General Websites

·         Brain POP  A few free videos for every subject area.  This is a purchase subscription website to access all videos. Several of our elementary schools have a subscription to BrainPOP.  If so, you would be able to use these excellent animated videos that include a short multiple-choice quiz, interactive experiments, and activity sheets (that can be printed).

·         Apple’s Learning Exchange
A collection of teacher created, innovative lessons that can be viewed by topic, subject or technology. These are presented in a video cast format. Teachers can create post their own innovative teaching ideas.

·      Thinkport (PBS)
Thinkport is the product of a partnership between Maryland Public Television and the Johns Hopkins Center for Technology in Education. Four distinct “channels” of the site include Think Classroom delivers lesson plans, member features and online resources correlated to state standards. Think Technology provides online video clips, virtual field trips, and online professional development courses.

·       Voki for Education
This website provides a free service that allows students to create an avatar. Students may customize the avatar, type what information the avatar will provide, and select an accent that the avatar will use. Students may choose to create a fantasy or realistic avatar. Additionally, the website provides an “embed” code so that the avatar can be loaded directly onto a website.

Math  [Math websites from: Van De Walle, J. A., Karp, K. S., & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2010). Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally. (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.]

·         Illuminations (NCTM)
This is an incredible site developed by NCTM to provide Internet resources for teaching and learning intended to “illuminate” Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. You can find resources from lesson ideas to “math-lets” (applets designed to provide tools for developing understanding in mathematics). Also at this site are multimedia investigations for students and links to video vignettes designed to promote professional reflection. The Illuminations website continues to be updated with the addition of many new lessons. In addition the Illuminations Game Room Project allows students to explore mathematics topics while playing mathematics games with one another over the Web.

·         Interactivate (Shodor Education Foundation)
The site contains a huge list of applets that continues to grow. In addition, there are lessons and activities. Applets (referred to as “activities”) are arranged by content rather than grade level, so be sure to look through the full list. This is a valuable site, especially for teachers in the upper grades and middle school.

·         The National Library for Virtual Manipulatives and eNLVM
This NSF-funded site located at Utah State University contains a huge collection of applets organized by the five content strands of the Standards and also by the same four grade bands. The eNVLM section contains online units, customizable student activities, and tools to help teachers develop activities collaboratively.

·         Scott Foresman eTools
The eTools software provides several applets, including one that will allow the creation of a rectangle up to 50 by 100 that can be filled in with base-ten blocks the same as would be done with physical blocks (Similar to Rectangle Multiplication).

·         Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd): Tech Matrix
CITEd’s Tech Matrix is useful database of technology products that supports instruction in mathematics for students with special needs. Each product evaluation includes a link to the supplier’s website.

·         National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Here you can find all about NCTM, its belief statements, and positions on important topics. Also find an overview of Principles and Standards and free access to interactive applets (see Standards—Electronic), the Curriculum Focal Points, the Illuminations website, membership and conference information, publications catalog, links to related sites, and much more. Members have access to even more information.

·         NCTM’s Position Statements
NCTM’s position statements define the Council's views related to mathematics education on such topics as: closing the achievement gap, algebra, assessment, early childhood, equity, teacher quality and retention, and technology. The NCTM Board of Directors approves position statements.

·         NCTM’s Tips for Teachers
Provides tips on motivating learners, grading, communicating with parents, using tools and technology, etc.

·      Curriki.org
A global resource that encourages the collaboration and sharing of high-quality lessons, modules and full courses developed by exemplary teachers from all over the world.

·      NCTM’s e-Examples
Online activities to illuminate the NCTM’s Principles and Standards for School Mathematics.

·      Ask Dr. Math
Ask Dr. Math is a great homework resource for families, students, and teachers. Dr. Math has answers to all the classic math questions students have, like why a negative times a negative is a positive.

·     The Math Forum
Along with the NCTM sites, this may contain some of the most important source of information and links to useful sites. The forum has resources (Math Tools) for both teachers and students. There are suggestions for lessons, puzzles, and activities, plus links to other sites with similar information. There are forums where teachers can talk with other teachers. Two pages accept questions about mathematics from students or teachers (Ask Dr. Math) and about teaching mathematics from teachers (Teacher 2 Teacher). Problems are regularly posted, and solutions can be entered via the Internet.

·     Arcytech
This site includes tool applets for base-ten blocks, pattern blocks, Cuisenaire rods, fraction bars, and integer bars. There is also an extended interactive lesson developing the Pythagorean theorem.

Science

·    Bill Nye – The Science Guy
This site includes information on Bill Nye, a man devoted to encouraging scientific understandings of students. It also includes information for teachers that can be used to plan for classroom experiments related to Science. Teachers may also take advantage of the episode guides that can be used by teachers to facilitate discussion during Bill Nye episodes. These episode guides also provide the language that a teacher may use to introduce science concepts to young learners. Finally, teachers may use this website to contact Bill Nye.

·    Planet Pals
Using a range of characters, this website allows users to explore conservation efforts on the planet. A useful link explains specifically how this site may be used to facilitate inquiry related to earth conservation.

• Kid’s Astronomy
  This website features a range of kid-friendly resources to teach about astronomy including moons, planets, stars, and other features of the solar system. The website includes games and a dictionary that would serve as a valuable resource for both children and teachers.
• Energy Kids
  Created by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, this website includes resources that would be useful for teaching about energy. The site includes the history of energy, suggestions for using and saving energy, games, activities, and a special section just for teachers.
• National Geographic for Kids
  This website includes interactive games, activities, videos, and kid-friendly resources that can be used to teach about animals. This site may be particularly useful for teachers to use when students are beginning to research. Additionally, it is a place to search for resources for teaching about life cycle, habitats, and general life science.
• KidsGeo.com
  This site includes resources that can be used to supplement instruction relating to rocks and minerals. 
• Magnets for Kids
  Featuring several power point presentations that can be used to teach about magnets, this website would be useful for teachers looking to integrate interactive white board activities within instruction. The power point presentations can be imported into the SMART Notebook software and interactive activities can be added throughout to add to the instructional value of the lessons.

Literacy

·    ICT Games
This website provides a range of interactive literacy games that can be used individually by students or could be used for whole group instruction on an interactive white board. Contributors of this website listed the objective that is associated with each interactive game to make it more user-friendly for teachers.

·    Read, Write, Think
Read, Write, Think is a website that is produced by the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and Verizon Thinkfinity. This website provides authentic and free language arts resources that can be integrated within the everyday teaching of elementary educators. The website allows the user to search for resources by grade level, resource type, learning objective, or theme. Additionally, teachers may submit materials that could be published on the website to be used by other literacy teachers.

·    Roy the Zebra
This website provides free resources that can be used to support the teaching of literacy to emergent readers. The website includes interactive reading games, guided reading resources, and a few songs that can be used to support literacy instruction.

·    Storyline Online
Produced by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), this website features celebrities reading authentic children’s literature aloud for children to enjoy. Teachers and/or students may click on a book title to hear the book read aloud through a streaming video.

Social Studies

·      Growth of a Nation
Interactive U.S. map with timeline that illustrates the different time periods in American history from 1789 to 2000.  

·      World Music!  Folk and traditional music from Around the World.  People from everywhere have sent music from their countries.

·     Ben’s Guide  U.S. Government Web Sites for Kids & Students

·      Countries Around the World   Yahoo for Kids website with over 100 countries with thousands of educational links.

·      Carol Hurst  Website provides links to U.S. history and children's literature by subjects and themes with related children's books, and activities.

·      Develop Timeline Using Microsoft   Video by Microsoft with how-to-steps to create a timeline using drawing tools with Microsoft Word.

·      Google Earth  Interactive map of the Earth

·     Global Maps  NASA's interactive global maps allow you to explore how key parts of Earth’s climate system change from month to month.  NASA satellites give a global view of what’s happening on our planet through interactive maps that show land temperatures, sea surface temperatures, fire, rainfall, vegetation, etc.

·       US 2010 Census   Interactive population map that provides details about race and Hispanic groups, age, sex and housing status. The profiles are presented for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

·       My America Field Trip    Find places all over the United States to see.  Several of the places have web-cams to view.

·        National Geographic Kids  Interesting information about people and places around the world.