|
|
|
Homefires
180 El Camino Real
Millbrae, CA
94030
US
If you no longer wish to receive communication from us:
Cancel
To update your contact information:
Update
FREE DAILY
CURRICULUM IDEAS!
Sign Up for Diane Flynn Keith's
Rave-Reviewed Ezine ClickSchooling!
We never share or sell your email address with anyone ever.
|
|
|
Homefires
180 El Camino Real
Millbrae, CA
94030
US
If you no longer wish to receive communication from us:
Cancel
To update your contact information:
Update
Hi! It’s Tuesday, March 2, 2010 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
USGS: Earthquakes for Kids
Age Range: 8 and up (approximately – there are aspects that will appeal to people of all ages)
Due to the massive earthquake in Chile on February 27th (magnitude 8.8 on the Richter Scale), I thought your children may have questions about earthquakes. At this USGS website (designed for kids) you can learn all about the science behind earthquakes and much more.
When you get to the site you’ll see a menu of items that include:
*The Science of Earthquakes – Discover what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another and better understand terminology like fault, fault zone, magnitude, Richter Scale, hypocenter, and epicenter.
*Latest Quakes – View an interactive map of the world indicating where and when earthquakes have happened.
*Become an Earthquake Scientist – Learn how a geophysicist studies the Earth using gravity, magnetic, electrical, and seismic methods.
*Animations – Watch incredible animations of liquefaction, strike-slip fault, thrust fault, wavefronts, foreshocks and more.
*Puzzles and Games – Get coloring pages to print, take an earthquake quiz, enjoy an interactive word search puzzle, use a calculator to see how much bigger a magnitude 8.7 earthquake is than a 5.8.
You’ll also find terrific links to further resources, science projects, and “Earthquake ABC’s.”
Then, learn what to do to stay safe in an earthquake at FEMA’s website.
Hi! It’s Monday, March 1, 2010 and time for Math at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
Oswego School District: Billy Bug Geometry
Age Range: 7-10 (approximately)
This website offers a fun game to help elementary age students practice finding geometry coordinates on a number grid.
When you get to the site, you’ll see the instructions for the game. The idea is to help an animated bug find the grub hidden on the grid by locating the coordinates that are provided.
Students are challenged to see how long it will take them to feed “Billy” 10 times. A game timer keeps track of the student’s progress.
This is just a simple, interactive math practice tool. Kids who like computer games are sure to have fun and learn a little about geometry too.
Hi! It’s Saturday, February 27, 2010 and time for Music at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
WildMusic.org
Age Range: All (Younger children and non-readers will need assistance.)
ClickScholar Michael recommended this really fun website that is a companion to a traveling exhibition about the “Sounds and Songs of Life” (currently in Wichita, Kansas through April 25, 2010). It offers free, interactive, virtual exhibits where you can learn the science behind how animals and people make sound and music.
When you get to the site you can click “Play” to hear musical “compositions” created from sounds in nature. You’ll also see a menu of items that include:
*Soundscapes – Use archived recordings of animals, humans, wind, and water to create your own sound compositions. Adjust the results with a virtual sound mixer. Explore maps of sounds that were recorded all over the planet.
*Animal – Listen to different animal sounds and bird songs; then test your memory with a sound match game.
*About Sound – Discover what researchers have learned about sound frequency, wavelengths, voice boxes, and more. Play a game to see if you can hear as well as a baby. Take a test to see how your hearing compares to that of animals. Get instruction to make your own Pan Pipes, bell bracelet, and maracas!
You can also take a virtual photographic tour of the exhibit, and meet the scientists and musicians behind the exhibit through video clips, photos, and text.
Hi! It’s Wednesday, February 24, 2010 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
LessonPathways.com
Age Range: 4-10 (Grades PreK-5)
ClickScholar Heike Reagan recommended this formerly subscription-based website that has just converted to offering complete lesson plans, unit studies, and individual resources for core subjects in grades PreK-5 for free! Instead of charging a fee, the site will now be ad-supported.
When you get to the site you’ll see a menu. Below it is a button that says, “Take a Tour.” Click on that to get an idea of the magnitude of what is archived at this website. You can also bypass the tour and explore the menu items – but in order to see the content, you will have to register (it’s free).
The learning content is divided into three segments and includes:
1) A Guided Journey – This is a complete 36-week lesson package available for Language Arts, Reading and Phonics, as well as Science, History, and Math! Follow the complete lesson plan (or path) for the grade you select, or mix and match to create your own course of study. These lesson plans are made up of individual units called “Pathways”.
2) A Pathway – This option provides a single unit study on a given topic. For example, a guided study of the book Charlotte’s Web or an exploration of “Newton’s Three Laws of Motion.” Each unit is designed for one week of study. Each “Pathway” is composed of individual “Stepping Stones” (see description in #3 below). Click on a unit of interest and a new page opens that includes:
3) A Stepping Stone – This segment is composed of a single resource that, as the website explains, “may be a lesson, video, worksheet, hands-on project, ebook, online game, or other activity (i.e., Create a Spider Life Cycle Poster).”
The idea here is to either follow the recommended learning “pathways” or mix-and-match subjects and grade levels to suit the needs of your students and customize their curriculum. You can keep track of it all in the online Planner.
This site was created with lots of input from homeschool parents, which is probably why it’s so user-friendly. You’ll appreciate the encouragement to customize this to your child’s interests and needs.
This is a traditional “homeschool curriculum queen’s” dream-come-true. Unschoolers can access fun ideas and activities to explore as desired. There’s something for everyone at this website, and it earns a ClickSchooling Award for Excellence!
That said, in reading some of the material about this site, the longevity of the project is uncertain. They weren’t earning enough revenue from subscription sales to support their operating costs, which is why they converted to an ad-supported model. They are hopeful that advertising will sustain them and make the endeavor profitable. That remains to be seen. They need your support to keep this resource available and free. Tell your friends.
The Khan Academy
http://www.khanacademy.org
Age Range: 11 and up (Approximately middle school through high school and beyond; some young children may enjoy aspects of these presentations that range from the fairly simple to quite complex.)
A big THANK YOU to ClickScholar Mary Burns for suggesting this website whose creator has set the heartfelt goal to provide a world-class education to everyone for free. The brainchild of Salmon Khan (whose background is in math, computer science, and investment management), this non-profit virtual school provides over 1000 videos via YouTube covering:
You’ll also find informative courses in Banking, the Credit Crisis, Venture Capital, Investing, Economics – and there are even challenging Brain Teasers!
When you get to the site, scroll down the page to get to the extensive menu of video lessons. Click on any lesson and the YouTube page opens where the video begins to play. Because the videos are on YouTube (with its random ads and commentary), PARENTS, AS ALWAYS, SHOULD PREVIEW AND SUPERVISE to determine suitability of content.
Mary wrote, “I’ve looked at ‘Introduction to the Atom,’ (under Chemistry) that was about 25 minutes long. Mr. Khan explains the concepts while he illustrates with a light pen (like you’re looking at a chalkboard). It was very engaging and easy to watch.”
Testimonials at the site convey students’ enthusiasm for this approach. I usually don’t quote extensive text from websites, but Mr. Khan’s explanations for his style of teaching is worth noting verbatim:
“I teach the way that I wish I was taught. …Viewers know that it is the labor of love of one somewhat quirky and determined man who has a passion for learning and teaching. I don’t think any corporate or governmental effort–regardless of how much money is thrown at the problem–can reproduce this.”
He goes on, “A lot of my own educational experience was spent frustrated with how information was conveyed in textbooks and lectures. There would be connections in the subject matter that standard curricula would ignore despite the fact that they make the content easier to understand, enjoy, and RETAIN. I felt like fascinating and INTUITIVE concepts were almost intentionally being butchered into pages and pages of sleep-inducing text and monotonic, scripted lectures. I saw otherwise intelligent peers memorizing steps and formulas for the next exam without any sense of the intuition or big picture, only to forget everything within a matter of weeks. These videos are my expression of how the concepts should have been expressed in the first place, all while not compromising rigor or comprehensiveness.”
Based on the videos I reviewed at the site, Mr. Khan is succeeding in his mission. In addition to the instructional videos, visitors can log in and do problems online for further practice and comprehension. The program keeps track of your work and indicates what you’ve mastered and what needs more work.
The video lessons are just part of Khan’s much larger vision to build software covering the topics in the videos as well as simulation games to provide applied understanding of the concepts. Bookmark this site, you’ll want to return often as they add new material.
This website earns a ClickSchooling Award (CSAW) for excellence in using technology to deliver a better, more meaningful education to everyone for free.
Hi! It’s Monday, February 22, 2010 and time for Math at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
Multiplication.com
This commercial website, offers free video lessons on how to learn the multiplication times tables from 0-9, through the use of mnemonic memory devices. These learning tools help kids associate rhymes, stories, pictures and activities with arithmetic to make memorization easier.
The premise is to address the learning modalities of every student. Each lesson uses pictures for the visual learner, stories for the auditory learner, and an activity for the kinesthetic learner who learns by moving, doing, and touching.
When you get to the website you’ll see a way to explore the basics of this method and learn more about it. In addition, you’ll find a pre-test to determine which multiplication facts are problematic for your child/student.
Then, use the menu on the left side of the screen to access lessons on how to teach the times tables from zero through nine.
As I mentioned, this is a commercial website. The freebie is an introduction to their books, games, and other math resources available for purchase.
Hi! It’s Saturday, February 20, 2010 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
Inkscape
Age Range: 9 and up (4th grade and beyond)
ClickScholar Cie discovered this website that offers a free, downloadable vector graphics editor with capabilities similar to Illustrator or CorelDraw. What does that mean? It means you can use your computer to draw, create digital designs, and more.
Inkscape is being used successfully by 4th graders in the Los Altos School District in California. You can see a gallery of the students work by clicking HERE.
I suggest you check out the students’ art gallery first, to get an idea of the possibilities which are sure to inspire the tech-savvy artists in your home. Click on the link next to each of the images to view the corresponding sub-galleries too.
Then, head back to the Inkscape website featured in this review to download the editor. (Just click on the “Download Now” button located in the upper right corner of the homepage.)
Note: You can learn a lot about Inkscape, system requirements, and how it works by reading the FAQs located on the menu on the left side of the homepage.