Name of Resource: BrainPop-Animated Educational Site for Kids
URL Address: http://www.brainpop.com/
Summary: This website touches upon every subject. It provides animated movies relating to each topic and it also has quizzes.
Commentary: BrainPop is very useful in the educational setting. It is easy to follow because all the subjects are broken into various links, which then leads to more links relating to a specific topic within the chosen subject. The videos are informational and seem accurate. I think younger students will be able to understand the information depending on their grade level and the content. Educators will be able to decide if the content is relevant to the grade level they are teaching by using the State Standards Tool. A downfall with this site, in my opinion, is the fact that you must be a member in order to access a lot of the links. The website also seems a little outdated in regards to the videos shown. They are not very exciting and the voice doesn't always match up with the character speaking. I give this website an 8 out of 10.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Name of Resource: Great Site for Kids
Url Address: http://www.kidsites.com/sites-edu/animals.htm
Summary: This website designed for kids contains links to both educational and fun activities. There are also links for parents and educators to check out about topics that may interest them.
Commentary: The website allows you to look at a variety of links by selecting a category you wish to explore. Then a list of numerous links pops up and each one has a title followed by an explanation of what will occur once you enter that site. This gives the user the chance to filter out what will be useful and eliminate going to sites that may not be needed at the time. Some of the links seem a little difficult for younger students to follow and involve a lot of reading while other links are interactive. However, you cannot determine these sites unless you click on the actual link and find out for yourself. I give this site a 7 out of 10.
Url Address: http://www.kidsites.com/sites-edu/animals.htm
Summary: This website designed for kids contains links to both educational and fun activities. There are also links for parents and educators to check out about topics that may interest them.
Commentary: The website allows you to look at a variety of links by selecting a category you wish to explore. Then a list of numerous links pops up and each one has a title followed by an explanation of what will occur once you enter that site. This gives the user the chance to filter out what will be useful and eliminate going to sites that may not be needed at the time. Some of the links seem a little difficult for younger students to follow and involve a lot of reading while other links are interactive. However, you cannot determine these sites unless you click on the actual link and find out for yourself. I give this site a 7 out of 10.
Name of Resource: Kids' Games, Animals, Photos, Stories, and More- National Geographic Kids
URL Address:http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
Summary: This website provides games for children and gives them access to different blogs about current events occuring around the world. Students can learn about different places throughout the world in addition to information about numerous animals. There are also informational videos and fun crafts for children to do.
Commentary: The information on this website seems to be very accurate and updated often. Students can view what's popular in each category and see detailed pictures of what is being discussed. The games and videos are fun and easy to follow. I think this site is appealing to kids and has the potential to gain and keep students attention for long periods of time. Therefore I give this site a 10 out of 10.
URL Address:http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
Summary: This website provides games for children and gives them access to different blogs about current events occuring around the world. Students can learn about different places throughout the world in addition to information about numerous animals. There are also informational videos and fun crafts for children to do.
Commentary: The information on this website seems to be very accurate and updated often. Students can view what's popular in each category and see detailed pictures of what is being discussed. The games and videos are fun and easy to follow. I think this site is appealing to kids and has the potential to gain and keep students attention for long periods of time. Therefore I give this site a 10 out of 10.
Name of Resource: Talented and Gifted Resources for Students
URL Address: http://www.redmond.k12.or.us/14541051515300390/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=55754
Summary: This website is affiliated with Redmond School District and supplies links for students to websites revolving around various school topics (math, science, social studies, language arts, etc.). At the bottom of the site there are links to help practice studying for the ACT and SAT tests, which may be useful for older students for are preparing for these exams.
Commentary: There are so many links and games to play that I can see this website being a little overwhelming for younger students. However, the various links do add to the excitement of discovery and each link does have valuable information relating to the topic at hand. The variety of resources will help teach students of all learning abilities. I therefore give this site a 9 out of 10.
URL Address: http://www.redmond.k12.or.us/14541051515300390/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=55754
Summary: This website is affiliated with Redmond School District and supplies links for students to websites revolving around various school topics (math, science, social studies, language arts, etc.). At the bottom of the site there are links to help practice studying for the ACT and SAT tests, which may be useful for older students for are preparing for these exams.
Commentary: There are so many links and games to play that I can see this website being a little overwhelming for younger students. However, the various links do add to the excitement of discovery and each link does have valuable information relating to the topic at hand. The variety of resources will help teach students of all learning abilities. I therefore give this site a 9 out of 10.
Name of Resource: Merriam-Webster's Word Central
Url Address: http://www.wordcentral.com/games.html
Summary: This website allows students to build their own dictionary, explore daily buzzwords, and play various games that deal with language. It supplies educators with a list of links that relate to company information, educational resources, or other Merriam-Webster resources online.
Commentary: I really like the build your own dictionary aspect of this website. I think kids will enjoy exploring words and creating their own dictionary with their own definitions. This website is great for learning unique words and its definition. The games are also educational and help students with concepts such as antonyms, synonyms, and spelling. The thesaurus and rhyming tabs at the top where not working for me however. Therefore I would give this website an 8 out of 10.
Url Address: http://www.wordcentral.com/games.html
Summary: This website allows students to build their own dictionary, explore daily buzzwords, and play various games that deal with language. It supplies educators with a list of links that relate to company information, educational resources, or other Merriam-Webster resources online.
Commentary: I really like the build your own dictionary aspect of this website. I think kids will enjoy exploring words and creating their own dictionary with their own definitions. This website is great for learning unique words and its definition. The games are also educational and help students with concepts such as antonyms, synonyms, and spelling. The thesaurus and rhyming tabs at the top where not working for me however. Therefore I would give this website an 8 out of 10.
Name of Resource: Storyline Online
Url Address: http://www.storylineonline.net/
Summary: This website provides a variety of books that are read online by various actors. While the story is being read, students can view the illustrations and listen to the actor read the story. Each book includes accompanying activities for students and lesson plan ideas for teachers.
Commentary: This site is wonderful! It lists a variety of books that younger students will enjoy and even tells who will be reading the story to them. This way students can also choose a book based on who will be reading them the story (so they can pick someone they really like). The activities that follow are also nice because it allows students to discuss what they have just heard read to them. Most of the activities show some online sites students can visit to learn more about various aspects they read about. The only downfall I really noticed with this website is the fact that a lot of the actors reading the books are probably people the students don't really recognize which may like this activity less interesting to students. Overall I rate this site a 9 out of 10.
Url Address: http://www.storylineonline.net/
Summary: This website provides a variety of books that are read online by various actors. While the story is being read, students can view the illustrations and listen to the actor read the story. Each book includes accompanying activities for students and lesson plan ideas for teachers.
Commentary: This site is wonderful! It lists a variety of books that younger students will enjoy and even tells who will be reading the story to them. This way students can also choose a book based on who will be reading them the story (so they can pick someone they really like). The activities that follow are also nice because it allows students to discuss what they have just heard read to them. Most of the activities show some online sites students can visit to learn more about various aspects they read about. The only downfall I really noticed with this website is the fact that a lot of the actors reading the books are probably people the students don't really recognize which may like this activity less interesting to students. Overall I rate this site a 9 out of 10.
Name of Resource: America's Story
URL Address: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/index.php
Summary: This website was developed with young children in mind and explores various aspects of American history. The site allows viewers to learn about famous Americans, different eras in American history, states, popular American pastimes, sports, and hobbies, and listen to songs and watch movies from the past. Kids are invited to play games after every section and read stories about different aspects in American history.
Commentary: This site's information comes from material located in the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Most of the information comes from resources other than books such as letters, diaries, records and tapes, films, sheet music, maps, prints, photographs and digital materials. The website itself is fairly simple to use but, in my opinion, it is not most entertaining way for kids to learn new information. There is a lot of valuable information on many different aspects of American history, but it involves a lot of reading which takes away from the limited interactiveness of this website. Because of this I give this website a 7 out of 10.
URL Address: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/index.php
Summary: This website was developed with young children in mind and explores various aspects of American history. The site allows viewers to learn about famous Americans, different eras in American history, states, popular American pastimes, sports, and hobbies, and listen to songs and watch movies from the past. Kids are invited to play games after every section and read stories about different aspects in American history.
Commentary: This site's information comes from material located in the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Most of the information comes from resources other than books such as letters, diaries, records and tapes, films, sheet music, maps, prints, photographs and digital materials. The website itself is fairly simple to use but, in my opinion, it is not most entertaining way for kids to learn new information. There is a lot of valuable information on many different aspects of American history, but it involves a lot of reading which takes away from the limited interactiveness of this website. Because of this I give this website a 7 out of 10.
Name of Resource: A to Z Teacher Stuff
URL Address: http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/
Summary: This website was designed for educators by educators. It allows viewers to find lesson plans, thematic units, teacher tips, printables and worksheets, teacher tools, e-books, and teacher discussion forums.
Commentary: I have used this website many times and absouletly love it. It is easy to look up a quick lesson plan to teach around a particular topic and allows you to do so by grade level. There are about a hundred different themes you could choose lesson plans and printables from so it is very likely that you will find what you are looking for. The teacher tools are also easy to use and helps create different activities for students to do. I also like that this website gives teachers tips on how to carry out different issues that arise in the classroom. As you can probably see I love this website and give it a 10 out of 10.
URL Address: http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/
Summary: This website was designed for educators by educators. It allows viewers to find lesson plans, thematic units, teacher tips, printables and worksheets, teacher tools, e-books, and teacher discussion forums.
Commentary: I have used this website many times and absouletly love it. It is easy to look up a quick lesson plan to teach around a particular topic and allows you to do so by grade level. There are about a hundred different themes you could choose lesson plans and printables from so it is very likely that you will find what you are looking for. The teacher tools are also easy to use and helps create different activities for students to do. I also like that this website gives teachers tips on how to carry out different issues that arise in the classroom. As you can probably see I love this website and give it a 10 out of 10.
Name of Resource: Smithsonian Education
URL Address: http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/
Summary: This website provides links for teachers, students, and parents. Teachers can find Smithsonian educational resources by searching the website by keyword, grade level, and subject area, or by state standards. Teachers can also look up lesson plans by topic area. Students can explore different concepts and learn new fun facts. They can also receive homework help and participate in games.
Commentary: This website is a fit for everyone. It is extremely easy to navigate through and gives the viewer sufficient information. Student games are informative and easy to follow. The website also includes pictures which makes the site more inviting. Therefore, I give this website a 10 out of 10.
URL Address: http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/
Summary: This website provides links for teachers, students, and parents. Teachers can find Smithsonian educational resources by searching the website by keyword, grade level, and subject area, or by state standards. Teachers can also look up lesson plans by topic area. Students can explore different concepts and learn new fun facts. They can also receive homework help and participate in games.
Commentary: This website is a fit for everyone. It is extremely easy to navigate through and gives the viewer sufficient information. Student games are informative and easy to follow. The website also includes pictures which makes the site more inviting. Therefore, I give this website a 10 out of 10.
Name of Resource: Math Games and Activities for Kids
URL Address: http://www.apples4theteacher.com/math.html
Summary: This website provides numerous internet links to math games and lessons for elementary kids and teachers. The math content includes geometry and geometric shapes, number charts, measurement, money, number sense, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and time.
Commentary: This website is very interactive and enables the viewer to print out various resources (such as the game or templates) to play as a class. The games and lessons are somewhat easy to follow but teachers should view the website and games first before sending students off to play a game. Students will need help navigating through the site depending on their age so this must be taken into account when incorporating this site. Therefore, I rate this site an 8 out of ten.
URL Address: http://www.apples4theteacher.com/math.html
Summary: This website provides numerous internet links to math games and lessons for elementary kids and teachers. The math content includes geometry and geometric shapes, number charts, measurement, money, number sense, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and time.
Commentary: This website is very interactive and enables the viewer to print out various resources (such as the game or templates) to play as a class. The games and lessons are somewhat easy to follow but teachers should view the website and games first before sending students off to play a game. Students will need help navigating through the site depending on their age so this must be taken into account when incorporating this site. Therefore, I rate this site an 8 out of ten.
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