Web Wonders

Volume 32, Number 4, April 2005

best sites for classroom instruction

Joanne Troutner

In keeping with the "Best of the Best" theme for this issue, these excellent web sites for finding well-developed activities for classroom instruction are offered. Some can be shared with your fellow educators for professional development purposes. Several of the sites are sure to spice up classroom instruction as we continue toward the end of the school year. Enjoy!

Start by checking the vast number of free professional development resources found at the Annenberg/CPB site, www.learner.org/. Educators in grades K - 12 will find resources and workshops on teaching reading, writing, literature, history, and connections between art and various curriculum areas, as well as the other core subjects of math and science. Access to the video is available via Windows Media Player; make sure to have a broadband Internet connection if you plan to use this option. Registration is simple but required for free access. Several of these well-crafted workshops are also available for graduate credit. Keep your teaching skills current with this excellent resource.

Looking for a way to spice up your science classroom after that spring vacation? Then be sure to look at the North Carolina Aquarium site at www.ncaquariums.com/. The site features a Kid's Tank section with a coloring activity in addition to some Flash-operated learning activities. Older students will want to explore the conservation and research activities at the three different aquariums. In addition, a number of well-crafted FAQs provide information about exhibits, eastern seashore animals, and other water life. The use of Quick Time movies is certain to engage student attention.

Edheads' web site, www.edheads.org/, contains three superbly crafted activities for learners of all ages. Simple Machines helps elementary students practice their knowledge of incline planes, pulleys, levers, and other machines, engaging the learner through Flash-driven activities. The weather activity weaves math and science into weather prediction. Learners complete a virtual knee replacement surgery through the third activity, including the pre-surgery activities, and real-life pictures of such a surgery can also be accessed. This site makes the world of science and health an engaging, realistic activity. Those with reading difficulties will also find this an accessible site through the use of its audio and visuals.

There are also a number of Internet sites that help to enliven the social studies classroom. Start by viewing the McCord Museum's EduWeb, www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/eduweb. Here learners can access a database of 90,000 images relating to Canadian history, as well as six online games ranging from a simple quiz to deciding which object does not belong in the time period. Start with the Keys to History section to view the extensive number of thematic tours, access the visual database, and find a number of learning tools. Students can also develop their own web tours through the tools provided.

Continue the social studies exploration by visiting the political cartoon activities and resources housed at the U.S. Library of Congress web site, memory.loc.gov/learn/features/political_cartoon/index.html. Students can complete the activity that consists of labeling the symbolism, irony, exaggeration, and analogy found in each cartoon. Learners can also access more information about particular cartoons and the creators and hear expert opinions on what the creator meant to portray. This activity is well crafted to help learners understand the mechanisms used in any political cartoon.

Youngsters in grades 4 - 9 will find the Odyssey Online site, www.carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/MidElem_Home.html an excellent resource as they study the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and 19th- and 20th century sub-Saharan Africa. Resources from three art museums provide information about the archeology, daily life, death and burial customs, mythology, people, and writing. A number of artifacts can also be examined in detail. Online games are embedded in some of the exhibits.

Another complementary site for studying ancient countries is found at the British Museum, www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/world/world.html. Here older learners will find a wealth of online exhibits and links to various other sections of the British Museum. For example, the Near East options include a complete online exhibit, a virtual exhibit on the money of the area, and links to a vast number of other online exhibits where the Near East had influence. The only trouble with this superb site is limiting the amount of time spent at it!

Language arts teachers will find the Instant Poetry Forms at ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/Poetry.htm a delightful experience for capturing student interest when teaching poetry. Writers will find templates for a massive number of poetry types and forms; all the writer has to do is to input the ending of each line and then click on the create box. Concise prompts and additional questions are included for each line, and then the poem is compiled and printed. Each form page includes an example to help struggling writers, making this a user-friendly activity.

Another treasure trove of online writing and reading activities can be found at Read, Write, and Think, www.readwritethink.org/student_mat/index.asp. One example provides help for creating, writing, and proofing a comparison-and-contrast paper. Students are guided through the different options, provided examples of words that signal the comparison or the contrast, explained the use of graphic organizers, and provided an extremely well-done checklist for proofing their writing. Activities cover a wide range including alphabet writing, cartoon creation, literary elements, and other reading and writing tools. Teacher-librarians will want to make certain to take time to explore the vast number of options on this site.

Please contact me at troutner@mindspring.com with suggestions and ideas or check out my web site at http://home.mindspring.com/~troutner for other great sites. Also, please remember that when using addresses on the Internet you need to pay attention to upper and lower case letters and that addresses change rapidly. Thus, you may find the ones highlighted are different by the time you actually see this column in print.