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2003-2004 News Archive
Below is a listing of all articles
and links that have been on the Shelbyville Central School District's Main Page
for the 2003-2004 school year. The most recent postings are at the top of
the page.
September
2003 - First Day
of School Activities
Book: "The First
Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher" by Harry K. Wong - Interesting
book with several great suggestions for getting the school year
started off with your new class.
Education
World: Fourteen Activities for the First Day of School
- If you're looking for fun activities for the opening days of
school -- activities that will help you get to know your students
and to help them get to know you -- check out these suggestions from
your colleagues around the world!
Education
World: Getting to Know You
- If you're an experienced
teacher like me, you probably have a few favorite activities that
you use every year to get acquainted with your new students. They
work --- so you stick with them! Or maybe this will be the year when
you try something new? I'll share a few of my favorite
first-day-of-school activities IF you'll share your favorites with
me!
Fourteen
More Activities for the First Day of School
- Fourteen MORE
activities for the first day of school direct from Education World's
devoted readers.
Activities
for the First Days of School
- Here are some activities you
can do with students on the first day back to school. Some are fun,
some are valuable as learning tools, and some are both.
First
Day of School Activities
- From Nova Scotia, Canada, teacher
created activities to get the students to know each other and their
teacher.
First
Day of School
- Lesson Objectives: Students will get to know
me. Students will demonstrate their ability to reflect upon
themselves and their accomplishments by writing on the very first
day.
Break
the Ice
- The first day of class is usually spent in part by
getting acquainted and establishing goals. Ice breakers are
techniques used at the first session to reduce tension and anxiety,
and also to immediately involve the class in the course. Use an
icebreaker because you want to, not as a time filler or because
teaching guides say one should be used. Listed below are several
examples of ice breakers.
Back
to School Ideas at http://www.teachingheart.net
Back
to School Ideas at http://www.alphabet-soup.net
WebQuest
Page at San Diego State University - "A
WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or
all of the information used by learners is drawn from the
Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to
focus on using information rather than looking for it, and
to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis,
synthesis and evaluation. The model was developed in early
1995 at San Diego State University by Bernie Dodge with Tom
March."
Why
WebQuests?, an introduction by Tom March
If you would like to read
about why WebQuests are a good choice when utilizing the
Internet for your class, this WebQuest introduction by Tom
March may be a good place for you to start.
Other WebQuest Sites
2002 - 2003 News Archive
Outstanding Social
Studies and History Websites
 Lewis
& Clark: The Ultimate Adventure - Lewis and
Clark, the Ultimate Adventure is part of the larger Time Magazine
Online site. It is a rich resource for teachers and students
studying the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition
(1803-2003). Education
World Review - Grade Level: 3-12
User's
Guide to the Declaration of Independence - The User's Guide
to the Declaration of Independence provides a great resource for
teaching a better understanding of the ideas on which American
democracy is founded. The Declaration of Independence is fully
hyperlinked to explanations of the terms and phrases and their
historical context. Education
World Review - Grade Level: 6-12
FirstGov
for Kids - FirstGov for Kids is maintained by the Federal
Citizen Information Center. It was designed to be a gateway to other
sites that are appropriate information sources for students. The
site is divided into educational subject areas and each area offers
links to numerous sites of interest to kids. Education
World Review - Grade Level: 3-7
Eyewitness:
History Through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It
- This website is a
presentation of first-hand accounts of pivotal events in history;
includes photographs, pictures, sound files, additional resources,
and bibliographic citations.
This
Day in History -
maintained by the the History Channel - Find out important (and
not-so-important) things that happened any date of the year.
Current Events and
News Sites
Interesting
Websites for Teachers and Students
Energy.Gov
KidsZone - Lessons for kids
about science and conservation from the Department of
Energy. This site, designed by the U.S. Department of
Energy, provides lots of energy information and resources for
students and teachers from mid-elementary to the high-school
level. Although most of the links are targeted for students in
the middle of this range, resources and links could be adapted
for either age group. Education
World Review - Grade Level: 3-12
Leonardo
da Vinci: Master Draftsman -
Created by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this site features
the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci and complements the actual
exhibit. This is a great resource for art teachers and
students who wish to learn more about one of the most well
know artists of all time. Education
World Review - Grade Level: All Levels
The
Exploratorium - A fantastic, deep site from a
pioneering interactive science museum. Online since
1993, the Exploratorium was one of the first science museums
to build a site on the World Wide Web." Not surprisingly,
this site evolved into one of the most frequented sites on the
Web. There is a wide variety of information available here for
teachers and students about the science behind the
"ordinary subjects and experiences of people's
lives." Education
World Review - Grade Level: K-12
National
Geographic Online: The Underground Railroad - Travel
the road from slavery to freedom -- virtually. This is a
rich resource for teachers and students studying the
Underground Railroad or slavery more generally. Perhaps the
highlight of the site is the Journey
that every student will want to take. It offers students the
opportunity to interactively take the journey to freedom. Education
World Review - Grade Level: K-12
eThemes: Online
Resources for Educators - eThemes provides educators with a
database of child-friendly web resources organized around specific
themes. This site does an excellent job of providing online
resources for a variety of subjects and its arrangement makes
finding and using these resources easy for all educators. Education
World Review - Grade Level: K-12 (Note: This
site is worth taking a few minutes to review. If you are
looking for websites around a particular theme, this site could be
very useful.)
DiscoverySchool.com
- This is an enormously impressive web
site. The resources at this site have extremely high educational
value, and there are lots of resources for both teachers and
students. Education
World Review - Grade Level: K-12
This
Nation - Billed as the most
comprehensive guide to American government and politics on the Net,
this site certainly offers a wealth of information to the average
citizen or to teachers and students. Education
World Review - Grade Level: 6-12
Kiz Club – Learning
Resources for Kids - Lots of printable language arts
activities for primary age kids. Kiz Club provides activities to be
used with preschool and early elementary students. Numerous
activities are available for alphabet recognition, sound/symbol
relationships, and early reading skills. Parents and teachers can
print games to practice rhyming, upper and lowercase letter
matching, and even stories for students to read. Education
World Review - Grade Level: K-2
How to Improve Your
Searching Abilities on the Internet
Bare
Bones 101: A Basic Tutorial on Searching the Web
- An interesting collection of 20 short online lessons, including
sessions on important definitions, strategies, tips, and a
"closer look" at some of the top Internet directories and
search engines. Maintained by the University of South
Carolina.
Recommended
Search Strategy - The
University of California maintains a website with some Recommended
Search Strategies for the Internet.
Web
Searching Tips
- Search Engine Watch offers a section on Web Searching Tips that
provides tips on using search engines better, along with some fun
facts such as what people search for on search engines.
Look at these online
tutorials, Checklist
of Internet Research Tips and Conducting
Research on the Internet, maintained by University of Albany
Libraries
Online Writing
Resources
Read,
Write, Think -
Superlative language arts site from the leading language arts
organizations in America. Literacy teachers will find a
goldmine of information and lesson plans at this site. Over thirty
standards-based lesson plans are already available, with more to
come. These lessons make the connection between theory and classroom
practice while providing assessments, interactive activities, and
Web resources. Education
World Review - Grade Level: K-12
Paradigm
Online Writing Assistant
- Paradigm is
a free, interactive, online writing guide and handbook.
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant is a useful writing guide for
novices to experienced writers. The guide explores the process
approach to writing and covers each step from choosing a topic to
organizing, revising, editing, and documenting sources. Each section
has activities to get users started, complete with instructions.
Each of four different types of essays has a section for
exploration: informal, thesis/support, argumentative, and
exploratory. Education
World Review - Grade Level: 7-12
The
ABCs of the Writing Process
-
Created
and maintained by teachers A. E. Lipkewich and R. S.
Mazurenko of Westmount School in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,
this site offers support for teachers and students through
each step of the writing process. Are you looking for tips
and suggestions for teaching the writing process? This site
provides an overview of each stage of the process. Education
World Review - Grade Level: K-8
So
you have to do a Research Project?
- "Don't hit the panic button!" Here's help for
completing research projects. Doing a research project?
You've come to the right spot! This site offers tips and
strategies for starting, developing, and completing your
project. The site encourages students to follow the links
provided to complete the six major steps (define the
problem, decide the source of information, locate sources,
take notes, organize, and evaluate) for developing a
research project. Education
World Review - Grade Level: 3-8
You can find additional Online
Writing Resources maintained by WebEnglishTeacher.com.
Outstanding Online
Museums
Below is a short list of a few outstanding virtual museums currently on the Internet.
For a more extensive list of online museums visit MUSÉE
Online or Google's
Museum Directory.
Math Sites for Teachers and Students
Math
Forum
- One of the premier educational math sites on the
Internet. A good place to start exploring this web site is on
the Teachers Place
or Student Center
pages. Check out Math
Forum's Problems of the Week.
Education
Place Brain Teasers - A good
website for both students and teachers of mathematics in grades
three through eight. The
site offers a brain teaser of the week—one for third and fourth
graders, one for fifth and sixth graders, and one for seventh and
eighth graders.
AAA
Math - Strong, simple
math site might help kids to earn triple A's! More than twenty
topics from addition to geometry to ratios to place value are
presented for grade levels K-8. Each lesson includes online
practice, an explanation, and a challenge game. - Education
World Review - Grade Level: K-2, 3-5, 6-8
Math
Cats
- "This
website promotes open-ended and playful explorations of
important math concepts in the context of online games,
interactive applets, and activity suggestions. Starting with
the magic chalkboard, a student enters Math Cats to explore
the worlds of polygons, large numbers, magic squares, and
much more. Students may view and submit artwork for the Math
Cats art gallery and even send in their own story problems,
questions, or ideas." Review by NCTM's
Illuminations
NCTM
Illuminations - This is a site that every math
teacher will want to bookmark. Each grade level section of
the site includes lesson plans, interactive lessons for
students, and an interactive version of NCTM math standards.
The interactive iMath
Investigations include lessons for every grade
level. - Education
World Review - Grade Level: Professional Resources
A+
Math - A site developed to help elementary school
students improve their math skills interactively, offering:
educational math games (learn basic operations and geometry
by playing MATHO - bingo and math combined; Hidden Picture;
and Concentration), Web flash cards for practicing rounding,
area, square roots, inequalities, fractions, counting money,
geometric shapes; and Homework Helper, which lets you enter
your addition, subtraction, multiplication or division
problem and your answer, then checks to see if it's correct.
- Math Forum Review
M.I.T.
Open CourseWare - M.I.T. offers free Web access to
the syllabus, lecture notes, exams and answers, and
videotaped lectures to more than thirty-five courses.
Teachers can use the materials to enhance their own
curricula and students can use them for self-study.
There are several interesting Java
tools they have put online for some of their math
courses. One is a Slope
of a Line tool that allows you to create a variety
of lines using the standard slope-intercept equation, y=mx+b
(although they use the variable "a" to represent
the value of the slope). The other tool, Constant,
Linear, Quadratic and Cubic Approximations, graphs a
variety of linear and quadratic equations
Online
U.S. Civil War Resources reviewed by the "Best
of History Web Sites"
U.S.
Civil War Center (Louisiana State)
- Produced by Louisiana State university, the site is not a museum
or library but serves to locate, index, and make available Civil War
data on the Internet. A great place to begin web research.
The
American Civil War Homepage (U. TN)
- Has useful information including timelines, descriptions of
battles (state by state), letters, documents, and links
Civil
War Resources (VMI Archives)
- This site highlights collections of the Virginia Military
Institute, including manuscripts and battle resource guides. Special
topics include VMI's Civil War generals, Stonewall Jackson's
resources, a war chronology, Robert E. Lee's funeral and more
Civil
War @ Smithsonian -
Explore the Civil War through the extensive collections of the
Smithsonian Institution. Includes a timeline and many images of
artifacts and documents.
The
American Civil War - The Struggle to Preserve the Union -
This outstanding site provides basic information on the war, its
causes, its leaders and the battles. Sections: The Causes, Northern
Leaders, Southern Leaders, The Nature of Battle, Battlefield Parks,
Archives & Articles, Photos and more.
Great
American History - This
is a diverse site on the Civil War that provides educational
materials and research services. While this site is a good
resource,the major drawback is the fact this site is maintained by
Tripods and there are annoying pop-up ads that appear frequently.
Below are some of the websites
that Education World
has reviewed as being some of the best education websites for 2002. Geography4Kids
- Introduce your elementary- and middle-grade students to physical
geography. Geography4Kids explores the physical side of geography or
earth science. It is divided into six main areas: Energy,
Sky,
Land,
Earth,
Water,
and Climate.
Users can begin with Energy and take the tour through all the areas
for an overview. Each area contains tons of information that would
be useful for report writing. - Grade Level: 3-8
The
Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM)
- Quick and easy access to thousands of educational resources.
GEM is a one-stop source for high-quality Internet lesson plans,
curriculum units, and other educational resources for parents,
teachers, and others involved in education. It currently contains
24,926 education resources. Grade Level:
PreK-12, Professional
The
U.S. Mint's Site for Kids
- Interactive site about coins. This is a quality site that
kids and adults will enjoy. The site presents plenty of factual
information about the Mint and its workings, along with activities
such as Cents of Color, a paint program for kids; Coin Memory
Machine, concentration with coin fronts and backs; Mark My Words, a
word search with lots of history included, and many other great
activities. GRADE LEVEL: All
The
Visible Human Server - Virtual anatomic construction
kit. This amazing site explores the world of human anatomy.
Using the applet tools, visitors can slice and extract different
structures of the human anatomy models for viewing. GRADE LEVEL:
9-12, Advanced
Impressionism
- Paintings collected by European Museums: Gorgeous site on great
art. Art teachers, students, or art enthusiasts will enjoy
this site. To help bring this great art to younger students, there
are nine lesson plans geared to grades 1-8. Grade Level: Pre-K-2,
3-5, 6-8, 9-12, Advanced
Urban Legends and
Internet Hoaxes
The Internet is an amazing tool for
fast, worldwide communication. With this comes some problems
including the spread of rumors and hoaxes. Amazingly, some of
the rumors and hoaxes are even picked up by news organizations and
are reported on in their news broadcasts or publications.
There have been several new hoaxes circulating recently including:
- "Shark
attacks helicopter" fake photograph (Fake!)
- Phony JDBGMGR.EXE computer virus
(Hoax!)
- Poisonous perfume sample received
through the mail (Hoax!)
- Free gift certificates from
Applebee's for forwarding email to friends (Hoax!)
Below are several websites devoted to
tracking down the validity of Internet hoaxes, computer virus
warnings, and email rumors.
Geography Quiz - Middle East
-Many countries in the Middle East and Asian continent are in the news every day. Can you locate
them? See how well you can do on our Middle
East Geography Quiz.
National
Gallery of Art for Kids
- This collection of activities for
elementary students is sure to capture their interest. Students have
the opportunity to experience art in a unique format. Users can not
only view the individual paintings but also interact with them,
enhancing understanding and appreciation of the artworks. Review
from Education
World
Timeline
of Art History - The Metropolitan Museum of Art - The
Timeline of Art History is a chronological, geographical, and
thematic exploration of the history of art from around the world, as
illustrated especially by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's
collection. The Museum's curatorial, conservation, and education
staff research and write the Timeline, which is an invaluable
reference and research tool.
The
Partnership for Reading - The Partnership for Reading
provides access to research based information to teachers, families,
or anyone interested in developing good readers. The most fully
developed areas of the site are Explore
the Research, Questions
About Reading and Recommended
Resources. Explore
the Research gives background information and covers such
topics as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, text
comprehension, technology, and teacher education. Review
from Education
World
Create
a Graph - National Center for Education Statistics -
Graphs and charts are great because they communicate
information visually. For this reason, graphs are often used
in newspapers, magazines and businesses around the world.
NCES constantly uses graphs and charts in our publications
and on the web. Sometimes, complicated information is
difficult to understand and needs an illustration. Other
times, a graph or chart helps impress people by getting your
point across quickly and visually. Here you will find four
different graphs and charts for you to consider. Maybe it
will help explain what you are trying to show. Use homework
problems, things you have a special interest in, or use some
of the numbers you find elsewhere on this site. Have fun!
The
First Thanksgiving - Beginning with a pictorial time line of
1620–1621, students explore the voyage on the Mayflower,
the relationship between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims, and the
events that led up to the harvest feast celebrated by both groups.
Grades K-5
If
you are looking for additional
information and links to Thanksgiving websites for Grades K-5, try
the Primary
Websites and Activities
page.
FREE
- Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
- More than 30 Federal agencies formed a working group in 1997
to make hundreds of Federally supported teaching and learning
resources easier to find. The result of that work is the FREE web
site.
Amazing
Space - Amazing Space offers interactive, Web-based
activities designed by teachers and staff of the Space
Telescope Science Institute located in Baltimore, Maryland.
Students from kindergarten to high school are sure to enjoy
the fun and interactive activities offered on this site and
will learn lots doing them. Activities include sending a
comet smashing into Jupiter in Planet
Impact, exploring an eerie celestial phenomena in
the Truth
About Black Holes, collecting Solar
System Trading Cards to learn about the objects in
the solar system, training to be a scientist at the Hubble
Deep Field Academy and much more.
Grade Level: K - 12 - Review
from Education
World
Native
American Sites suggested by Jackie Carrigan
Native
American Stories
- Native American cultures offer wonderful examples of oral
traditions and storytelling. This site from PBS provides
examples of these, a look at some common story themes, and
audio files with a number of different stories.
First
Americans - This
site contains information on tribes, history, stereotypes, and
suggested classroom activities to provide an overview of Native
Americans.
Index
of Native American Resources
- This is a huge
link-site to web resources for many Native American topics:
art, culture, language, music, history, health, biographies,
and more.
Native
American Technology and Art - - Types of craft
specialization are influenced by the different environments
people live in, and by trade and information networks --
these technologies are the product of thousands of years of
expertise, oral traditions and continuity
Native
American Shelters - Detailed descriptions and
pictures of Native American shelters from many regions.
Native
American Crafts - Make a tepee, a totem pole, and
more.
Exciting
World of Native American Novels - Provides summaries
and reviews of books about Native Americans.
Creation/Migration/Origin
Stories - Read some creation, migration and origin
stories from different Native American groups.
Totem
Poles: An Exploration - Here you find all about
totem poles.
Exploring
Native Americans Across the Curriculum - Activities
and Internet sites are provided to help teachers present a
balanced portrayal of Native Americans today -- their
history, their culture, and their issues.
CyberSmart
Curriculum
- The CyberSmart Curriculum
is a free collection of sixty-five original, standards-based lesson
plans with activity sheets. Each of the five units teaches one of
five components of Internet use whose titles add up to the acronym,
S.M.A.R.T (Safety, Manners, Advertising, Research, and Technology).
The lessons are grouped by grade level and are aligned with ISTE's
National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Performance
Indicators. Grade Level: K-2, 3-5, 6-8 - Review
from Education
World
ClassZone
- ClassZone provides this excellent Web Research Guide for
middle school students. The Guide can be used with an entire
class or assigned as independent work for students. Various
sections cover the use of search tools, how to conduct
systematic research, evaluating sites for authenticity and
usefulness, how to cite electronic sources, and basic
Internet terminology. Grade Level: 6 - 9 - Review
from Education
World
Five
Lessons for teaching about the upcoming elections -
Education World
- Every four years, presidential elections get a
great deal of play in the media -- and in
classrooms. But what about the election years that
fall between those presidential elections? Don’t
miss one of this year’s great teachable moments!
This week, we provide five lesson plans to help you
drive home the importance of voting, teach about the
process of creating laws, track election results and
voter turnout, and teach students what its like to
make the tough decisions that elected officials make
every day. Included: Links to
more than a dozen additional election lesson plans!
Ben's
Guide to the U.S. Government
- This site is a service of the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office. Ben's Guide to the U.S.
Government explains how the government works and how to use
the primary resources of the Government Printing Office. The
site is divided into sections for grades K through 2, 3
through 5, 6 through 8, and 9 through 12. Each section
contains age-appropriate information, including games and
activities. An image map of the United States gives students
access to Quick Facts about each state as well as
information about the nation's capital. The site also
provides a glossary and links to other U.S. government Web
sites for kids. - Grade Level: K - 12 - Review
from Education
World
Find
out about the U. S. Electoral College
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- The Electoral College was a big topic in the last
presidential elections. To find out more information
and history of the Electoral College, visit this site
maintained by the U.S.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
The Office of the Federal Register coordinates the
functions of the Electoral College on behalf of the
Archivist of the United States, the States, the Congress,
and the American People. We have assembled a variety of
information and statistics on presidential elections, past
and present:
Egypt:
The Secrets of the Ancient World
- A
great site about Ancient Egypt maintained by the National
Geographic Society.
- Ancient
Egypt Webquest from iwebquest.com - Elementary
and middle students can now enjoy locating information
on Ancient Egypt! Learn about Ancient Egyptian daily
life, Egyptian mummies, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, King Tut
(Tutankhamen), Egyptian
games, and Archeology.
The
History Place - The History
Place™ has a lot of information. Its featured exhibits
change frequently and highlight specific eras, events, or
people in history. Topics are examined in depth and are
generally divided into units for easier studying. The site
has other features such as a photo and a speech of the week,
essays on history from historians, and a tourism guide to
historic places in America. Users can find homework help.
Timely special presentations are displayed at the site as
well. This is a great resource for history and current
events teachers. Entire lesson plans could be created based
on the information at this site. The site could also be used
as an interactive tool to supplement history classes. Grade
Level: 8 - 12 - Review from Education
World
PuzzleMaker
at Discovery School
- Puzzlemaker is a puzzle generation tool for teachers,
students and parents. Create and print customized word
search, crossword and math puzzles using your word lists.
Red
Gold: The Epic Story of Blood - The facts and myths
about blood - This site was developed as a companion to the
PBS series Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood but is
rich in content on its own. Educators will find lesson plans
for high school and middle school as well as a discussion
guide. Students can take a multimedia journey that follows a
pint of blood through the transfusion process, learn the
basics about blood, and trace the history of blood through an
interactive timeline that tracks the scientific developments
that contributed to society's understanding and use of blood.
Grade Level: 6 - 12 - Review from Education
World
Kids@Random
- Random House Publishing - This professional site offers tons
of information for teachers that use literature in their
planning and teaching. Many teachers use book series to engage
young readers. Mini-sites like the one about
Junie B. Jones have book reviews, activities, ideas, author
information, and the occasional trivia quiz. Grade Level: K - 8
- Review from Education
World
Leonardo
daVinci - Scientist. Inventor. Artist.
- Maintained by Boston's Museum of Science - Leonardo daVinci
was all of these and much more. The Leonardo daVinci site is
divided into four main areas to allow students to discover the
basics, as well as little known facts about this man. The Exploring
Leonardo section is a large area of the site, designed
specifically for classroom use. Grade Level: 4 - 8
Fear
of Physics - This is a painless way for students of
all ages to learn about the laws of physics. Young children
are always inquisitive about the world around them, and this
site helps explain such things as "why things fall"
and "how a seesaw works." Older students can use the
site independently to learn about such physics concepts as
atoms and the Doppler effect. All students will enjoy the
interactivity and the visuals. After all, the authors of the
site created it so that users could "come and 'play' with
the laws of physics for a while." Included is a tool for
teachers to create quizzes. Grade Level: 2-12 - Review from Education
World
Paper
Airplane - The author of
this site holds the Guinness world record for time aloft for paper
airplanes. This site is a resource for paper airplane aerodynamics,
paper airplane history, and instructions for building super paper
airplanes.
A
Maths Dictionary for Kids - "This
impressive site defines and gives examples of 300 or more math
terms. In addition, most terms become working examples of
their concepts. For example, visitors can watch as an
animation builds Base 10 blocks to 100 and then build their
own numbers. Students can check out multiple examples of
Fibonacci numbers. Students can learn about subjects ranging
from basic numeration through advanced math areas such as
trigonometry. For any math student, this is an excellent
resource in addition to being lots of fun!" GRADE LEVEL:
K-12 - Review from Education
World
Note:
The "A
Maths Dictionary for Kids" site is
located in Australia. Notice the title
of the website contains the word "Maths". This is
not a typo, they do not have Math class in Australia and England,
they have Maths (plural) class. While this sounds odd to most
people in American schools, the fact is we are the ones who are
doing something a little odd. Do we learn Mathematics (plural)
or Mathematic (singular). We learn Mathematics. The odd
thing we do is that when we use the shorter version of Mathematics,
we make it singular while the rest of the English-speaking world
keeps it plural, hence the term Maths. How is that for a
useless piece of trivia...
Lesson
Locator -
Search the Web for Indiana
Standards-Based Lessons - Indiana
educators can now access lesson plans from the Internet that are
correlated to the Indiana Academic Standards. The latest tool
developed by Indiana Web
Academy with a grant from the Indiana Department of Education, Lesson
Locator allows Indiana teachers to find lesson plans online that
have already been matched to specific Indiana Standards and
Indicators. Teachers can search for lessons according a given grade
or subject area, then choose the specific Indiana Standard they want
to address. The lesson plans
included on this site have been selected by Indiana teachers under
the direction of IDOE and include resources from MarcoPolo and the
Indiana Curriculum Frameworks. IWA Resources such as 4Rs Lesson
Overviews, and additional Indiana Curriculum Frameworks will
continue to be added as they become available.
Froguts.com
- Froguts is a free virtual online frog dissection that uses photos
of frogs recycled from schools. You have to see this to
believe it!!! GRADE LEVEL: 6-12
Yuckiest
Site on the Internet - Discovery Channel - Thanks to The Yuckiest
Site on the Internet, you can now get your fill of the yuckiest
science information and entertainment available. Play games, conduct
Icky Experiments, or become a world-class chef and cook up Revolting
Recipes for your unsuspecting dinner guests. Learn all kinds of
gross scientific stuff like where ear wax comes from and why we have
bad breath. There's plenty of info on worms and roaches too for
those of you who enjoy that sort of thing, plus lots more. GRADE
LEVEL: 2-6
Bill
of Rights Institute Free Lesson Ideas - "High
school history and government teachers find this site to be an
interesting resource for lesson ideas that will help students
increase their understanding of "their rights and
responsibilities as citizens, as well as the historical and
intellectual origins of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of
Rights." GRADE LEVEL: 6-12
- Review from Education
World
Escape
from Knab - "Give your students a lesson in financial
decision making with this fun, interactive site. This simulation has
students landing on the faraway planet of Knab. Getting a job is no
problem but making the correct financial decisions that will earn
enough money for a ticket back to planet Earth is a bit more of a
challenge. Scenarios include completing a W-4 form, writing checks,
making budget decisions, buying a car, investing, and more. Each
visit to Knab has different choices so students can practice the
decision-making skills over and over as they revise their strategies
for acquiring enough money to purchase the $10,000 ticket back home.
Teachers will find support for using the site in the classroom in Educational
Stuff. Resources include curriculum standards, activity sheets,
a glossary, and tips for classroom presentation." GRADE
LEVEL: 6-12 - Review from Education
World
Classroom Management
Tips
Education World list some
teacher-submitted ideas on Classroom
Management Tips. Discipline, rules, rewards, more!
Bulletin Board Ideas
If you are looking for some ideas on how
to design a bulletin board in your school, check out the collection
of links of Bulletin
Board Ideas at Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators.
Looking for some creative ideas for
lessons in your class? Try some of these websites...
A
to Z Themes: Back-to-School Ideas - A teacher's guide to
online resources for back to school!
Back-to-School
Activities from Teacher's Corner
Back
To School Ideas from ABC Teach
Teaching Heart.net -
An interesting site for teaching ideas, inspiration, links, lessons,
units, activity sheets, virtual sites for elementary
teachers.
Back-to-School
Survival: A welcoming letter or a humorous "survival kit"
can set the tone for the entire school year.
2001-2002 News Archive
Below is a listing of all articles
and links that have been on the Shelbyville Central School District's Main Page
for the 2001-2002 school year. The further down you go on the list, the older the
posting. If you are looking for something that was posted on the
district's main page near the beginning of the 2001-2002 school year, it will be listed
near the bottom of the page.
Some Top Notch
Education Sites
Rose-Hulman's
Homework Hotline - Rose-Hulman's Homework Hotline
provides middle and high school students with math and science
homework help free of charge and after school hours.
Investigating
Patterns: Symmetry and Tessellations
- A metasite of Web resources for grades five through eight
math. GRADE LEVEL: 6-8
POP
Goes Antarctica -
This site features a research project in which a teacher
participates in a polar expedition that explores the effects
of POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) on the food chain of
Antarctica. GRADE LEVEL: 6-12
Froguts.com
- Froguts is a free virtual online frog dissection that uses photos
of frogs recycled from schools. You have to see this to
believe it!!! GRADE LEVEL: 6-12
Ask
the Answer Worm -
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation
Service created the Answer Worm to teach students the facts about
soil. GRADE LEVEL: K-5
Web-Pop
On-Line Books - Web-Pop
Books, created by author Stephen Cosgrove, offers a variety of
online and printable books for elementary students. GRADE LEVEL:
Pre-K-5
Ocean
Explorer - Ocean Explorer
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a
rich oceanography resource for students and teachers. GRADE
LEVEL: 6-12
Mighty
Book - The mission of
Mighty Book is to promote "Literacy, Creativity and the Power
of Reading." It offers online books, videos, music and
more. GRADE LEVEL: Pre-K-8
Authors Online
There are several authors that
currently maintain their own websites, such as Judy Blume at www.judyblume.com.
If you want to find other information or websites for an particular
author, some of the sites listed below can provide some interesting
information.
- Directory of Indiana Children's
Authors & Illustrators, http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/WWW/LDO/CHILDRENS/index.htm
- The Author Corner,
ccpl.carr.org/authco
- The Author Page, www.ipl.org/youth/AskAuthor/Biographies.html
- BookBrowser - Authors Online, http://www.bookbrowser.com/Authors/
- Bookreporter.com, www.bookreporter.com
- Children's Book Council, http://www.cbcbooks.org/html/aboutauthors.html
- The Children's Literature Web
Guide, www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown
- Educational Paperback Association
Top 100 Authors, www.edupaperback.org/top100.html
- Fairrosa Cyber Library of
Children's Literature, www.dalton.org/libraries/fairrosa
- Google's massive directory listing
of information about authors, http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Literature/Authors/
- HarperChildrens.com, www.harperchildrens.com/hch
- The Horn Book, www.hbook.com
- Just for Kids Who Love Books, www3.sympatico.ca/alanbrown/kids.htm
- The On-Line Books Page, digital.library.upenn.edu/books
- Scholastic Authors & Books, www2.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks
- Yahooligans: Directory Listing of
Authors, http://www.yahooligans.com/school_bell/language_arts/Authors/
Resources for the Salt Lake City
Winter Olympics
Library of Congress - The Library of Congress
preserves a
collection of nearly 121 million items, more than two-thirds
of which are in media other than books. These include the largest
map, film and television collections in the world. In addition to
its primary mission of serving the research needs of the U.S.
Congress, the Library serves all Americans through its popular Web
site and in its 22 reading rooms on Capitol Hill.
- Library of Congress Main Page
- Library of Congress Online
Catalogs
- Library of Congress Online Catalog is a
database of records that represent and describe the nearly 121
million items held by the Library. The Online Catalog may be
searched by name, title, subject, and call number. You may use
keywords, commands, or a search form, and there are several
advanced techniques to refine your searches.
- American Memory at the Library of
Congress
- American Memory is a gateway to rich primary
source materials relating to the history and culture of the United
States.
- THOMAS Legislative
Information - THOMAS is a comprehensive federal
legislative information site. You will find the full text of all
legislation introduced in Congress and the Congressional Record
since 1989, summaries of bills since 1973, recent congressional
committee reports and legislative schedules, as well as a
multitude of links to other sites of interest in legislative
research.
Libraries Online - There are
hundreds of libraries online throughout Indiana and the United
States.
Dr. Martin Luther King resources on
the Internet - Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on Monday
January 21st, 2002 - always the third Monday in January.
Forms and Letters
Here are some websites that offer
templates of common forms, worksheets and letters that teachers may
use.
Kathy Schrock's
Guide for Educators - Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators is
an excellent categorized list of sites useful for enhancing
curriculum and professional growth.
Take a Closer
Look
- A weekly contest for elementary students (grades K-3)
where they can see part of a picture and will try to identify the
entire object. Students view the picture clue, guess what the
picture is, and submit their guesses as a class. The names of the
classes that identify the picture correctly are featured on the home
page the following week. This site is maintained by Peachland
Avenue Elementary School, in Newhall, California.
What is a WebQuest?
WebQuest Page at San Diego State
University
"A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented
activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is
drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time
well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and
to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis
and evaluation. The model was developed in early 1995 at San Diego
State University by Bernie Dodge with Tom March."
If you would like to see some examples of or
would like more information about WebQuests, there are several
hundred WebQuest examples posted for all grade levels at the San
Diego University site.
Why
WebQuests?,
an introduction by Tom March
If you would like to read about why WebQuests
are a good choice when utilizing the Internet for your class, this
WebQuest introduction by Tom March may be a good place for you to
start.
Other WebQuest Sites
Interesting Websites for Searching the
Internet
Google, Alta Vista, and Education World
are great search engines for educators, but listed below are other
collections of reference material on the web that many teachers may
find useful.
New York Times CyberNavigator -
Navigator is
the home page used by the newsroom of The New York Times for forays
into the Web. Its primary intent was to give reporters and editors
new to the Web a solid starting point for a wide range of
journalistic functions without forcing all of them to spend time
wandering around blindly to find a useful set of links of their
own.
The Virtual Reference Desk - A large collection of links to a wide variety
of reference materials including dictionaries, thesauri, almanacs,
encyclopedias, and more.
refdesk.com - Large
collection of reference material that is available on the
Internet. A very interesting website...
For High School Juniors and
Seniors
State Student Assistance
Commission of Indiana (SSACI)
- SSACI has developed a suite
of online services to help college-bound students with grant,
scholarship and work-study information. These services include
eStudent (which allows students to track and check their state aid
they have received), online applications and much more. Go to
Shelbyville's College and University
Information page for more
college info.
Great Math Sites
Cool Math
- "Whether
you need to practice your math skills or just have some fun, Cool
Math is the place to go. The interactive games are sure to have the
younger set engaged for hours. For example, in Number Monster,
children can play against the computer to practice the four
operations of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Kids
13+ will find lessons on geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and
algebra, an interactive area with puzzles and number games, and
articles on "How to Succeed in Math" and "Careers in Math." Included
are a Fractal Gallery that kids of all ages will enjoy and a Fractal
of the Day." - Education World Review
Maths Year 2000
-
"Created in the United Kingdom, hence the "maths" for mathematics,
the site seeks to foster a positive attitude toward math. This is a
great online resource for elementary math classes. Numberland
features a giant magic square that reveals number poems, limericks,
facts, and pictures that encourage students to learn about numbers.
Students will enjoy the Explorer section, where they can explore
primes, patterns, fractions, origami, anamorphic art, and much
more."
Education World's Math and Finance Web Site Review
Page - Education World provides
reviews for dozens of educational math web sites all over the
Internet.
King's List of Math Activities
- This site is a very good example
of a website maintained by a school that provides references to
websites that other teachers would find very useful. This
directory organizes most of the basic math needs of students into
categories, then links the user to directly to webpages that have a
tool or game to meet that need.
Urban Legends and Internet
Hoaxes
The Internet is an amazing tool for fast,
worldwide communication. With this comes some problems
including the spread of rumors and hoaxes. Some of the rumors
and hoaxes are even picked up by news organizations and are reported
on in their publications. One such example from the recent
tragedy at the World Trade Center was the news report about an
individual who was supposedly on the 81st floor of one of the World
Trade Center buildings at the time of the collapse and
survived. Even though this news report was in many newspapers
throughout the country, it unfortunately turned out to be completely
false.
There have been several other rumors
associated with the terrible tragedy in New York that have turned
out to be completely false, including the infamous last photo from
the top of one of the towers, the WingDings/Q33NY prediction,
employees of a Dunkin Donuts celebrating the attack and many
more.
Below are several websites devoted to
tracking down the validity of Internet hoaxes and rumors.
College, University, and
Scholarship Information on the Internet
- If you are looking for information about
universities, admissions, and financial aid for college, try some of
the links on our College and University
Information page.
Some of the links below provide some of the
most current news online.
Posted September 2001
Mission E-Possible:
Student-Designed Virtual Tours
- Patti Strout's mission was to create an
outlet that would allow California fourth graders to share their field trips
to local missions. Today, her Web site offers several student-designed virtual
tours--providing kids from across the United States an opportunity to learn
about those unique locations. Included: Project participants share how the Mission E-Possible
project fit into their classroom activities!
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
is a categorized list of sites
useful for enhancing curriculum and professional growth. It is updated often to include the best sites for teaching and learning.
How
to Thrive -- Not Just Survive -- in a One-Computer Classroom
- Education World writer Glori Chaika explores strategies experienced
teachers use to help them turn their computer into a dynamic, creative
teaching tool.
Four
Blocks Literacy Resources at Teachers.net
- A good resource
for lesson plan ideas for a Four Blocks Literacy classroom at Teachers.net.
Additional Four Blocks Literacy resources can be found at ReadingLady.com.
Inspire,
Indiana's virtual library
- In
conjunction with the academic, public, school and special libraries of
Indiana, Inspire offers access to a full range of commercial databases and
other electronic resources to support the educational, cultural, personal
and economic interests of Hoosiers from their homes, offices, libraries,
schools and businesses in Indiana.
Posted August 2001
Internet
Research Center
- One of the most difficult aspects of using the
Internet is just being able to find the information you need. The Internet
Research Center is designed to help teachers and students locate the
best resources on the World Wide Web so they can spend more time doing
research and less time fumbling around on useless web sites.
Teachers,
It's
That Time: 25 Great Reasons to Start Thinking About Going Back to School
- Sample some of the best from the Education World archives! DiscoverySchool.com
- Education resources for parents, students and teachers. Try
out the Puzzlemaker,
a puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and
print customized word search, crossword and math puzzles using your word
lists. Trying
to help your elementary-age child find "stuff" on the
Internet. Try Ask Jeeves for
Kids or Yahooligans,
two search engines designed for use by younger students.
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