Talking SMARTBoards & Much More! » Science

e-Learning for kids

anne marie — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:39:27 +0000

A friend of mine, Marie, sent me a link to e-Learning for Kids and I’m glad she did! It is filled with wonderful free resources…

“Established in late 2004, e-Learning for Kids is a global, nonprofit foundation dedicated to fun and free learning on the Internet for children ages 5 – 12. We offer free, best-in-class courseware in math, science, reading and keyboarding; and we’re building a community for parents and educators to share innovations and insights in childhood education.”

It is available in 4 languages and is very user and SMARTBoard friendly, not to mention the programs are motivating, interactive, fun, educational and some ven have voice input-YEAH!! There are so many great lessons, games, etc.- too many to mention, so head on over and do soem exploring, guaranteed you won’t be disappointed!

Learn about trees.

anne marie — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:37:33 +0000

The fall always seems like the optimal time for lessons on trees and so once again as the leaves are changing colors and quickly falling to the ground in Massachusetts I’m thinking trees! There are two sites from the University of Illinois Extension that I find to be very good: Dr. Arbor Talks Trees (click on the index files at the top of the page to access lessons) and Exploring the Secret Life of Trees. I like both of these sites because they give very good visual and auditory support and present well on the SMARTBoard (the Secret Life of Trees can be viewed in English or Spanish). During each presentation there are opportunities for students to interact with the lesson being presented. The Teacher’s Guide in both programs are very informative and helpful.

Pete’s PowerPoint Station also is a very good resource forfree ready-made lessons about trees in PowerPoint format and it also offers various resources that can be incorporated into your lessons. Now I’m off to rake some of those falling leaves! ENJOY!

PBS EekoWorld

anne marie — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:58:46 +0000

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!

Teaching About Trees

anne marie — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:07:07 +0000

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!

All Systems Go!

anne marie — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:35:20 +0000

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!

Virtual Forest Field Trip– AMAZING!!

anne marie — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:18:30 +0000

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!

Science Resources for SMART Board

anne marie — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:59:17 +0000

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!

Science- Interactive Body

anne marie — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:47:34 +0000

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!

Body Parts

anne marie — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:18:49 +0000

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!

Science Online Rocks!

anne marie — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 02:53:39 +0000

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!