Math

Middle School Portal, a part of the NSF. Here you can choose, Math, Science or Technology. Has many lesson plans, activities, worksheets, exercises.

MathTools - A community library of technology tools, lessons, activities, and support materials for teaching and learning mathematics. An amazing site. Search by topic or level and find a math tool to use in the classroom. Register and you can save the tools for easy access next time. Hundreds of activities and lessons and tools.

Illuminations - From NCTM. Includes activities, standards, lessons and weblinks. Lots here.

CTAP Region 4: Middle School Math Project - CA Technology Assisted Program Region 4 has developed this site for middle school math. Includes Math Matrices: A series of online tables of electronic and technology resources supporting California middle school math content standards for grades 6, 7, and Algebra 1. Unpackings: Guides that show teachers various ways some of the standards and textbook-aligned tools can be used within the classroom. Math Resources: A series of online or downloadable CST and CAHSEE resources, including blueprints, sample questions, student and teacher guides for all middle school grade levels; CTAP Region IV favorite online resources; and resources for differentiation of instruction. And, a Math Institute: This section contains the hand-outs and other resources presented to participants during the Middle School Math Institutes under the categories of Presentations, Differentiated Instruction, Spreadsheets, Video in the classroom, Online Manipulatives, and Graphing Calculators.

Science

Interactive Activities - Many interactive programs that illustrate scientific principles. Waves, optics, physics, genetics, etc. #physics

Forensics in the Classroom - This site offers 7 different cases for middle and high school students to solve. Each unit contains everything you need to make this a great learning experience. Example:" Who snatched Magic, the award-winning pooch, from his master’s home? To find out, students perform handwriting analysis, a pH test and paper chromatography"

All Subjects

Songs for Teaching - For teachers who incorporate music into their curriculum, this commercial site has compiled a terrific selection of CD's and songbooks for all subjects and grade levels.

The Teachers' Domain - Collections include classroom-ready multimedia resources for use in lessons. Search by grade level and subject (life science, physical science) and find videos, lesson plans and interactive activities.

Technology Library - an indexed list of activities and projects to use in the computer lab.

BBC Schools - So much here. Lessons, games, quizzes all organized by topic and grade level.

Learn about Blogs - Information and links from the blogging workshop on March 16, 2006

Web Inquiry Projects - Excellent site. Has examples of projects and questions that could be asked. Describes the process in 6 steps: the hook, the questions, the procedures for investigating, analysis and findings. Examples include gas price history, slavery, western immigration. Supplies useful websites to help the inquiry.

Intel Thinking Tools - Includes 3 different types of tools to support higer-order thinking.
Visual Ranking Tool: Students show their reasoning and discuss differences in their conclusions as they use the Visual Ranking Tool to prioritize and compare items in lists.
Seeing Reason Tool: prompts students to investigate cause-and-effect relationships in complex systems. Students use an interactive causal mapping tool to create maps that communicate their understanding.
Showing Evidence Tool: Students use the Showing Evidence Tool to construct a well-reasoned argument and defend it with credible evidence. The interactive workspace prompts students to assess sources and analyze evidence.

Teaching Tools - Create all types of puzzles, worksheets, and quizzes (corrects them too). Create your own online account of teaching tools and saved work. All you have to do is register once.

Certificate Creator 38 certificate designs to  print.  Must have Flashplayer to use. Add text, preview and print

Make a Calendar - customizable, all types.

.Homework Monopoly Game - This free bulletin board game is based on MB’s Monopoly, includes a printable game board and Chance Cards; students choose clip art images to use as game pieces. Simply download and print the 35-inch-square Homeworkopoly game board and assemble it on a classroom bulletin board. Then play the game according to the rules posted at the site.

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Scavenger Hunts & Webquests

What are they?

A wonderful way to get students on the INTERNET in quality learning situations is to create a Webquest or Scavenger Hunt.

Hunts can be curriculum related and highly motivational.

The teacher ensures "safer faster hunting" by finding the links first and cuts down on the time required to complete the hunt. 

They can be very simple or difficult depending on the student level.  Questions can have a link for the student to click on to find the answer. Scavenger Hunts are usually one word or sentence answers. Webquests require more (analyzing, decisions-making, synthesizing)

A hunt could take a student to many different websites OR just one.

Other quests can require the student to search for the answer.  Some quests supply key words and the particular search engine.

Every time students visit a web site, they are working on reading comprehension, and  processing and applying  information.

Students learn how to work between two programs.

Ways to Create a Scavenger Hunt

1.) One is to create one in WORD and save it in your computer.  Students can access it the way they do their own saved files.  They will write their answers on the printed version of the hunt.  Clicking on the hypertext links takes them to the Internet site you've selected for them to find the answer.

2.) Create the same questions and links but create them in Mozilla and put them on the Internet as a web page. Creating a web page hunt will allow others to access and use your hunt.

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Examples and Links

Best Webquests.com
Webquests for grades 7-9 - many topics
A Large Collection of Treasure Hunts
Internet Scavenger Hunts - How, why, when help about creating and using scavenger hunts to teach.
Animals of the World - 2 difficulty levels. Students get practice typing in URLs to the sites where the answers are.
Ancient Egypt WebQuest - You have successfully traveled back in time to the year 1250 BC, Ancient Egypt."  Homebase: "Your mission is of the utmost importance! You must locate the burial mask of the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Tutankhamen (King Tut.) On the inside of the mask is written a message.  If you successfully decode this message you could solve our earth's environmental crisis. Your quest is to decode the Ancient Egyptian message and return to our time. To be successful, you must utilize all your available resources (books, experts, and your computer.)
California Goldrush Treasure Hunt
Internet Webquests and Scavenger Hunts
The Webquest Page
Many Internet Hunts
Webquests Across the Curriculum - 350 webquests categorized by subject. Use all or part or just expand on the idea. Some great ideas. She suggests finding a webquests by googling for your subject and "+webquest".

Also check out the RMS Technology Library which includes topical hunts and other activities.

* [Webquests require more than an answer to a question.  They require students to  transform information into some new form.]

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What is a Listserv?

Listservs are a great way of getting the information you need about education and the internet without having to search for it yourself. What is a LISTSERV mailing list?  Quite simply, it is an e-mail-based mailing list for a whole bunch of people who share similar interests.  Anyone can subscribe to a LISTSERV mailing list by sending a SUBSCRIBE command followed by your name and e-mail to the LISTSERV administrative address.

7,000+ listservs in the world today

Types of Listservs

One type of listserv sends bulletins and information to each subscriber. Another type is  a discussion group. It will copy every  e-mail letter sent to the list's address and mass-mail it  to the e-mail box of every person subscribed to the list.  Everyone else on the list can then reply to that letter.  LISTSERV lists give you a way to have open discussions with dozens or even hundreds of people on lots of topics. Listservs are a great way for organizations such as the Mathematics teachers, alumni clubs  or technology coordinators to communicate.

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Listservs for Educators

The Internet Tourbus - The Internet Tourbus claims to be the 4th most popular listserv by its authors Patrick Crispen and Bob Rankin. Both are authors of books to help people with telecommunications. They offer this listserv free of charge to 80,000 people in 120 countries. You can visit their website at http://www.tourbus.com. There you can read reviews of their books or look through the archives on topics you need to know about.  I especially like this listserv because the messages are not long, are very informative AND they are funny.  It is very easy to take your prescribed  dose of  "Internet medicine" by reading their messages twice a week. Examples of past topics are: spamming, better searching techniques, cookies, viruses, hoaxes, new software and  auction sites.  Not all are necessarily for use in schools but can help teachers to become better informed.
To subscribe,visit their website at: http://www.tourbus.com. They will send 2 e-mails a week.

Blue Web'n -Blue Web'n Update lists the weekly addition to Blue Web'n, a searchable
library of Blue Ribbon Web sites categorized by grade level, content area, and type.  Visit Blue Web'n online at: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/.  The listserv for Blue Web'n sends excellent reviews of the sites it recommends on all kinds of educational topics such as: Grammar Safari, Romeo and Juliet, How are Rainbows formed, Odyssey of the Mind, the Well-Connected Educator and Cyberguides.If you would like to receive the Blue Web'n Update once a week, enter your  e-mail address online at: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/ 

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