Sponge Lab

This site looks great. Sponge Lab is Beta form, but it has a lot of resources and will probably continue to grow. Resources include graphics, simulations, animations, videos, lesson plans, etc. You do have to register, but it only takes a minute.

American Experience

American Experience is a wonderful website done through PBS where you can find over 1,500 resources from more than 110 American Experience Web sites. These resources include timelines, primary sources, teacher's guides, maps, galleries, interactives, and videos to use in your classroom.

Money Island

This virtual world of Money Island has students go on quests to destinations like the Eiffel Tower and Atlantis and learn about money and how the economy works while they . As students go on these quests, they learn and practice the real-life principles of financial responsibility. Money Island concentrates on building knowledge and skills in three major areas including: saving and spending, earning and investing, and using credit wisely. Students will also learn how to spend, grow and give money; the difference between wants, needs and taxes; different types of income; gain an understanding of interest; how to use credit wisely; and how to build wealth. Money Island also includes detailed classroom lesson plans and activity suggestions. Students can save their progress as they work through the games. This allows them to play from school and home. Teachers and parents can also us the site to see what students are learning and track progress.

In the News

Newspaper Map is a great website to locate and read newspapers from all over the world. The interactive map allows you to move around the world and select newspapers. Placemarks show you locations of newspapers and are colored according to the language the paper is written in. Once you select a newspaper, you can then choose to view it in its original language or translate it into another language.

Newseum's Today's Front Page has made agreements with over 800 world newspapers to be able to display the front pages of these newspapers on their website. Once on the website you will see a map that you can easily navigate. Small orange dots correspond to the newspapers' locations. Hove your mouse pointer over an orange dot, and you will get a preview of that newspaper's current front page in its original form. Please note that these newspapers are unedited so discretion is advised.

Virtual Artifacts Creation

Museum Box

Want a great way to create a virtual display of artifacts that you find online? Museum Box is a great tool for organizing images, text, links, and video and audio clips. When students have finished collecting their artifacts, their "boxes" become digital dioramas.

Below is a great Museum Box tutorial from Adam Bellow at EduTeacher.

Get the Math

Get the Math is a great website that teachers and students can use to solve Algebra-based mathematics challenges. These challenges come in the form of "real world" scenarios such as music production, video game design, and fashion design.

Short videos of professionals explain and show how math is used in their profession. Students watch the videos and then try to complete a series of challenges based on the work these professionals do everyday. One example is after watching the Math in Fashion video, a challenge is for students to create a shirt that meets a specific price point.

Check out this video of Get the Math in action in a classroom.

Watch Get the Math: An Intro on PBS. See more from THIRTEEN Kids.

Habitats

Here is a great list of resources to use when you are studying habitats with your students.

Websites:

1. Draw a habitat- a favorite from PBS!

2. Plant and Animal Habitats from BBC has students working with the Sarah Jane Adventures team to complete a habitat interactive activity where students match aliens with the best habitat based on clues about both creature and habitat.

3. Learn about habitats with this virtual text from BBC.

4. Create a butterfly habitat by adding and removing plants.

5. Explore the Deep Sea habitat with this interactive from National Geographic.

6. Explore the Antarctica habitat with National Geographic’s Critter Cam.

7. Build an online habitat with Switch Zoo.

8. Design a Habitat with ARKive education.

9. The Great Habitat Match with the Magic School Bus Gang.

10. Walk in the Forest helps students learn about layers of habitats in the forest.

11. Animal Homes (this is a good one for kindergarten or younger).

12. Frog habitats- students help a frog find a new home.

13. e-Learning for kids habitat interactive.

*Resources from iLearn Technology