Language Arts
Author Study: Vicki Grove
These websites are about author Vicki Grove and her books. Includes biographies and book reviews. One site has an author chat between Grove and a class of seventh grade students.
Literature: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
These websites are about the book "Ella Enchanted" and author Gail Carson Levine. There are book reviews, discussion questions, vocabulary lessons, and activities. Includes links to eThemes resources on fairy tales and Cinderella stories.
Literature: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
These websites are about the book "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech. There are discussion questions, lesson plans, games, quizzes, and more. Includes relevant maps and information with dealing with grief and death. There are links to eTheme resources on graphic organizers and Native American culture.
Starfall
Where Children Have Fun Learning To Read
At age 9, young Stephen Schutz was still struggling to read. What came easily for some children required many more hours of Stephen's work, and he was consistently towards the bottom of his class in reading. Now with a PhD in physics and a successful publisher and artist, Dr. Schutz wanted to make sure that children in his situation today have a resource that can help them. He turned to the Internet and conceived a program that would be available on-line across the world for free to all children who are learning to read. The Starfall Method promises to improve reading acquisition by using the Internet to help make it fun for the children and easy for the educators.
Vowels
Learn how to read and pronounce short, long, and double vowels. The following web sites include games, hands-on activities with animations and sounds, and lesson plans. There are also links to eThemes recourses on spelling and reading strategies
Writing: Personal Narrative Writing
These sites have tips and examples for writing strong leads for paragraphs and structuring personal narrative writing. Students can learn how to capture and hold their readers' attention. There are classroom activities, online quizzes and exercises, and ideas to help writers develop their skills. Includes links to eThemes on grammar and interactive writing activities.
Math
Math:Pre-Algebra
Learn about basic pre-algebra principles and how to apply the principles to solve missing addends, minuends, and divisors. These sites have online lessons, interactive games and exercises, and tools that can help kids better understand pre-algebra. Includes links to eThemes resources on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Science
Animals: Alligators
Learn about alligators, the largest predator reptile. Find out how many species of these animals exist today in the world. Discover where they live, how they hunt, and how they care for their young. Includes photographs, audio and video files, quizzes, and a worksheet. There is a link to eThemes resources on crocodiles.
Animals: Crocodiles
These sites are about the habitat, reproduction, appearance, and diet of the American, Morelet, Nile, and Salt Water crocodile. Learn how these animals differ from alligators. Includes photographs, videos, audio clips, online quizzes, and a lesson plan. There is a link to eThemes resource on alligators.
Arctic Inhabitants
These sites are about the Arctic region and the inhabitants of the area. Includes photos and information about animals, plants, and people. There are games and puzzles to help you learn more about this environment. Includes eThemes Resources on Arctic Explorers, Polar Bears, the Iditarod, Antarctica, and tundras.
Build a Fish (3 - 5 site)
Build a Fish by choosing a body, mouth, and color/pattern, then release it into the reef! You can drive your fish around the reef in search of food and to evade predators. Can your fish find enough food without being eaten?
Electromagnetic Spectrum: Radio Waves
These sites explain how radio waves are a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Includes information about AM and FM frequencies and how to measure waves. Also includes a biography on Marconi, inventor of the radio. Includes several animated movies, hands-on activities and interactive quizzes. There is a link to an eThemes Resource on sound.
Habitats: Mountains
These links are about mountain habitats and the various plants and animals that live there. Read about the mountain gorilla and the mountain lion. There are links to eThemes resources on mountain goats, mountain men, landforms, and food chains and webs.
Owl Pellets
Discover how investigating owl pellets can reveal information about owls, their habitats, eating habits, and their place in the food chain. Learn how to dissect pellets, record findings, and analyze them. Includes online dissection practice, games, puzzles, video and audio files, lesson plans, and other activities. There are links to eThemes resources on barn owls and raptors.
PestWorld for Kids
A pest is just an animal looking for meal and a place to live that took a wrong turn into your house. But when they do, it's not pretty. Homes wrecked...people sick. And that's where you come in. You're a Pest Detective. It's your job to find out what happened and who did it. Then you can help-because it doesn't have to happen again.
Physics: Buoyancy
Find out what causes objects to float or sink in water and how balloons float in the air. Learn about Archimedes principles and buoyant force. Includes online games, puzzles, interactive animations, science experiments, and a lesson plan.
Physics: Forms of Energy
Learn about different forms of energy, renewable and nonrenewable energy. Includes definitions, videos, online games, and quizzes. Also read tips on how to conserve energy. Includes links to an eMINTS Webquest and eThemes Resources on heat, light, the electromagnetic spectrum, sound, and electricity.
Squish the Fish (K-2 site)
Help Squish the Fish travel out across the reef to find his lunch. He needs to find friends who will help him hide from his nemesis, BigTooth Blob. Learn about shape, color, and behavioral adaptations for survival.
Tiger Adventures
These tiger adventures explore tiger biology, ecology, and conservation through role play and simulations. Track down a runaway tiger, design a zoo exhibit, and much more.
Social Studies
Build-A-Prairie
Can you turn a bare dirt field into a thriving prairie? Take the restoration challenge in this interactive game!
Country: Germany
These sites about Germany have information on the country's history, regions, and traditions. See a live view from a Webcam, listen to the country's national anthem, learn some basic German words, and follow the instructions for German recipes. There is a link to an eThemes Resource on the Holocaust.
Historic Documents: Declaration of Independence
Read Thomas Jefferson's drafts and final version of the Declaration of Independence and see an image of the original document. Includes biographies on the signers, plus paintings that depict the scene. Includes a link to an eThemes Resource on the Revolutionary War where you can learn about the events that led up to the signing.
Holocaust
These sites are about the Holocaust and the devastating impact that it had on Jewish people and others. Also includes information about Adolf Hitler, concentration camps, crematoriums, and resistance fighters. There are videos of survivors talking about their experiences, plus many photos. Includes links to eThemes Resources on World War II and "The Diary of Anne Frank."
Missouri Regions: Taney County
Learn about the different types of potential energy. Discover how potential energy transforms into kinetic energy while conserving the total amount of energy. Find out how to measure and calculate these types of energy. Includes animations, potential energy online calculator, lesson plan, in class activities, quizzes, and experiments. There are links to eThemes resources on roller coaster designs and forms of energy.
Family
These websites are about families. Children can learn about the different types of families that there are in the world. There are many student activities such as make a family tree, paint a family portrait, or make a poster about how they celebrate special occasions in their families. There are also eThemes resources about grandparents.
Miscellaneous
Fun Brain
Fun educational activities for students.
Gameaquarium
The Site That Swims With Learning Fun
Gameaquarium contains 1500 top ranked educational sites for Pre-K to 6+ relating to language arts, math, Spanish, science, social studies, and much more.
Kids Design Network
With Kids Design Network, you'll investigate a challenge, dream up a design, and draw your plans on the computer. Then, using the Internet, you can show your design to a real engineer! They'll help with your design, so you can go and build it!
Kids Hub
A noncommercial portal to excellent free online learning activities for elementary and middle school students. Includes educational games, puzzles, and quizzes.
Kids Safe Search Engines
A listing of various safe Internet search tools that return only results that are appropriate for children.
Surfswell Island
Adventures in Internet safety.
Surf Swell Island is a place on the Internet where kids and parents can learn about Internet safety. Children of all ages learn best when they are relaxed and having a good time. That's why the folks at Disney have chosen to address this very serious topic in a fun and engaging forum.
Architecture: Domes
Domes are extremely stable structures. Learn about the history of domes and the modern geodesic domes. Learn about Buckminster Fuller who invented the geodesic dome and his extraordinary life. Includes photographs and videos of domes.
Looking Into January
Some of you will no doubt pass on the umpteenth post-holiday party in favor of doing some lesson planning. Since Martin Luther King Day arrives quickly after the return to school, try our K-4 unit about the famous civil rights leader. This is an interdisciplinary lesson that had versions for each grade level, making it a nice way to integrate Dr. King's memory into a range of lessons. You can find "Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King" here.