Five Ways to Involve
Young Students in Using the Internet
Interactive Learning
One of the most compelling aspects of
the Web, for young and old alike, is its interactivity. Students can practice their skills, test their
knowledge, or contribute their work using one of the many interactive sites
available on the Web. Hangman at Kids
Corner: http://kids.ot.com/cgi/kids/hangman
and Dositey Worksheet at http://www.dositey.com
Virtual Field Trips
Use your computer as a presentation
station for virtual field trips that are sure to provide lots of opportunities
for discussion with your young students.
Meet Spot and Barney, the dogs, take your kids on a tour of the White House.
They can even e-mail the President.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/index.html
Communication
Teachers and students can communicate
with their peers from around the world. The most widely used part of the
Web is E-mail but audio and video
conferencing are becoming quite popular. Find Keypals at: IECC
http://www.stolaf.edu/network/iecc/
and at e-Pals http://www.epals.com/
Publishing
Many online newsletters and Web sites
are designed for the express purpose of encouraging students to write.
Students can send in their creative
writings and see their work in print.
Young Writers Workshop: http://www.meddybemps.com/9.700.html
Or create a class page and publish your
class' work.
Collaboration
Enhance the learning experience
through telecollaborative projects. Join an ongoing project or learn to design
your own. You can find the resources
for either at the
Global Schoolhouse: http://www.gsn.org/
Art and Music
CyberKids Art Gallery:
http://www.cyberkids.com
Carlos Coloring Book:
Draw and Color with Uncle Fred:
Pipsqueaks :
Language Arts
Little Explorers: http://EnchantedLearning.com/Dictionary.html
Young Writers Workshop:
Mother Goose Rebus Rhymes: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Rhymes.html
"Read On" Literacy and "Groovy Math"- http://www.beenleigss.qld.edu.au/
Online Story Books - http://www.magickeys.com/books/index.html
http://www.shapebooks.com/Shape
Books allow kids, parents and teachers to make shape books, skill books, poems,
notes and more. Pick a shape, type in your words and print. Subscriptions are
available if you want your class to have access to more advanced features.
Also
try: http://www.abcteach.com/
--ABC Teach offers free printable for school and home.
Math
Math
for Kids-http://www.edu4kids.com/index.php?page=12/
Science
Volcano World:
Polar Pairs- http://www.nmnh.si.edu/arctic/game/
Social Studies
Kids Next Door:
Interactive Learning Games
Billy
Bear Solitaire: http://www.billybear4kids.com/games/online/marbles/index.html
Virtual Field Trips
Zoo Views - The National Zoo: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/
===========================
Issues
to Consider with Young Children
Ensuring Child Safety: Keeping students safe on the Internet is always a concern
for teachers. These sites will
help little ones learn to use the Net safely.
Iggey and Rasper's Internet Safety Game: http://www.kidscom.com/orakc/Mousers/Internet/index.html
Rules for Online Safety- http://www.safekids.com/myrules.htm
-A set of rules for children taken from Child
Safety on the Information Highway.
Supporting Emergent Navigation Skills: Young children need systematic lessons to
develop their navigational
skills. Check these out.
Easy Web Tips to Teach Children http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/Webtipsforchildren.html
-
Tips that are easily learned by young students with a little help from the
teacher.
CyberTrail-Tips for the Trail: http://www.wmht.org/trail/tips.htm
Safe Searches for Kids
Ask Jeeves for Kids -- http://www.ajkids.com
Yahooligans -- http://www.yahooligans.com
Kids Click -- http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!
Suggested Activities
Learn more about tooth care at: Colgate Kid's World- http://www.colgate.com/Kids-world/
For
an interactive treat, go to Kendra's Coloring Book- http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/7155/
Students can learn their colors by coloring pictures online. There is a large
selection of colors or they can be
As part of your Dinosaur Unit, have your students make their own dinosaur. Use
these easy-to-make paper
-http://www.rain.org/~philfear/download-a-dinosaur.html
Take a virtual tour of Plimoth (Plymouth) Plantation http://pilgrims.net/plimothplantation/vtour/index.htm
Plimoth
(Plymouth) Plantation was the first permanent European settlement in southern
New England. See what life was
Berenstain Bear Country -
http://www.berenstainbears.com
-- Young students love the Berenstain Bears. After reading some of the
books take your students on a tour of Bears' Tree House, solve Sister's
secreat message, visit the library or write an e-mail to the whole family.
Students will love reading this poetry. Poetry for Kids by Kenn Nesbitt: http://www.poetry4kids.com/poems.html
After the reading perhaps they could
write some original poetry
King's
Math**** http://www.k111.k12.il.us/king/math.htm
The English
Room
contains
a series of lessons that are designed to take students to various locations on
the Internet. I have tried to align the content and activities with National
Standards and Benchmarks for the teaching of English/Language Arts in grades
6-12. The English Room structure has been simplified into 5 basic categories as
indicated on the books to the left. Click on the book titles; they are links.
Every section contains pages for teachers to provide some guidance on teaching
the lessons and methods for engaging your students. Most of these lessons I have
used in my own classes. Others are being designed for fellow teachers to pilot.
You are also invited to make use of the lessons and let me know how they work
for you.
Encyclopedia
Smithsonian****
>From
Accessibility to Zoology, find out all about collections and other
information from the Smithsonian Museums in Washington D.C. Discover great
resources you can use to supplement your curricula with pictures, stories,
and facts. Under Traveling Exhibitions, there are lessons and activities for
students, including The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly: Attitudes Toward
Animals.
Your
Sky***** http://www.fourmilab.to/yoursky/
Working
with map skills? Help your students build a sky map. This program lets you
choose a nearby city, or enter your latitude and longitude, to find out what is
in the sky presently. Using fairly easy-to-use controls, you can then manipulate
the data to find a star map for the next night, or the next week.
How Volcanoes
Work***** http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/
Kindergarten
Web Page for Letters and Sounds**** http://westcler.org/wv/geigerj/
Use the
letter links to find activities, songs and stories for each letter of the
alphabet. The design of this hotlist makes it easy to
navigate.
Teaching
Time****
A
software developer in the UK created this site to support teaching time using
analog and digital clocks. Initial teaching can be done using the whole class
clock, where the teacher can manipulate the time shown and ask students What
time will it be in? Worksheets are available for individual or group work, and
when students are more proficient, there are interactive games, all with clocks.
Within
these Walls*****
This
website from the Smithsonian looks at a house in Massachusetts, and follows its
inhabitants over two hundred years. Students can find out about the five
families that lived there, artifacts from each time period, and how to uncover
more information about your own house or neighborhood.
Science
Playwiths**** http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/scifun/index.htm
The
name of this site sums it up. You can find activities and ideas that can add
excitement to any place you want to do science. There's a whole section on
Enquiring (my spellcheck would prefer inquiring) into bubbles, followed by the
science behind the enquiries. Electricity, fluid flow, and kitchen chemistry are
just a few of the areas of science covered. Many thanks to the scientists from
down under that have created this site.
EuroTurtle
MathsYear2000
This great
website from the UK has many areas for students to explore in the area of maths
(you know, mathematics). Top Jobs list ways working adults in the UK use maths
in their daily work. Numberland lets students learn about numbers (for example,
koala bears sleep an average of 22 hours a day). Puzzles, features describing
mathematical tools, and many activities will appeal to students from kindergarten
to eighth grade.
Lucky
students in the UK can also participate in special competitions.
Gloria's
Web Site
Build up your
students' writing skills. Teachers can chart their personal progress as they
access and integrate the ideas found within this online professional development
area. Learn new pre-writing exercises, as well as ideas to make the process
of preparing the first draft, revising, editing, and publishing student writing
more successful.
Scholastic
Winter Storms
of a
dairy cow. Check out "The Girls" (milk producing cows), pick one
that
catches your fancy, and register to receive updates by mail, or
check
back to the website to see how your cow is doing (if she's had a
calf or
was a top milk producer). This seems to be a real life dairy, so
the
first cow I picked was sold off because she wasn't producing enough.
It's
tough in the real world.
activities
linked to this page. Students access different
age-appropriate
websites to gather information about animals, apples,
spiders,
and ecosystems. In addition, there are links to webquests for
Ancient
Egypt, Greece and Rome.
For
each of the 50 states there is a map, and all the basic information you might
need to know. Such as song, congresspersons, population, and other vital
statistics.
Alabama?
Want to know which hockey teams are in California? How about the size of Montana?
All that information is here -- and