Just+Elementary+Teachers

This page has resources for Elementary, as well as Middle Grade, Teachers and students. Elementary teachers are encouraged to also explore the other pages on this Wiki for useful information.

** Links to individual Elementary Wikis :** **Crosby Elementary** =** GENERAL RESOURCES **=
 * [|ABCmouse.com], designed for Pre-K through primary, helps kids learn to read through phonics and teaches lessons in math, science, social studies, art and music. The subscription-based educational website is currently offered FREE to US public schools. ABCmouse.com also has a large selection of [|apps] that are completely free to download for teachers and parents.
 * [|ABC Teach] - PreK - 8 materials and creative activities for students and educators. We have over 5,000 free documents available, including printable worksheets, interactive activities, theme units, and much more. Free Monthly Newsletter - All are invited to join our abcteach monthly newsletter, which highlights the latest materials added to the site.
 * **BrainPop for Educators** is a //**free**// awesome site for teachers. //**Register**// and then look through all the available resources --including videos that you can use in class or download to your iPad or even your blog. [|There is **BrainPop Jr.** for **K-3**] . After you have logged in, be sure to check out the **Classroom Tools**. There activities as well as great videos--take a minute and check this one out!
 * [|Crayola] has a wonderful section on their website dedicated to educators. They offer classroom resources, special offers, searchable lesson ideas and grant programs. These resources are completely free to use and download.
 * **(For a list of TONS of Elementary websites--grouped by topic or type of site, click on this link to see a list of [[file:Elementary Websites.doc]]- This is a word document so to access the site that you want,** press CTRL and then click on the site of your choice)
 * **[|HooplaKidz]**: This YouTube channel is dedicated to animated nursery rhymes and stories designed to entertain and educate children between the ages of 2 and 8.
 * **[|Kids.gov] - ** the official kids' portal for the U.S. government. Our Mission is to provide a safe place online where kids can create, play, and learn. Kids.gov is organized into three audiences: **Grades K-5, Grades 6-8, and Educators**. Each audience tab is divided into educational subjects like **Arts, Math, Social Studies, Music, Health, Science, Reading/Writing** and more.
 * [|The Kids Know It Network] is full of free educational interactive games, movies and songs intended for elementary school students. Posters can also be ordered for a variety of topics for less than $2.
 * **Elementary and Middle School**-[|Learning Express Library]gives your students another way to strengthen their foundation in reading and math skills. In addition to diagnostic tests, you'll find sample state achievement tests, which help students develop their test-taking skills. Elementary school focuses on reading, math, and writing, while the middle school section adds social studies and preparation for high school. ( INFOhio Resource - Home use will require a username and password. Contact Pam Hopkins at the High School for this information if you do not know what it is.)
 * **[|Study Ladder]** - lots of educational resources for math, language arts, science, music, art and more. Free teacher accounts for classroom use. Grades Pre-K-6.

** Thirty GREAT Websites for Kids- and their Teachers! :-) ** ** also try ** [|Great Websites for Kids]  - a compilation of websites geared to children from birth to age 14. Brought to you by the ALA. =** APPS ** (I try to include only free apps) = = LANGUAGE ARTS =
 * =**[|Bluster] is a fun and simple vocabulary building game. Great features such as multiplayer mode on the same tablet makes this game tons of fun! (Grades K-4)** =
 * [|Bookabi] - Create your very own storybooks in 2D and 3D. Choose from bookabi's backgrounds, characters, objects and stickers or use your own photos and become part of the story! Easy enough for kids to use alone and a fun new way to share story time together.
 * If you teach pre-readers or early readers, check out the Collins Big Cat apps. These are a series of eight award-winning apps that are part storybook and part story creation.
 * [|Digital Storytime] - was created to help parents and educators find out more about picture book apps. Detailed ratings and information are included for every app reviewed. Apps can be searched by age, price (free available) and ratings.
 * [|Find the Synonym] - Combine the seven letters in each game to find the synonym / antonym before the time runs out.
 * **Grammar Jammers Primary** (K-5) is a kid-friendly app that teaches grammar concepts like parts of speech, punctuation and capitalization.
 * [|Phonics Genius] - This highly rated app teaches phonic awareness. It is specifically designed to help students recognize and distinguish words by sounds - over 6,000 professionally recorded words carefully grouped into 225 categories by phonics. Ideal for Kids 1 - 6 Years Old
 * ** StoryKit ** is an app for IPhones or IPads that allows you to create electronic storybooks by drawing on the screen, uploading images, recording sound effects and voices, and more. Download from iTunes.
 * [|Sushi Monster] - Scholastic’s new game to practice, reinforce, and extend math fact fluency is engaging and challenging.
 * Toontastic records users as they move characters around a screen and narrate their story audibly. Photos can be imported for use in backgrounds. **Free for iPad.**
 * [|World’s Worst Pet] exposes students to over 1000 Tier Two words at 6 different levels through four engaging games. ( Grades 4-8 )

MATH

 * [|Basic Math] - This app offers basic operations of math with choices. It allows teachers to see student’s score and email results to parents.
 * [|Candy Count] - Four programs built into one app: sorting colors, counting 1-12, comparing quantities, and arranging numbers. (Kindergarten - free)
 * [|Door 24] (IPad app) provides targeted practice in the use of basic facts, number sense, and algebraic thinking. (Grades 4-8)
 * [|Geoboard] is a tool for exploring a variety of mathematical topics introduced in the elementary and middle grades. Learners stretch bands around pegs to form line segments and polygons and make discoveries about perimeter, area, angles, congruence, fractions, and more.
 * [|Graphs] - Students learn to make graphs. Includes beginner and advanced levels. Data is tracked. (Grades 1-5)
 * [|Gummi] - Students create an avatar and solve math equations in a Minecraft-style 3D world.
 * [|Mad Math Lite] - If your classroom has limited iPads, this app allows you to have more than one user. In addition, it enables you to set the student’s setting depending what operation they are working on. This app records a report card on the student’s progress.
 * [|Mathmateer] - K ids earn money to build rockets by doing basic math problems. There are three levels of difficulty and problems include addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
 * [|Math Heroes 1: Basic Operations] - Students travel through over 100 math levels while practicing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. (iOS)
 * [|Mt. Multiplis] by Teachley - Players build bridges in this computational math game to help students build their multiplication skills. (iOS)
 * [|Coins Genius] - This app is a good introduction to coins. It is limited in the free version, but it does give you a chance to see if this would be a good tool for your class.
 * [|Sushi Monster] - Students feed their Sushi Monsters by correctly choosing two numbers that whenadded or multiplied result in the number that the monster wants to eat.
 * Virtual Manipulatives allows instructors to create lessons around drag-and-drop "fraction bars" that can aid in lessons comparing fractions, decimals, and percentages. **Free for iPad.**

SCIENCE

 * [|Shout Science!] is a comic storybook app for young readers (ages 7-11) about scientists & scientific discovery.

SOCIAL STUDIES

 * News-O-Matic is a kid-friendly current events app that boils down the daily news into five simple articles with images, videos and illustrations that are appropriate and engaging for kids ages 7-11. Informative maps relate the user to the location of every story. There are also interactive history-based timelines, puzzles, games, fun facts and more elements for discovery.

=** ART (see also JUST ART) **=
 * Create a **SNOWFLAKE** and send it as a card. This site is very clever and fun--great for the Winter Season.
 * [|Destination Modern Art] - This very fun interactive Web site by the Museum of Modern Art enables elementary school-aged children to engage with and explore modern art. The free Flash Player is required.
 * TuxPaint (K-6) is an award winning software program to help students ** draw ** . A cartoon character encourages the students as they use the program.

=** GAMES AND PUZZLES **(see also Puzzles and Games page)= 
 * [|Abcya]- Great site for elementary students that covers a wide variety of subjects. Also has educational apps for mobile devices.
 * ** Arcademic Skillsbuilder ** is a free online websource which offers educational **video games that can be played by several players at once**. They now have 40 learning games for ages K-8 which cover basic math, language arts, vocabulary, and thinking skills. (K-8)
 * [|BrainNook]- Innovative site that allows kids to play educational games for math and English in safe virtual worlds where they interact and compete with other kids. Teachers can sign up their classes via the teacher portal.
 * [|Funbrain]- One of the most popular educational gaming sites around. Not only does this site cover a variety of subjects, it also caters to K-8th graders, and has nice teacher resources as well.
 * [|Game Classroom]- Excellent, safe, teacher-approved, state-standard-aligned games for grades K-6. Also, lots of teacher resources,including videos, lesson plans, worksheets, and more.
 * **Kids Activities**-Kids.gov offers learning **activities, games, and interactive activities** on a wide range of subjects, including **Food and Nutrition**
 * || PBS Kids View || Online games for primary school students ||
 * [|RoomRecess.com] is focused on providing children with free educational games.
 * [|Scholastic Learning Activities] - offers 50+ one-stop learning activities in a fun and easy-to-use interface! The activities don’t require any prep and can be done in 15 – 20 minutes.
 * ** SlimeKids **- has great **educational games** for your students. (Typing, Grammar, Spelling, and MORE!)

=** HEALTH (see also JUST HEALTH) **=
 * **Integrate Health and Wellness Into Your Curriculum -** fit4theclassroom.com offers free standards-aligned STEM lesson plans and videos (grades K-5) that you can easily integrate into daily classroom activities.
 * **KidsHealth**- **movies, articles, quizzes, and activities** for kids of all ages. Includes the [|Kids Medical Dictionary] - a glossary of medical terms. The Nemours Foundation sponsors this easy-to-use children's medical dictionary.
 * ** Energy Balance 101 **- Free standards-aligned lessons are designed to teach K-5 students about the balance of calories consumed from foods and beverages (Energy In) with calories burned from physical activity (Energy Out).
 * [|USPS Heart Health] - In our biannual education kit, we celebrate 2012′s Heart Health Stamp with a dynamic program for you and your class to share. Learn all about the human heart, what it is, and why it’s our body’s most precious organ.

=** INFOHIO RESOURCES FOR ELEMENTARY **= **PreK - 3**
 * [[image:https://www.infohio.org/cache/com_zoo/images/er_ewol_a4c36b4d8615b8b9c018e26de1726a5a.jpg link="http://www.worldbookonline.com/ewol/home?uid=hcca&pwd=hcca513"]] || === Early World of Learning (World Book) ===

Look and Read. Includes stories, nursery rhymes, songs, games, printable books and videos. See this [|video] for more information. || 
 * = [[image:https://www.infohio.org/cache/com_zoo/images/er_worldbookkids_ece24aaa81a908169ee19f44e23f3930.jpg width="128" height="128" link="http://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/Home?uid=hcca&pwd=hcca513"]] || === **World Book Kids** ===

Learn about people, places, animals, sports, and more. Includes videos, images, maps, games. Hear text read aloud.See this [|video] for more information. ||  =** KEYBOARDING - **= (See Student Tools page for more options for older students) [|Dance Mat Typing], an introduction to touch typing for children aged 7 - 11 years. TuxTyping is software that provides an educational ** tutor for typing ** for children. It features several types of gameplay at a variety of difficulty levels. =** LANGUAGE ARTS (see also JUST ENGLISH) **= [|Roy The Zebra] - Interactive Reading Games, Literacy worksheets and guided reading stories for emerging readers. Use the reading games on your interactive whiteboard, or computer, at school or at home.

ALPHABET

 * [|AR Flashcards] are a new way to interact and make Flashcards more entertaining for young children. When you point your mobile device at the printed flashcard a beautifully rendered 3D image will pop up on the screen. Tap the image to hear the letter or word.
 * **Bembo's Zoo** //Click on a letter and a zoo animal is created- one whose name begins with that letter--very cute!//
 * Sebran's ABC- (Grades K-2) Free Software- At this site, students become familiar with **letters and numbers** . There are colorful pictures, pleasant music and games to teach letters, numbers, simple math and the rudiments of reading.

BOOKS/READING (see also BOOK LOVERS or E Readers)
> ---> [|BiblioNasium] is the fun, reading-focused social network for kids ages 6-13. Kids can log their reading, play games, complete reading challenges and earn rewards within a safe social network built especially for them. Lexile ranges included
 * [|Book Adventure] - is a fun, free way to motivate your child to read! Kids in grades K-8 can search for books, read them offline then come back to quiz on what they’ve read, and earn prizes for their reading success
 * __ **A Book and a Hug** __- is a website that gives **information about books** and it is organized by grade level and by genre. There are even online interviews with authors- "Books Alive Interviews." You can search for a book by keyword, category or reading level. This is a great site for teachers. There is even a section just on "Books for Boys."
 * [[image:whhhsmediacenter/seuss.gif align="center"]]
 * Are you a fan of Dr. Seuss? then you must visit Seussville. This site has games, activities and the ability to win free books! Interactive and FUN!. A Dr. Seuss Livebinder is available that comes with resources, videos, worksheets, lessons and more!
 * [|ReadWorks] provides FREE, research-based, and Common Core-aligned reading comprehension curriculum for grades K-8. Teachers have direct access to over 1000 Lexile-leveled non-fiction and literary passages online.
 * ** SlimeKids **- has a wide selection of Book Trailers to interest your students. This site also has educational games and literacy-related resources.
 * == E Books (Online)- (Also see E Readers) ==
 * The[| Aesop for Children interactive book] has been adapted for use on website, touch screen tablets and mobile phones. The book contains over 140 classic fables, accompanied by beautiful illustrations and interactive animations.


 * **Beatrix Potter Books** site has a selection of books by this author--complete with words and pictures. **Read out loud to you!**
 * Find, share, and self-publish your own free children's ebooks at **EPub Bud**.
 * ===The International **Children's Library** has a wide range of books that can be read online-grouped by ages, award winners, length of the book, Fiction or Nonfiction, etc. Scroll through the choices- there are **many for all ages!** It includes pre-school, and chapter books as well as books for older readers.===
 * Oxford Owl Reading has [|250 free tablet friendly eBooks] for children (ages 3-11) as well as simple ideas, top tips, activities and games to help children with their reading at home.
 * We have a free [|StarWalk Kids Media Library]Sampler account! It includes 25 e-books for grades K-8. Books are searchable by age, grade, lexile, etc. A "Read to Me" option is available. For login information, contact Pam Hopkins at the High School.
 * READ-ALOUD (Audio) BOOKS: (Also see Book Lovers)
 * **BBC-CBeebies** has a wide selection of children's books online--complete with pictures. They are grouped by theme.
 * **BookFlix.** New this year, BookFlix pairs classic video storybooks with related nonfiction e-books. The combination of read-aloud stories with read-along nonfiction builds a love of reading while improving reading skills. Lexile scores included. (Contact Pam Hopkins at the High School if you need Infohio login passwords.)
 * Here are two PDF files with Bookflix pairs sorted by Lexile level (and AR level). One by the Lexile level of the fiction title and the other by the Lexile level of the nonfiction title in the pair.


 * [|Just Books Read Aloud]- Popular children's picture books read aloud.
 * [|On-line Story time] from Barnes and Noble
 * [|Unite for Literacy] - offers free digital picture books, with a twist. Books have narrated audio support not only in English, but also in a variety of other languages. Elementary schools - **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,;">Do you want to add these great free ebooks to your library catalog? **C omplete this **<span style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,; text-decoration: none;">online form ** to receive FULL MARC records, which you can upload to your catalog and provide easy, direct access to these free ebooks.

Dictionary **Online**-

 * ===** Howjsay ** is a tool that verbalizes the words but they do not sound synthetic.===

POETRY (see also POETRY WEBSITES)

 * **Concrete Poetry** is a fun site for kids. You choose an **object from nature** and then fill it with words that relate to the shape. Then you can print the poem. It would be great for **Earth Day**.

VOCABULARY
=[|WordWriter] - Providing teachers with an interactive and easy-to-deliver vocabulary development application=

WRITING

 * 10 writing alternatives to the typical book report
 * **[|Boom Writer]** - A unique site for students to collaboratively write online in a safe environment. Geared for grades 3-7.
 * [|ProjectWriter] - Conduct group non-fiction writing projects
 * [|StoryWriter] - Perfect for: Creative Writing, Personal Narratives, Literature Studies
 * [|Kids Are Authors] is an annual competition open to students in grades K–8 sponsored by Scholastic and is designed to encourage students to use their reading, writing, and artistic skills. Under the guidance of a project coordinator, children work in teams of three or more students to write and illustrate their own book. Winning books will be published.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #303030; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',arial,sans-serif;">[|My Storybook] is a website and app where young people can create their own stories. Use drawings, text, scenes and more. **No sign up necessary**. Just click "Try Now" and start creating. Sign up to save and share stories. Grades: K-6
 * **//[|my Storymaker]//** was named one of the Best Websites for Teaching and Learning by the American Association of School Librarians . You have the power to decide -- choosing characters, taking them on adventures and creating your very own story along the way. my StoryMaker lets you control characters and objects -- and it creates sentences for you! Or, you can enter your own words. Once you are done with your story, you can print it out. Here is a [|video] explaining how to use StoryMaker.
 * The Nightmare Room Writing Program, created by popular children's author R.L. Stine, is full of activities and techniques to help students overcome their anxiety about writing. Students will explore introducing characters, outlines and plots and even revising work. (Grades 3-8)
 * [|Picture Book Maker] - Students can create their own picture books and print them out or send them to someone. Here is a [|video] demonstrating how easy it is to use. [|Super Action Comic Maker] is very similar and may appeal to older students.
 * [|StoryJumper]is an online tool that makes creative writing fun for kids. Using our interactive workbook and lesson plans, teachers spark students' interest in developing and writing complete stories. Kids can then put their creativity and project skills to work in crafting their very own professionally published hard-back books! Books can be shared for free online. You can read some of the books [|here]. Here is a [|video] demonstrating how to use StoryJumper.

=** MATH (see also JUST MATH) **= Also see "** Worksheets **" and "** Science Resources **" below and the **Word Document** at the top of this page.
 * 2+2 Funny Math for Kids Software - This program helps children learn **basic mathematical skills** (counting, addition, subtraction, comparing numbers, multiplication, and division. More than 20 activities will allow students to spend hours learning the concepts while being entertained by musical sounds and bright graphics. It makes math fun! :-)
 * [|APLUS MATH] - Games, worksheets, flashcards, homework helper...
 * **CyberSleuth** is another site that provides **math practice sheets** that you can download for use in the classroom.
 * For worksheets, **flash cards** and more on all aspects of math and money, try the **FactMonster**.
 * Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics : Your parents might be interested in this. Curated by the U.S. Department of Education, this website contains math activities (to be completed at home, at the store and on the go) for preschoolers through 5th graders.
 * [|Johnnie's Math Page] - Hundreds of math learning and math teaching resources and games organized for K-8.
 * **SMART Board applications** called Lucky Star have a daily animated series called Cyberchase which will engage kids in a new way. Lucky Star combines age-appropriate math and problem-solving while allowing kids to have fun competing for top scores.
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Learn Your Tables] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #242424; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a nice interactive site that allows students to practice their multiplication times tables. **
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Math Live] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #242424; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a fantastic site to use for upper elementary students that has a plethora of cartoon math tutorials on subjects like fractions, multiplication, area and perimeter, tessellations, probability, and a variety of other topics. **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">[|Math Playground] is filled with math games, logic puzzles, step-by-step instructional videos, math practice, and a variety of problem solving activities. <span style="background-color: #ffff00; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">K-8
 * ** [|Mathlanding] ** (ML) is designed with the elementary math teacher in mind. The site is created to provide organized access to high quality resources and tools that support teaching and learning of elementary mathematics.
 * ** Mathwire ** is a site that helps teachers **prepare their students for the OGT**. There are guides to answering open-ended questions and there are lots of problem solving resources. Teachers may look for the resources by grade level. For **grades K-8**.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">[|Matific] takes a unique approach to teaching K to 6 math using hands-on and interactive mini-games, called episodes. These immersive bite-sized apps for tablets and personal computers are free for students and teachers to use from school.
 * [|Prodigy] - free, online math game for students in grades 1-6. This game differentiates instruction and educators can track students' progress as well as generate detailed reports.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|StudyJams--Science and Math_] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #848484; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;"> A great site with activities, quizzes, videos and even karaoke about every area of the science and math curriculum. Very useful when introducing new topics.
 * **WORKSHEETS** - This site provides a list of other sites that help you to find download-able **math worksheets**

=** RESEARCH **=

**INFOhio Resources** -
Make sure to check out Infohio Resources for all ages. Home use will require a username and password. Contact Pam Hopkins at the High School for this information if you do not know what it is.

1. Grades K-5 has a huge variety of databases including KidsSearch, World Book for Kids, Searchasaurus, FirstGov for Kids and more! 2. **Grades 6-8** also has a wide range of databases such as Science Online, World Book, Digital Videos, French and Spanish Encyclopedias, Learning Express (Test Practice), Biography Online, FirstGov, Adam Health resource and more!
 * [|World Book Early World of Learning] - resources to help __preschoolers and children in the early grades__ grasp critical early childhood themes while developing reading and oral language skills. It provides all directions through audio, which helps students just learning how to read as well as struggling readers
 * Early World of Learning has three interactive environments:
 * Trek's Travels offers narrated stories, interactive games, and videos on critical early childhood themes, including numbers, shapes, colors, opposites, and other fundamentals.
 * Welcome to Reading provides reading development and practice at four reading levels. Reading examples are used to strengthen phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. The computer highlights the words as the narrator reads them to help students learn. The Lexile Framework is also incorporated in this environment.
 * Know It provides a visual interactive encyclopedia with non-fiction topics of interest.
 * **[|World]****[|Book Kids]** - features content and tools developed especially for young students __grades K-5__. The site offers simple navigation, easy-to-read articles, multimedia, comparison tools, interactive games and activities, and teacher resources.
 * **[|World]****[|Book Student]** Recommended for __grades 6-8__ - Includes the articles of the //World Book Encyclopedia//, a Biography Center, dictionary, atlas, an extensive multimedia collection, thousands of editor-selected Web sites, correlations to curriculum standards, and much more.

** Library Skills **
Order in the Library - This well known shelving game can be played in either English or Spanish. Even High School testers enjoyed working through all the levels.

** Other Research Sites **

 * **FactMonster** is a fun site for kids to do some research. It is easy to use and graphically attractive. Includes a dictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus, and almanac.
 * ** SlimeKids **- has great **reference materials for students to use.**
 * Scholastic’s “[|Research Starters],” created with Grolier Onilne, offers students a jump-start on their research papers. Students will find links to online activities, encyclopedia articles, and tips on how to write a research paper. Included are 15 Social Studies and Science topics . Grades 4-12

** Search Engines for Kids **

 * **KidsClick**- "Created by a group of librarians, KidsClick! is a search engine for kids. All links are professionally chosen, evaluated, and cataloged by subject. You can use the alphabetical list of subject headings or browse the site by subject directories, narrowing by categories until you have an annotated list of relevant sites.
 * ** Many More -** Click here to find a slew of great search engines--JUST FOR KIDS!
 * **Quintura for Kids** is a search engine that acts a bit like a tag cloud in that the results can be embedded in a site. (** Top 25 Sites of 2010 **)
 * [|Slime Kids] also has search directories and engines.
 * [|**SweetSearch4Me**] search engine for emerging learners.

=** SCIENCE (see also JUST SCIENCE and JUST STEM) **= > > WHO : K-6 educators and students > WHAT : An online portal with over 70 FREE hands-on classroom activities and videos, as well as teacher support resources designed to promote science literacy in elementary classrooms. = Animals = Take your students on a virtual field trip to the San Diego Zoo. The San Diego Zoo Kids site features video lessons hosted by zookeepers packed with information and interesting facts about popular animals. There are 35 videos in total. You can also view the live web cams so students can see the elephants, pandas, apes and polar bears in real time! = Astronomy = =** Creating Graphs and Charts **= Create __ **Graphs** __ at Create-a-Graph. This site does two things well- it provides students with the background necessary to understand the basic types of graphs including area, bar, line, and pie. It also allows them to input data and create an online graph. =** Environment **=
 * **Edheads** provides interactive, fun, educational activities for your students. Includes Simple and Compound Machines, Design a Cell Phone and Weather! Check it out!!! Kids love it!
 * [|The Flame Challenge] is an international contest started by Alan Alda that asks scientists to communicate complex science in ways that would interest and enlighten an 11-year-old. Scientists from around the world are currently submitting answers to the question "What is color?". If you are a 5th or 6th grade teacher, you can register your class to help judge the answers and help select the winner. Students can also submit questions for next year's challenge.
 * <span style="color: #00a7b2; font-family: 'Droid Serif',serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none;">Kids Do Ecology <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Droid Serif',serif; font-size: 15px;">: Learn about biomes, the scientific method and data collecting.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12.1599998474121px;">The [|Kids’ Science Challenge] (KSC), the premiere elementary school science competition in the US, is a free, nationwide science competition for students in grades 3 through 6. Website also has [|Lesson Plans], [|Online games] and more.
 * [|Lawrence Hall of Science: 24/7 Science] - find experiments, games and activities that teach scientific fundamentals. All activities illustrate basic principles of physics, chemistry, astronomy, and other scientific fields. (Grades 1-6); try one of their apps below:
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #898989; font-family: 'Lucida Grande','Lucida Sans Unicode',Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">[|DIY Human Body], funded by the National Institutes of Health, allows students to investigate and learn about the human body. Includes: hands-on activies and videos.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #898989; font-family: 'Lucida Grande','Lucida Sans Unicode',Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">[|DIY Sun Science], funded by NASA, allows students to investigate and learn about the Sun at! Includes: hands-on activities, a sun observatory and images and videos.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.6000003814697px;">[|Learning zone] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.6000003814697px;"> from Oxford University - Activities to help students learn more about animals, fossils, insects, minerals and rocks.
 * **Peep and the Big Wide World**- activities and games for **MATH** and **SCIENCE** for PRIMARY grades
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Science Bob] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #242424; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a fun, interactive site that has several different areas for kids to choose from. There are videos, experiments, science fair ideas, and a research help link with a plethora of fantastic links to other sites. **
 * [|Science Kids]: Provides educational resources for teachers and parents to help make science fun and engaging for kids. Features fun activities, facts, projects and experiments that promote a desire amongst kids to learn more about science and technology.
 * **Siemens Science Day**
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|StudyJams--Science and Math_] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #848484; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">A great site with activities, quizzes, videos and even karaoke about every area of the science and math curriculum. Very useful when introducing new topics.
 * [|Try Science]: A science education resource for children, parents and educators, featuring information for kids on science, science museums, and science fair project ideas.
 * ===<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Kid Friendly Solar System_] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"> - A website created by NASA ===
 * NASA Kid's Club View - Flash games for elementary school students
 * [|Space Scoop] - astronomy news service for children aged 8 and above.
 * **Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears** which focuses on polar science concepts while integrating literacy instruction.
 * [|Energy Quest] is the award-winning energy education website of the California Energy Commission.
 * ** National Institute of Environmental Health ** has a great site for teachers and kids. It has games, jokes, activities, and lessons about science and the environment.

=** SOCIAL STUDIES (see also JUST SOCIAL STUDIES) **=

CURRENT EVENTS

 * __ **NEWS Articles** __- **Tween Tribune** is an online site that has articles that younger students can read and enjoy. In fact your students can add stories. This site is **for teachers and students**, so if you are doing some current events or research, take the time to check it out!
 * ** Online Newspaper **, **DogoNews**, has current event news articles for elementary and middle school children. It provides short articles about **current events** with **photos, videos, maps, and even a dictionary.** T//**eachers can create their own online newspaper and students can contribute or discuss articles.**// ** (Top 100 Site 2010) **
 * [|TweenTribune] (5-8) and [|TTJunior] (K-4) – daily news sites – where you'll find the most compelling, relevant and interesting news for kids.

GEOGRAPHY/MAPS

 * **Lizardpoint -** Click on a provided map and take the quiz to learn countries, states and capitals.
 * [|Mapping our World] is a whiteboard teaching product for 8 to 14 year olds. It explores the relationship between maps and globes, and how different projections influence our perception of the world. It challenges the idea that there is one 'correct' version of the world map.
 * By playing [|Sheppard Software's] geography games, you will gain a mental map of the world's continents, countries, capitals, & landscapes! Includes countries and US states

WORLD/COUNTRIES

 * [|Global Trek]: Students can travel the world from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe without leaving the classroom, learning about the country of their choice and “meeting” the locals. Grades 4-8
 * Seterra (Grades 3-4) is a **geography program** software with over 70 exercises. By using the outline map exercises, students may learn about countries, capitals, flags, and cities all around the world. Each exercise has a high score list to keep track of progress. There is even a bit of foreign language practice available.

US/STATES
> >
 * **[|50 States.com]**- all you need to know about the fifty states, such as location (latitude and longitude), geographical features, colleges and universities, constitutions, flowers, mottos, nicknames, population, songs, trivia, and more. If you click HERE, you will find a series of links to educational tools related to the 50 United States. __**Outline Maps of the country and each state.**__
 * **Kids.gov** is a directory of links to each state’s kid-specific information site. The quality of these sites varies wildly; where one state might offer an aesthetic, intuitive site with plenty of detail, another state’s site could be outdated and difficult to navigate.
 * **MrNussbaum.com** engages **younger students** through colorful, interactive state maps. Individual state pages provide brief histories, and overviews listing state capitols and mottos, state birds, population summaries, geographical information and more.
 * Download a **U.S. map game** at **Your Child Learns**.

GOVERNMENT/CIVICS
[|American President] A great resource on all of the US presidents

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">[|”If You Were President”] - Great interactive game from Scholastic

ANCIENT

 * Mesopotamia**- Broken into three sections (Geography-History-Government, Daily Life, Deities and Daily Living), this site is great! There are even lesson plans for teachers.

US
= WORLD = [|BBC Primary History] - This site explores the history of Greece, Rome, Vikings, WW I and II and much more. Includes teacher resources, worksheets, timelines and activities.
 * The [|America's Story] site is made up of five sections: **Meet Amazing Americans,** ** Jump Back in Time, **** Explore the States, **** Join America at Play, and **** See, Hear and Sing ** . These sections contain lots of stories about people, places, and time periods in America's history.
 * [|The First Thanksgiving] - look at the Pilgrims and their journey to Thanksgiving, including maps, videos, and facts (grades K-8)
 * // **[|Mission US]** // is a multimedia project that immerses players (grades 5-8) in U.S. history content through free interactive games.
 * ** Mission 1: “For Crown or Colony?” ** puts players in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a printer’s apprentice in 1770 Boston. They encounter both Patriots and Loyalists, and when rising tensions result in the Boston Massacre, they must choose where their loyalties lie.
 * In ** Mission 2: “Flight to Freedom,” ** players take on the role of Lucy, a 14-year-old slave in Kentucky. As they navigate her escape and journey to Ohio, they discover that life in the “free” North is dangerous and difficult. In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act brings disaster. Will Lucy ever truly be free?
 * In ** Mission 3: “A Cheyenne Odyssey,” ** players become Little Fox, a Northern Cheyenne boy whose life is changed by the encroachment of white settlers, railroads, and U.S. military expeditions. As buffalo diminish and the U.S. expands westward, players experience the Cheyenne's persistence through conflict and national transformation.
 * Other missions are planned for release in 2014 and 2015.
 * [|Apples4theTeacher]- <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">presidential facts and trivia, biographies, word puzzles, timelines, color pages, famous quotes, worksheets and several interactive games.

= WORKSHEETS/PRINTABLES =
 * **PRINTABLES**- whether you are looking for the ABC's to color, or awards to print out, this site has a great variety of items that both teachers and parents can use to help students learn. ** AWESOME **
 * **Super Teacher Worksheets** has a massive list of free printable worksheets for teachers in a wide range of subjects. ( new ) Games and puzzles are also included here.