Posts Tagged ‘social studies’

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Play the American Budget Game!

May 16th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Monday, May 16, 2011 and time for Math at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Budget Hero

Age Range: 11 and up (middle/high school with parental supervision)

American Public Media (the largest operator of public radio stations) offers this free, multi-media game that provides a non-partisan, values and fiscal based lens for U.S. citizens to examine budget policies. The idea is to take your game results and use them to start a conversation with your fellow citizens, legislators and policy makers. 

When you get to the site, wait for the game to load and then click on “Get Briefed” to listen to a narration that explains the federal budget and how to play this game. The budget you create will be based upon your values such as:

  • Health and Wellness
  • National Security
  • Economic Stimulus
  • Efficient Government
  • Energy Independence

As you play the game, you get to control where tax dollars go including to:

  • Defense
  • Schools
  • Science
  • Housing
  • Health Care
  • Social Security
  • Paid Interest On Debt

You’ll be able to explore options for:

  • Health Care Reform
  • Troop Withdrawal
  • Transportation

And you’ll see how your budget priorities compare to those of the Obama Administration.

Be careful!  If you spend too much or tax too little – the national debt rises. What will that mean to future generations?

This game reflects the growing deficit and major policy debates occurring in Washington, D.C.  So, in addition to math you’ll cover social studies, economics, and history. 

Note: This site offers an opportunity to join a national conversation with other like-minded citizens who have played the game as well. I did not explore that option and have no recommendation regarding it.  Parents, AS ALWAYS, should preview this website and supervise Internet use.
 

 

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Social Studies & Geography Games!

May 12th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Thursday, May 12, 2011 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
School Time Games: Social Studies

Age Range: 8-14  (about grades 4-8, with parental supervision)

What fun! This website offers a variety of free, multi-media, interactive games to help students learn social studies and geography. When you get to the site you’ll see a menu of games that include:

*Time Trip – Match events, landmarks, inventions, and fashions to their time in history.

*Explore Jamestown – Grab your shovel and compass to unearth clues from the past and avoid the many hazards settlers faced years ago in Jamestown.

*Titanic – Virtually excavate the Titanic’s hidden treasures.

*Coffee Tycoon - Run your own coffee shop, coffee stand, and coffee empire in this coffee simulation game.

You’ll also find geography games where you match names of states and countries to their position on maps.

Once you’ve explored the Social Studies menu, use the menu at the top of the page to find other terrific games for learning language arts, science, and math.

Note: This is an ad-supported website. In some cases, a random video advertisement may play before your game starts. Parents, as always, should supervise Internet use.

 

 

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Nat’l Geo’s New Education Website!

April 7th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Thursday, April 7, 2011 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
National Geographic Education

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

A Maryland ClickScholar tipped me off to National Geographic’s redesigned education website that is currently being beta tested. It offers an expanded and updated library of their popular, free, multimedia education content that brings geography, science, social studies, and technology to life for educators, learners, and their families.

Because it is being beta tested, you have the opportunity to provide feedback on the site as it develops.  Just click on the “Tell Us What You Think” banner that appears on most pages of the site.

A new feature called “Audience View” allows visitors to customize their view of the site. You can toggle between content tailored for teachers, informal educators, families, students, or kids. Plus, the search engine allows you to filter results by grade and age, type of resource, and subject.

When you get to the site, you’ll see the featured resources that include:

*Teaching Resources – Find educational activities aligned with national standards, currently featuring info on the Monarch Butterfly Migration, Environmental Literacy, and the Japan 2011 Earthquake.

*Mapping – Get interactive maps designed to engage students as “citizen scientists” investigating real-world issues including ocean conservation, species migration, energy, and other topics.

*Multimedia – Browse through captivating photos, videos, illustrations, diagrams, and cartoons. This section alone could inspire interest in a variety of topics and subjects.

Also, in collaboration with Verizon’s Thinkfinity, you’ll find free materials for educators and students in all major disciplines. You can search for educational resources at the fabulous Verizon Thinkfinity website which we’ve reviewed previously on ClickSchooling.

 Back at the National Geographic site, you can sign up for a free newsletter that alerts you to featured resources each month, and you can also connect to NG Education on some of your favorite social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

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Posted in science, social sciences

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Social Studies – All About Japan

March 16th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Thursday, March 17, 2011 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling! 

Recommended Website:
Teaching About Japan
 
Age Range: 9 and up (with parental guidance)

A Maryland ClickScholar recommended this website that offers an engaging annotated slideshow overview of Japan’s geography and more. As explained at the website, “Japanese history and culture has been profoundly shaped by geographical factors. Here teachers will find ‘openers’ — questions or assertions to launch discussion — and other tools to introduce students to the Japanese geography.”

When you get to the site you’ll find a brief introduction and a menu. Click on the top item, “Images of Japan” to start the slideshow that includes all of the items you’ll see on the menu such as:

  • Principal Islands and Cities
  • Topography
  • Population Density
  • Relative Size and Location
  • Comparison of California to Japan
  • Precipitation and Temperature
  • Twentieth-Century Population Trends

This presentation is user-friendly, informative and timely. As the ClickScholar who recommended the site wrote:

“Note that most of the population is concentrated at or south of Tokyo;
all the worst recent troubles are north of Tokyo including the power plants, brunt of earthquake damage, and tsunami. Although there is somewhat dense population in the area hardest hit, it’s not as densely populated as, say, Tokyo, Osaka, or Nagoya….”

If this slideshow generates interest in learning more about Japan, visit:

Kids Web Japan

Kids Web Japan is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and is designed to introduce students (ages 10-14) who live in other countries to Japan. It includes information on:

  • History
  • Culture
  • The Imperial Family
  • Government
  • Economy and Industry
  • Nature and Climate
  • National Flag and National Anthem
  • ~ And more!

As explained at the site, “We would be delighted if this site was used as a supplementary source of information for school lessons on Japan or by families to learn about Japan together.”

 

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Language Arts Quizzes & More!

January 5th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, January 5, 2010 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website
Kidport

Age Range: 5-13 (Designed for grades K–8, however grades 7-8 are under construction.)

Kidport is a Google-ad supported website that that offers free information and brief quizzes in a variety of subject areas including language arts, math, science, social studies, and creative arts. For this review we focused on “Language Arts.”

When you get to the site, you’ll see a picture of what looks like a remote control device that contains grade levels from K-8. Click on any one and a new page opens with a menu of subjects. Then, click on “Language Arts” to see an index of the topics covered for that grade level including:

  • Compound Words
  • Contractions
  • Word Recognition
  • Spelling
  • Antonyms
  • Synonyms
  • Homophones

Click on a topic and a new page opens with information, an interactive quiz, and an activity suggestion (that you can do offline).

The Language Arts section, though useful, is sparse. Again, there are quizzes on many subject areas – and as a mechanism for review of topics typically taught by grade level, it may be helpful. 

You can get a good idea of everything the site has to offer by clicking on “Contents” on the menu. It includes direct links to the materials by grade level, including the “Reference Library Section” that offers information and interactives on the following topics:

  • Animal Kingdom
  • Life in the Sea
  • Human Body Anatomy and Physiology
  • Social Studies
  • American History
  • American Revolution
  • American Civil War
  • California Gold Rush
  • California Missions
  • U.S.A. Geography

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George Lucas’ Make-A-Hero Activity

December 15th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, December 15, 2010 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Lucas Learning’s Make-A-Hero

Age Range: 9-14 (approximately, younger children may enjoy aspects with adult assistance)

Director George Lucas (of Star Wars fame) sponsors this website where you can explore stories of mythical heroes from Mexico, Africa, China, Egypt, Greece, and the United States – and you can even make your own hero!

When you get to the site you will see an introduction. Use the menu on the left side of the screen to access:

*Make-A-Hero Activity – Create your own mythical heroic figure with a click
of your mouse. Choose a hero/heroine and alter how they look and what they wear based on information from across cultures, times, and places worldwide. (You can print our your character when completed.)

*Classroom Activities – Explore the myths prevalent in many cultures through suggested activities including:

  • Interview a Hero
  • Learn About Clothing & Costumes Across Cultures
  • Go on a Themed Scavenger Hunt

The lessons are for classroom use, but they can be tweaked to use in the homeschool environment.

*Resources – Find a selected bibliography of books about myths that you can take to your library for further learning. And don’t miss…

  • Print Hero Descriptions – This section offers printable hero and myth descriptions that are engaging to read.  Print them all out, assemble them in a binder, and you’ve got a great learning tool that will enrich your kids’ knowledge of the world.

This site provides a fun learning resource that incorporates language arts and social studies through exploring myths of other cultures and countries.

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Posted in language arts

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