Posts Tagged ‘reading’

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Free Audio Literature for K-12!

March 13th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, March 13, 2013 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Lit2Go

Age Range: 5-18 (Grades K-12)

The University of South Florida provides this extensive collection of free audio books to help teachers of grades K-12, present literature in the classroom. Each audio book includes a reading level based on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level index.

As explained at the website, “The Flesch-Kincaid formula considers the average number of words per sentence, average sentence length, and the average number of syllables per word within a given passage in order to estimate the complexity of the text. The formula then converts that complexity level into a score that roughly equates with a grade level (K-12) in the United States.”

When you get to the site, you’ll see a brief introduction, some featured audio books, and a menu where you can browse for audio literature by:

*Author – Search for books by your favorite authors, in alphabetical order from Aesop to Walt Whitman.

*Book Title – Explore the alphabetical index for literature from the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain to Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

*Genres – Find literature based on preferred genres including:

  • Adventure
  • Fantasy
  • Historical Fiction
  • Memoir
  • Mystery
  • Nursery Rhyme
  • Poetry
  • Science Fiction
  • Tragedy
  • And More!

*Collections – Browse for literature by collections based on themes including:

  • African-American Literature
  • Books of Oz
  • Civil War
  • Dragons
  • Mathematics
  • Monsters
  • Princesses
  • Science
  • Sherlock Holmes
  • And more!

*Readability – Search for Literature based on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level from K-12.

Just click on a title of interest and a new page opens where you can find more information and the MP3 download links.

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The MET’s Awesome Art Adventure for Kids

March 9th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Saturday, March 9, 2013 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

The MET: Aaron’s Awesome Adventure

Age Range: 6 and up (approximately, with parental supervision)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers this free, online, read-aloud, short story about an inquisitive red-headed boy’s adventures in the Museum and the four pieces of artwork he encounters there.

When you get to the site you’ll see the storybook cover. Just click on the arrows to read the illustrated story.

When you’re finished reading the story, look for the menu directly below the storybook screen, and click on “About the Art.” A new page opens where you can learn more about the art featured in the story. Unfortunately, some of the links to learning more about the artwork aren’t working – so, I took the time to find the links as follows:

Temple of Dendur

Washington Crossing the Delaware

Funerary Mask (Peru)

Arms & Armor (This is a gateway to the Museum’s collections on armor.)

Note: Should you have trouble opening any of the above links, just go to the Met Museum’s home page at www.MetMuseum.org and enter the name of the artwork into the search engine.

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Free Writing & Spelling Worksheets & More!

March 6th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, March 6, 2013 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Best Worksheets

Age Range: 4-10 (Grades PreK-5th, with parental supervision)

A Maryland ClickScholar told me about this ad-supported website (developed by the folks at TheHeadOfTheClass.com) that provides free worksheets for Language Arts and a variety of other subjects that you can download/print or do online/mobile. I have focused on Language Arts for this review.

When you get to the site, read the introduction. Then, select a grade level and a new page opens displaying some worksheets. Look on the menu bar to see what subjects the worksheets cover including Art, Geography, Math, Science, Spelling, Reading, Writing, Spanish, etc. Not all subjects are available at all grade levels. For example:

*Preschool – No “subjects” here, just kiddie worksheets that introduce sight words, numbers, shapes, money, etc.

*Kindergarten – Reading worksheets include sight words, story sequencing, letter writing, alphabet, etc.

*First Grade – Spelling worksheets have scrambled words, missing letters and vowels, matching words. Writing worksheets cover verbs, nouns, past tense, etc. Reading offers missing letters, words, sight words, story lines, etc.

*Second Grade – Spelling and Writing worksheets cover sight words, vowels, consonants, print writing, cursive reading and writing activities.

*Third Grade – Spelling word writing worksheets, cursive writing practice worksheets, etc.

*Fourth Grade – Print and cursive spelling practice worksheets.  Writing worksheets focus on grammar and punctuation.

*Fifth Grade – Spelling word practice in cursive and print. Sentence structure and parts of speech including nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, etc.

When you find a worksheet you want to use, you have the option to download and print it out for use offline, or simply do the activity online.

Bookmark this site to return often.

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See How WD-40 Is Made!

March 1st, 2013

Hi!  It’s Friday, March 1, 2012, and time for a Virtual Field Trip at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

WD-40: Virtual Tour

Age Range: 9 and up (approximately, with parental supervision)

Do you have a can of WD-40 at home? Most U.S. households do! At this official website, you can read about the history of the company, get the story behind the name, and take a “Virtual Tour” to find out how this all-purpose lubricant (that makes things work) is made!

When you get to the site, read about the history of the company and some fascinating myths legends and fun facts about WD-40. Keep reading and learn about the WD-40 Fan Club. (Who knew?) 

IMPORANT: To get to the Virtual Tour, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page. In the first sentence of the last paragraph, you’ll see the words, “Virtual Tour” in red. Click on those words and a pop-up window opens that explains the manufacturing and packing process (without giving away the formula).

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Free Virtual Literature Field Trips!

February 6th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, February 6, 2013 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Google Lit Trips

Age Range: 5-18 (Grades K-12, with parental supervision)

A teacher convinced Google to sponsor this unique idea to use a digital book from children’s literature and plot out the characters’ travels with the digital mapping tools of Google Earth, providing a multidimensional learning experience. Students can take a virtual field trip in real time to visit the places mentioned in classic and popular books, making reading even more relevant and meaningful.

When you get to the website you’ll see some featured highlights. If this is your first visit, your best bet is to click on “About GLT” on the menu and read a short explanation by the teacher who developed this concept. Once you understand how to use Google Lit Trips, select the grade range appropriate for your child from the menu. Then get ready to experience the Google Lit Trips that have been created by various teachers for their favorites children’s books that include:

*Grades K-5 – You’ll find Big Anthony: His Story by Tomie DePaola, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, Possum Magic by Mem Fox, By The Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleishman, and more. 

*Grades 6-8 – Includes The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Bashares, Hard Gold by Avi,  My Brother Sam is Dead by Collier, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis, and more.

*Grades 9-12 – Get the Aenid by Virgil, Candide by Voltaire, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Night by Elie Wiesel, and more.

Click on the title to access the Google Lit Trip complete with a download of the digital book, text and illustrations, and a virtual journey that will bring it all to life.

New titles for Google Lit Trips are added continuously, so bookmark this site to return often.

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TechNovelgy – Where Science Meets Fiction!

January 30th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, January 30, 2013 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Technovelgy

Age Range: 10 and up  (with parental supervision, see note below)

This website offers a free archive that enables you to explore the inventions and predictions of science fiction writers that have come true or are coming true in today’s world. There are over 2,000 different inventions archived that were first introduced through the imaginations of science fiction writers.

When you get to the site you can explore the featured items on the home page, or use the menu at the top of the page to search by Glossary, Author, Book, or Timeline. Once you find a topic that interests you, click on it and a new page opens. That page may contain some or all of the following:

  • A blurb from the novel mentioning the invention or idea.
  • Commentary about the idea including comparisons and similarities to other sci-fi technology mentioned in other novels, television shows, and movies.
  • Links to science articles that discuss the current development of these inventions and ideas in today’s world.
  • Links to real-world video demonstrations of the inventions.
  • Links to websites with further information.

If this doesn’t generate interest in reading a sci-fi novel, I don’t know what will. It will also springboard students to want to learn more about science and technology.

NOTE: I only reviewed a sampling of what’s available at this website, so AS ALWAYS, parents should preview and supervise their children’s exploration – not only to determine the suitability of content on the Technovelgy website, but because the links take you to other websites that I have not reviewed. 

One more piece of advice: Read the FAQs (see link at the bottom of the homepage), I found them to be helpful and I think you will too. :)

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