with Kids website. "Australia,
host of the upcoming summer Olympic games, is the only country that is both
an island and a continent. It ranks as the sixth largest country (covering
nearly three million square miles) and the smallest continent." Teaching
History with Baseball Cards -- Another fascinating project from the
Library of Congress American Memory Project. This "Learn More About
It" activity explores the early history of baseball cards (1887-1914)
and how they reflect the emergence of modern America as well as that of
America's favorite pastime. A starting point for understanding industrialization,
urbanization, and the development of mass-entertainment as well as the social
and cultural values behind them.How
much homework? -- Education World explores the research on the effectiveness
of homework and talks with educators about the quantity and quality of home
assignments.Mrs.
Science Teacher -- Nancy LaPosta-Frazier, a teacher at Wickford Middle
School in North Kingstown, RI, has compiled a useful list of 7th and 8th
grade science resources, drawn from her curriculum website for students
and parents.Teaching
words and word meanings -- A list of 10 teacher-recommended websites
where students can play with and explore the meaning of words. Try the visual
thesaurus!Edward
DeBono's "Six Thinking Hats" -- This useful tool to promote
creative thinking has been reduced to a one-page "how-to" sheet
that can serve as a student handout or resource.Encouraging
independent reading -- Create your own cozy bookstore in your classroom.Know
When to Discipline! -- An Education World e-Interview with classroom
management expert Howard Seeman, Ph.D. When is a discipline problem really
a discipline problem?Monarch
Butterflies -- "Surf the Net with Kids" offers a selection
of resources about Monarch butterflies, whose annual fall migration begins
in August. One of the bdest is the "Journey
South" page at Learner.Org, where students can sign up (free) to
become reporters and follow the southbound Monarch migration.Easy-to-read
Classics -- Students will find classics like "Treasure Island"
and the works of Dickens easier to read at the ClassicBookshelf website,
where Java software allows visitors to adjust the font, type size, color
and screen size -- and to bookmark your place until you return. All free,
with a bit of advertising thrown in.Middle
School Science Lessons -- Sixth grade science teacher Liz La Rosa has
put together a nice collection of science lesson plans and related resources.
Liz and several colleagues are starting up a Middle School Science Webring.
Find out more here."Hands
On Plastics" -- Web site is based on a kit developed by the National
Middle Level Science Teachers Association (NMLSTA) and distributed free
by the American Plastics Council. Offers inquiry-based science lessons tied
to the National Science Education Standards. Includes links to other related
Web sites and info on ordering the free Hands On Plastics Kit. (Education
World A+ site.)Endangered
Species -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's "Kids Corner"
can help students and teachers find information on threatened & endangered
species. Provides fact sheets, activities, and suggestions about what kids
can do to help. Inlcudes links to the Endangered Species Program website
which includes photos and detailed descriptions of affected plants and animals.AOL@MiddleSchool
-- Check out AOL's new website for middle schools. Student-oriented with
soubject-area resources, opinion polls, and assorted activities.Heavy Ions --
Students of many ages study ions. But what happens when you smash an ion?
And how would you do it? Brookhaven National Lab has created a virtual tour
of its Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, which recently began operation.
Learn about construction techniques, and what is being studied as the ions
fly around the RHIC "Racetrack." More importantly,introduce your
students to cutting edge research. (Blue Web'n review)Math
and Science Teaching Tools -- Phillips Petroleum has assembled a series
of math and science articles and activities for elementary and middle school
students that relate these disciplines to a child's experiences. Slinky
Scientific Shindig and Go Figure contain articles and activities to pique
student curiosity while encouraging further thought and discussion. (Blue
Web'n review)"A Science
Odyssey" -- This PBS-related site highlights some the most spectacular
discoveries in science and technology during the 20th century. Includes
an Educator's Guide with activities, discussion questions, resources, and
information for using A Science Odyssey in the classroom.KidzPrivacy
-- As of April 21, it is against the federal law for any commercial Web
site to collect personal information about children under the age of 13
without parental consent. The site encourages parents and teachers to take
an active role in determining the privacy policy of any site used with children.The Patriot's
Patriotic Links -- Sony's new movie, "The Patriot," has a
lively website that includes a good list of links to the general
history of the American Revolution, including primary
sources.CyberSisters
-- A telementoring program in science, math and technology for middle school
girls.Two
Complete Lessons -- The Big Dogs Schoolhouse, a commercial lesson plans
site, is offering two free middle grades units -- a week-long money management
simulation, and a week-long wildlife management simulation. Download at
this page.CRUNCH
-- This kids' site (from, of all groups, the National Center for Educational
Statistics!) emphasizes student contributions. "Maybe we'll see you
get involved in contemporary education issues, arts, and technology, all
the while gaining confidence and expertise by practicing writing and analysis
skills." Submissions are accepted for Features (issues topics), Arts
Review, Tech Review (for games, software or hardware) and Show-Off (fiction
and poetry).Cyberspace Farm
-- Sponsored by Kansas Women Involved in Farm Economics (WIFE), this site
includes features activities, articles, and fun facts about farms and ranches.
Students can compare journal entries from a farm wife in 1900 with a farm
wife in 2000. (Blue Web'n review.)Scholastic's
Teacher Pages -- Scholastic's teachers area features interactive tools
and more than 12,000 pages that support the daily curriculum and learning
goals of K-8 teaching. Other features of the site include: classroom-tested
lesson plans, discussions with well-known authors, an expedition tracking
the migration patterns of sea turtles in Costa Rica, and "Writing with
Writers," where children learn genre-writing from award-winning authors.PlaneMath --
Teaches mathematics through a set of highly interactive lessons on aeronautics.
The site is designed to encourage students with physical disabilities to
consider careers in aeronautics but is useful to all classrooms for its
outstanding lessons. (Education World review)Merriam-Webster Online
-- On-line Dictionaries, a Thesaurus, Word Games, a Word of the Day, and
lots more. Montage --
Montage is an impressive collection of interactive curriculum projects involving
teachers and students around the globe. The projects are designed to create
collaboration and learning through the medium of the Internet and other
communications technologies. ParenTech --
Technology education campaign that provides free resources for families
and educators of middle school kids (grades 6-8). Partnership between the
not-for-profit North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) and
Ameritech (with support from the American Library Association). Focuses
of technology topics. Excellent resources.EcEdWeb --
The Economic Education Web site provides resources for teaching economics
in classrooms from kindergarten to college. Included are lesson plans, a
list of important concepts for students to learn by grade levels, and a
comprehensive list of links to outside resources.Creating
Classroom Presentations -- "Your students have just completed some
terrific reports and you'd love to incorporate a technology component into
the activity. You've never used graphics software, though, and you certainly
don't have time to learn new software now! What's a technological newbie
to do? A PowerPoint tutorial!" (from the Education World website.)Book Adventure
-- Students (K-8) create personalized book lists from over 4,000 recommended
titles, take quizzes on the books they have read at school or at home and
earn prizes for understanding the books they have read.Parents
Center -- Education World created the "Parents Community"
to offer resources "to help parents nurture and educate their children
as they grow and blossom on the road to adulthood." Includes information
and resources on a variety of subjects of interest to parents related to
school and learning.Great Adventure to Scenic
Places -- GASP is a content-rich curriculum resource takes students
on a yearlong bicycle journey to every national park in the contiguous United
States.The
Electronic Thread -- These columns, written by school technology expert
Caroline McCullen for NMSA's "Middle Ground" magazine, provide
detailed examples and ideas about how to make technology work in the classroom.
Middle
School Connection -- This website maintained by a group of parents in
Minneapolis will be of interest to other parent groups interested in organizing
around middle grades issues.NMSA Research
Summaries -- This page at the National Middle School Association website
includes links to a variety of NMSA research briefs and position papers.
Find out more about flexible scheduling, grade configurations, heterogeneous
and multi-age grouping, program evaluation, inclusion, and more. Also see
NMSA's statement on achievement
in the middle grades.BrainConnection.com
-- This general source of information about the brain, and the implications
of brain research on teaching and learning, is vast, lively and surprisingly
fun. Read about "The Brain Connection to Education" conference
set for May 11-13 in San Francisco.Grants
Center -- "Locating funding and financial aid sources is a constant
problem for today's educators," notes the editors of Education World.
If you're looking for grant support, you'll be thrilled to find this Ed
World feature, which includes original articles, reviews, and other resources
to help you meet your goals.Michigan
Middle Start -- Michigan Middle Start is an educational reform program,
initiated by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in 1994. Schools participating
in Middle Start conduct a school self-study to assess the quality of teaching
and learning in their schools, create a school improvement action plan,
and undertake comprehensive school reform. "Middle Start has demonstrated
positive effects on schools and students -- particularly those most at risk
of low academic achievement."Parent
Involvement in Schools -- Special features at the Education World website
offer practical ideas about involving parents in school life -- including
strategies that are working for others.FAST Search
Engine -- Our current favorite search engine. Really, really fast. Try
it.National Institute for
Community Innovations -- Fosters local economic and social well-being
through educational innovation, especially in economically distressed communities.Metropolitan
Museum for Kids -- "Skilled artists can make us believe that stone
sculpturesMuseum
of Web Art Kids Wing -- "Fabulous, fantastic, fresh and fun!"
says Surfin' the Web with Kids. "The art games (think of online paint
programs, but then take one big creative step forward) are absolutely addictive.Brain Research
for Educators -- BrainConnection.com is an online source of information
about the brain, "dedicated to furthering the knowledge of educators,
students and parents." This
link leads to information about the "Brain Connection to Education
Conference" on May 11-13 in San Francisco.TrellixWeb -- The
inventor of the first computer spreadsheet has created a "webpage maker
for dummies" program that he promises will make web participation easy
for everyone. A professional website in less than an hour? See for yourself!Free Books on the
Web -- We've mentioned Project Gutenberg before, but it's worth a second
look. This remarkable project has archived over 2,500 books that are out
of copyright (mostly pre-1923). Volunteers type the texts and the results
are stored on servers all over the world. Project Gutenberg features everything
from Sherlock Holmes to Shakespeare, the Bible to Alice in Wonderland. Search
by author or title. The site also lists links to companies that sell CDs
of PG texts. Center on
English Learning & Achievement -- National center funded by US Department
of Education to conduct research dedicated to gaining knowledge to improve
students' English and literacy achievement in schools across America. CELA
is affiliated with School of Education of University at Albany. White
Barn Press -- We really like the energy and enthusiasm we found at this
teacher-driven site, focused on writing and instructional technology. Webmaster
Suzanne Meyer is the instructional technology coordinator for the Hilton,
NY school system -- her site demonstrates the potential for websites that
reflect committed educators' passions and creativity. Be sure to visit!
(If you have trouble with the graphics links, use the text links at the
bottom of the homepage.)Tracking
Creativity -- This ThinkQuest Junior was created by a sixth grade team
and won the 1998 First Place Winner in the Arts and Literature Category.
Blue Web'n Reviews describes it as "an example of a creative, easy
to use website. Teachers and students will enjoy the language arts activities,
such as On Your Toes with Odes. In Step with Idioms includes a quiz for
colorful idioms of the English language. Links to other websites show how
creativity can sneak into our lives."NASA
Images from SRTM -- Can you find your house? These images taken on the
latest space shuttle mission are pretty amazing. Learn the difference between
radar images, high resolution images, and anaglyphs. Look at Planet Earth
from a new perspective.Office of
Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs -- Oversees educational
programs and services available under the Bilingual Education Act. (Also
known as Title VII of the Improving America's Schools Act.), including grants
to meet the educational needs of limited English proficient (LEP) children
and to strengthen the professional development of personnel who work with
these students. Also visit the National
Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.Teen Central.Net
-- This snazzy site developed by experts in teen counseling and psychology
offers a safe, anonymous space for teens to work out their problems. They
can share their own stories, read stories by other teens, get feedback from
trained professionals as well as other teens, and locate phone numbers for
hotlines in their area. Requires only a screen name and a password and anonymity
is guaranteed.Student
Search Engine -- The Northern Light search site has developed a search
engine -- "Student Advantage" -- intended to lower the frustration
levels of students researching topics on the World Wide Web. Although the
focus appears to be on college students, the site works fine for middle
and high school students as well. We entered "vocanoes" in the
category "Geosciences" and one of the first hits was an excellent
page at the Annenberg/CPB site titled "Can
We Predict Vocanic Eruptions?""WimpyPoint"
-- A web-based slide presentation tool that is similar to PowerPoint, but
easier to use -- and you can store your presentation at the ArsDigita site.
This means you can present a presentation anytime you can access the web,
even without your laptop. Teachers will web access in their classrooms may
find this useful if they don't have a PowerPoint set-up.Extreme 2000
- Voyage to the Deep! -- This joint university/TV site tracked the recent
Extreme 2000 mission, in which scientists explored hydrothermal vents in
the Sea of Cortes off the west coast of Mexico in the deep-sea sub "Alvin."
Information on the mission, a dive log, daily journal, and photos and movie
clips, plus features on seafloor geology, deepsea creatures, toxic chemistry,
and high-tech tools. The Scout Report review says the site is "attractively
presented and quick-loading...(with) enough information to keep adults interested
while still appealing to younger users."Literacy
Research Reports -- An excellent collection of research on effective
strategies to teach reading and writing to all middle grades students. From
The Center on English Learning & Achievement at SUNY-Albany. The complete
texts of most reports are available on-line.Summer
Teacher Training at the Bronx Zoo -- This summer, educators nationwide
have the opportunity to come to New York City's Bronx Zoo for teacher training
workshops. Lodging, meals, a stipend and graduate credit available. Find
out more at this link.Links
about "Results" -- ASCD has pulled together a set of weblinks
about assessment and measuring results in your classroom.Help Students
Develop Basic Research Skills -- The University of Texas at Austin developed
this online tutorial (TILT) to teach undergraduates fundamental research
skills. In each module students will learn concepts and practice them through
interactions. The tutorial stresses the limits of Web research. Although
it was developed for college students, teachers and middle graders with
good reading skills can make good use of this easy-to-navigate site.Web Weather
for Kids -- Students can try their hand at predicting the weather, making
tornadoes, and exploring the mysteries of meteorology at this fascinating
university-based site. Teacher tips.Club
Mid -- Prentice-Hall's site for middle grades teachers offers some professional
development articles, an idea network, and access to some freebies.Technology
in the Classroom -- This dedicated section on the Education World website
explores ed tech issues and resources. Includes an editorial
by Lynn Schrum, past president of the International Society for Technology
in Education, "Let's Put the Pedagogy First: Technology as a Tool to
Support Instruction." Also
see: "Building a Technology Library." And MiddleWeb's technology
education links."What
History Means to Me" essay contest -- For middle and high school
students. 500-750 words. $2500 scholarship and publication in "American
Heritage" -- plus teachers get classroom materials. Deadline is April
1. (Sponsored by Prentice-Hall.)Character
Education links -- A short "but important" list of Web sites
that promote character and ethical development in education the world over.
From the ASCD Education Bulletin (1/14/00)eSchool News Online
-- Lots of free resources at this site supported by the print newsletter
"eSchool News." Information on tech grants, case studies, and
a news and articles database.
Resources
about Heroes -- Education World, one of the great education websites
on the Internet, has compiled some useful resources about heroes. This link
leads to a good starting place. Also read Deborah Bambino's diary
entry about her efforts to talk to middle schoolers about heroes. And
check out My Hero, a site that illuminates
the "sung" and "unsung" heroes in the cities, towns,
and countries where we live. Submit a description of your hero or browse
other submissions.Information Please:
Kids' Almanac -- At this site, kids can search for information about
people, sports, the U.S., the world, fun facts, science, and more. Included
are links to a Homework Center, Word of the Day, Today in History, and Today's
Birthday information. Building
Bridges -- Students learn that bridges are structures that surround
us, in our world and in our language. They explore bridges throughout the
world, types of bridges, the mathematics of bridge building, and how to
construct a bridge. (Webquest activity, with resources, rubric, expectations.
Tied to Tennessee learning standards.)Project-Based Learning
With Multimedia -- Support site for a pioneering program in schools
in California's San Mateo county. The information on the site is designed
to support schools locally but is useful to a much wider audience. Excellent
description of what project-based learning with multimedia is all about,
with important resources for maintaining such a program. (Education World
review)AdPrima
: A Website for New Teachers -- A rich source of information for new
and experienced teachers. Practical information on curriculum, instruction,
learning, thinking skills, lesson plans, teaching and other education topics.
The name means "the best" in Latin. The site's motto is suggestive:
"Anything not understood in more than one way is not understood at
all."educ8r.net -- This
new, high-quality resource site invites teachers to share ideas, lesson
plans, and test questions. Teachers can browse through the resources on
the site, which are separated into major-disciplines and subjects to make
searching that much easier. Teachers are invited to rate the posted lesson
plans. Includes form-based editing tools for creating lessonplans, tests,
and lesson packages.Teach
Students to Question One Another -- A veteran teacher shares her "socratic"
technique, which has been featured in an AFT documentary, "Teaching
Children to Think." You don't have to be a math teacher (or a high
school teacher) to make use of these excellent teaching strategies.20
Ways to Foster Creativity -- Good ideas from a new teacher. Example:
"Model asking questions that are open-ended, such as 'Let's make a
list of different sources of light.' Help students learn to phrase their
own questions in an open-ended manner." Millennium
News Contest for Kids -- The News of the Century contest challenges
students in grades 4-12 to select and research the people, places and events
that impacted a specific year of the 20th century and then allows them to
create their own online newspaper (tools provided). All submissions will
be showcased. Sponsored by USA Today and Copernicus Interactive. (Ends 3/31/00)Newsday
Millennium Briefings for Kids -- Safer wars? Predict great discoveries?
Fun stuff.Yahooligans
Millennium Index -- At the Yahoo website.Millennium
Moments -- USA Today assembled 365 major historical events -- one for
each day of 1999. Also see a discussion about when the millennium really
begins -- and what to call the next decade. Plus a look at the future.20th
Century in Pictures -- These world-class photos are part of 2.1 million
images offered online. Perusing the collection is free. You can also license
these photos (for a $3 fee). Organized by decade and by a theme of the week
(such as Trials of the Century) most of the photos are annotated. (from
Surfin' the Net with Kids)Stories of
the Century -- The Newseum asked journalists and historians nationwide
to select the top hundred news events of the twentieth century: this is
their list. What event out ranked all others? "1945: United States
drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima, Nagasaki." Which events do you think
were the most pivotal? Cast your vote online and compare to other readers.
So far: the 1969 moon walk. (from Surfin' the Net with Kids)WebElements
-- The periodic table of the elements on the web! Visit this table to learn
about each element--you'll find typical fare such as name, symbol, atomic
number, and atomic weight. More information includes background, electronic
properties, physical properties, crystallography, compounds, and uses of
the element and uses in geology and biology. Diagrams illustrate many of
the different concepts. (ENC Digital Dozen review)Discovering
China -- A ThinkQuest project developed by three high school students
from USA, Japan and South Africa. This well-designed site is composed of
six sections: History (from Opium war to reunification of Hong Kong); The
Cultural Revolution (its history, background, impact and aftermath); Movers
and Shakers (biographies of famous Chinese including from Empress Dowager
Cixi to Yo-Yo Ma); Cityscape (history, culture, economy and tourism of main
cities and province of China); Contributions (various Chinese contributions
to art, food, and medicine); and the Interactive section (quizzes and polls.)The
Free Library of Classics -- The Free Library of Classics provides almost
200 of the world's most famous novels, plays, short stories, poems, and
historical documents The electronic format of the texts makes it easy to
create excerpts for classroom exercises and reading assignments. (Education
World)Modernism
in Middle School -- Art teacher Denise Mastroieni and librarian/drama
teacher Kathy Tilley developed an interdisciplinary study uniton early modernism
for their middle school students. Read how they did it at the National Gallery
of Art website.IDEA Practices
Website -- This U.S. Department of Education-funded Web site provides
extensive resources that can help educators implement the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA '97). A
Virtual Underground Railroad Quilt -- Created by students from Mr. Leahy's
fourth grade class in Beaverton, Oregon, this excellent site is the product
of their extensive research on the Underground Railroad and how quilts were
used to provide coded messages to escaping slaves. Includes puzzles and
links to other interesting resources about the underground railroad. Appropriate
for middle graders.Banned
Books -- Calls for book-banning seem especially loud this fall. This
page at the American Library Association website recounts the "most-banned"
books and explores the issue of blocking access to literature in libraries
and schools.The Reading
Village -- Reading and language arts teachers will find lesson plans,
resources, discussion groups, and Cyberguides to frequently studied books.
Among the standards included are the California Language Arts Content Standards.Looking
at Student Work -- Hosted by the Chicago Learning Collaborative and
the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, "Looking at Student Work"
is offered as a resource for teachers, administrators, staff developers,
and others who work with teachers, schools, and students. This site addresses
issues of professional development; accountability (determining the effectiveness
of curriculum and instruction); setting standards; and reflecting on student
learning and development.Standards-Based
Teacher Education Project -- Program of the Council for Basic Education
and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education to redefine
teacher education programs around standards-based teaching and learning.Learning Disabilities
Hotline -- This site sponsored by the Schwab Foundation for Learning
gives educators and the public a direct link to experts in the field of
learning disabilities. Counselors can also offer advice and guidance to
new special education teachers, explain the criteria for a child to receive
special education, help with referrals and discuss strategies in compensating
for learning difficulties. Small fee involved.6 Billion and
Beyond -- Earth's population recently reached six billion humans. PBS
traveled the globe talking to people about the population issues affecting
their lives and countries. Companion site includes statistics and personal
stories from experts and officials, teens, working women, doctors, mothers
and fathers. And see this related site
for middle schoolers, which includes animated graphics, a section for
teachers, and student activities. Finally: what if the world was reduced
to a village of 1,000 people? What would the statistics look like? Find
out here.Site
of the (School) Day -- A new service from the Web's school librarian,
Kathy Schrock. Sign up and receive her recommended education site each day
during the school year.Want
to Write for Children? -- Check out the writer's guidelines at Meadowbrook
Press.Scholastic's
Harry Potter page -- If you don't know about Harry Potter, it's time
to find out! Scholastic's site shares author information, discussion guides,
and a reading circle that might give you ideas for learning activities.
And while you're reading Harry Potter (we ARE reading it, and we recommend
it as an engaging and literate alternative to Stine/Pike, etc.), don't miss
the History
of Hogwarts, an interview
with author J.(Joanne)K. Rowling, and her own brief autobiography.
Last, and definitely not least, there's a
Webquest curriculum activity based on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone, with teacher resources, an Anglican/American English activity, and
more. Cultural
Debates -- Designed to enliven multicultural studies. Students learn
about the Mentawai tribe of Indonesia and the cultural choices they face.
Activities include watching a video, learning about issues, reading and
writing opinions, and making connections between a rainforest society and
students' own culture. By Tom Snyder Productions.Only a Matter
of Opinion? -- Middle grades writing teachers will relish this site,
focused on opinion writing (editorials, columns, and editorial cartoons.
Encourages students to write and draw on their own after instruction and
research. Includes writing tips and resources, and a complete "how
to draw a cartoon" section. Sample tip: when you're doing a word balloon,
write the words first, then draw the balloon around them." Cartoonist
Daryle Cagle's Teacher Guide
is a perfect complement to this site.A Mystery
of Space: Stars -- This ThinkQuest site, developed by teenagers, "has
everything on stars, including lesson plans for teachers, animations, an
interactive planetarium, a sighting and story post, and even a constellation
poll." Best with Macromedia. Nice job!Barbara Feldman's
Surfin' the Net with Kids -- The web version of the popular column which
identifies kid-friendly sites on a wide variety of topics. Rated, with a
new topic each week.Weather
-- At this site, students can explore the forces behind the weather, try
their hand at tornado chasing, or discover how wind chill works. Hands-on
activities include topics such as the atmosphere, the water cycle, ice and
snow, and forecasting. Annenberg/CPB site.Seven
Steps Toward Better Searching -- From Professor Bernie Dodge at San
DIego State University, here's a nifty little online activity that has learners
try seven useful searching tricks. Though this activity points to the Alta
Vista search engine, the tricks apply to most search engines. Remember:
"My plump starfish quickly lowered Lincoln's tie." [Blue Web'n
review]"Hands-On"
Environmental Science -- This National Science Foundation site presents
10 teaching modules on the human dimensions of global change. Examples are
"Living in the Biosphere," "The Geography of Greenhouse Gas
Emissions," and "Global Change and Urbanization in Latin America."Primary
Source Material in American History -- "An American Time Capsule:
Three Centuries of Broadsides & Other Printed Ephemera" presents
posters, notices, advertisements, proclamations, leaflets, propaganda, manifestos,
etc. from the American Revolution, slavery, the western land rush, the Civil
War, woman suffrage, & the Industrial Revolution. Library of Congress.Goldmine
for Drama Teachers -- This award winning Canadian site is dedicated
to grade 4-12 drama teachers. Includes lesson plans, backstage activities/archives,
production ideas, support, and links to other drama websites.TIME
100: 1900 vs. Now -- Peruse this engaging site for a snapshot of the
important people, events, and changes of the past 100 years, then test your
knowledge or vote for the person and event of the century.Librarians
Information Online Network -- Includes unique links such as Automation
for Schools, CD-ROMs for School Libraries, Cataloging Resources for School
Libraries, and Lesson Plans & Teaching Activities for School Librarians.
Other links for librarians: Library
Land; The Librarians'
Index to the Internet; the ALA
Booklist; the LibrarySpot.
(Blue Web'n reviews.)"We'll
Sing to Abe Our Song!" -- Want to integrate history and music lessons?
How about this sheet music about Abe Lincoln, Emancipation, and the Civile
War? Part of the Library of Congress American Memory Project, this collection
contains over 200 sheet-music compositions "that represent Lincoln
and the war as reflected in popular music." GIF thumbnails link to
higher resolution (but slow-to-download) files.Apple
Learning Interchange -- Apple Computer supports this excellent resource
site for teachers. You'll find units of practice, technology integration
tips, and information about Apple's professional development services.Kodak
Picture Playground -- Great place to manipulate digital images. The
site lets users upload images from their local computers or the Web to the
Kodak site and then play with them using online tools. Students can get
creative, then copy resulting images and paste into their own pages.Hurricanes
-- Here's a terrific page for teachers who want to plan lessons around the
hurricane season. It's a one-stop shop for hurricane ideas and resources!
For the latest hurricane news, try Yahoo!'s
special "hurricane season" page. And here are some other good
sites for students and teachers who want to keep up with the lively hurricane
season: Here's a
good simple description of how hurricanes form; The
Weather Underground provides hourly updates on tropical hurricane activity.
Ohio State has a whole page of FAQS
about hurricanes. And the Weather
On-Line site has a detailed tropical storm area. Of course, The
Weather Channel has full coverage and special resources at its homepage.
And how about a
hurricane field trip?Multimedia
Applications on a Shoe-String Budget -- "Designed to acquaint middle
school teachers with economical multimedia tools and ideas for web-based
educational activities that they will be able to use or adapt in their classrooms."
Slanted toward Windows but some Mac info.10
Stages of Web Use -- After years of experimentation, trial and error,
and some success, Tom March has identified 10 key stages that can help educators
work the Web for Education. The stages begin with an emphasis on teachers
finding their own personal value, then move into early classroom applications
of the Web before suggesting how to facilitate critical thinking through
WebQuests and coaching. This Web page can be used by in-service providers
to help mesh with learner readiness or by individuals as a tool for self
evaluation. (Blue Web'n)Journey
to New Worlds: Exploration of Space and Hawaiian Voyaging -- Since the
dawn of Earth's civilizations, Polynesian voyagers have navigated the vast
Pacific. Today's modern navigators maneuver small ships through limitless
stretches of space. Journey to New Worlds offers a fun, interactive learning
tool that teachers can use in the classroom to explore and compare these
two unique types of navigators. (Education World A+ site)The Science
Spot -- The Science Spot offers fresh ideas about teaching middle-school
science. Middle-school teacher Tracy Trimpe has posted her best science
teaching tips. Included are ideas for experiments, lessons, science club
stuff, a cool Nature Center, and lots more! Africam -- This
is too cool. "Africam" features 13 live cams located in five South
African national parks and game reserves. Choose from cams at watering holes,
wild dog cams, elephant cams, even mobile cams operated by park rangers.
Students will have fun trying to catch animals on screen. Snap a picture
and email it to Africam for possible selection as Picture of the Day. Also
try the National
Zoo Webcams.Kid Info -- A well-organized
homework and teacher resource site, recommended by the American Library
Association. Kid Info sorts its resources by curriculum topics (see, for
example, the American history page),
making it much easier to use. You can also link
to its sister site, Teacher Tidbytes, which includes student/teacher tutorials
and slide shows, and web-integrated lesson plans. Nice job -- and no ads!The
Middle School Cybrary -- A large homework and teacher resource developed
with the middle grades in mind. The webmaster keeps a close watch out for
bad URLs and features links about a current topic on the home page. Links
are divided into categories and have brief descriptors. Sample the
math page.The Cooperative
Children's Book Center -- A children's and young adult literature library
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison -- "a unique and vital gathering
place for all who are interested in youth literature."AsiaQuest
-- This fall, the same team that brought you MayaQuest will take an online
audience of students on a five-week journey along the famed Silk Road. Guided
by student participants, Dan Buettner and a team of experts will investigate
science, history, and cultures. A class participation fee includes a curriculum
guide. (Blue Web'n Reviews)Journal
Writing Every Day -- Subtitled "A Painless Way to Develop Skills,"
this curriculum article at the Education World website describes various
ways teachers can use daily journal writing to promote student learning.
Based on interviews with teachers, the article includes "writing motivators
that work from teachers who use them!"Weather
-- At this site, students can explore the forces behind the weather, try
their hand at tornado chasing, or discover how wind chill works. Hands-on
activities include topics such as the atmosphere, the water cycle, ice and
snow, and forecasting. Annenberg/CPB site.Web
Earth Science for Teachers -- For ideas on weather-related projects,
check out *USA Today*'s "Web Earth Science for Teachers." Resources
range from weather-related links for kids to an interactive look at how
to make your own tornadoes. Teacher-friendly site includes links to classroom
help and lesson plans. And here's an interdisciplinary weather unit, "Weather
Here and There," suitable for Grade 6. Combines math, science,
geography, and language arts. Six lessons.Skateboard
Science -- Momentum, gravity, friction, and centripetal force have never
been so interesting. This online exhibit from the Exploratorium explains
how skateboarders seemingly break the laws of gravity with tricks shown
and explained in physics terms. The site includes a video webcast, glossary,
and information about equipment. (Blue Web'n review)Some
of the Very Best Math and Science Sites -- During August, the Eisenhower
National Clearinghouse's "Digital Dozen" page is offering what
its staff believes are some of the best math and science pages on the Web.Solar
Eclipse -- On August 11, a total solar eclipse will cut a path across
Europe and Asia. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet, the rest of us can
enjoy it via live
Webcast. Barbara Feldman's "Surfin' with Kids" site offers
a selection of ecliptical sites. Not surprisingly, San Francisco's Exploratorium
has the richest, most wonderful site.Education Email Lists
-- At Topica, visitors can select from several hundred e-mail list services
-- or set up a list of their own. And it's free. See the large "education"
category.Turn-of-the-Century
Child -- This project involves students in a study of the life and times
of children in the early 1900's. Making use of primary source material,
students become apprentice historians engaged in genuine historical inquiry.
Based on their analyses, students assemble both a physical and digital scrapbook
of letters, oral histories, artifacts, diary entries, narratives and images
to create an invented child within a family. (Blue Web'n hot site of the
week)Creatures
of the Night and You -- Summer's the perfect time to examine the stars
and listen to night sounds. Two young home-schooled students won a ThinkQuest
Junior Platinum Award for their exploration of all things nocturnal,
including our natural fear of the dark.Amelia
Earhart -- The Surfin' with Kids website has compiled a nice collection
of web resources about America's fabled woman aviator.Gakkos
-- Kids aged 10-14 can get together at Gakkos to discuss things with kids
around the world -- and participate in 2-to-3-month seminars on a variety
of science and cultural topics. Education World says: "A phenomenal
site for linking kids around the world!""The
Gettysburg Battlefield -- Virtual Tour" -- Describes with photos
and text the tragic three-day battle that marked the turning point in the
Civil War. The site gives detailed descriptions of each day of the battle
and further texts about the various generals involved. (National Park Service)
And here's an additional
resource: "Letters, Telegrams, & Photographs Illustrating Factors
ThatCyberSleuth-Kids.Com
-- A search engine and guide for the K-12 student created by a teacher with
volunteer help. Provides "a safe educational online database of links
to help the student sift through the maze of information on the Web. Easy-to-use
interface although search function seems to cast a rather wide net. From Now On
-- "From Now On: The Educational Technology Journal" offers a
lengthy list of useful articles about technology-related curriculum and
assessment.Witchcraft
in Salem Village -- Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts) witnessed
an infamous outbreak of witchcraft accusations and trials after some local
girls fell ill in March, 1692. In the aftermath, 18 people were hanged as
witches. This site, created by the Danvers Archival Center and hosted by
the Electronic Text Center at the University of Virginia , offers a number
of primary documents and other materials related to the Witchcraft Outbreak
of 1692. Includes sizableWater: Our Greatest
Need -- Well-done website developed by sixth graders at a middle school
in Hawaii. First place winner in Global Schoolhouse's CyberFAIR,. Here's
a newspaper story
about the winners.American
Revolution -- Barbara J. Feldman, who syndicates the "Surfing the
Net with Kids" column, has assembled a nice selection of websites exploring
the War of American Independence, including links to the Declaration of
Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Acid
Rain Lesson Plan -- A series of five activities for grades 6-8. The
lessons include the pH concept, the definition of acid rain and its measurement,
& the sources of acid rain & methods for controlling it.I'm
not Stupid, I'm Smart -- Being the parent of a child with dyslexia can
be challenging and frustrating. The "I'm not Stupid, I'm Smart"
Web site was put together to help educate parents about dyslexia. The site
provides information about the wide scope of free services that are available
for dyslexic children and their families as mandated by federal law. You'll
also find some good advice about helping children cope with dyslexia. (Education
World review)Summer Reading -- This
Education Week article by Susan Ohanian was first published in 1996 and
remains a useful guide to seminal books about teaching and education. "Since
any book that matters will last a lifetime, with different sentences resonating
at different times in our careers, each of these books contains underlinings,
exclamations, quarrels, and commentaries from at least three previous readings.
Significantly, none of these books was recommended to me by a professor
of education I encountered during the 60-plus education units I've picked
up over the past 20 years."Earth and Sky
-- If you've ever heard the "Earth and Sky" reports on National
Public Radio, you know that the folks at E&S do a great job of keeping
us up to date on celestial events. Teachers and students interested in the
goings-on of the stars and planets can plan their nightly viewings here.
There's also a teacher's lounge, contests for kids, and in-depth articles
on earth science and astronomy. A terrific service.Module Maker
-- Guides teachers through the process of creating online research modules
for their students. The research model includes advice on asking good questions,
scaffolding the assignment to direct student efforts, and setting up the
online module in stages. Includes examples and templates to help teachers
get started.Webmonkey
for Kids -- If you want to teach kids HTML, here's a good starting point,
says the Blue Web'n review. Webmonkey for Kids includes HTML and Web design
lessons, project ideas and templates, and a guide for parents and teachers.Teaching with
Historic Places -- Using listings in the National Park Service's National
Register of Historic Places, this site offers lessons and resources that
support history, social studies, geography, civics, and other subjects.
The lessons are based on historic sites and include readings, images, questions,
and ideas for extension activities. InQuiry
Almanack -- A monthly magazine for students who do research on the Web.Exploring
Ancient World Cultures -- This site might be a little challenging
for early middle school level but would be an excellent site for teachers
to use in planning lessons. It includes information on the Ancient Near
East, AncientIndia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Ancient
Rome, Early Islam and Medieval Europe.The Science
of Hockey -- From the Exploratorium - this one will fascinate
sports nuts. Students can explore the science of hockey, from fast or slow
ice to diet and fitness. And check out the newest sports entry: The
Science of Baseball.Funbrain.com
-- Thinking games involving math, spelling, writing, etc. at different
levels of difficulty. Middle schoolers can select the 11-14 section or go
for 15 & Up!What
Forces Affect Our Weather -- This rich site from the CPB/Annenberg Learner
Online Exhibits Collection showcases one of America's favorite topics --
the weather. Starting with The Atmosphere, the site takes users through:
The Water Cycle, Powerful Storms, Ice and Snow, Forecasting, Our Changing
Climate, and finally, Related Resources. Throughout the exhibit, links to
topically related pages from other notable sites together with hands-on
activities help users learn how wind chill factor works or how it might
feel to be a storm chaser. Includes links to dozens of weather-related sites.
(Scout Report)SMG 2000: The Stock
Market Game -- The Stock Market Game is an electronic simulation of
Wall Street trading, designed to help students and adults understand the
stock market, the costs and benefits involved in decisionmaking, the sources
and uses of capital, and other related economic concepts. Teams of students
in grades 4-12 compete against each other during the fall and spring semesters
of each year.Country
Studies -- This site is designed to give diplomats' families
in-depth information about countries they are headed to. It is above middle
school level but would be very useful for teachers or advanced students.
Detailed profiles of more than 90 countries.The
Otherness of the Past -- In commemoration of California's 150th year
of statehood, this Web site asks students to reflect on figures from the
state's early years to decide whether there is in fact an "otherness"
to the past, or whether our lives today merely carry on the saga. The site,
sponsored by Pacific Bell Education First and the California Council for
the Humanities, uses an interactive strategy to prompt this introspection.Math
in Daily Life -- This exhibit at the Annenberg/CPB project site helps
students explore how math can help us in our daily lives. "You'll look
at the language of numbers through common situations, such as playing games
or cooking. Put your decision-making skills to the test by deciding whether
buying or leasing a new car is right for you, and predict how much money
you can save for your retirement by using an interest calculator."California Shipwrecks
-- A nice collection of resources for actual or armchair underwater archaeologists.
The core of the site is a database of over 1500 California shipwrecks, searchable
by keyword in twelve fields. The other major feature at the site is an exhibition
on the wreck and recovery of the Brother Jonathan. The exhibit includes
the story of the ship and its specifications, a passenger list, a photo
exhibit of artifacts and video of the wreck, and some comments on the significance
of the archaeological remains. (Scout Report)Skywatching
from Earth & Sky -- Ever wish you had an experienced astronomer
standing by your side to guide you to tonight's sky? Meet Deborah Byrd "
author of this monthly Skywatching column. Each day's segment is designed
to guide your eye to something you can see that night, or the next morning
before dawn. It might be a constellation, a star, or a planet. Or it might
be a celestial event, such as an eclipse. (from Surfin' with Kids -- see
more astronomy links
there.) Core Knowledge
Curriculum -- Based on the work of E. D. Hirsch, Jr., a professor at
the University of Virginia and author of "Cultural Literacy: What Every
American Needs to Know" and "The Schools We Need and Why We Don't
Have Them." The site includes lesson plans, articles, and other resources.
Smithsonian
Without Walls -- The Smithsonian Institution has organized and produced
its first exhibit completely for the Internet. "Revealing Things"
uses common, everyday objects to tell stories about people, their cultures,
and the meanings they associate with their possessions." This site
is still a prototype, and it may not work on all systems.Math
in Daily Life -- This exhibit at the Annenberg/CPB project site helps
students explore how math can help us in our daily lives. "You'll look
at the language of numbers through common situations, such as playing games
or cooking. Put your decision-making skills to the test by deciding whether
buying or leasing a new car is right for you, and predict how much money
you can save for your retirement by using an interest calculator."California Shipwrecks
-- A nice collection of resources for actual or armchair underwater archaeologists.
The core of the site is a database of over 1500 California shipwrecks, searchable
by keyword in twelve fields. The other major feature at the site is an exhibition
on the wreck and recovery of the Brother Jonathan. The exhibit includes
the story of the ship and its specifications, a passenger list, a photo
exhibit of artifacts and video of the wreck, and some comments on the significance
of the archaeological remains. (Scout Report)Skywatching
from Earth & Sky -- Ever wish you had an experienced astronomer
standing by your side to guide you to tonight's sky? Meet Deborah Byrd "
author of this monthly Skywatching column. Each day's segment is designed
to guide your eye to something you can see that night, or the next morning
before dawn. It might be a constellation, a star, or a planet. Or it might
be a celestial event, such as an eclipse. (from Surfin' with Kids -- see
more astronomy links
there.) AllExperts.com
-- Volunteer experts answer all your questions about math, science, history,
philosophy, writing, and more! Good resource for homework problems -- previous
answers are archived at the site. "We harness the new instantaneous
nature of communications to create a new,Tennessee
Bob's Famous French Links -- This guide links to over 7000 French language
sites and French educational sites. Compiled by Bob Peckham, University
of Tennessee-Martin.The Dinosaur
Homepage -- Displays featured bones from the National Museum of Natural
History's large collection. Each photograph may be enlarged & comes
with a text. The bones can be viewed by dinosaur type & by time period.
The site also presents a geologic timeline, an anatomy lesson, & a discussion
of misconceptions about dinosaurs.The Drama
Teacher's Resource Room -- Includes lesson plans, production information,
links, and more. "Backstage at the Resource Room" offers articles
on costume, props, set design, lighting and scenic painting.Stories of the
Dreaming -- Developed by the Australian Museum, the stories come from
the cultures of Indigenous Australians and have been collected from all
over Australia. Some of the storytellers use words from their own languages
in telling their stories. Where possible, a direct translation is included
in the story or glossary. Institute
for Student Achievement -- The Institute for Student Achievement is
a not-for-profit education organization that works in partnership with public
schools to help at risk youngsters stay in school, advance successfully
from grade to grade and graduate to college and careers. Both COMET
(Children of Many Educational Talents) for middle school youngsters and
STAR (Success
Through Academic Readiness) for students in high school, were designed to
enable low performing secondary students to complete their education and
develop the skills required to be successful in college and or their careers.The Virtual
Cell -- Take a tour of the insides of a cell at this interactive Web
site. A variety of 3D models show the inner makeup of cell components. Users
can zoom in for closer views of each component, rotate them, and, for many
of them, cut them in half to see even more detail. The site also features
a chapter on cell biology in the format of an online textbook. The chapter
provides detailed descriptions, illustrations, and 3D animations. Lots of
graphics, but if you have the computer power to manage this site, it's a
great learning tool.Messages
from Outer Space Online -- Part of The Best Stories from Planet Earth
series from the Moon, Meteorites, and Solar System Gallery at the Smithsonian
National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Designed for grades
7-12, this Web site is the online companion to a live television broadcast
that explores the history and origin of our solar system and the unique
attributes of each planet within it. There are 13 online activities, along
with a virtual tour of the gallery and links to additional online activities
and resources related to astronomy. Students can also send e-mail to Smithsonian
scientists involved in the project.Evidence:
The True Witness -- Is this a cool site or what? More proof positive
that the ThinkQuest competition
is one of the most exciting learning activities on the Web. This site, developed
by three high
school students (one in California, two in Australia!), explores the
work of real detectives who use the methods of forensic science to solve
crimes. While it may be challenging for some middle schoolers, the great
graphics and helpful glossary make it extremely engaging. Not to mention
the talk of autopsies! Most information is accessible with popular browsers
but to fully participate in activities like handwriting analysis, you'll
need Netscape or Microsoft versions 4.0+ and Shockwave.Endangered
Species -- This curriculum article on the Education World website surveys
useful web-based materials about endangered species, including teacher and
student sites.Harnessing the Power
of the Web -- Shows K-12 teachers how to harness the power of the World
Wide Web as a tool for collaborative project-based learning. Tutorials and
guides on how to find exemplary projects, and how to develop and manage
your own project.EspanOle
-- A site for Spanish teachers and students studying the Spanish language.
Includes material on Spanish literature, arts, music, people, history, foods,
and countries. A related French Site is in its infancy but contains numerous
helpful links.Garbage
-- "How can my community reduce waste?" asks this site, inspired
by programs from the video series "Race to Save the Planet." At
this project site, students can learn about the waste disposal habits of
the average American and solutions to solve problems related to garbage
in the environment. Included are an interactive Hazardous Waste quiz, problem-solving
exercises, related resources, and much more. Elementary and middle school.History of the
Cherokee -- Covers the history of the Cherokee, beginning with the creation
of the world according to Cherokee legend. The site moves on to explore
pre- and post-Western contact, the Trail of Tears, the impact of the Civil
War on Cherokee lands, and more.Cinema:
How Are Hollywood Films Made? -- Inspired by programs from the American
Cinema video series in the Annenberg/CPB Multimedia Collection, "Cinema"
explores the creative process of filmmaking from the screenwriter's words
to the editor's final cut. Includes interactive activities from writing
dialogue to managing the production of a film. Middle and high school. The Role of
American Women in World War II -- In this WebQuest, students examine
the various roles of women in WWII, research the Internet, interview a WWII
survivor, then create and publish an oral history. Includes national social
studies curriculum standards. Developed by two high school students inspired
by this quotation: "Every time a girl reads a womanless history she
learns she is worth less."World War
II: An American Scrapbook -- Created by a team of fifth-graders, this
ThinkQuest Jr. Web site features students telling family stories about World
War II. Learn about Guadalcanal, rationing, what is was like on a destroyer,
and much more. Included are three lesson plans to use with the stories and
links to other WWII sites. Suitable for middle schoolers.Better
Book Reports -- "Tired of the same old book report formats? Or
worse, do your students grumble every time you mention them? Spice up those
old book reports with some new ideas." Education World offers 25 book
report ideas that teachers can use or adapt, including "cyber-reports."Satellites
-- Learn the what, why and how of man-made satellites, then build one of
three Java-based satellites with the interactive construction sets. Includes
information about Communications, Earth Remote Sensing, Weather, Global
Positioning, and gallery lesson plans. From the Tech Museum of Innovation
in San Jose, California.Crisis
in Kosovo: Web Resources for Classroom Lessons -- Background information,
maps, timelines, and cultural resources to help students understand what's
going on in Kosovo. Also see ABC's A
Beginner's Guide to the Balkans.The
Absurd Math Odyssey -- Embark on a challenging adventure game to free
an alien mathematical genius from the evil Powers 2B. In order to rescue
this free-thinking alien from his mind-controlling captors, visitors must
solve pre-algebra problems. This game is packed with hidden clues, mind
monitors (representatives of the evil regime), and tricky problems that
give would-be rescuers a run for their money. For the adventurous, a Most
Challenging Episode offers more difficult problems in logical reasoning.
(Recommended by the ENC
Digital Dozen.)eGroups -- Have
you ever wanted to set up an e-mailing list or online discussion group,
but didn't know how? eGroups is just the ticket: a free, easy to use discussion
tool that will help you set up and manage group communication. "eGroups"
automatically archives list messages, allows users to set their own preferences,
and even allows you to build a group calendar that can automatically send
reminders to the group for events on the calendar. This is a great tool
for classes, clubs, teams, special interest groups, and more. The site includes
advertising, but a small fee makes it commercial-free. (Blue Web'n)Independent
Novel Study -- A complete "tested" unit for the middle grades
by a Canadian teacher. Looks like a good one to us, but we'll let English
teachers be the judge of that.The Gene
School -- Can dinosaurs really be cloned from the DNA found in prehistoric
insects, as the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park would suggest? Most likely
not, asserts this Web site, which was developed by students as part of ThinkQuest.
The site provides a comprehensive overview of genetics content and history,
as well as interesting facts, real and virtual experiments, and links to
additional information. Visitors can learn about Mendel's experiments with
pea plants, DNA and cell reproduction, and applications of genetics, such
as cloning, gene therapy, and the Human Genome Project. One sample experiment
engages students in making a model of DNA using candy such as licorice and
gumdrops. (ENC Digital
Dozen)Free Natural
Science Materials -- The Waterford Press, a publisher of educational
materials in the natural sciences, offers a large section of free games,
activities, and quizzes that can be downloaded and printed easily.The Internet Public
Library's Youth Division -- Although at first glance the Internet Public
Library might look like just-another-Internet-directory-for-kids, IPL goes
beyond the mold with their fabulous original features. Follow your mouse
to the bottom of the page for features that include a tour of an auto factory
(So you want to make a car . . . ), a journey around the world (Culture
Quest) and a Science Fair Project Resource Guide. Teens
have a separate IPL division that includes a Dating and Stuff section. (Surfin'
the Net with Kids review.)Today
in History -- The Learning Kingdom website posts several short vignettes
about historical events that took place on today's date. The vignettes include
a link to more information and they are archived, beginning in December
1998.109: A
Visual Interpretation of the Table of Elements -- Provided by the chemistry
societies network, this new site offers an attractive and informative visual
interpretation of the periodic
table. Click on a element and get a brief description and history. Blending
the work of artists and chemists, the site features computer-generated interpretive
images, descriptions and histories, and a link to a PDF data sheet for each
of the 109 elements. Useful for teachers and students. (Scout Report)Favorite Poem
Project -- "Reading a poem silently instead of saying a poem is
like the difference between staring at sheet music and actually humming
or playing the music on an instrument," says U.S. Poet Laureate Robert
Pinsky. His Favorite Poem Project shares audio and video of people reading
their favorite poems, and invites readers to send in their favorite poems
with a few sentences about why it is special to them. Students are invited
to participate, and this could be a springboard for classrooms to develop
their own favorite poem web sites. (Blue Web'n review.)Radio
Days -- Students use the Web to research the "Golden Age of Radio"
as a playwright, Foley artist (sound effects specialist), or advertising
executive. After researching, students regroup and create their own radio
drama on an audiocassette tape. (Designed for middle grades.)China:
An Ancient Country in a Modern World -- Opportunities for teachers to
introduce students to the history and culture of China and its people. Lesson
plans and links to many resources, including Chinese
History for Beginners. (Education World resource.)DNA From the
Beginning -- Provided by the Human Genome Project, this site is "the
world's first online, animated genetics primer - that takes a person from
basic concepts of inheritance through up-to-the minute methods of DNA analysis."
Specifically aimed at teenaged users without scientific backgrounds, the
site has terrific potential for use in junior high or freshman-level biology
courses. Requires RealPlayer, Shockwave, and Javascript. (Scout Report)On-Line
Mentors for New Teachers -- The "Teacher Talk" website is
experimenting with a new e-mail mentoring program that promises to match
beginning teachres with experienced colleagues. The "Mighty Mentors"
program is looking for mentors and mentees. The site will post biographical
information about mentors, allowing mentees to match themselves with an
appropriate e-mail correspondent. Give it a try -- and let us know how it
worked out. Free registration at site. 
The Guide
to Math and Science Reform -- This searchable database contains information
on projects, resources, and organizations that are devoted to improving
K-12 mathematics and science education. Searches can be conducted using
a variety of criteria, including type of initiative, content focus, location,
and special emphasis. The site also contains a calendar of events and a
section of feature articles. (Developed by the Annenberg/CPB Projects.)
Mathematics
Lessons That Are Fun, Fun, Fun! -- This site includes 15 mathematics
lessons ranging from math puzzles to algebra and geometry. Sample lessons
include Calendar Fun, in which students use a simple algebraic formula to
determine which four days add up to a given sum. In The Hot Tub, students
are asked to interpret data from a graph to tell a story. On the front page,
lesson descriptions are available simply by placing the cursor over each
title and reading the details that appear in the boxes below the title list.
You'll find something here you can use!
What
Good is Math? -- April is "math month" and what better way
to recognize it than a visit to this site, which offers some practical examples
of math's usefulness. Take a look at how math is used in: art, school grades,
shopping, sports, party planning, road trips, and money management.
The
Math Circle -- A group of courses designed for students who enjoy math
and want the added challenge of exciting topics that are normally outside
the school curriculum. Its teachers are experienced, committed, and enthusiastic.
Inspired by a program at Northeastern University.
Plane
Math Activities -- A blend of aeronautics and math, these nine airplane
activities for elementary and young middle schoolers are excellent illustrations
of real world math.
Exploring
Math Data -- Math teachers will find a rich variety of resources they
can use to help students explore and manipulate data. Part of Swarthmore's
Math Forum site, the data area includes a special section for students in
grades 5-8.
Right-handed
or Left-handed? -- A class experiment and data-gathering exercise.
Blankety-Five
Squared -- Teaches students to square two-digit numbers that end in
five, using step-by-step examples. Includes a challenge game that rewards
"skill and speed." Also see the "11
Times" page for a fun way to quickly multiply two-digit numbers
by eleven.
Math in the
Middle --Developed with federal and state support, Math in the Middle
uses videotapes and interactive media to engage students in math problem-solving.
The integrated approach draws on music, oceans, design, motion, and nature
to explore connections between pre-algebra concepts and music, science,
art, and social studies.
Do Math! --And you
can do anything! That's the central message of this new site, developed
by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. It includes age-specific
mathematical activities that children can do with their families and on
their own. When we visited, the Gr. 6-8 page included 10 problems. The answers
are available but they aren't given up easily!
The TIMSS
Middle Grades Math Test -- You'll have to exert a little effort to use
this site (unless you have ShockWave already installed in your internet
web browser), but the "TIMSS On-Line Challenge" is a terrific
opportunity to try your hand at middle grades math questions used in the
Third International Math and Science Study. The site features colorful cartoons
and a state-of-the-art presentation system that allows visitors to choose
grade- and difficulty-levels.
Digital
Dozen in Math and Science -- We regularly steal new links from the Eisenhower
National Clearinghouse's monthly Digital Dozen list. If you want to cut
out the middle-man, you can go directly to the ENC list each month. MiddleWeb
was a featured site for January 1999!