The Web Catcher » Illustrations

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

An Astronomical Alphabet

K. Haugen — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:09:34 +0000

An Astronomical Alphabet is a fun introduction to astronomy. The photos displayed show the alphabet shapes as found in a variety of astronomical phenomena. A picture’s worth a thousand words, so this one’s worth 26,000 at my count, but really what happens here is the photographed ‘letters’ are the hook — if you click on one, you learn what the photos represent. It’s wonderfully simple and sophisticated at the very same time.

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.

Math for Morons Like Us

K. Haugen — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:49:43 +0000

Math for Morons Like Us gives good humored advice and tutorials for anyone struggling with math concepts such as pre-algebra, algebra I & II, geometry, pre-calculus and calculus.

BrainsRule! Neuroscience explorations

K. Haugen — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:41:03 +0000

BrainsRule! provides information, reference materials and interactive games, animations and slideshows to explore how the brain works and what happens, for example, if someone has a stroke. Also included are options to set up your own BrainsRule web page and interact with the BrainsRule community via voting for favorite games, sending notes to BrainsRule and ‘meeting a BrainWhiz.’

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

Starfall Reading

K. Haugen — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:34:21 +0000

Starfall is one of the best sites for early reading and literacy, with online stories that offer audio support as needed, a fun, enticing interface, and supportive activities and printables. Multiple levels, with numerous stories and activities at each level.

Starfall was created by the family behind Blue Mountain Cards, one of the earliest online greeting card companies. One member of the Blue Mountain Card family struggled to read because of learning disabilities. The activities are free, and the printed materials very low cost, as a way to help all students who are learning to read, including those who struggle.