Posts Tagged ‘Vikings’

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Journey through Anglo-Saxon Life & Death

June 29th, 2017

 

It’s Thursday, June 29, 2017, and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

 

Recommended Website:

Anglo-Saxon Discovery

(anglosaxondiscovery.ashmolean.org/index.html)

Age Range: 8-11 (Grades 3-6, with parental supervision)

 

This website from the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford provides young students a look into Anglo-Saxon life through interactive activities illustrated by children.

Using either the upper menu bar or the student illustrated images, navigate through the site to learn about:

  • Anglo-Saxon Arrival
  • Anglo-Saxon Life
  • Anglo-Saxon Death
  • Anglo-Saxon Kings and Kingdoms
  • Anglo-Saxon Oxfordshire
  • Edward Thurlow Leeds and Archaeology

Each page presents questions to be answered. Click on the question to be taken to another page with clickable answers (and/or more questions). Just as in our real-life studies where many questions lead to more questions, this website also presents information in a layered manner, with answered questions often leading to more questions and clickable information links.

Also available using the menu on the right side of the page are: 

  • Teacher Resources – standards, objectives and outcomes as well as sample lesson plans, printable companion activity sheets, and more
  • Games and activities – when we clicked this link the page had broken image links, but click on the text links to reach the following: 
    • How much do you know about the Anglo-Saxons?
    • Games
    • Activity Sheets
    • A few more ideas
  • Links – more websites related to Anglo-Saxon study
  • Meet the Vikings – mini-unit on Vikings like the larger Anglo-Saxon unit
  • Picture Gallery – student illustrations of Anglo-Saxons, archaeologists, and more
  • Virtual Gallery – items in the Leeds Gallery of the museum
  • Ashmolean Museum – takes visitors to the main museum

(Note that the Archives and Artefacts link was not working at the time of this review.)

The brief texts and fun illustrations from students makes this website appealing to younger students and therefore may keep them more engaged in the learning.

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Multi-Media Language Arts Activities

January 11th, 2017

 

It’s Wednesday, January 11, 2017, and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

 

Recommended Website:

The Children’s University of Manchester – Words

(www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/languages/words/)

Age Range: 6-12 (Grades 1-7 approximately, children with parental supervision)

 

This fantastic multimedia children’s site from The University of Manchester, offers a variety of well-crafted activities and games to learn grammar and parts of speech, along with an animated timeline of the history of the English language. Plus you can explore other languages used around the world to encourage understanding of language in general.

When you get to the site you will see an introduction and a menu to the left that includes: 

  • World Language Map – Click on an animated map to learn about different languages spoken all over the world. As you zero in on a given country, you’ll watch a video of a native speaker saying conversational phrases that are accompanied by English subtitles. Plus, you’ll learn more about the languages and dialects spoken in that country.
  • Timeline of the English Language – Discover the evolution of the English language and the influence of the Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans, as well as the printing press, English Bible, Greek and Latin root words, Shakespeare, and more.
  • Naming Nouns – Explore this interactive lesson that explains what nouns are including common and proper nouns, concrete and abstract nouns, collective nouns and more. Play the “Noun Game” and take quizzes to test your knowledge.
  • Adjective Detective – Learn all about adjectives and how to use them including comparative and superlative adjectives. Play the “Adjective Game” and take quizzes to test your knowledge.
  • Match the Eponyms – Do you know what an eponym is? Here’s a clue: Do you know the origin of the word “sandwich”?  This is a word trivia feast – and lots of fun!
  • Borrowing Words – Many English words were “borrowed” from other languages. Play a game and try to match the English word to the language of origin. You’ll learn about the origin of words like score, zombie, bandana, skunk and many more.
  • Idioms Game – Idioms are sayings such as “The early bird catches the worm.” Match the idioms to their meanings in this informative game.

The games are very engaging. Your kids will learn far more than the standard grammar drills we see in most language arts games. They’ll learn historical and cultural information that will enhance their understanding of the English language.

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Take an American History Journey

July 2nd, 2015

 

It’s Thursday, July 2, 2015, and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

 

Recommended Website:

 

American Journeys

 

Age Range: 13-18 (Grades 8-12, with parental supervision)

 

This website offers an amazing library of historical primary source documents that provide eyewitness accounts of North American explorers including the Vikings in 1000 AD, Spanish, French, and English explorers, American Indians, Pilgrims, Frontiersmen, Lewis & Clark, and the mountain men of the Rockies in 1800. Funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum & Library Services, it was designed for students exploring National History Day’s 2004 theme, “Exploration, Encounter & Exchange.”
When you get to the site you will see a brief introduction and a menu bar that includes: 
  • Find A Document – A search engine to help you find documents on the topic that interests you.
  • Images – An incredible resource of paintings, sketches, and pictures of the events chronicled in the documents. You can view the images for free – or purchase high-quality reproductions.
  • Highlights – Not sure where to begin? This page offers a selection of eyewitness accounts of famous moments in American History by date. Pick one and with a click of your mouse jump right into history.
  • Teachers – THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO START. Read the description and use the menu bar that helps you choose a topic, select lesson plans, understand the geographical references and nomenclature used in the accounts, consider who wrote the accounts and what factors color their interpretation, determine how to deal with sensitive content in the accounts, and more.
Parents, as always, should review this material to determine suitability for your children and students. Be sure to read the comments under “Sensitive Content” on the menu bar in the “Teachers” section.

These documents provide a window into the past like no other. Bookmark this site so you can use it for research and supplementation to your studies of the history of exploration in North America.

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History for the Appetite

September 18th, 2014

 

It’s Thursday, September 18, 2014, and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

 

Recommended Website:

 

Cookit! History Cookbook

 

Age Range: All (All grades – with parental supervision)

 

A ClickScholar in Virginia shares this appetizing history website sure to get your tummy rumbling. Part of the larger Cookit! website which is dedicated to improving students’ “skills, understanding and enjoyment of food and healthy eating”, this portion of the website encourages the discovery of food preparation, diets, and its effect on health and daily life throughout history.
When arriving at the site choose from the following time periods:

  • Prehistoric (15000BC – 42)
  • Romano-British (43 – 409)
  • Saxons & Vikings (410 – 1065)
  • Normans / Medieval (1066 – 1484)
  • Tudors (1485 – 1602)
  • Stuarts (1603 – 1713)
  • Georgians / Regency (1714 – 1836)
  • Victorians (1837 – 1901)
  • Edwardians and World War I (1901 – 1918)
  • Interwar Years (1918 – 1939)
  • World War II (1939 – 1945)
  • Postwar / Modern (1945 – 1985)

Through the use of video podcasts, recipes, and picture galleries, in addition to informational texts relating to life, food, and health facts during the time period, visitors will gain a better understanding of the importance of food in history. Learn about the evolution of food preparation, try period recipes, discover how the dinner table and the kitchen has changed, and how all of these things have contributed to the life-styles and health of people throughout time.

When you are finished exploring the History Cookbook, be sure to check out the Activities tab for more learning activities related to food, as well as the Teaching area tab for even more resources and guidance in using the whole Cookit! website.

This website is a wonderful (and tasty) addition to your history studies sure to have your children asking for second helpings.

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Interactive Viking Voyage of Discovery

January 30th, 2014

 

It’s Thursday, January 30, 2014, and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

 

Recommended Website:

 

NOVA Online -The Vikings

 

Age Range: 11-18 (Grades 6-12, approximately, with parental supervision)

 

What kid is not fascinated by the stories of Vikings? In 2000, PBS aired a 2-hour NOVA program exploring the less barbaric side of the Norsemen. Take an interactive voyage of discovery through this companion website and gain a better understanding of the Viking world.

Put your oars of exploration in the waters of learning with these topics: 

  

  • Explore a Viking Village by viewing video ‘walk throughs’ of a 1:30 scale model of a medieval Viking village in Sweden.
  • Who Were the Vikings? This question and others are answered wonderfully in a Q&A session with Dr. William Fitzhugh, who gives a better view of what Vikings were really like.
  • Examine the Secrets of Norse Ships, their construction, and how many different types of Viking ships have been discovered.
  • The Viking Diaspora examines the settlement of the Vikings in other lands with the aid of a clickable map.
  • Write Your Name in Runes and learn the meaning of each letter of the Viking alphabet using the interactive feature.
  • Build a Tree-Ring Timeline and discover how scientists have used this method to determine the date of the remains of Viking ships.
 

And because this is a simple to navigate but thorough website, further your Viking studies by examining the other recommended resources.

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History Books, Crafts, & Games for K-12

December 5th, 2013

Hi! It’s Thursday, December 5, 2013 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website
A Book In Time

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

Veteran homeschool mom, Carol Henderson, owns this website that she designed to help other home educators find interesting and fun “real” books about history and social studies along with timelines, maps, craft activites, and interactive history websites with games and more that enhance the study of World History and American History.

When you get to the site, use the menu to find:

*History Reading Lists – A chronological listing of the best fiction and nonfiction books for kids and teens about important people and events in the Ancient World, Middle Ages, Age of Discovery, World Wars I & II, and The Present Era. Book titles are linked to site affiliates for ease of purchase. You can also look for the titles at your library.

*Crafts & Projects – Get craft activities that extend learning about any era in American and World history. You’ll find instructions for making Corn Husk Dolls, an Egyptian Pharaoh’s Death Mask, Origami Dinosaurs, A Knight’s Helmet, recipes for authentic foods of different historical eras, and much more! Some require purchase of materials to do the craft, which are linked to this site’s affiliates.

*Online Games – Get links to a terrific selection of online games (many hosted by museums) that boost learning about history and geography. Enjoy games about Mesopotamia, Egypt, ancient Greece, Rome, Israel, China, Japan, Incan & Aztec Empires, Middle Ages, Vikings, The Black Plague, Renaissance, Shakespeare, Victorian Era, and much, much more! The activities I visited were free or free with registration.

*Maps & Timelines – This section recommends some innovative ways for students to use maps and timelines as they study history. There’s a selection of books, kits, maps and timelines for sale, and also free instructions on how to make your own materials along with links to websites that provide free resources such as printable maps.

Most of the information at this site includes suggested grade levels from Kindergarten through High School. The site is well-maintained: I only found a few links that led to error messages which is unusual for a site with so much content.

ABookInTime.com is a fabulous resource for finding books and activities to supplement learning about history. You’ll want to return often.

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