Websites That Offer Great Things For Your Students

Here is a list of various websites I use in my classroom that I feel are effective for your students.  Stay tuned for a POST  about websites for teacher use.

www.abcya.com - Great website for Preschool through Grade 4 or 5 - depending upon their level.  Fun, creative, colorful games and activities. 

Virtual Field Trips - Great way to get outside the classroom, around the world, or just across town without leaving the classroom.

Search For Information For Kids - Great site that allow students to find information that is at their level.  Is not as comprehensive as a Google type search engine, but very basic, easy to use, and the information is at level.

Read Stories Online - Use this site to listen to and read many popular children's books.

SOME GREAT PRINTABLES

Here are some links to Google Docs that are great posters for your walls.
Please feel free to print.

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT - unknown author
Great poem about kids.  Use the alphabet.  I used several different fonts when I printed it out so that the initial words were funky!

WHEN IS LUNCH???? - Great for the wall for Lower School aged children.
Print out the poster and clocks. 
Use Word to put hour and minute hands on the clock face.
Put labels underneath recognizing when classes switch or lunch begins, snack time, recess, the end of the day or specials.  Great way to begin clock and time recognition.

WELL WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY IN SCHOOL? - Great for the end of a class period or the day/week.
Put the poster up on a blank wall, cabinet, or door.
Have students take a moment at the end of a period, class, day or week to jot down something they learned.  Use Post-Its and stick to the wall.  Fun if you use different colored Post-Its.  Look very cool.

TRAVEL THE EARTH WITH GOOGLE

We have all zoomed in our own homes, our travel destinations, even that super rich co-worker that lives in that HUGE house up on the hill!
It is Google Earth.
It helps with directions, locations, longitude and latitude.
And - it is a GREAT resource in the classroom.

I have been using Google Earth for several years in my computer classrooms.
Below - I have some sample ideas you can use in your classroom.

Preschool - Kindergarten
GOAL:  Students will GOOGLE EARTH to recognize shapes.
USE YOUR SMARTBOARD
Zoom into a park on your Google Earth application.
Make sure the park has all or some of the below items:

• a pool
• a tennis court
• basketball courts

Discuss what they see. 
Have students use the pens on the SmartBoard to trace the shapes.

When complete - have the students return to their technology stations and use a program such as Kid Pix Studio Deluxe to create picture using ONLY THE SHAPE TOOLS.

If not in the computer lab, students can use precut shapes to glue onto paper to make shapes.


First Grade - Fourth Grade
GOAL: Students will use GOOGLE EARTH to find directions, various locations, community sites.
USE YOUR SMARTBOARD.

HOW TO GET HOME??
Zoom onto the school in which you are housed.
Deliver a scenario...It is snowing - crazy, massive snowstorm has hit your area.  The buses are not working.  Mom's and Dad's cannot get to the school.  And so...horses and sleighs have been delivered to school to take each child home.  Each sleigh will be operated by a teacher.  But, the teachers do not know the way.  So the teachers have asked the students to come to the lab and to use GOOGLE EARTH to find the way home.
Students will put a placemark on the school (provide students will proper Fly To search name (address, school name).
Students will put a placemark on their home.  If students do not have an address, you can use  the area, street, or a friend's address.
Students then have to write or use a word processing program to write the directions.

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
GOAL: Students will make a tour of the community.
Create a slide show using Windows Movie Maker that is a poem about your community.  use Google images or images from your own personal collection to coincide with the words.  See the attached poem I created. (You may use it if you like).
COMMUNITY POEM
Students will select three places in the community, i.e. bank, doctor's office, supermarket, park, school, specific restaurant.
Students will write the names of the three spots and what they are (may use a Google search engine to find information).
Students will then PLACEMARK these places on GOOGLE EARTH.
Students may then use the tour tool (the movie camera) to make a community tour. 
Use audio to allow students to read their descriptions.

MAYFLOWER VOYAGE
GOAL:  Students will be able to map and experience the Mayflower voyage.
Students can watch a video.  I use this one for my younger students - to age Grade Four.
VIDEO
Open up GOOGLE EARTH.  Find Plymouth.  Then find England. 
Have students make PLACEMARKS on GOOGLE EARTH.
Have students use the  RULER tool to make a PATH and to find miles traveled.

PRESIDENT WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW?
GOAL:  Students will use a search engine to find out information about a three Presidents.
Students will also use GOOGLE EARTH to PLACEMARK President homes, White House, and to create a path and Presidential Tour.
Have students enter room to the Presidential March song.
Students will pick out of a hat three numbers and have these numbers be the Presidents they choose.
Students will do the following: (display all steps prior to independent work - use this sheet to help them to write notes)

• Research Presidents and find:
• number President
• years in office
• homestead or birthplace
• how they would have traveled
• placemark homes and White House
• Use ruler tool to make a path from homestead/birthplace to White House
• Use Excel to make a spreadsheet with information above
• Make a presidential Tour between the houses they PLACEMARKED.