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Friday & Sat.: See How Violins Are Made!

March 23rd, 2013

Hi! It’s Friday, March 22, 2013 and time for a Virtual Field Trip at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Violin Makers Shop Tour

Age Range: 8 and up (with parental supervision)

At this website you can take a simple virtual tour of a violin factory through pictures and text. See the entire process from selecting the wood for the body of the violin, to making bows.

When you get to the site use the menu on the left side of the page to access each step of the tour that includes:

*Materials – Find out what types of wood are used to make a violin.

*Instrument Parts – Explore all of the different parts that made up a violin including the body, sound hole, bridge, scroll, pegs, and sound posts.

*Piece It Together – See how the different parts of a violin are pieced together at the factory.

*Tuning – Learn how to tune a violin.

This site was developed by students in a classroom a number of years ago. There are all kinds of links to additional information within the text of the tour. Unfortunately, many of the links are no longer working. Regardless, there is still plenty of good information to learn.

If this piques your student’s interest, you’ll find more in-depth information on how violins are designed and made at the website of violin maker, David Gusset. 

Specia Bonus!  Don’t miss this documentary (about 1 hour) that demonstrates the violin making process from the selection of wood to seeing the finished product in concert – all delivered to the strains of glorious violin music! 

Finally, you may enjoy this 5-6 minute YouTube video from the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City, Utah. It shows aspects of violin making with a narrative by students and master craftsmen who explain why and how they became violin makers. 

As always, parents should preview and supervise all Internet access.  

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Free Women’s History Month Lessons & Activities!

March 14th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Thursday, March 14, 2013 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Women’s History Month

Age Range: 10 and up  (approximately, with parental supervision)

March is Women’s History Month that recognizes and celebrates the importance of women and their role in history. This website, sponsored by the Library of Congress, offers extensive free resources including articles, exhibitions, audio/visual presentations, lessons, activities and more to learn about women’s history.

When you get to the website you’ll see an introduction and featured highlights and events. Use the menu on the left side of the page to access:

*Exhibits & Collections – An archive of links to resources that include virtual field trips to historic places such as the homes of Clara Barton and Eleanor Roosevelt, and links to information on Women’s Rights, and women in Performing Arts, Government and Politics, Culture and Folklife, and much more.

*Audio/Video – Enjoy audio and video presentations about women in Arts and Culture, Business and Economics, Civil Rights, Music and Performing Arts, Poetry and Literature, and more.

*For Teachers – Access ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids. Don’t miss the link to “Women’s History.” When the new page opens, you’ll see an illustration of a woman. Below it, are links to “Lesson Plans,” and a section “For Students” with many, many more resources to explore.

There is a massive amount of content here, so bookmark the site to return often.

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Lab Science Videos, Activities, Worsheets, & Games!

February 26th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, February 26, 2013 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Jefferson Lab Science Series

Age Range: 11 and up (approximately, with parental supervision)

ClickScholar Laura suggested this website, sponsored by The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) in Newport News, Virginia, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab’s primary mission is to conduct research on the atom’s nucleus using the lab’s unique particle accelerator.

In addition to its science mission, the Lab provides programs and resources designed to help educate the public in science and technology, including a free “Science Series” of engaging lectures that are video-recorded and archived at the website for viewing. Plus, the Lab offers free learning resources including activities, worksheets, games, and more!

When you get to the site you’ll see a menu of the “Science Series” video titles including:  

  • The Origin of the Elements
  • Adventures in Infectious Diseases
  • DNA: The Strand that Connects Us All
  • Einstein for Everyone
  • Understanding Flight: A Physical Description of How Airplanes Fly
  • The Physics of Stock Car Racing
  • The Physics of Baseball
  • Comic Book Physics
  • Chemistry – It’s More Than Puffs and Bangs!
  • Radiation: What Is It and How Can It Affect Me?
  • Jellyfish: The Big Sting
  • From Acne to Suntans: Dermatology for the Teenager
  • And Many More!

Each title has a brief description and a link you can click to watch the video online.

Wait! There’s more!

When you’re through watching the lectures check out the Science Education section of this site that contains free resources including hands-on activities, worksheets, puzzles and games. Just look in the “Teacher Resources,” “Student Zone,” and “Games and Puzzles” sections to access all of the free science goodies.

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Thought-Provoking Math Activities for K-12!

February 25th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Monday, February 25, 2013 and time for Math at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

NRICH

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

This website, sponsored by Cambridge University, seeks to enrich math curriculum for learners of all ages by providing free, engaging, interactive math activities that provoke mathematical thinking. This isn’t about math lessons and worksheets: it’s about exploring math concepts through unusual problems to provide deeper understanding.

When you get to the website you’ll see a brief introduction and a menu that’s divided into two sections:

Student Homes – This area is divided into sections with activities for students in various grade/ability levels:

  • Lower Primary – Activities that help children understand the concept of sorting, matching, and numbers
  • Upper Primary – Explore shapes, numbers and operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), time, logic and more.
  • Lower Secondary -  Get useful insights for determining area, perimeter, and volume. Experiment with curves, triangles, and geometric reasoning.
  • Upper Secondary – Use area integrals to solve problems, explore ideas in statistics.

Teacher Homes – This area is divided into three sections with teacher information and activities for:

  • Early Years – Building the foundational understanding to develop math skills.
  • Primary Years – Activities that encourage students to work systematically to solve math problems.
  • Secondary Years – Exploring area, perimeter, shapes, volume, Pi, and Calculus to solve real world problems.

While the look of the site and the information provided is user-friendly, it’s not organized in an intuitive way. Be prepared to click around to find all of the activities and resources that are available.

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Free Archive of Science Songs for K-12!

February 5th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Recommended Website:

SingAboutScience.org

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

Learning science facts and concepts is easier when the information is set to music. At this website, provided by science professors, musicians, teachers, and other collaborators, you’ll find a free archive of thousands of songs and videos that teach science and math. Some of the songs are “suitable for second graders, others might only appeal to tenured professors.”

Some of the songs are free to listen to or view, while most songs link to websites where you can purchase them. However, there are free sound samples provided for the songs – and just listening to the samples is educational. A few of the samples are full-length, so you can listen to the entire song for free!  Plus, most of the videos are free to view on YouTube.

Not only that, the site provides free lesson plans that incorporate music to learn about earth science, chemistry, physics, biology, astronomy, microbiology and more. New content is being added continuously.

When you get to the site, you’ll see some featured videos – great fun to watch! Then, use the “Find/Add Songs” on the menu to search the database. Be sure to watch the “video tutorial” for helpful tips on using the search engine to find tunes that suit your student’s interests.

Once you click on a song, you’ll get information on the album title (if any), the performer, the writer, and a lyrics page to view (for most songs). As I mentioned previously, you can buy songs that you like. If you click on “Buy” a new page opens to the website of the song performer or producer (where you can purchase the songs). In many cases, you can hear MORE sound clips or full-length versions beyond what was available on the SingAboutScience website!

To reiterate, there are a number of full-length songs and videos that you can listen to absolutely FREE.

Searching through the songs and listening to the music can take some time. Bookmark the site so you can return whenever you’re in the mood for science tunes to enhance learning.

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Free Math Games & Puzzles for All Ages!

January 14th, 2013

It’s Monday, January 14, 2013 and time for Math at ClickSchooling

Recommended Website:

Mathematic Interactives

Age Range: 5-17 (approximately, non-readers will need assistance)

This ad-supported website, created by David Hellam (a teacher and prolific math game inventor), provides a free, vast archive of interactive math puzzles and games for a variety of math strands from counting to algebra and beyond. The engaging and entertaining games provide opportunities to practice, reinforce, and self-test math skills.

When you get to the site you’ll see a brief introduction followed by an advertisement panel. Below the ad is the beginning of the content menu for the site. Don’t let the simplicity fool you. Fun, multi-media math activities await! Simply explore the menu that includes:

*Popular Math Games Online – Enjoy some of the math games that people prefer such as: Flash Algebra, an Interactive 100 Square Chart, and Tessellations. Don’t miss “Mathematical Matches” that pair all kinds of math strands with that childhood favorite game of “Concentration.”

*Number Puzzles – Simple addition, speed arithmetic, times tables, fractions, percentages and decimals have been morphed into fun puzzles, mazes and brain twisters that turn math drills into thrills.

*Interactive Algebra Online – Enjoy some math magic with “Think of a Number.” Evaluate expressions with substitutions, work with sequences, solve for “x” and see if you can operate the “Function Machine.”

*Measurement, Shape and Space: Interactive Geometry – Enjoy mathematical challenges from simple “Shape Sorters” to “Angle Estimators.” Calculate the projectile of a cannonball or the areas of triangles!

*Fun with Handling Data – Explore numbers and probability with virtual bar charts, dice, marbles, and more.

*Puzzles, Maths Investigations, Trivia – Play Math Hangman, make your own Bingo cards, try your hand at “mind-reading,” draw curves using straight lines, play retro computer games, and enjoy Flash fractals.

This terrific assortment of math interactives will supplement any student’s interest in math or math curriculum. Bookmark it to return often.

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