The Digital Scoop

ZooBorns

I don't know about your students, but whenever we look at pictures of baby animals the whole room says, "Awwwww!" The pictures totally capture their attention.

ZooBorns is a wonderful blog about newborn animals from zoos around the world!  What a great place for students to practice reading non-fiction articles and learn cool facts about animals.

Students can sort the blog articles by animal or by zoo.  This would make a great source for research projects or daily reading practice.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling at some of the pictures and I bet you just might say "Awwww" yourself when you visit ZooBorns!

Thanks KB...Konnected for the great resource.

 

Spiders, spiders everywhere!

October is the time of year to think about all things creepy...and to me there is nothing more creepy than spiders!

I thought my first grade students would enjoy a little 8-legged learning this month.

First, we learned about how spiders spin webs at How Stuff Works. 

Our media specialist also reminded me we have a subscription to World Book Online and they have a cool spider web video as well.  (Thanks, Martha!)

Next, we visited Pebble Go and learned about Black Widow Spiders.

Then, we used Kid Pix Deluxe 3 to create spider webs using the straight line tool.  I took this opportunity to teach the value of saving repeatedly during a project.

We used the oval and straight line tools to create a spider on our web.

Finally, we spent a second class period writing facts about black widow spiders. 

We finished our exploration by watching Diary of a Spider at Tumble Books Online.  You can access Tumble Books for free through a public library like this Virginia link!  Thanks to KB Konnected for this tip!

If you don't have Kid Pix try downloading Tux Paint or painting online at Billy Bear 4 Kids.

 

 

 

Super Science Fun

If you are looking for some great online science activities, head over to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis site.

Students will enjoy playing games while learning about dinosaurs, space, and other topics.

The activities can even be sorted by grade level to help younger students find age appropriate activities.

NeSA Science Activities

Next year, my fifth graders will be taking the NeSA Science test.  This Nebraska state test will cover science topics from first-fifth grade.  I know this will be a challenging test for most students.

I've started putting together online activities to help them review many science concepts.  You can check them out here (scroll down to find the science activities).

I would love to add more sites...leave a comment if you know of other great science sites.

Great Flip Camera Projects

 

The Asheboro City Schools Flip Video Projects cover everything from vowels to the butterfly life cycle to class trips. 

Notice the use of tape on the carpet so the students know where to place the sheets of paper.  You can see this in the vowel and butterfly videos.  This would be a great way for young students to use paper, crayons, and a camera to create a video.

Bald Eagle Mania!

via www.teachersdomain.org

I'm sure by now you've heard about the Decorah Bald Eagle Cam.  What an amazing learning opportunity for our students.  It's also the inspiration for a Kindergarten animal research project.  Using books, PebbleGo (which my district has a licence to use), and two short online videos (If You Were:  Bald Eagle and Growing Independent) the children have done their research.  I teamed up with a fellow teacher to create a booklet for the students to share about what they are learning. 

BTW...The Teachers' Domain site has a huge collection of free educational videos.  Definitely worth checking out!

NETA- Creating Engaging Printable Activities For Kids

Don't forget to check out Lettering Delights for fun fonts, graphics, and more!  Just for opening a free account you will get several items FREE!!! 

Here are the handouts and templates from my NETA presentation on Thursday, April 28, 2011.  I hope you enjoy!

Handouts:

    Full Handout in PDF format

    Creating Flash Cards

    Creating Card Games

    Creating Game Boards

    Creating Spinners

    Tips and Tricks and Online Sources

Templates:

    Spinners

    ABC Flash Cards

    Go Fish Game

    Mouse/Cheese Game Board

    Treasure Hunt Game Board

    Ocean Game Board

 

Elementary PowerPoint Presentations

Elementary PowerPoint Presentations

Have you ever thought I would love a PowerPoint to go with this lesson but I just don't have time to make one? You might just find a free one already to use at this site! Best of all since you are downloading the original PowerPoint you can customize it for your needs.
:-)