Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 12/13/13

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Snappy Words – “free visual online dictionary” (L:G; SA:A)

Math Maps – “Google Earth (and Maps) gives us a great perspective on it all. It also provides easy access for our students to see rich visual content that depicts everyday maths.” (L:G; SA:M)

Lit Map Project – “Find books about your favorite places by doing a location search. Use the filters so that you find exactly what you are looking for” (L:G; SA:LA)

My Reading Mapped – “Here is your chance to digitally experience history by zooming in on the details in over 140 Google Map formatted documentaries on history and science. So, join me as we explore the world, and digitally walk where explorers of the past have traveled, locate sunken ships, view plane and train crash sites, roam ancient ruins, survey battlefields and forts, discover undersea phenomena, research environmental disasters, find dinosaur fossil sites, digitally climb the tallest mountains, investigate famous crime scenes and learn about the rise, fall, and migration of civilization due to climate change” (L:G; SA:A)

Things to Think About – “Kids’ Things to Think About provides 100 prompts to spark thinking for written responses and encourage conversations about ideas and issues for kids. Created by students and teachers in Michigan, it can be used in classrooms or with families by allowing children to explore the prompts and by using them to guide a discussion or lesson.” (L:E,M; SA:A)

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley