Web+Site+Reviews

Jenelle Smith

[] Passport to Knowledge is a series of interactive learning adventures connecting essential Life, Earth, Space and Physical science concepts with exciting real world phenomena. P2K uses a powerful, integrated suite of video programs, hands-on activities and online resources. The site is geared for middle school level students, but I do use it with the SmartBoard with my students as a small group activity.

[] NetSmartz® is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet.

[] The museum of science, art, and human perception. Eighteen-thousand award-winning Web pages exploring hundreds of different topics. Resources include extensive digital library, online activities, hands-on activities, experiments, exhibitions, webcasts, science news, etc. Currently serving 20 million visitors a year, this is one of the most visited museum Web sites in the world. The grade levels vary and depend on the activity.

[] Benjamin Franklin’s Guide to the U.S. Government. This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. These resources will teach how our government works, the use of the primary source materials of // GPO Access //, and how one can use // GPO Access // to carry out their civic responsibilities

[|http://www.primarysourcelearning.org] Browse primary sources that teachers have used with students, teach primary source-based learning experiences from the Teaching Materials Collection. Learn through primary source-based online activities and samples of student projects. Design learning experiences using MyPortfolio. The grade level is mid-elementary school through high school, but can be easily adapted to meet the needs of the teacher and learner.

[|www.aaamath.com] AAA Math features a comprehensive set of interactive arithmetic lessons. Unlimited practice is available on each topic allowing thorough mastery of the concepts. A wide range of lessons (Kindergarten through Eighth grade level) enables learning or review to occur at each individual's current level.

[] Play exciting games in the game room, test your math skills with flashcards, try the math word find puzzle, create and print your own set of flashcards, print worksheets to practice, use the homework helper to check homework solutions. Geared towards elementary level students.

[] Includes chapters about animals, birthdays & holidays, books, the environment, geography, language, mythology, nations, numbers, population, religion, science, sports, technology, the United States, and weights & measurements, disasters, and museums. Also includes games and records.

[|www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org] The Colorado Virtual Library is a collaborative project of the Colorado State Library and the Colorado library community providing the residents of Colorado access to the information resources of the libraries in the state of Colorado. Includes links for teachers and students with extensive Internet resources, digital photograph collections, historic newspapers, databases, interlibrary loans, lesson plans, and Ask Colorado (chat live with a librarian anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except major holidays).

[|www.starfall.com] The Starfall reading program is designed to be fun, exciting, and to instill confidence in young children (or emerging readers) as they learn to read. The website and companion printed materials are clear and effective tools to help you implement proven teaching methods. The focus is on phonics and phonemic awareness. There are many interactive educational games with corresponding printable or orderable teacher materials.

[] Activities to help students gain technological fluency and expand their minds through playful learning; they can design and animate characters, make their own digital cards, invent games, and more. This sight is for children in primary grades.

[|www.iknowthat.com] Activities offered in the major subject areas for the elementary grades: math, language arts, science, social studies, and the arts. All the iKnowthat.com activities are based on educational standards and cover hundreds of topics.

Jenelle, The two sites that seemed the most interesting to me were the NetSmartz site and the Guide to the US Government site. The NetSmartz site is excellent to share with students. It seems beneficial to have it organized according to age and/or status. The links for younger children, teachers, law enforcement, allow for the site to be applicable to a wide range of students and people. It is an attractive, fun, and welcoming site from the start. What a great way to teach kids about safety. I also really liked the Government Guide. It is handy to have the site devised into age group. It is amazing that even in Kindergarten we can teach students a lot about how our government works. This would be great for any age group and for special education as one can navigate the site according to learning ability. Maggie Bergant

I like aplusmath. I really like the idea of the "homework helper" where the student can input their problem and the solution they came up with and see if their answer is correct. If the student's answer is correct it tells them so and if it's not correct it says, "sorry. try again". It would be awesome if a wrong answer would prompt a series of "hints" or even tutorials that could guide the students to identify where they went wrong and how to fix it. I think the basic algebra information on this website would also work well for middle school students. or even as a "refresher" for high school students who are struggling with algebra concepts. Mary Ruff

Rita Kerr-Vanderslice Web Site Resources Assignment

Janelle, The exploratorium site is the one which grabbed my attention. Did you know if you weigh 145lbs on earth you only weigh 24lbs on the moon but 341lbs on Jupiter. Just in case you were planning on moving. This site has such a spectrum of activities that you are bound to fins something that a child of various ages or interests would be excited about. On "a plus math" there is a math link to wyzant. com. This site is comprehensive, one must move through many menus, yet once you arrive on your specific topic it is clear and well laid out.

Julie Emmons

1. [|Times Machine] – High School United States History – informational student use This is a feature of the New York Times website that allows you to look at any archived New York Times edition from its founding in September of 1851. This would be a great way to have students explore modern US History through news documents. You could perhaps have students work in groups and assign them an important historic event and then see what the coverage for that day was like. This could help students tap into the emotions and perceptions of the time period better than a history textbook. http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/browser

2. [|Smithsonian Collections] – High School Social Studies – informational student use/teacher use This site allows student or teachers to view historical artifacts in current or archived Smithsonian exhibitions. As a teacher resource, this site provides great primary source documents are artifacts to incorporate into lessons. For students, this site is a great way to get a closer look at an area of interest. http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections

3. [|Primary Source Documents]– High School United States History – informational student use/teacher use The Our Documents website allows students to get up close and personal with the historical documents of our nation’s history. They can read the original text of hundreds of documents that have shaped our nation. This is a great opportunity to explore with students the importance of primary source documents to studying history. www.ourdocuments.gov

4. [|History Channel] – High School History – interactive/informational student use The History Channel site allows students to view videos on a variety of historical subjects. This is a great way to show them that not all research has to be done using written sources, but that videos, interviews, etc. can provide us with valuable information as well as long as they come from recognized and historically accurate sources. This site also provides games and quizzes for students to test their knowledge of a historical topic. www.history.com

5. [|PBS] – All levels History – informational student use PBS also has a variety of video and written information that goes indepth on a particular topic. This site would be great to use for student research as well as to enhance a lesson through video. The PBS site also has great games and activities for younger children focuses in a variety of academic areas. www.pbs.org/topics/history

6. [|BBC for Kids] – Elementary and Middle School History – interactive The BBC is a wealth of information, but their historical site for kids is full of fun games and activities that take kids back in time to an area of interest. This would be a great way to give kids a fun introduction to an era or topic such as the Vikings. It doesn’t have a lot on US History, understandably, but the resources are great nonetheless. www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids

7. [|Biography] – High School History – informational student use Very similar to the uses one might have for PBS or History Channel resources, though Biography specifically looks at individual in our history. These portrayals are a great way to give historical figures a human face and to look indepth at their motivations and background. www.biography.com

8. [|IPL] – Middle School History – informational student use This site provides a comprehensive set of information regarding the presidents of the United States. This would be a great resource for a Middle School class doing a project on presidents. Information is clearly laid out, including details about exact election results, major accomplishments, etc. www.ipl.org/div/potus

9. [|Fact Monster] – Middle School Geography – Informational student use This site is an atlas site that allows students to zoom in on any area of the world and learn about that region’s geography, history, etc. It’s a fun way for students to explore basic geography and a neat way for them to orient themselves to the world they live in. www.factmonster.com/atlas

10. [|American Library of Congress] – Middle School History – Interactive This site might be my favorite of all. The site has a number of fantastic interactive features, including quizzes, games, as well as tons of information. It also includes music, videos, and mysteries to keep kids stimulated and interested no matter their learning style or major interests. A really neat resource! [|www.americaslibrary.gov]

I was curious about the BBC Kids site. I think it's a great find! I was a little disappointed that I couldn't hear the audio or view the videos. It said that it wasn't available in my area. Did they work for you? ~Stephanie

I really like the idea of using Times Machine in the classroom. It would be an excellent history tool to pull up any archived article from the paper's history. I also liked that it featured the article for "100 years ago today". It would be interesting for students to see how the world has changed, or how things have remained the same after 100 years. I could not look much on the site however because it says that one would need to subscribe in order to do so. How do you use this site in your classroom and do you have one subscription and share it with the students? Like Stephanie, I could not view the videos on the BBC site. I am not sure if it is a problem with the site itself or with my area. ~Maggie Bergant

Dear Mystery poster,

//The Times Machine// is a true representation of how technology can really bridge the gap from past to present. The ability to view a newspaper from over one hundred years ago is amazing in itself and now those facts and imagery come to us anywhere we can access the internet. Did a little catching up on the sinking of the Titantic. //Our Documents// can be an introduction to what some of the documents of our country are and eventually lead up to detailed inspection and analysis of specific texts. Strong teaching tool for high school students. Both the //BBC// site and the //American Library of Congress// are fact centers, which contain a enormous amount of information. Much time could be spent planning lesson off of and around either one of these sites. Some good finds. Thank you for searching.

//Julie Emmon's Web Site Posting:// //__**Interactive**__// //Destination Modern Art:// //Art History// //K-6// //Interactive// //Destination Modern Art is an animated exploration through two of New York City’s well know Contemporary Art Centers: The Museum of Modern Art and PSI Contemporary Art Center.// //[]//

//Picasso Head:// //Drawing/Collage// //K-12// //Interactive// //Picasso Head allows the user to create their own Picasso styled painting by dragging and dropping various shapes and imagery onto a blank canvas. The user may add color, alter the objects relationship to one another in space, and view others work in the “gallery”. In addition the final work may be saved and emailed to your favorite collectors!// //[]//

//Jackson Pollack:// //“Painting”// //K-12// //Interactive// //The Jackson Pollack website allows the user to create splattered-paint-imagery using the mouse and/or keypad of their laptop or ipad. There are not many bells and whistles to this site, but you do not need them. The joy is watching the movement of your fingertips become form on the screen, an ingenious and clever design by Miltos Manetas.// //[]//

//Kaleidoscope Drawing Site:// //Drawing// //K-12// //Interactive// //Myoats is a “community where people create designs using an online drawing application. These designs can be rated, downloaded, and archived.” The most liked designs are featured on the home page. The application creates designs, which follow a traditional kaleidoscope pattern, making this a unique and playful drawing activity for all ages.// //[]//

//__**Informational Resources**__//

//Link to Interactive and Instructional Art Sites:// //Studio Art /Art History// //Resource: Student and Teacher// //K-8// //The educators of The Roanoke Public School System created a sample of various interactive and instructional websites available for art education. Due to the simple and limited selection of links, this site is a great starting point to explore the options of online art education.// //[]//

//Incredible Art Department:// //Art// //Resource: Teacher and Student// //Educators and 9-12// //Incredible art department is nothing short of amazing. As an educator, it may be the one-stop-shop for all of your online art needs: lesson plans, supplies, community resources, links, job postings, blogs, and even a section for pet peeves! You may want to take some time to explore this site, there is a lot here.// //[]//

//Flashcard Machine:// //Art History// //Resource: Student// //9-12 & College// //Flashcard Machine is a user-supported website containing flashcards for various subjects, which may be used online or printed out. Under the category of art history there are thousands of images, all of which are broken down into various time periods and courses of study. When I was in school in Montana we had to walk to the art department, through the winter snows, in order to review the slide table for the up coming history exam. What a tool this site is for students and teachers of the 21st Century.// //[]//

//Banksy:// //Street Art// //Resource: Student// //9-12 & College// //Banksy is an an anonymous British graffiti artist, political activist, and painter. Over the last 30 years he has been making “satirical” work, throughout various nations, commenting on global policy as well as our conception of what graffiti is. This is a platform, especially for teens, to the power of an individual’s “voice” and how that can be harnessed, as a tool, for social change. Many kids illegally “tag” public and private spaces without skill or thought. Banksy’s work introduces historical and political concepts as well as techniques and styles of painting. This is a means of connecting with students, while at the same time teaching them broader concepts and themes.// //[|http://www.banksy.co.uk]//

//The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles:// //Contemporary Art// //Resource: Teacher// //Educators// //Contemporary Art Start is a curriculum of contemporary art for educators working with grades 3-12. This site provides online tools. In addition a “hard copy” curriculum set can be purchased for the classroom. An important piece of art education (as is true for history) is maintaining a connection to the present: What is new in the art world and how does that relate to what has occurred in previously? One of the great tools, this site offers, is a list of questions for educators that will help facilitate a discussion around a particular work of art. The greatest challenge of studying art, may be knowing “how” to talk about it. This site offers some supports in that realm.// //[]//

//Asian Art Museum, San Francisco:// //Asian Art/Art History// //K-12// //Resource: Student// //The Asian Art Museum, Chong-Moon Center for Asian Art and Culture, in San Francisco, California, has an online informational resource containing art imagery, historical information, lectures, and YouTube videos on various themes. We have a great deal to learn about the lives of individuals from cultures and histories outside our own. Art provides a common language to understand others’ perspective, culture, and history. This site shares the diversity of Asian history and art.// //[]//

//Copyright 2011// //Julie Z Emmons 3/13/11//

I spent quite some time exploring picassohead. It amazes me the amount of resources that are out there just waiting for students and teachers to find them! I have a 14 year old who is very interested in art and she was excited to see some of the resources you've listed. Thank you! (My daughter thanks you as well). Mary Ruff

-Loved playing with Picasso Head! I would definitely recommend this site to my middle school art class and have them use it for the beginning of a project. I have enjoyed the sites you found. I look forward to using them in the future. ~Stephanie

The "Destination Modern Art" site is by far my favorite on here! I love the idea of bringing the art to the student rather than finding the time and money to bring the student to the art museum. With limited funds and resources it would be hard to take field trips. It is also important that students are able to learn about and from artwork that is located in all parts of the world. The interactive site is very appealing and I think all students would love to play on the site. The ability to look at specific works of art from specific artists allows students to make the tour their own. The site allows for students to learn facts about the artists themselves rather than just about the artwork. Picasso Head was also fun. I loved being able to create my own masterpiece. Your classroom will be such a fun learning environment! ~Maggie Bergant

** Web Site Resources- Mary Ruff **

1. ** Khan Academy online ** [] ** Subject area: ** Math, Science, Humanities, Test Prep ** Grade Level: ** Appropriate for elementary school to college level students ** Type: ** This site is informational for student use and includes links to interactive tutorials and practice areas via social networking sites like FaceBook and Twitter ** Description: ** Khan Academy online has a library of over 2100 instruction videos that have been created and posted on YouTube. Content ranges from elementary arithmetic to college level mathematics and science. Khan Academy is an excellent resource for students and teachers alike. The videos range in length from 3 minutes to 20 minutes and are organized in such a way that students are able to access specific topics quickly. An example I might use in class is the introductory lesson on implicit differentiation for high school or college Calculus. Students are also able to access a practice area via FaceBook that allows them to work sample problems in a video game format, with links back to additional instruction if they have difficulty answering the question. This resource has recently been the focus of news stories in Readers Digest and on NBC Nightly News. 2. **Math Forum** [] **Subject area:** Mathematics **Grade Level:** K-12 ** Type: ** Informational for student and teacher use ** Description: ** Math Forum offers a library of math concepts, an area designed for teacher development, a “problem of the week”, a community forum for teachers to discuss issues together, a math tools link, links to other resources, and an “ask Dr. Math” feature. Math Forum addresses many of the mathematical needs of students, teachers and parents. There are resources for homework help, professional development for educators and a library of concepts for parents and students. This website has won several awards too numerous to be listed in this summary, but can be viewed at the organization’s website []. 3. **AAA Math** [] ** Subject Area: ** Mathematics ** Grade Level: ** K-8 ** Type: ** Informational, interactive ** Description: ** AAA Math offers interactive lessons and a practice and review area. The website states that it includes an “unlimited practice” feature which allows students to work at their own pace in a non-threatening format. The interactive “practice” and “play” games are structured in a quiz-game format where users answer questions as quickly as they can. Unlike the Kahn Academy or Math Forum, AAA Math offers lessons both on the Internet and on a CD. It differs from them as well in the fact that some of their offerings must be purchased in order for students to access the full 2000 mathematic lessons. The cost for a “home” version for students is $24.95, for the classroom it’s $84.95 and is $240.95 for a school. On the home page, there is a notice stating that “due to heavy traffic a page may not load properly”. 4. **Cool Math** [] ** Subject Area: ** Mathematics ** Grade Level: ** K-12 ** Type: ** Informational, interactive ** Description: ** Coolmath.com is a very colorful site aimed at making math fun. There are lesson in various mathematic concepts from arithmetic to pre-calculus. Lessons are organized in an easily accessible manner and include links to additional information. There are areas for teacher information and for parents who wish to help their children be more comfortable with mathematical concepts and calculations. The parent page includes resources for getting a child ready for kindergarten, helping with homework, and a way to order printed Cool Math books. The interactive features are designed as various video games.

5. **Figure This** [] **Subject Area:** Mathematics **Grade Level:** 6-8 **Type:** Interactive ** Description: ** Figure This offers interactive math “challenges” for students. The site was created by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, in cooperation with the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, and is funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. Currently, there are 80 challenges available for parents and students to use to solidify math learning outside of school. The site includes a Family Corner and a Teacher’s Corner, both of which offer links to resources aimed at improving math learning for middle school students. The challenges are primarily in a question/answer format.

6. **Teach-nology** [] ** Subject Area: ** Mathematics ** Grade Level: ** K-12 ** Type: ** Teacher use ** Description: ** Teach-nology offers over 50,000 lesson plans across the curriculums, free printable worksheets, rubrics, teaching tips, math worksheets, worksheet makers and webquests. The site also offers links to other resources for teachers. It has several resources specifically designed for new teachers, such as grade leveled math worksheets. There are several interesting tools like the online game maker and graphic organizers. Teach-nology requires a membership for educators to access the content on their website. Memberships range in price from $29.99 for a Silver Membership to $49.99 for a Supreme Membership. Each level provides increasing access to the functionality available. 7. **Fun Brain** [] ** Subject Area: ** Mathematics, Reading, Literacy ** Grade Level: ** Pre-school – 8th grade ** Type: ** Interactive ** Description: ** Funbrain offers free educational games, online books, and comics. Funbrain also offers more than 100 fun, interactive games that develop skills in math, reading, and literacy. Additionally, students have access to a variety of books and comics on the site, including  Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amelia Writes Again, and Brewster Rocket. There is also a feature called “Playground” that is designed to help parents introduce their preschooler to the Internet and how to use a mouse and keyboard. The interactive games are highly varied and appeal to the interests of the grade levels; for instance, there is a math baseball game, Mathcar racing, and line jumper. ** Subject Area: ** Mathematics ** Grade Level: ** K-5 ** Type: ** Interactive and informational ** Description: ** Math Cats is a collection of math games, quizzes, interactive projects and crafts. It also offers math explorations, trivia, and classroom activities. This site also has a section called “4 Older Cats” designed for teachers and parents that gives tips on assisting students in concept mastery. Math Cats has received several honors and awards for their unique interactive website. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has recommended Math Cats in three issues of its NCTM News Bulletin and online Web Bytes pages, for the months of April 2006, October 2003, and September 2001. 9. **Math** [] ** Subject: ** Mathematics ** Grade Level: ** 6-12 ** Type: ** Informational, interactive ** Description: ** Math.com has information on subject ranging from Algebra to Calculus and Trigonometry. There are examples of problems, lists of formulas and links to other resources. The site also has tips on finding a math tutor: what to look for, where to look and what to ask. For students who may not have calculators available for their specific needs, there is a “calculator and tool” link that has a simulated version of the device that students can use online. The interactive game area has several logic and board games from all over the world that use a math base but also offer historical and cultural information about the games. 10. **Purple Math** [] ** Subject: ** Mathematics ** Grade Level: ** 9-12 ** Type: ** Informational for students ** Description: ** Purple Math is primarily focused on helping students get a better understanding of basic algebra concepts. They offer tips on homework completion, likely “trick” questions and common mistakes students tend to make. Information is organized by Preliminary concepts, Algebra, Advanced Algebra, and introduction to Trigonometry. There are no games on Purple Math, only written lessons. However, the site does offer reviews of other math websites for students who are looking for interactive games or online math tutoring.
 * 8. Mathcats ** []

All of the interactive sites could be used in the classroom as a supplement to direct instruction. Students who need a challenge can also work on some of the more challenging interactive games and explore concepts beyond those covered in class.

I am so excited about finding the Khan Academy site in your resource list! What an amazing resource! I am off to explore more. Thanks Mary! ~Stephanie

Mary, I love the Khan Academy. I remember seeing this on one on the wiki earlier and I passed it on to everyone in my building because I was so impressed with its comprehensiveness. It even works at school and I have had the students refer to certain links when they need a quick review of a skill. The Math Cats site was interesting. There were several concepts or skill sets that were on accessible from my home computer which makes me wonder if it will work at work. Does have some neat applications though.

Jenelle

=**Maggie Bergant Web Site Reviews**:= [] [|“Bonour! Learn French Online”] This site great is for informational-student use in the French 1 through the beginning of French 2 levels of French language acquisition. The content of this site is mainly listening to phrases within context. There are multiple sections corresponding with introductions, the alphabet and numbers, traveling, going to the bank, and many more real world situations. The student may pick the section related to the area of study and listen to a speaker with a French accent pronounce the words and phrases. There are also simple phonetic spellings for students to aid them in learning how to pronounce French. With the phonetic aid and the voice of a native speaker, students can use this site as a guide and practice for pronunciation. [] [|“Learn French” at Learn Language.com] This site can be used by students from the French 1 level through any French 2 and 3. The content of the site is in for informational-student use. Found within the site are links to French words, French sayings and phrases, French verbs, and video blogs. Each link leads to a number of categories for students to choose from. The list for French words allows for students to learn the words for different animals, clothes, colors, pets, music, nature, sports, military, and a plethora of other categories. Students can learn French slang, common phrases, and survival phrases under the phrase category. There is also a category to help with learning and memorizing hundreds of common French verbs. The site is set up so students can choose any topics of interest that are valid and applicable to their personal lives. They are set up as flash cards with the correct audio pronunciation so students can acquire vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation all in one. [] [|Digital Dialects: French Language] This site can be used for French 1 and 2 students. This is a site for instructional-student use as well as an interactive site for students. There are sections on food, animals, clothing, verbs, verb conjugation, colors, units of time, etc. Every section comes with an instructional guide as well as an interactive game. Students can play the games of identifying objects or completing grammar points after having learned and understood the instructional aspects of the site. [] [|Word Reference, Online Language Dictionary] This is an informational/instructional website for teachers and students of all levels in French language classes. Students can look up any word in French or English and find its other language counter-part. Students also have the ability to look up the conjugations of verbs. There is also a forum where French language learners can ask questions about phrases or idiomatic phrases which cannot be located in a dictionary. Native French speakers and French teachers frequently answer the forum questions and aid language learners with understanding the language. [|http://www.lsfrench.com/beginners2.html] [|“Learn French Online”] This is an interactive website with instructional-student content. It can be used for beginning French through French 2. There are lists of topics and conversational points that go along with instruction. Along with each individual lesson and grammar point there are games students can complete. The site is small and easy to navigate and covers many subjects such as: greetings, family, numbers, nationality, time, holidays, colors, and many more. It would be a great site to accompany class curriculum and to reinforce lessons. [] [|“Voyage Virtuel”] This is an instructional and interactive site for advanced French students. It is all in French so it would only be suitable for French 3/Civ. students or those who are independent study. The site allows for students to learn about the cities, towns and geography of France. The map on the page allows for students to click on certain towns and view photos, as well as it allows for students to read and learn about the local populations, attractions, and traits of each area. There are also links on the page which discuss French architecture and tourism. It is a virtual tour of France presented with basic French language which allows for a language and cultural lesson all in one. [] [|“Language Guide Francais”] This site is an instructional-student content site that is also somewhat interactive. It would be good for any French student from French 1 up to level 3. There are sections on virtually any topic such as home life, school, writing, body, sports, and many more miscellaneous topics. Each section pulls up graphics and lists which voice the correct pronunciation and identification when scrolled over. For the intro-level student it would be a great site for helping to acquire vocabulary and understanding of spoken French and syntactics. For the higher level French student it would be great for refreshing and improving pronunciation and interpreting skills; each voice-over is done in a native French accent. [] [|“Internet Activities for Foreign Language Classes”] This site is a resource for foreign language teachers. It is set up with lesson plans and online activity ideas for French and Spanish teachers. The site is extremely useful as it separates lessons by language and skill level. There are numerous lesson plans and project ideas for French at all levels. Each plan lays out a list of materials, the site one will need to complete the assignment, the tour or task to be simulates, and sample questions and tasks students should be able to complete and understand by the end of the assignment. [|http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/edwor.htm#french] [|“Resources and Lesson Plans for World Languages”] This site is one for teacher resources. It compiles many different sites and lesson plans all in one. As a teacher of world languages, one can search this site and find lesson plans for French classes in levels ranging from 7th grade up to the beginning and advanced levels in high school. Teachers can locate lesson plans for assignments that are interactive and online, as well as some others that require more work done without the computer. [|http://www.literacycenter.net/lessonview_fr.php#] [|“Literacy Center.Net: The Early Childhood Learning Center”] This is an information-student content site that is also interactive. It is generally for younger children but will be useful for the French language beginner. French 1 classes could make use of this site. There are small lessons on colors, animals, shapes, numbers and more. Students can play matching games while hearing an actual French speaker pronounce the words. This site would be great for a beginner’s vocabulary acquisition and pronunciation development.

Stephanie Amos Website Resources ED 520

[|Kidsknowit] - An excellent educational website for students to enhance their knowledge in [|science], [|math] , [|history] , and [|spelling]. This site is //interactive// offering educational movies, songs, games, facts and quizzes. Suitable for grades K-6. I would use this website for all subjects in teaching my elementary ELL students. [|Exploratorium] -The Exploratorium is an amazing website that brings museums of //science//, //art// and human perception into your own home or school by way of the World Wide Web. This site is //interactive// offering hands on activities, online exhibits, and videos as well as a source of information for students and teachers. Suitable for grades 7-12. Here is a [|link] to a fun lesson in light painting that I would teach to an 8th grade art class. [|Starfall] – Starfall is a great website for elementary students who are learning the alphabet and how to read. It teaches children using phonics and phonemic awareness practice to students ranging from K through 2nd grade, special education and English language development to ELL/ESL. I was extremely excited to find the [|art gallery] which represents six different master artists and integrates art into the reading curriculum. [|PBSkids] – Pbskids is an educational website that caters to younger children. It is //interactive// using games and videos. [|Story factor] was one area that I found would be useful in teaching kindergartners how to write stories. [|PBS] also has a link for a teacher that is a great resource for lesson plans. The areas of study include the arts, health and fitness, math, reading and language, science and social studies and cover grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. [|Scholastic.com] – Scholastic has a very resourceful website for students. It offers online activities by grade (PreK-12) and subject (language arts, social studies, science, math, and ELL). It uses interactive whiteboards, video, audio, games and writing activities. I liked this [|interactive game] combines recycling and grammar and would use it for elementary ELL review lesson. [|Enchanted Learning] – Enchanted Learning is a resourceful site for students offering activities and worksheets. Each lesson has an estimated grade level, most all of them for the elementary grades (K-6). I liked the printable worksheets that resembled mind maps. This one on [|adjectives] I would use in my ELL class. There are free activities offered, but to utilize the full website there is a fee of $20/year. [|ESL America] – ESL America is an interactive website for students offering videos and audio. The website is a compilation of lessons from various resources including YouTube, esl-lab.com, and focusenglish.com. There are three levels of learning: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. Lessons are focused on the ELL but would also benefit younger learners in reading, writing, grammar, pronunciation, and conversation. (K-12) [|Artsology] – Artsology is an interactive website for students that offer games, videos, and investigations. Topics that are covered include visual arts, music, and literature. Most of the lessons are for students in grades 5-12, but there is a Jr. Artsologist section that is geared towards younger children and pre-teens. I would use this [|article] on hyper realism for art students in a 9th grade art class to introduce sculpture and the different medias that can be used. [|Literacy Center] – The Literacy Center website is a resource that young ELL students might find helpful in the beginning of learning the English language. The site is interactive where children listen to sounds that letters in the alphabet make as well as learning shapes, numbers, colors, and words. The site is made for preschool children, but I would use it in my ELL classes (K-2). [|Many Things] – Many Things is a great website for teaching ELL. It is an interactive site that uses videos, quizzes, games, and puzzles. The subjects that are taught include vocabulary, speaking, grammar, listening and reading, and writing. One of the areas that were of interest to me is the biography section where students can listen to biographies of important people in different fields of study. This site could be used for the early language learner (1st grade) to the older student (12th grade).

My 5th grade son came and watched over my shoulder while I was playing with "Exploratorium". He was immediately drawn into the video on the dissection of a cow's eye. I ended up letting him play with it for half an hour - it was great to watch him using the site and becoming excited about the subject! What a great way for kids to be able to learn along with their parents. This resource could be used to supplement classroom learning, or even to offer kids the opportunity to challenge themselves. Mary Ruff

Stephanie, My kids love PBSkids. There is some very kid appealing games but there are many that do not have much educational value. There are wonderful resources though for lesson plans and ideas for hands on opportunities. I have a subscription to Enchanted Learning as there is no curriculum for Special needs. With my students we often reteach the same lesson with repetition so many times that our students cannot keep up with the pacing schedule of the general education classroom and fall behind. Enchanted Learning offers some basic worksheets that can be used in conjunction with other off grade level curriculum to meet student needs. I loved the Exploratorium, even though it is not geared for students in my grade levels. I am forwarding this site to my work email, hopefully it will work at work. I also liked the Kidsknowit site because of the educational songs. I have one student in particular does so much better learning things with music.

Jenelle

= Latosha Tyler =

Educational Website Reviews (Focus: All grade levels and Special Education Needs)

1. Funbrain [|http://www.funbrain.com]

For grades K-6 and Teachers (Interactive) Funbrain is a cool interactive site that has a variety of games and activities that sets an imaginative and creative atmosphere with integrated learning opportunities. This is one of my son’s (3rd grader) favorite sites that he first learned about from his 1st grade class. It generally covers, reading, grammar and math with games such as math arcade. This site also includes Proptropica which is a game where you can create your own character and use that character through interaction to beat levels, explore the world, and help fictional people through out the game. There is also a playground section and a movies section in this site as well. I can definitely see myself using this even in the special education field as a fun creative activity. The students can also access this site at home, as did my son, and there is also section for teacher resources as well.

2. Cool math [|http://www.coolmath.com]

Ages 3 and up (Informational and Interactive) This fun site focuses on math and is generally an informational site that provides math lessons and practice. This site use games and visuals to make learning math easy, fun, and cool which is expressed through one section called the amusement park of math. It covers a vast variety of math such as pre-algebra, algebra, pre-calc, and geometry. There is also lower level basic math which is why the user can be as young as 3. Because this site covers all ages, I can use this site for different levels of students with special needs for math.

3. Sheppard Software [|http://www.sheppardsoftware.com]

Pre-school/Elementary (Informational and interactive) I particularly love this site my son has learned so much using this site as well. There are games included which make it interactive, but more so this site is extremely informational. It covers the curriculum areas of the world, USA, math, science, health, language arts, animals, and nutrition. There are also articles and quizzes. This is an excellent site that can be used in for math classes, history, science, and other classes since it covers so much. I can definately see myself using this site in with certain special needs students.

4. Makebeliefscomix [|http://makebeliefscomix.com]

3rd grade/Elementary (Interactive) This was a site that my son learned about from his 3rd grade class as well. This site basically is what its title entails, to make comics. I believe this is suitable because it opens the imagination, while embarrassing creativity and descriptive writing. It also shows how comic books are written and made. I thought this site was awesome and can be used in writing classes. One special aspect to this site is that you can write in English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese or Latin, which is another exploration in itself with foreign language integration. I would use this site as a fun activity to promote visual, imagination, creativity, and descriptive writing at the appropriate level for a special needs student.

5. BBC-Dance Mat Typing []

Ages 7-11 (Informational and interactive) This is an informational site that teaches how to type while making it fun. It consists of 4 levels with each level divided into 3 stages. I like this site for elementary level students, to help promote typing ability. This would be awesome for a computer class, or integrated into another class.

6. Brian bop (Jr) [|http://www.brainbop.com]

K-3 (Informational) Brain bob is a curriculum based informational site. This is another site that covers a vast variety of subject areas such as science, social studies, math, arts and music, health, and engineering and technology. Brain bop Jr. covers K-3, while Brain Bop, covers above that. This site can be used in any class for any level of students, while also providing teacher resources as well such as video tutorials, best practices, and lesson plans. I would definately use this site at the elementary level because it can be used as an integration tool for other classes. I substituted for a SLIC class at the elementary level, and I could see this being an awesome site for them.

7. Kidsknowit Network [|http://www.kidsknowit.com]

All ages and grade levels Kidsknowit is an informational and interactive site because it provides learning information, while providing games and learning activities. One interaction tool is that you can create your own character to use through out the games. The subject areas include astronomy, history, dinosaurs, geography, spelling, memory, math, biology, and animals. This would be another awesome site to use for science class, history class, zoology class, etc. Depending on the level of students I have, would determine how I would use this site and for what. 8. 8.Cybrary Man’s Educational Website []

All grades (Teacher Resource) This site is an educational site for educators, students, and parents, and resource for teachers. There is a particular section or home page dedicated for special education where it includes such things as definitions of learning disorders, IEP goals, laws, rights, and behavior management. It also provides articles, information about Special Olympics, school psychologists, and special education SMART boards. Since my planned field is in Special Education, I am already looking into this site, and would continue to use this site as I further my education, licensing, and teaching.

9. Learn4Good []

Pre-K thru 8th grade (Informative) Learn4Good is an informational site that has a particular section called kids corner. The subject areas are languages, art, math, and science. This is an informational site that includes practice lessons. It starts at the pre-k level, which gives me the opportunity to be able to use this for some special needs classes as well. This would definately be a good source for a free time activity.

10. Starfall’s Learn to Read with Phonics [|www.starfall.com] (Informative) I love this site. As having been in a special education classroom, this would be absolutely perfect for English language development. This site targets ELD, ELL, and ESL students providing direct lessons in the aims to motivate in an atmosphere of imagination and enthusiasm. This site helps aid in teaching to read with phonics and is in conjunction with phonemic awareness practice. I have seen for example in a SLIC class where we were teaching using phonics and this site would be an awesome tool in the classroom. It is free and the students would also be able to use this at home which benefits the students and the help the parents in continuing practice at home. This site would be one of my top 3 sites to use as a special education teacher.

Latosha,

You have some good resources here. In my classroom (SLIC) we use Starfall.com regularly. It has some very nice cvc based stories that can be integrated with basic LmB group plans to reinforce and practice specific phonics decoding and fluency. While there are times I do allow some of these other websites such as Learn4Good, FunBrain and Cool Math there are lot of games on those sites that are far from educational. My kids earn these types of sites as privileges. I loved the Makebeiefscomix site. I have been working on bus behavior with many of the little ones and I think some of my older kids would really do well creating a comic strip for the younger kids discussing appropriate bus behavior.

Jenelle

Latosha,

I found myself wandering through the following three sites the longest: Starfall (learn to read), CoolMath and Make Believe Comix.

The Starfall site offered engaging activities for all areas of learning, this includes subject matter (fictional stories, factual histories, and art) which can spark interest for children with varied backgrounds and interests. In addition multiple learning styles' (auditory, visual, tactile...) are covered. The activities held my attention and stimulated various senses while teaching speech sounds and linguistics. The section with animated movies...a bit "cheesy" but I suspect the younger folks would dig it.

CoolMath held my interest. If you knew me better, you would know that I need not say much else to express the quality of this sight. They used language and a layout which simplified polynomials and managed to carry the steps through without losing me. For math this site is an enjoyable way to brush up on equations you have forgot, prep for an exam, or practice speed. But.......

Make Believe Comix takes the cake (and the coffee, too). I spent the good part of forty minutes playing around, moving characters, changing the size of rabbits and making outlandish comments in the bubbles. What fun. This is a great tool to engage the students with any subject matter (French Revolution) in an active playful way. The lesson could be to make a comic about the French Revolution: could be a literal narrative, comic interpretations and/or formal critique. Without the pressure of having to draw, the playing field is leveled and attention can be placed on subject matter, ideas, and layout. This may be where the comic, //commie bunnies// gets its first start.

Julie Emmons