Lesson Plans, Interactive Web Sites, and Other Good Ideas

Three sources on the web are highlighting some very good web sites for the classroom. Check out these resources for all grades--both elementary and secondary--and for teachers as well.


TEACHERSFIRST web site (http://www.teachersfirst.com/index.cfm)…

http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_home.aspx
Zero Footprint: Kids Calculator - Grades 3 - 8
What impact does your lifestyle—and that of your students--have on our environment? This interactive online calculator can help your students look at their use of natural resources, land, water, and trees after they answer questions about transportation, what they eat, what they throw away, what they use, and home and school. They can then compare their “carbon footprint” to the averages in other nations.

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1986/4/86.04.07.x.html
Painless Writing - Grades 3 - 9
This site has both old and new ways for teachers to get students writing painlessly. The procedures, lessons, prompts, and interesting combinations of approaches may be just what you’ve been trying to find.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/specials/2005/hurricane_katrina/default.stm
Hurricanes - Grades 1 - 8
Use an interactive whiteboard with this site’s animated guide to hurricanes to understand this type of weather. There are also quizzes, pictures of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction, reference information, and other helps.

http://www.history.org/media/interactive.cfm
Colonial Williamsburg Interactive - Grades 3 - 12
Your students will enjoy playing games and learning about Williamsburg at this interactive site. You can show coinage and Gilbert’s paintings. Looking at Queen Elizabeth’s visits to Williamsburg in 1957 and again in 2007 opens the door for examining the differences in our world over 50 years. You can even explore the Constitution interactively.


KDP ROUNDUP (http://www.kdp.org/)…

http://www.lessonplanz.com
Lesson Plans for Preservice and Beginning Teachers
Here’s a site which has thousands of free online lesson plans. You can search by grade or subject or both.

http://www.keepschoolssafe.org
Keeping Students Safe
Information about school safety from the playground to gangs is available at this site.

ANNENBERG MEDIA (http://www.learner.org/index.html)…

http://learner.org/redirect/march/view14.html
Annenberg Viewing Options
See an overview of Annenberg’s viewing options, including their free Video on Demand.

http://learner.org/redirect/march/aecl6.html
The Arts in Every Classroom: A Video Library, K-5
Integrate art, mathematics, and science.

http://learner.org/redirect/march/sim7.html
Surprises in Mind
This documentary looks at mathematical creativity and the brain. Art, architecture, music, and a 12-year research study all play a role in looking at instruction designed to help children use their natural mathematical inclinations.

http://learner.org/redirect/march/geom8.html
Learning Math: Geometry
View polygons, dissections, symmetry, and more.

http://learner.org/redirect/march/math12.html
Mathematics: What's the Big Idea?
Examine the use of geometry in art and architecture. Visit classrooms where students are engaging in hands-on activities.