Columbus Day- a Week of Exploration

This week’s clicks are all about Christopher Columbus. If you have a subscription to BrainPop. There is a video there and some activities like a quiz, a page that would be good for note taking during the video and a vocabulary page.I hope you area able to find something in here you can use in your classrooms.

1. Teacher Planet has some coloring pages, a song, and some arts and crafts activities. More coloring pages here from another source.


2. The Mariners Museum in Newport News Va., has an Age of Exploration free curriculum guide with lesson plans, videos, and activities. (They also have a great distance learning program for $125 that would be like a field trip. They also send activities and lessons to do with your students before and after the program. There are many programs.)

3. West with Columbus :Here is a board game. There are two pages. Students will learn north, south, east and west.

4. The Holiday Zone has a reading comprehension passage, vocabulary sheet and may more activities.


5. Powerpoints from Phillip Martin


6. Bonus Link from Kids Connect. There are many additional links for your exploration. Some are better than others. All are free so watch out for those pesky adds.


I hope you find something useful. If you do please make a comment.

Math-Place Value

This week’s clicks are all about place value. The focus of my searches will be to find activities that you can do with your students on the mimeo or set up as a learning center that will reinforce the low SEs of not only the district but of our campus as well. I hope you area able to find something in here you can use in your classrooms.

1. Place value from Toon University. Students need to change words to numbers and visa-versa. Three different levels. Very challenging and entertaining.

2. Here is another game from Funbrain where students click on the place value. There are several levels that go from easy to super brain which includes decimals. Find the level that is right for your students.

3. Here is a fun one from LearningBox where students build the number using place value rods. If you don’t have place value rods you can use this activity.

4. This website, called Base 10 block, will replace the base 10 blocks you check out of the library. You can give students the problems and they can create it. Great for the mimeo or Smartboard.

5. Math Play.com has several different place value games for various skills. Choose the one that is right for your students.

6. Bonus Click: Hardcourt School Publishers has interactive games that go with their textbooks. Here is the link for Math.

I hope you find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.

Poetry Part Two

In my search for poetry sites, I found too many good ones to be contained in one issue. So here is another issue made up of poetry links and things to think about. Choose your favorites and share on the blog. Enjoy.

1. Fizzy Funny Fuzzy Poetry– All kinds of poems can be found here. There is even a section where you can listen to the poems instead of reading them.

2. From PBS an interview with Nikki Grimes on how her childhood influences her work.

3. Poetry Archive-Included in this wonderful site are a variety of poets, lesson plans and a glossary of poetic terms. You may create a user name and password to log in. The site is from the UK.

4. This link, titled The Poetry Place, is from Mifflin County School District in PA.

5. Books can be written in Poetry format such as Love That Dog or Hate That Cat both by Sharon Creech and Where I live by Eileen Spinelli. Love That Dog and Where I live were both on the Bluebonnet list at one point in time. Both are very easy to read and bring home the point that poetry need not rhyme.

6. Bonus link: Something to think about. Music as Poetry lesson plan. Step-by-Step directions.

I hope you find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.

Poetry

Poetry is often left out of the elementary classroom or just tucked in during Poetry month in April or after “The Test.” Here are some sites for you to use through out the year. Choose your favorites and share on the blog.

1. Definitions of Different types of poetry are found here. It is totally free so watch out for ads.

2. Need a thesaurus? No All you need is Rhyme Zone. While not all poetry needs to rhyme, this site will help you find words and phrases that will rhyme. It’s free so watch for ads.

3. Poetry4kids is a neat site. There are videos and games geared towards poetry. There is a social part of it too as you can create an account and have them email you weekly funny poems. Create an account and you have access to contests, forums, journal and create your own journal. There is a page that will link you to may authors of poetry.

4. Funny poetry for children is a site by Meadowbrook press which publishes a lot of poetry books for children. There is poetry theater here along with some great poetry. Watch for sales on this site.

5. Poem Creator There is an Acrostic and shape poem creator as well as others. Watch for links that want you to pay.

6. Bonus: Haiku maker. I did this as an activity with 4th and 5th grade last year. You can print out their creations too! Kids seemed to enjoy it.

I hope you find something you can use. If you do, please make a comment.

Traditional Literature

One of the genres that is studied this six weeks is Traditional Literature. I wanted to give you some clicks that would help you when you do get to Traditional Literature should it not be this six weeks.

1. Learning to Give is a website with many folktales and myths for you to use. The stories are used to build character in the listeners. Some just give a summary. Some are the entire story. Watch for the links that want you to purchase something.

2. American Folklore Great site with lots of choices for stories. Folk tales to tall tales.

3. RickWalton Many stores to choose from. Stories are in alphabetical order.

4. Scholastic has a great site for writing and for telling stories. Includes myths, folk tales and fairy tales.

5. Grimm’s Fairy Tales has more than 200 stories.

6. Bonus: Classic Fairy Tales are found on this site which also has teachers unit lesson plans.

I hope you find something you can use. If you do, please make a comment .

Constitution Day-September 17th.

This week’s clicks are all about Constitution Day on Sept 17. I wanted to give you enough time to explore these links and incorporate them into your lessons. There are more activities and ideas on the library website.

1. Architect’s Virtual Capitol Really cool videos and tours of our nation’s capitol.

2. DocsTeach From the National Archives, this source gives you ideas on how to teach history using documents. Documents may also be photographs or videos. Looks interesting.

3. Constitution Day Great site. Has an easy to read version of the constitution and biographies of the Founding Fathers.

4. Ben’s Guide for kids Has some great information and activities for kids to do at all grade levels.

5. Constitution Day Lesson Plans Lesson plans and activities.

I hope you find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.

September 11

This week’s clicks are all about America and the events that occur here. With the 10th anniversary of September 11th, I wanted to give you enough time to explore these links and incorporate them into your lessons. Make sure you preview all materials BEFORE showing to your class.

1. Reading A to Z They have 3 books about Sept 11 and 2 on Constitution day, one which is poetry and fits in perfectly with the curriculum. Don’t forget to check out the state standards and what’s new when searching in this great resource.

2. Brain Pop There are videos for Constitution Day and Sept 11. Some are free if you don't have a subscription.

3. Ten years after 9/11 Watch the attacks unfold. There is a before and after photos of the events as well as photos of

the events unfolding.

4. Portraits of Grief On this link you will be able to read about many of those who lost their life that day. There is also a

section where you can find out how the families have coped.

5. History.com Video of the events as they unfolded. About 5 min.

6. Bonus link Inside 9/11 Might be too high for elementary students but I thought you might want to see this. Video and interviews from many people involved in the investigation and events of 9/11.