Talking SMARTBoards & Much More!

PBS EekoWorld is a wonderful site that  “is designed to help children between the ages of 6 and 9 learn about the important role they can play in taking care of the earth. EekoWorld (Environmental Education for Kids Online) features an engaging and interactive format that invites children to explore, experiment, and collaborate as they learn about conservation and the environment.”   Registration is not necessary unless you want to save your work.  You will have the opportunity to create an EekoCreature or and EekoHouse, view videos to learn about the environment, recycling, plants & animals, etc.  Many if these options would present well on the SMART Board. ENJOY!

There are two wonderful sites from the University of Illinois with wonderful resources about trees.  The first is called  Dr. Arbor Talks Trees and this site offer interactive activities to learn about the basics of trees.  In their own words this site “focuses on tree anatomy and physiology. Students will learn some of the basic inner workings, chemical principles, and fun ways to get to know trees better.” There is even a state tree glossary where visitors can explore and learn about the state tree from eah state. You can receive a freeposter about Dr. Abor Talks Trees by completing the online form.

The second site is Exploring the Secret Life of Trees (which can be viewed in wither English and Spanish). In their own words–this site “is designed to help 3rd – 5th grade students gain an appreciation of trees, observe trees in their everyday lives, and develop an interest in discovering more about trees.” You can receive a free poster about Exploring the Secret Life of Trees by completing the online form.

Both of these sites present well using the SMART Board and have audio components- ENJOY!

If you’re looking for a site to review the four major body systems then you have to head over to All Systems Go!  Students will meet Arnold who is in need of help to get his organs put correctly back into his body! Once you click on the start button the name of an organ will appear at the bottom of the page and players must drag all of the organs that belong in that system into Arnold’s body.  Be careful, though, because if you drag the wrong organ into Arnold all of the organs will move back to the box. ENJOY!

This morning folks are tweeting about this cool website  UPM -Forest Life that offers the most AMAZING virtual field trip deep into the life in a Finland forest.  This trip is offered in five different languages including English, Dutch and French.  You are taken on this tour by Bob Taylor.  Make sure you turn up the volume so you can enjoy all of the wonderful, magical sounds from the forest.  This presents wonderfully on the SMART Board– very FUN!  So put on your viritual hiking boots and begin your educational journey into the forest- ENJOY!

My friend Sarah sent me a link to a great website for secondary science teachers called freezeray.com. There are several interactive lessons/activities for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, etc.  You will need to have Adobe Flash downloaded to access these activities. ENJOY!

The BBC has a wonderful interactive science site that explores the human body- specifically organs, muscles, skeleton and nervous system.  It allows you to chose either male or female and then tests your ability to place the designated body part in the correct place on the body.  There are options on the site to assist and educate so it is best to explore to see what would benefit your classes. This site works well with the SMARTBoard. ENJOY!

I discovered this interactive body part identification website that works great with the SMARTBoard.   It is a basic program for elemenatry students- identifying only 12 body parts, but is available in 6 languages. Students drag and drop the words to match the pictures. Clicking on the pictures or words will ellicit a verbal reinforcement. Works great on the SMARTBoard- ENJOY!

I have been wanting to write a post about Science Online for some time now and tonight is the time! This site was developed to address the Tennessee Science Frameworks, but is a wonderful resource for all K-8 science teachers.

“Science Online is an innovative project that emphasizes the use of technology to deliver the Tennessee science curriculum for grades K-8.Science Online will integrate technology toward the mastery of standards, learning expectations and performance indicators as indicated in the Jefferson County System Technology Plan Goals and the Tennessee Science Curriculum Framework.”

This site is nicely organized by grade level and subject and content areas, making it very user friendly. The resources are quite extensive and the many of the interactive websites work great with the SMARTBoard.  The site also shares a weekly “site of the week”. For example the site this week is The Kid’s Page which is a project developed and maintained by the Science Education Center at Glendale Community College. On The Kid’s Page you will find even more resources for science areas such as the solar system, sound and light, living things, etc.  Science Online and The Kid’s Place are definitely science resources worth checking out– ENJOY!

Found this really cool National Geographic interactive website that explores the Rainforest at Night.  You simply mouse over the page (like shining a spotlight) to discover photos and then click on the photo to learn additional facts.  When using the SMARTBoard it’s REALLY cool since you move your finger over the SMARTBoard to discover the photos and then touch the photo to learn more. ENJOY!

I came across 6 free sample Spark Island activities that I found on e-gfl.org that work great on the SMARTBoard.  Each game is interactive, engaging, animated and fun! There are 2 games each that address Numeracy, Literacy and Science skills.  The Learning Outcomes are based on objectives from Wales, Northern Ireland and England, but would be appropriate for just about any learning environment.  In addition to the activities they also provide teachers with other options such as teaching suggestions and printable resources.

For literacy there is It’s A Goal which asks students to chose the correct vowel to spell basic CVC words.  The correct answer ellicits a goal! Spin to Win is my favorite! It reinforces the use of prefixes and suffixes using a very cool word spinner.

For Science there is Animal Magic which asks students to group animals according to observable similarities and differences and Home Sweet Home uses scientific evidence to explain why animals live where they do.

For Numeracy there is Play Your Cards Right which uses probability to make guesses in a card game and Down on the Farm reviews basic counting to 5.

Hope these activities help you as you plan your SB lessons for 2009- ENJOY!!