Phyllis' Favorites

The Mind of Isaac Newton

“By combining images, audio, animations and interactive segments, the application gives students a sense of Newton's multifaceted mind.”

Amazing Space

From the site:

“We are the Formal Education Group of the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach.

We promote the science and majestic beauty of the universe for use in the classroom. The materials we develop for educators and learners of all ages are accurate, classroom-friendly, visually appealing, and carefully crafted to adhere to accepted educational standards.

By producing and sharing classroom resources based on the Hubble Space Telescope's greatest discoveries, it is our sincere hope that young people will enjoy learning about the universe we inhabit... and perhaps pursue an even greater understanding of it in the future.”

[NOTE: Previously posted. Site updated. - Phyllis ]

Project BudBurst - University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Site found on TeachersFirst:

Learn about climate change and plants with interesting activities. Use the Student Section to identify plants, report observations online, read about climate change, or read the observations of others around the country. Find activities broken up by grade level in the Educators Section. There are activities for grades K-12. Find a simple narrative that explains each and then download to use.

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:

Sites found in:

PBS Teachers Newsletter

March 18, 2010

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PBS Teachers LIVE! Upcoming Webinar: The Buddha: Teaching Mindfulness

On Thursday, March 25 at 8 p.m. ET, we will host a webinar entitled "The Buddha: Teaching Mindfulness." During this event, filmmaker David Grubin will show clips from his new film, The Buddha, and talk about making the film and what he hopes audiences, particularly teachers and students, will take away from it. Mirabai Bush, Associate Director and Senior Fellow at The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, will speak about using the film to teach about the Buddha's life and teachings and present research related to the effects of mindfulness on learning. Educator Peter Brown will share his experiences teaching about the Buddha in a Comparative Religion course, and Dr. Amy Saltzman will discuss methods for teaching mindfulness. Participants will also enjoy a tour of the companion website for the film, including an overview of educational resources. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/webinar/

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March is National Nutrition Month

It's National Nutrition Month! Check out PBS Teachers Health & Fitness Activity Packs. Our 'Health Choices' Activity Pack provides prek-12 resources to create an action plan about diet choices, the way to resolve conflicts and other health-related decisions http://to.pbs.org/bIkerE

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American Masters: John James Audubon: Drawn from Nature

Monday, March 22, 2010, 10 - 11:00 p.m.

Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

The dramatic, contradictory story of the creator of The Birds of America, the monumental collection of 435 life-sized portraits of every bird then known in the United States. (CC, Stereo, HD)

Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/ybuhdcn

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American Masters: Louisa May Alcott: Little Women

Audio/Video

Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Learn how Louisa May Alcott set out to write about the early life of her home, which became her most beloved novel, Little Women. Hear how the novel was regarded by readers.

Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/ya7b3kn

Home Page:

Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/yckl7cp

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Jerusalem: Center of the World

On-Air & Online | Sunday, March 21, 2010, 9 - 11:00

Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Hosted by Ray Suarez, this program explores the history of Jerusalem. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)

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PBS Online

Sites found in:

NEAT NEW STUFF, November 13, 2009

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The Becker Collection: Drawings of the American Civil War Era

Contains around 650 drawings by Joseph Becker and other artist-reporters for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly, including images of the Civil War, reconstruction, the Spanish-American War, and the Chicago fire. Also includes landscapes and political cartoons.

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InsideHoops.com

Shares news, views, and rumors for NBA, other pro leagues, college, high school, and fantasy basketball.

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The Jobless Rate for People Like You - Interactive Graphic - NY Times

Unemployment is not distributed evenly. Select any combination of demographic categories (ethnicity, gender, age, education level) to see how people like you are faring.

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Neat New Stuff I Found This Week

by Marylaine Block

Copyright 1999.

http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html

Site found in:

The Scout Report 

February 11, 2000

Volume 6, Number 38                                    

Essentials of Music [RealPlayer]

A partnership between W.W. Norton & Company and Sony Classical Music,

this site offers an accessible but not simplistic introduction to

classical music. Built around Sony's Essential Classics music series,

the site includes almost 200 excerpts in RealPlayer format.

Essentials of Music is composed of three main sections: Eras,

Composers, and a Glossary. The first introduces users to the six main

periods in classical music history, discussing historical themes,

musical context, style, and major composers. The Composers section

includes brief biographies and excerpts from the works of almost 70

composers. Finally, the Glossary features 200 terms, many with

examples (recordings or pictures). While constructed with obvious

commercial intent, the site itself hosts plenty of free content and

should appeal to anyone interested in learning about classical music.

[MD]

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000.

[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Tissues of Life - Science Museum of Minnesota - Grades 3 to 10

[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Site found on TeachersFirst:

Find detailed scientific information and examples on this site about human tissues. Click on the links to find this detailed information presented in an eye pleasing and very interactive manner. Despite the kid friendly look and sound effects as you roll over material, the content is well worth the visit. Click and play with games, comics, illustrations, and photographs that have been enlarged.

Rollover sound effects are sure to grab attention, but the content beneath all that flash is what will have you coming back. The site uses games, comics, illustrations and magnified photographs to inform and entertain. Many of the details may be too involved for younger viewers even though they are magnificent. Students may not have the maturity level for some content. It is always advised to review sites before using in a class.

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:

Site found in:

NEAT NEW STUFF, November 6,, 2009

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How-To Guide - 60 Great How To Sites and Resources

Includes both everything-but-the-kitchen-sink directories, and specialized how-to's on business and careers, technology, productivity, and miscellaneous (how to photograph, eat sushi, go green, etc.), as well as a sampling of Mashable's own How-To guides.

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Neat New Stuff I Found This Week

by Marylaine Block

Copyright 1999.

http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html

Old Man and the Sea - Alexander Petrov - Grades 6 to 12

[You may have to copy & paste URL. Full screen button next to CC]

Site found on TeachersFirst:

The Old Man and the Sea, written by Ernest Hemingway, is one of the cornerstones of the literary canon. This beautifully illustrated animated film version enhances students' comprehension at all skill levels and helps teachers introduce students to the rich and varied elements of this classic story. The aesthetically pleasing presentation of Hemingway’s vivid imagery serves to present the story in an enjoyable and memorable fashion. Additionally, Turkish subtitles are included in a closed captioning option, which can easily be turned on and off by clicking on the CC button located directly below the video.

This site has all the bells and whistles that Google presents in a user-friendly format. Google Videos are ready for full screen view on a projector or interactive whiteboard and are readily available for download, by simply clicking the "Download" button. The strength of this film being a Google-video is the ease and quality of viewing. The play page has a large video player and caters to all of you multi-taskers who want to keep the current video playing, while you also click on the “Related Videos" links to help you discover and search results for more related films. The Grid View Rollover Function sustains uninterrupted viewing while allowing you to move your mouse over multiple thumbnails of the video. Another feature is the ability to jump directly into the video at the point where captions of interest appear, which is extremely handy during class discussions and to review or reference a particular snippet. You can also choose to sign up for a free Google Account which will allow you to browse and play videos directly from the home page.

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:

The Story of Anne Frank - The Anne Frank Stichting - Grades 5 to 12

Anne Frank House Marks 50th Anniversary

3 May 1960 - 3 May 2010

Site found on TeachersFirst:

The Story of Anne Frank is an online opportunity for students to envision what actually happened during Anne Frank’s childhood, particularly while she was in hiding in the Secret Annex at 265 Prinsengracht, Amsterdam. Thanks to this site, students are able to feel personally involved in what occurred at this location to a thirteen year old girl during the Holocaust. Her story is conveyed through authentic photographs and documents from the Anne Frank House, the former hiding place where Anne Frank’s original first diary is on display.

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:

iWrite  - Great Source - Grades 5 to 12

[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Site found on TeachersFirst:

Everything a student needs to know about writing is on this iWrite source online from Great Source! There are categories for students, parents, and teachers. Not only are there PowerPoints with instructions for all types of writing, there is a Six Traits section, a grammar section, mini-lessons, templates, tutorials and graphic organizers for you to use with your students. Educators can choose between elementary and secondary for instructions for different types of writing. The grammar section would best be aimed towards upper elementary, middle, and high school students and includes videos for the students to watch about mechanics, spelling, commonly confused words, sentence structure, and anything else you can think of that involves writing. Finally! A great, free online text for all to use!

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:

100 People - 100 People Foundation and VIF - Grades 6 to 12

Site found on TeachersFirst:

This site takes the global population (there are 6.7 billion of us) and simplifies it to 100 People to help students understand what kind of people make up their community and the world beyond. On the first page of the website you will see a lesson plan video to view. There are 12 other videos for you to use.

There are two lesson plans for this site. The first one, ”World Portrait” is where students survey and select 100 people to represent their community and the world’s population. There are also suggestions for how a class might select one person. The plan is download-able and has ideas that include criteria for the people who are nominated, discussion topics and activities, questions for the community profile, a questionnaire for the people nominated, an image release form, just to name a few. Student results are to be captured in film, photography, music and text. The other lesson plan on this site is titled “100 People Under the Sun.” In order to download this lesson you must register, it is free, but you will have to log in when viewing the plan. With this lesson “...students will develop key leadership skills to help raise their community's awareness of its energy use, as well as its motivation to advance sustainable approaches."

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:

Bestsellers - Shmoop Editors - Grades 4 to 12

[NOTE: Other pages from http://www.shmoop.com/  previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Site found on TeachersFirst:

Bestsellers is a credible, academic resource that utilizes innovative internet based features that appeal to today’s youth culture, discussing best selling literature. Do you want to assign a book whose title will grab your students’ attention just by the mere mention of it, like the books found on Oprah’s Picks and other most read lists? Have you steered away from those books because of the lack of teaching resources, such as study guides and questions? Bestsellers, part of the larger Shmoop site written by Ph.D. and Masters students at Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley (and other top universities), does all of that and more. Students and teachers can access lively learning guides organized by summaries, themes, quotes, study questions, character analysis, and links to best of the web options. The pages are written in a clever, witty voice designed to appeal to students and teachers, not at all like the familiar style found in most book synopsis and reviews, and all the information is properly cited. The only complaint you might have is the limited number of books to choose from, but don’t worry; books are continually being added, so check back often. Since books for both younger and older audiences share this site, you may want to preview what your students can find for other age groups.

“Bestsellers” is free to use. Additionally, there is an option to create a free account which allows the advantage of using the tools like the online dictionary, "Stickies," and sharing on social networks. Creating an account requires an email address. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes.

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:

NOVA: Explore Madagascar

From the site:

Journey with us into the lost world of Madagascar on this latest NOVA/PBS Online Adventure

View 360° QuickTime panoramas of places few people have ever seen, and lead yourself on a virtual tour of Madagascar with a clickable photo essay bearing hidden surprises.

Resources - Links

[NOTE: Most still work.  Duke University Primate Site changed to:

  - Phyllis ]

--------Forwarded Message--------

Date:       Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 4:10 PM

Subject:  New Issue of History Now

Issue 23, March 2010: Turning Points in American Sports

The Institute is pleased to present the latest issue of History Now, a quarterly online journal for history teachers and students, available at http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/03_2010/index.php.

In this issue, History Now examines a topic near and dear the hearts of students: sports. As fans, athletes, or teachers, we know that sports provide us with valuable lessons in team work, self discipline, and the ability to accept both victory and defeat with good grace. But how many of us realize the value of sports history in our classrooms? Our contributors, including New York Times columnist Gail Collins, examine important turning points in American sports, illustrated by video clips from NBC Learn.

Includes:

Lesson plans for high school, middle school and elementary school classrooms

Important Moments in Sports: Video Clips

Why Sports History Is American History

by Mark Naison

The Battle of the Sexes

by Gail Collins

Before Jackie: How Strikeout King Satchel Paige Struck Down Jim Crow

by Larry Tye

Amateurism and Jim Thorpe at the Fifth Olympiad

by Kate Buford

The Importance of Muhammad Ali

by Thomas Hauser

The Impact of Title IX

by Barbara Winslow

The History of Women's Baseball

by Kerry Candaele