The Web Catcher » Clean Screen

Leo Reynold’s Letter Collection

K. Haugen — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:51:35 +0000

Today we take you to a Flickr page of photo collections by photographer Leo Reynolds. What’s unique about Leo’s photos is he takes close-ups of letters in all kinds of wonderful, whimsical locations, often more than 100 examples of each letter. He invites visitors to use the letters (and many, many other photos) in any non-profit activities, under a Creative Commons license. You’ll want to visit Leo’s other collections as well, including signs, nuts and bolts, mosaics, cemetaries and churches, and more. This site invites you to consider letters and literacy in a whole new light!

Rader’s Geography4Kids

K. Haugen — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:45:25 +0000

Rader’s Geography4Kids provides clear explanations and helpful examples related to physical geography, including the earth’s structure, atmosphere, biosphere, climates and Bio-Geo-Chemical (BGC) cycles. It also includes interactive quizzes and some video

Wordsmyth GlossaryMaker

K. Haugen — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 05:24:33 +0000

The Wordsmyth GlossaryMaker allows you to generate a “miniature dictionary”. You can type or paste a list of vocabulary words in Step 1, and customize your dictionary’s level of detail in Step 2.

CountOn

K. Haugen — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:11:52 +0000

CountOn offers numerous interactive math activities from England (hence ‘maths’ instead of ‘math’). Use the links on the left to fully explore what’s here, including numerous links and helpful resources. The activities themselves are straightforward and engaging, making it a useful classroom tool. Explore Pictures Interactive, a creative building-like interface which leads to explorations that link math to music, art and more.

4-2-Explore Web ‘Pathfinders’ for Kids

K. Haugen — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 21:33:22 +0000

42explore offers an alternative to search engines for students looking to explore or research a topic. Each entry begins with brief background information, followed by four suggested web sites to visit. Then, they go on to offer some project-based web sites and extension sites. This offers a nice take on ‘differentiated instruction’ for a teacher wishing to provide resources that meet many different students’ needs.

VoiceThread

K. Haugen — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 21:23:02 +0000

VoiceThread is an awesome tool for creating and sharing annotated online slideshows that you have to experience for yourself. Make your own slideshows or browse what others have done.

You can interact by recording or typing comments directly in others’ slide shows and then listen or read what others have said, which creates a non-linear conversation in which anyone can participate.

It’s also possible to doodle on your slideshows, and the doodles fade away (or stick, if you tell them to).

There are numerous examples of how one could use VoiceThread in the classroom.

BookShare.org

K. Haugen — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 21:04:34 +0000

Bookshare.org gives print disabled people in the United States legal access to over 34,500 books and 150 periodicals that are converted to Braille, large print or text to speech audio files.

UpToTen.com – fun and educational

K. Haugen — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:40:04 +0000

UpToTen Kids calls itself “the fun place to learn online.” With online cards, coloring, interactive games, puzzles and more, there truly are a lot of fun activities, with some opportunities to learn along the way. As the name implies, the site is designed for kids up to age ten, but will probably appeal most to kids a bit younger. The site has many free games and highlighted games change frequently. There are also paid and premium subscriber options to skip the (mainly print) ads and access even more games and content. Plenty of teacher and parent info regarding the design of the site and its content.

FossWeb Science for K-2, 3-6 or Middle School

K. Haugen — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:49:32 +0000

FossWeb offers three sites with interactive inquiry-based science activities. The site does not have full auditory support, but downloadable audio versions of the Foss texts are available. Each level offers a different range of features and topics, but all three offer extensive parent and teacher support.

The K-2 site includes background information, an interactive activity, related photos, web links, questions answered by professional scientists for units on insects, animals, wood and paper, fabric, trees, balance and motion, pebbles, sand and silt, new plants, air and weather, and solids and liquids
The 3rd-6th grade site includes interactive activities, posters, pictures and movies, links, vocabulary, book lists and ‘ask a scientist for topics such as magnets and electricity, models and design, the human body, levers and pulleys, food and nutrition, earth materials, water, mixtures and solutions, measurement, physics of sound, solar energy, land forms, structures of life, variables, ideas and inventions, and environments
The Middle School Site includes multimedia modules, books, links and a glossary covering activities such as human brain and senses, populations and ecosystems, force and motion, planetary science, electronics, earth history, diversity of life, weather and water, and chemical interactions

Aunty Math

K. Haugen — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:19:36 +0000

Aunty Math
gives kids in K-5 a different math challenge each week, with three levels (regular, ‘a wee bit harder,’ and ‘a wee bit easier’). Kids can try the challenge and submit their answers. Teachers and parents can view tips on how to use the challenges with kids, what math is involved and how to modify or extend the challenges for different learners.