Literacy, Science, and Math Interactives from WickED

http://www.wicked.org.nz/r/wick_ed/interactives/index.php

Here are some great interactives to help with teaching  literacy, science, and math concepts for elementary and middle school students. 

This is a site developed by the New Zealand Ministry of Education so you will see lessons in English and New Zealand's native language, Maori, which threw me at first, but students can learn a little about the culture in New Zealand as they brush up on the literacy and math skills.

For some great math skills practice and problem solving puzzles click on the Matho 1 link.

For earth science activities that explore volcanoes and earthquakes choose the Science link.

For reading activities chose the Literacy link which has spelling games, a newspaper activity, comprehension activities, and online quizzes.








 TIP:
When you first visit the site be on the lookout for a message at the top of your page in the INFO Bar where you will be asked to install a  Shockwave plugin.

Posted by Clare 4/07/11

April is Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month so I thought I'd share some poetry resources. There are so many wonderful sites available to assist with teaching poetry.   Robert Frost says, Poetry starts with a lump in your throat, so if you have ever had a feeling . . . then that qualifies you as a poet!

Begin with a great go-to resource: Scholastic.com. You will find links for poetry lesson ideas from many popular authors like Jack Prelutsky, the nation's first Children's Poet Laureate, Karla Kuskin, and Maya Angelou plus many more.

Some more poetry resources can be found on  the Edutopia  site posted by guest blogger Gail Desler. Here are just a few she mentions:

Visit Edsitement for a collection of classic authors and their poetry along with lessons and supporting websites. 



Visit PBS Poetry is Everywhere for  videos, biographies, and lesson ideas  relating to classic and contemporary poetry.

To write poetry using images visit PicLits

Happy writing!  

posted by Clare 4/04/2011

5 Games to Play in DyKnow Vision

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

5 Games to Play in DyKnow Vision

View more presentations from DyKnow.

Whiteboard Activities

Welcome Back! I hope your spring break was as enjoyable as it was short!
I just wanted to share a website that offers links to hundreds of educational whiteboard activities from a British learning resource called Birmingham Grid for Learning.

These are fun flash activities with impressive animation that cover core content areas plus other subjects as well. They are leveled, but since this is a British site keep in mind that their levels are a little different than our grade levels. Roughly speaking:
Foundation = PreK-Kdg
Primary = Kdg-4th grade
Secondary = 4th - 10th grade


Use the Search option to find an activity to fit your lesson.

Visit
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/15.cfm?s=15&p=247,index   for some terrific flash activities to help bring concepts to life!

3/29/2011

History + Music Videos = Fun!

Check out History For Music Lovers on YouTube

Anyone who teaches history will enjoy these great music videos on YouTube. These  videos, made by two very creative history teachers from Hawaii, are hilarious, educational, and engaging.
See how 80's pop tunes can be changed  into great history lessons that teach students important historical figures, dates,  and events.
Learn about important historical figures like Copernicus, Henry III, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon plus many more. Several  historical events are covered too, such as The Inquisition, The Crusades and The French Revolution, along with many others.  The catchy songs and clever images educate and entertain!
Go to
 http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers#p/u/39/bQ8A5gRe_Dw