This web site is arranged into broad categories: Observation, Science, Solar System, Stars, Our Galaxy, Cosmology, Astrobiology, Exoplanets, and Astrophotography. Each main category is grouped into sub-categories that cover such topics as constellations, astronomy tools, the solar system formation, stellar evolution, and more. Each of the topics includes a number of informative and illustrated essays with embedded links that lead to more information. Check out the Astrophotography section to see some professional photographs from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope at the top of Mauna Kea and some amateur images of the solar system, star clusters, nebulae, and more.
There are 36 video clips on photosynthesis in Learn 360, http://www.learn360.com that can be downloaded and then edited by students to create their own transformative work. This could be an interesting alternative to a written report or a unique way to explain a difficult topic.
The Jefferson Lab: Science Education site includes lesson plans, hands-on activities, games, and puzzles. Hands-on activities can be downloaded in pdf format and include a teacher overview, standards, lab pages, related activities, and sample answer keys. Also includes, video science lectures, and interactive math and science games. The math games such as Speed Math, Mystery Math, and the Place Value Game are a fun way for students to practice basic math skills.
This site engages students in problem based learning. The site is divided into four major sections: Activity, About Yellowstone, Images & Publications, and About YVO. The current activity section includes monthly activity updates and news about the volcanic system, including a Monitoring Data section that displays both real-time and non real-time data. The real-time data includes earthquakes, deformation (GPS), and hydrolic. The photo gallery provides an interactive image map of Yellowstone National Park. Locations are also listed below the map as hyperlinks for quick easy access. Pair this web site with any of the 25 videos on Yellowstone in Learn 360.
NBC provides guest access to the "Finishing the Dream" video series about the civil rights movement. It features more than 100 stories from the NBC News archives. A written transcript is displayed beside the video. It is divided into 10 thematic collections that allow teachers and students to explore the Movement from different perspectives--political, legal, sociological, and personal. The collections can be watched in their entirety or in clips, so they can be incorporated into any lesson plan. On Tuesday, May 17, look at the1954 interview with Thurgood Marshall on the steps of the Supreme Court discussing the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
An embeddable video widget is available on the site and will be updated monthly with new video content.
Historical Thinking Matters web site teaches how to critically read primary sources, how to critique and construct historical narratives, how to explore conflicting accounts of an event, and how to form reasoned conclusions about the past. It includes classroom materials and strategies, examples of student and teacher work, and supplementary sources. Resources for teachers include classroom materials and strategies, examples of student and teacher work, and supplementary sources. Combine this with DocsTeach from the April World of Media.
This web site uses documents from American Memory and activities to help students understand life in America from 1880-1920. Students examine documents the way historians do by observing details, drawing conclusions, and posing questions for further research. Investigations include immigration, women's suffrage, growing cities, industrialization, progressive reform, prairie settlement, child labor, and the representation of Indians. Students can use images from the collections and text they write themselves to create a gallery or a slide show.
These STEM Collaborative projects—Math By Design, Scale City, Proportion and Park, and Rock ‘n' Roll Road Trip—include hands-on simulations, videos, and interactive activities such as building a skateboard ramp, measuring a roller coaster, setting up a rock music tour. Students will put math concepts, such as geometry, algebra and proportional reasoning. The hands-on simulations, videos, interactive activities, and educator guides bring the learning full circle, engaging students in an immersive experience.
These standards-based lesson plans are research based and include an instructional plan,
worksheets, interactives, assessments, correlations to standards, interactive tools for reading and writing, and Web resources. The lessons make the connection between theory and classroom practice while providing assessments, correlations to national standards, and interactive tools to assist students with a reading or writing activity. Lessons can be sorted by grade level (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) and by three areas of literacy practice: learning language, learning about language, learning through language. All recommended Web resources have been reviewed and selected by educators. The International Reading Association and The National Council of Teachers of English developed all lessons and resources.
This is a rich resource for literacy development, creativity and critical thinking skills. The content is arranged into four major sections: teach, learn, manage, and volunteer. The teach section offers almost fifty free online courses to guide teachers in the best literacy instruction and lifelong learning habits. Activities, visual aids, and strategies for teaching ESL students, as well as podcasts and interactive teaching tools are included. It also includes lesson plans, interactive activities, and other online resources to enhance classroom instruction.
The FTC developed a web site to help students analyze and interpret advertisements through game play. It teaches core advertising literacy concepts. It includes lesson plans that are tied to national standards, sample ads, and teacher videos. The critical thinking skills it teaches can help tweens evaluate non-commercial messages, including editorial content and literature.
Teacher Hub has lessons written by teachers that pull in pop culture in all subject areas. It’s keyword and grade level searchable. While you won’t want to print the pdfs as worksheets every week, there are some interesting activities you can incorporate. Get daily updates with the phone app.
--Obama: writing a personal oath, budgeting, health care
--Lady Gaga: journaling and the price of fame
--Libya: NATO and previous military involvement
New videos have been added to this series on Learn 360, http://www.learn360.com. You can download the videos or link clips together in playlist to present a thematic unit.
Advances in medical technology
Behavior and addiction
Cutting edge medicine
East meets West
Exercise and the brain
Fitness and the mind
Dyslexia, smoking, and solutions
Health from around the world
Keys to prevention
Medical cause and effect
Past and present
Past remedies made new
Space—medicine’s newest ally
Technology and medicine
The truth about bottled water
Learn 360 has over 300 less-than-a-minute video clips that answer questions like:
How big was the biggest tornado ever recorded?
How big was the largest snowflake ever recorded?
How far can an egg be dropped without being crushed?
How long has someone’s hair grown?
How long was the longest lightening flash ever recorded?
In what country are you most likely to see a tornado?
Link the clips in a playlist—make it thematic and play it like a DVD.
Follow-up with the math for percentages, probability, conversions.
Use as a lesson starter for further research.
Use as a thinking prompts—what other information do we need to know?
Here is an update on the online databases that have been purchased (so far) for 2011-12. Note: Last year BookFLIX was provided only for K-6 schools in the Heartland service area. In the fall of 2011 it will be available to all grade levels making it an exciting resource for beginning readers of all ages.
These specialized online databases will supplement the core collection of periodicals, magazines, and newspapers available in Gale Academic OneFile and General OneFile.
Advanced Placement Source (EBSCO)
Education Research Complete (EBSCO)
History Reference Center (EBSCO)
Literary Reference Center (EBSCO)
Newspaper Source Plus (EBSCO)
NoveList K-8 Plus (EBSCO)
NoveList Plus (EBSCO)
Points of View Reference Center (EBSCO)
Science Reference Center (EBSCO)
Here is a running list of the online databases available a). statewide and b). databases for students, educators, and parents in the Heartland service area. Databases will be searchable with the one search feature in Com Cat, http://comcat-agent.auto-graphics.com. Heartland piloted several databases over the last couple of years that are now statewide. The databases with an * are new to the Heartland area for 2011-2012.
American History in Video [AEA11]
Advanced Placement Source (EBSCO) [AEA11]
AP Images [Statewide]
Atomic Learning [Statewide]
*Culture Grams [Statewide]
DE Science K-8 [AEA11]
Education Research Complete (EBSCO) [AEA11]
*Encyclopedia Britannica [Statewide]
*Gale Academic OneFile [Statewide]
*Gale General OneFile [Statewide]
History Reference Center (EBSCO) [AEA11]
iCLIPART for Schools [Statewide]
Learn 360 [Statewide]
Literary Reference Center (EBSCO) [AEA11]
Newspaper Source Plus (EBSCO) [AEA11]
NoveList K-8 Plus (EBSCO) [AEA11]
NoveList Plus (EBSCO) [AEA11]
Points of View Reference Center (EBSCO) [AEA11]
Science Reference Center (EBSCO) [AEA11]
SIRS Issues Researcher [Statewide]
Teen Health and Wellness [Statewide]
Educators can register for webinars to learn more about the database content and how the resources can be incorporated into teaching and learning.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online
Teen Health and Wellness