Open Wide, Look Inside

Volcanoes

Posted on October 5, 2010 by openwidearchive

Volcanoes are an intriguing and dangerous part of our world. While most students will never experience first hand the effects of a volcano, books and activities can better help the students to understand the devastating effects a volcano can have and the awesome power they hold. The following books and resources can help deepen a students knowledge about volcanoes from the beginning signs to the aftermath. The books and resources are intended to be used in a 5th grade classroom (SOL 5.7).

Recommended Books:

Magic School Bus Blows Its Top by Joanna Cole and Illustrated by Bruce Degen

Ms. Frizzle and her class dive into another adventure in this book. The class takes a trip underwater into an active volcano where they see first hand all the inner workings of a volcano. After seeing the inside of the volcano, the class erupts with the magma and lava and watches as a new island is formed. The book is full of facts and lively characters that will keep the students engaged as they learn about volcanoes.

Why do Volcanoes Blow Their Tops? by Melvin Berger and Gilda Berger

In this book, students can get answers to the most intriguing questions they may have about volcanoes. The book is in a question and answer format and will entertain students with facts and details about volcanoes while also having full pages of art showing and demonstrating all the answers talked about in the book.

Volcanoes by Seymour Simon

This book while being on a lower reading level for 5th graders , has stunning photographs of volcanoes that will help bring them to life. This is a great material to use as a lead-in to discussions about volcanoes. The text gives accurate and useful information on each page that will capture the attention of the students as they see the pictures of the volcanoes.

Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne

In this book, Jack and Annie go back in time to save a story from the city of Pompeii just as Mt. Vesuvius starts to erupt. The book while make-believe helps students see the destruction that occurs to areas near volcanoes. The story is very well written and will capture students’ attention from beginning to end.

The Day the World Exploded: The Earthshaking Catastrophe at Krakatoa by Simon Winchester and Jason Chin

This book adapted for children, looks into the destruction that occurred hundreds of years ago when volcano Krakatoa erupted. The book details the signs that the volcano would explode right up to the aftermath of a volcanic explosion including shock waves and tsunamis that reached as far as France.

Recommended Websites for Students:

Volcano Explorer: The Discovery Kids Pompeii website has interactive tools on volcanoes for students to click through. The top three links; global perspective, volcano types and inside a volcano show the volcanoes outside in, allowing students to click through the links and gain valuable information about the inner workings of the volcano. The build your own volcano link allows the students to create their own volcano based on viscosity and gas levels and then watch the type of eruptions these conditions would create.

The Supervolcano Game: The BBC website offers an interactive game that allows students to try and prepare for the eruption of a volcano. The scenario allows students to try and prevent the most amount of damage for the town with limited amount of time and resources. The student can then play out the scenario and see the damage that the volcano creates for the town. At the end of the game, students learn other effective ways to prevent human loss and how well their efforts worked.

Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus Volcano Game: This Scholastic website offers students an interactive game that teaches fun volcano facts while also letting students enjoy a fun filled game. Students will navigate the Magic School Bus through volcanic tubes to try and find a way out of the maze inside the volcano.

Scholastic Volcano Lab: This Scholastic website game is an interactive game in which students are asked general knowledge questions about volcanoes. As the students get correct answers they can see the magma chambers start to move on their own volcano until enough correct answers create an explosion. If the student does not get enough correct answers in a certain amount of time the volcano will fizzle out and not erupt.

Discovery Earth Volcanoes: This Discovery website offers students a chance to click around, read information and see pictures of the top 10 volcanoes in geologic history. Each page has a different volcano on it, and gives students pertinent facts about the volcano itself and the explosion(s) of the past or present. The website also has great pictures of each volcano which offers the students a chance to see the volcano when it is not erupting.

Additional Teacher Resources:

Volcanoes: Natures Explosive Spectacles! This Education World website has tons of ideas for teachers when teaching a volcano unit. It lists classroom activities as well as worksheets and ideas for teaching volcanoes from how they form, to inside the volcano, to types of eruptions. The website also integrates other subjects like math and reading into the lesson plans.

Volcano Web cams This website is a great resource for teachers, it has pictures of eruptions as well as links for web cams in active volcanoes and volcanoes located in the United States.

Volcano Classroom Activities and Lesson Plans This website has many links for interactive classroom ideas on volcanoes especially from websites such as the Smithsonian Institute and USGS (US Geological Survey); its also has ideas for classroom activities involving volcanoes and notable volcanoes that are currently in the news.

Volcano World This website comes from Oregon State University where they have complied lesson plans, virtual tours of volcanoes, volcano model ideas, FAQ’s, volcano factoids and maps of volcanoes to help students further explore volcanoes.

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The Solar System

Posted on October 5, 2010 by openwidearchive

Introduction

The topic of space can be interesting and even thrilling when presented in the correct manner. In the fourth grade students are learning about our solar system. They will learn about the planets that revolve around the sun, including their order, size, and properties. They will also study the relationships between the sun, the earth, and the moon. The most important vocabulary terms for this SOL (4.7) are revolution and rotation.

Books

Our Solar System by Seymour Simon

Seymour Simon is an award winning author who worked with the Smithsonian Institution to create a newly revised book on space. Our Solar System is the perfect introductory book for students as they begin learning about space. The book is filled with gorgeous pictures taken from space. They images will captivate the young audience and intrigue them, pushing them to learn further. Each of the 8 planets receives a brief introduction. While this book does not give incredibly detailed lessons on the planets, it piques students’ curiosity.

Earth: Our Planet in Space by Seymour Simon

Another book by Seymour Simon, Earth: Our Planet in Space explores our Earth, Sun and Moon. As students study the planets, they will inevitably question “why isn’t there life on other planets.” This book delves into the unique position of our earth in space, and the reasons why we can survive here, why there is day and night, and much more. Stunning photography keeps students interested as they read the information.

The Moon by Seymour Simon

Introductory facts about our moon are set off by newly colored photographs (the first edition from 1984 was black and white). Students will enjoy learning new things about the moon. This book is a perfect way to start a lesson. It’s easy to read alone or with a friend before delving into a classroom discussion.

Footprints on the Moon by Alexandra Siy

Filled with humorous quotes from astronauts, and interesting accounts from previous apollo missions, Footprints on the Moon gives students their first introduction to space exploration. It gives students a brief history of rocketry, and inspires the idea that there is still so much to discover about our universe.

Uranus – the Seventh Planet by Michael D. Cole

Uranus – the Seventh Planet is part of a series that explores every planet in our solar system. Each book takes students through the features, sizes and moons of each planet. Close up pictures gives students a sense of the magnitude, beauty, and mystery that surround the planets.

Teacher Resources

Think of fun lessons and hands on activities to use as you explore space with you class. This site offers lesson plans for activities that will get students directly involved. On the left side-bar, click on any of the outer space subjects that you want to focus on for the class.

This resource lets you explore each planet. It gives teachers a brief overview of the planets, with fun facts and important details to share with the class. The website is perfect for a quick review before creating or teaching a lesson.

Another resource shows teachers how to make homemade craters with their class. This is a great activity for fourth graders; they can get a little messy, while still understanding the “impact” that craters make, and utilizing their math skills.

This resource gives teacher’s ideas for livening up the classroom. It features lesson ideas, as well as fun activities and projects to do as a class.

Resources for Kids

Discover what will be in tonight’s sky. A short video clip will show students where they can find certain constellations and planets in the sky. The video will be relevant for whatever date they view it on.

Students will love competing in the Moon Olympics. This game shows students how gravity effects our lives. In a silly and fun way, students can discover what sports would be like in space.

Students can complete this puzzle to show that they know the order and location of the planets in our solar system.

This memory/matching game asks students to match the picture of an object with its vocabulary term.

This interactive website gives student the basic important facts about each of the 9 planets (it includes Pluto) and our sun. The resource is easy to read, interesting, and animated to keep the students focused.

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Civil War

Posted on October 5, 2010 by openwidearchive

For this topic, students will be able to identify roles of major names such as Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant (USI.9). Students will also use maps to explain critical developments in the war including major battles. They will be able to identify where major battles and critical events took place.

Books:
Eyewitness: Civil War by: John Stanchak

-This book contains great color images, but also goes into detail about important topics in the war.

You Wouldn't want to be a Civil War Soldier by: Thomas Ratliff

-Puts students in the shoes of a civil war soldier and describes what their life would be like. Also contains informative maps and pictures

The Everything Civil War Book: Everything You Need to Know About the War That Divided the Nation by: Donald Vaughan

-This book is more advanced and the chapters go in chronological order. This book contains more information than the others and is designed for older students.

If you lived at the time of the Civil War by: Kay Moore

-Another book with good pictures and basic information about the war.

The Big Book of the Civil War by: Joeanne Mattern

-Similar to the eyewitness book with great real images. Goes in depth about the war more however.

Web Sites:
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/civilwar/cwar.htm

-This link was made by students for students. It contains a great time line and graphs about the north and the south.

http://www.americancivilwar.com/kids_zone/causes.html

-This link contains great graphics and detail about the war. It is targeted towards older students (6th, 7th grade). It also contains links to games and exhibits.

http://www.runet.edu/~sbisset/civilwar.htm

-This site is designed for fifth graders and contains tables that compare the north and south.

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/civwar.html

-This site contains links to informational websites as well as games and other online activities.
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110546/

-This site contains quizzes for students and has a link to a site which describes the battles in the war.

Extra:
Civil War Powerpoint presentations
http://americanhistory.pppst.com/civilwar.html

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Resources of Virginia

Posted on October 4, 2010 by openwidearchive

Resources of Virginia

This blog contains information about useful books, online activities, and relevant materials for teaching about Virginia’s natural resources. Although Virginia Science SOL 4.8 explicitly references this content, the material overlaps with many elementary grades and SOLS. The texts and websites, however, were chosen for students between grades 3-5. If anyone has knowledge of texts, activities, or teacher materials that they believe would be helpful to my readers please comment at the bottom of the post.

Text Annotations

Virginia Facts and Symbols
by Bill McAuliffe

“Easy-to-read text covers major state symbols such as the state flag, seal, bird, tree, flower, animal, and more. A “Fast Facts” section highlights the state’s capital city, largest city, physical size, population, natural resources, farm products, and primary manufactured goods. Generally, a map or photo faces a right hand page of information written in short paragraphs. Photos are current and simple, featuring the animal, flower, or famous building, with a modest caption. The series has been updated to reflect new census data but otherwise duplicates the earlier editions. A concluding page features three “Places to Visit,” to give readers a sense of what features or sites the state is proud of or known for (Williamsburg, Luray Caverns, and the Mariners’ Museum). In the end matter, other factual nonfiction books are recommended, a glossary rounds up five or six specialized words, an omnibus website managed by the publisher gives access to further facts, and a very short index is included. The series encourages report writers to locate information quickly and the layout makes comparisons among states easy. This book is a good beginning resource for highlighting a state and its features.” — Review from Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database

Buy it here

Dogwoods: The Genus Cornus
by Paul Cappiello

This title is a great source of information for Virginia’s state flower — the dogwood. The book features the best photographs of dogwoods that one can find. Too dense and technical for the elementary reader; nonetheless, many sections can be used for reading aloud. The included glossary is a great guide for horticulture-related vocabulary.

Buy it here

Cardinals
By Patrick Merrick

Patrick Merrick’s book provides students with superb photos and pertinent information for the Virginia state bird.

“K-Gr 3-Children will flock to these attractive titles. Brilliant, full-color close-ups, many from the National Audubon Collection, appear on every spread and are accompanied by interesting and useful facts. The information goes beyond common knowledge, covering the birds’ life cycles from birth to maturity. The photos provide a larger-than-life scale so that it is possible to see minute details of birds in the nest, feeding their young, and in their natural habitats. The large font and wide margins make these books easy to read. – Kim Donius, Alfred-Almond Central School, Almond, NY.” — taken from Amazon.com

Buy it here

Good Night Virginia
by Adam Gamble

This book covers a vast array of topics, particularly in regard to Virginia’s resources and geography. Additionally, information is blended seemlessly into the illustrations. Adam Gamble writes with simple sentences which are easy to comprehend, yet full of useful facts. A great resource for your classroom– highly recommended!

Buy it here

Virginia Geography
by Bentley Boyd

Written in the style of a comic book, Bentley Boyd’s work is accessible to the young reader. Do not let the brevity of the work fool you; this work is full of information regarding the resources of Virginia. Students will learn while reading; however, they will be enjoying themselves too much to realize.

Buy it here

Web Annotations (for Students!)

What Is a Watershed?
Watch how watersheds are formed!

This website gives a easily comprehended explanation and illustration of how a watershed is formed. For students who struggle to learn without visualization, this website will prove invaluable for VA Science SOL 4.8. The students will enjoy watching the virtual formation of a watershed.

Digging For Words
Play here

A fun crossword activity for students. The words are all related to minerals, rocks, and ores and the activity acts as a prefect supplement (i.e., a fun homework assignment) for a lesson on soil and/or rocks.

Discover How Rocks are Formed
Watch here!

The website has illustrations showing how rocks are formed over long periods of time. Easier to understand than a textbook, and certainly more fun!

Virginia Trivia-Online Quiz
Sporcle.com, Attempt the quiz

Sporcle is an online website which allows users to generate their own quizzes. The particular quiz linked above is focused on Virginia trivia. Although the quiz is not devoted solely to Virginia’s resources, it nonetheless includes questions about the state’s geography, animals, plants, water resources, forestry, and more. The site is kid-friendly, interactive, easy-to-use, and free.

Dumptown Game
Play the game

The game, created by the EPA, allows players to see how small changes in lifestyle can make huge differences in our society. As Dumptown’s new City Manager it is your job to allocate available resources (such as recycle bins) to cut down on the trash accumulating in the city. For students who enjoy playing video games, this online game will provide a lot of fun and learning.

Additional Resources (for Teachers!)

Greener Loudoun

This website, written by a native of Loudoun County, VA, includes numerous articles on how we can live in a more environmentally conscious manner (and why we should). Whenever he is unable to write on a topic he finds pertinent, he links to some other credible site which does. What makes this website so valuable is the fact that it is written by a citizen of Virginia — all of the articles focus on the impact of climate change on a local level. Climate science is difficult even for experts to understand; therefore, it is all the more impressive that this site enables its readers to understand the effects of a changing climate with a Virginia-centric bias. I would highly recommend teachers to skim this website for local examples to use within their lessons — it will make the material more applicable to students.

Rockingham County Public Schools

This school’s website provides a wealth of resources for teaching VA Science SOL 4.8. Of particular interest are the interactive smartboard activities which can be downloaded and used in your classroom.

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

A dense, informative website with lots of data about Virginia’s forest. For up-to-date statistics and easy-to-comprehend charts it is impossible to beat this source. Of course, the information will need to be adapted to an elementary level.

Also, check out the VA DEQ’s guide to minerals and energy resources.

Virginia Native Plant Society

The Virginia Native Plant Society provides conservation policies and easy to use brochures. I recommend contacting the society to set up a visit to the University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm located in north-western Virginia — a fun, free, and informative trip for students. (Everyone within reasonable proximity should visit the balloon festival at Blandy in October of every year. There are massive amounts of activities for young students and excellent regional food tasting for adults.)

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Hibernation

Posted on October 4, 2010 by openwidearchive

The following resources are helpful in teaching about hibernation. The SOL's specific to this topic are 1.7, 2.5, 2.7 and 3.4. In first grade, students need to understand the concepts of migration, hibernation, and habitat, but they do not necessarily need to know the terms. In second grade, students learn how animals respond to changes in the seasons and by third grade they will be able to describe and explain hibernation.

Books

Hibernation (Patterns in Nature series)
Margaret Hall
This book offers great close-up shots of animals in their dens and explains the hibernation cycle, along with resources for further reading and online research with Fact Hound, Capstones own cartoon icon for active learning.

What Is Hibernation? (Science of Living Things)
John Crossingham
This book offers full-color photographs and vivid text that combine to give readers a view of the many different ways that animals hibernate.

The Magic School Bus Sleeps for the Winter (Scholastic Reader, Level 2)
Eva Moore
This book in the popular Magic School Bus series takes readers on a ride to learn all about how different kinds of animals survive through the winter.

Animals Hibernating How Animals Survive Extreme Conditions
Pamela Hickman
Readers will find out which animals hibernate and why, the difference between true hibernators and deep sleepers, where animals hibernate, what happens while they hibernate, and much more. This book is packed with illustrations, facts, activities and easy-to-do experiments.

Why Do Bears Sleep All Winter?: A Book about Hibernation
Jane Duden and Bernd Heinrich
In this “First Facts, Why in the world?” nonfiction book designed for readers in kindergarten through third grade, each chapter is a question that is answered in several paragraphs along with accompanying photographs. The photographs are interesting and entertaining for young readers. A short glossary is included, followed by a list of related books, Internet sites, and an index. Words printed in bold type in the text are listed with meanings in the glossary.

Teacher / Parent Resources

Brainpopjr is a subscription website, but offers a 30 day free trial. This page provides background information about hibernation and fun activities and lesson ideas.
This is a fun worksheet to use at the end of a unit on hibernation. It is probably best for first grade.
This worksheet is suitable for second or third graders and can be used as a review of the hibernation unit or as a quiz.
This website is a great resource for second and third grade units on hibernation and includes interactive SmartBoard activities.
This is a word search worksheet that identifies 16 different animals that hibernate. It is appropriate for second and third grade.

Student Resources

This is an interactive ThinkQuest for students to use as a resource to extend their study of hibernation. It has interesting facts, games and links for more information about hibernation.
This is an online game where the student matches the animal to either the word "hibernate" or "migrate". This is suitable for 3rd graders.
This is an interactive online game where you have to find all the animal pairs to uncover the photo of animals that hibernate! When you find a match, a part of the photo gets revealed. Hibernating animal cards include the following pictures: squirrel, bat, badger, frog, butterfly, ladybug, bear, racoon, turtle and skunk. Each time you play, the cards get shuffled around.
This website provides the reader with information about what hibernation is and includes a word mix-up at the end as an assessment of the material read. This would be suitable for second or third grade.
This link provides a video about hibernation.

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Moon Phases

Posted on October 4, 2010 by openwidearchive

The topic covered is Moon Phases. Moon Phases fall under the SOL 3.8. Moon phases can be a tricky topic to teach without some great visuals. I have listed some of the best books, and online resources that I have found on the subject. Resources listed below are geared toward third graders.

Book Resources

Phases of the Moon, by Gillia M. Olson

This book explains moon phases in very simple language. Diagrams in the book are helpful and easy to understand. The book’s pictures are so great that this book is recommended for struggling readers trying to understand the concept of moon phases.

The Moon Seems to Change, by Franklyn M. Branley and illustrated by Barbra and Ed Emberley.

This book is recommended to accompany your science text. It’s a great supplement to teaching the concept of moon phases. The books includes great diagrams and pictures.

The Moon, byDavid Jefferis

This book features photos from NASA! The book is now in it’s new edition. It features great color pictures and information about the moon.

The Moon Book, written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons

Gail Gibbons writes and illustrates a fantastic book. This book is the best book for sharing with third graders about the subject.

When You Look Up at the Moon, written by Allan Fowler

Good book for children that may not have prior knowledge about the moon. This book is a great starting point.

Web sites for children

Lunar Cycle Challenge Game The object of this game is for the children to drag the moon to their correct place in the lunar cycle.

Moon Phase Order This site features the moon phases in random order and the children can put them in the correct order and check for correctness. Great game for children to play together!

Moon Phase Flashcards This site would be great for children to use as a tutorial when preparing for a moon phase quiz! You click on the flashcards to review all phases of the moon.

How Long Does a Moon Phase Last? This site will help children to understand how long moon phases last. It also has a great visual of the Earth, moon, ans sun as the moon goes through it’s phases. The site offers easy to follow demonstrations as well.

Moon Phases-The Basics Great site for children to read about the moon’s phases. It’s answers basic questions about the moon’s phases.

Resources for teachers

Moon Phase Stations You will find an actual lesson plan that is filled with learning stations that you can set up to help your children better understand the topic.

Activities for Most Ages There are moon phase activities for grades K-12. This site is helpful to those who need activities to accommodate and challenge students alike.

Science Online This site includes demonstrations, lesson plans, printables, and much more!

Challenge Great questions and answers about the moon. These questions would be great to challenge students or to put up on the board for the question of the day!

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Camouflage

Posted on October 4, 2010 by openwidearchive

This blog provides links to books, interactive kids’ websites, and teaching resources that would be useful in covering the topic of Camouflage in the classroom. The links provided would be appropriate to use with grades ranging from kindergarten to third grade. Many of the sites provided include audio, so if the children are still working on learning to read, they will still understand what to do. Both the books and the websites provide excellent realistic imagery to give the students a clear visual of what camouflage is. Detailed lesson plans can be found in the teacher resources section of the blog. The information provided on this topic covers parts of the following VA Science SOLS: (1.5, 2.7, 3.4)

Literature

Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed…and Revealed, By: David Schwartz and Yael Schy, Illustrated by: Dwight Kuhn

From kindergarten age children to parents and teachers, this book is guaranteed to intrigue the reader from page one. Through creative shape-poetry and captivating photography, the reader is challenged to unmask the hidden creatures in the images. This book provides very realistic images, giving the reader a clear representation of what camouflage really looks like. Additionally, the book also includes facts about the animals that are hidden in the pictures. With these facts, the poetry, and the photography, readers are equipped with several tools to help them reveal the hidden creatures.

Winnie the Witch, By: Valerie Thomas and Illustrated by: Korky Paul

This fun Halloween story is about a witch named Winnie and her black cat, Wilbur. Everything in Winnie’s house is black,including Wilbur. Problems begin when Wilbur closes his green eyes to take a nap and Winnie can not see him at all. Winnie ends up tripping over and stepping on Wilbur several times. In an effort to help both herself and her cat, Winnie changes Wilbur into various colors other than black in order to see him better. However, each color seems to create more problems for Winnie and Wilbur. The colorful Wilbur attempts to escape and hide in the top of a tree from Winnie. In the end, Winnie’s love for her cat leads her to change him back to black.

Animals in Camouflage, Written and Illustrated by: Phyllis Limbacher Tildes

The pages of this non-fiction book are filled with seven different animals. These animals are hidden from their predators in large colorful pictures. Children are encouraged to use both the pictures and the written clues to determine where the animal is located. At first, the reader tries to guess where the animals is. Once they turn the page, the reader will discover what animal is hidden within the page. This book provides a colorful representation of camouflage, blending, color change, disguise, and pattern. Additionally, more facts are included at the end of the book about the animals that were discovered.

3-D Close up: Animal Camouflage, By: Daniel Gilpin

This book is filled with mesmerizing close-up photography, artwork, and engaging text. This book also includes four 3-D pop-up cross sections that portray animals with and without their disguises. The reader will learn why some animals need to hide and some do not and how they manage to do it. Some of the camouflaged animals the reader will learn about are zebras, cuttle fish, and clouded leopards.

The Mixed-Up Chameleon, By: Eric Carle

This book by Eric Carle, tells the story of a Chameleon who is not satisfied with blending into his surroundings. After noticing a zoo, he sees all the wonderful animals and begins to wish for various characteristics of all the animals. (“I wish I was tall like a giraffe.”) After receiving all of his wishes, the chameleon ends up being a combination of several different animals that does not really work well all together. The chameleon realizes this when he tries to eat a fly but can not reach it. Upon realizing this, the chameleon wishes to return back to himself again.

Interactive Kids Websites

Camouflage Field Book

At this website, children are given the opportunity to navigate through four different habitats: Coral Reef, Rain Forest, African Grassland, and Arctic Meadow. After choosing and clicking on a habitat, the child is able to participate in a hidden animal search. Each of the habitats represents various species using camouflage in different ways.

If You Can’t Run, You’ve Got To Hide!

The first activity on this website the children can take part in is a “Where is Waldo” game. They are given two pictures where the character Waldo is hidden. They must “test their predator skills” and try to find Waldo in both pictures. Further down on the page there are three pictures of real animals using camouflage in their habitats. The child is challenged to try and find the animal in the picture. Lastly, the child is given a representation of comparing and contrasting the habitat that would be safest for a hare. They are given two pictures with a hare, one in the white snow and one in the forest.

Walking With Beasts

This is a great interactive site for kids to play around with different forms of camouflage on both predators and their prey. At this site, kids choose between either a predator or prey. Then, they are instructed to choose a background for their animal: jungle, plains, or tundra. After this, they can choose different fur colors (white, tawny, or dark), shadings (under or counter), and patterns (spots or stripes) to best fit their animal in that habitat.The child can reset the screen and start over at anytime and experiment with different habitats and animals.

Brain POP Jr. – Camouflage

This interactive site gives children several different activities to experiment with. The first activity is a short cartoon movie where kids watch and learn about Annie and Moby’s quest to learn more about camouflage. The child will learn with Annie and Moby about how both predators and their prey use camouflage, why what animals change color, why some animals change colors in different seasons, and how animals confuse other animals. Another activity the children can access from this site is drawing an animal camouflaged in its habitat. They can use crayons of different colors and erasers located on the site. Kids can make up an imaginary animal that uses camouflage. The are instructed to name their animal and describe how they use camouflage to survive in their environment. Kids can also fill out a KWL chart about camouflage in the “talk about it” section on the site. Additionally, kids can play with the word wall that provides interactive index cards that have a word on one side and definition on the other. Another activity is the hidden animals game. Kids are given four different habitats and are challenged to find three hidden animals in each. Everything on this site is read aloud to the child. All the child needs to do is roll the mouse over the text and the computer will read off the directions.

Hidden Animals Game

This is another great site where kids have the opportunity to play a game where they have to spot the animal that is hidden by camouflage. Once the child thinks they have found the animal, they click on it and after clicking on the correct animal they are given a quick fact about the animal. They can do this activity with several different animals including: lizards, bears, rabbits, snakes, foxes, turtles, owls, amphibians and more!

Additional Teacher Resources

Hunting Like a Hawk

This site provides four different activities to implement into a camouflage lesson plan. One great activity to do with students is the “Hunting Like a Hawk” game. This game portrays the idea that sometimes, even camouflage can fail with sudden movements from the prey. Other activities at this site include: Hiding in the habitat and Hide and Seek. These games are a great way for the students to have a hands-on experience of camouflage. This site also provides teaching advice on: blending, pattern, disguise, and mimicry.

Why Are Polar Bears White?

This site provides a lesson plan teaching students how color can help animals in the wild. In the activity in the lesson plan, students go outside and try to find as many toothpicks that the teacher scattered around as possible. When they come back inside they discuss why some colors were found more than others (ex: green). Students will also create a polar bear painting on white paper to depict how its fur helps it blend in with its environment.

Camouflage Lesso n Plan

This lesson plan could be used with students ranging from grades K-3. In the activity, students will observe the important characteristics of camouflaged animals. One of the activities requires the students to create paintings of an animal in a certain habitat that they choose. Once they have finished they cut them out and take them outside where the teacher will prop them up according to a certain distance. The students will observe their paintings at different ranges from both sides: the painted side and the white/blank side.

Camouflage Animal Print Outs

This site provides several print outs of animals that use camouflage. After clicking on an animal, a description of the animal appears alongside the image. There is also a key that goes along with the image of the animal so the students know what to color each part of the animal.

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The Planets

Posted on October 4, 2010 by openwidearchive

The following resources are intended for a range of elementary grades but fit specifically with the VA Science SOLs 4.7 and 6.8. In the fourth and sixth grades students learn about characteristics of the planets, the moon and the sun, as well as other aspects of our solar system such as other moons, asteroids and comets. These books, websites and additional resources can therefore be used across the grades to help students learn all about our solar system (and beyond!).

Books

The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System

By Joanna Cole (Author) and Bruce Degen (Illustrator)

This book, from the famous Magic School Bus series, chronicles the class’ trip to outer space. When something goes terribly wrong, however, and Miss Frizzle loses her class, the students must use clues about the planets to find her location in space. While this book may be intended for a younger audience, it provides a fun introduction to the different planets, and the composition of the solar system, that a variety of ages will enjoy.

Solar System: A Journey to the Planets and Beyond

By Ian Graham

This exciting book mixes 3D photographs and illustrations to give a brief background about each of the planets. It also contains information about missions to space, particularly the Mars Rover and Apollo 11 missions, and provides pop up pages to provide more information in an interactive manner.

Discover the Planets

By Cynthia Pratt Nicolson (Author) and Bill Slavin (Illustrator)

While this book is meant for those aged 4-8, it provides a wealth of information regarding the differences between the planets, why the sun shines, and how the planets travel around the sun. It could be an excellent tool for differentiation or an introduction to a unit on the planets.

11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System

By David A. Aguilar

This book was written in response to the declaration that Pluto is no longer a planet and therefore chronicles not only the traditional eight planets but the dwarf planets as well. Included in the book are charts of planet statistics such as diameter and temperature. Because it goes beyond a simple study of the milky way and introduces other galaxies and sometimes uses complex vocabulary, this book is recommended more for sixth grade than fourth grade study.

Space

By Carole Stott

This book uses dramatic photographs to provide in detail looks at the moon, the sun and the planets as well as an introduction to the milky way and other solar systems. This book is unique in that it also discusses the possibility of life on other planets (or the impossibility) and the future of space travel. It provides a comprehensive glossary that could be great for students’ research.

Websites

The Planets of our Solar System for Kids

This website uses a very simple layout (that facilitates students exploring it on their own) that explains characteristics of the planets like rotation, temperature, size and the Roman origin of their names. Links to information are provide in the form of photographs of the planets, giving students a reference for knowing what the planets look like.

StarChild: A Learning Center for Young Astronomers

This website, developed by a division of NASA researchers, is intended to provide students with information about the shape of the solar system, the location of the planets, and definitions of other space phenomena like asteroids, comets and black holes. It also provides a glossary and links to many games and activities that can be used in the classroom.

Astronomy for Kids- The Solar System

This section of the website, Astronomy for Kids, provides an interactive diagram of the milky way, complete with rotating planets, comets and asteroids. Students can click on one of the rotating objects to learn more about it and see pictures. By clicking on different links, students can learn about the different moons of the planets as well.

Bitesize- Earth, Sun and Moon

This activity, provided by the BBC, helps students learn about how the earth, sun and moon orbit around each other. By inputting a number of months, students can try to make the earth orbit around the sun a certain amount of times. A moving diagram shows how the moon orbits the earth while the earth orbits the sun and students can click on each to find more information about their characteristics.

Blast Off on a Trip Into Our Solar System!

Harcourt publishers presents this website in which students can see photographs and positioning of the planets. By clicking on the planet photos, students learn information like why each planet looks the way it does, which number it is away from the sun, why seasons exist and how many days each planet takes to orbit the sun.

Additional Resources

First Space Encyclopedia

By DK Publishing

This book would serve as an excellent classroom reference for any space or solar system unit. It tackles tough questions like, what space is, when it began and how it began as well as exploring space related subjects like satellites, stars, space exploration, astronomers and much more. By combining photos and text of varying sizes DK Publishing has created a very readable encyclopedia.

How the Universe Works: 100 Ways Parents and Kids Can Share the Secrets of the Universe

By Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest

This book is full of activities that can be used in the classroom for a variety of lessons on space. Activities are divided up between those that help explain the solar system, the sun, the stars and the cosmos (or the galaxies beyond). This book explains how parents and children (or students and teachers) can use the activities included to create a “Home Laboratory” and a “Home Observatory” of their own.

Space School- The Solar System

This video, from the Space School series and presented by DiscoveryTV on YouTube, uses beautiful images to explain to students the workings of the universe. This movie explains how the universe was formed, why the planets rotate the sun and what the planets, asteroids, sun and moon are made of, all in the fun format of a space teacher talking to a group of students in a futuristic space school.

Amazing Pop-U p Space Atlas

By DK Publishing

This book describes the planets of the milky way, the sun and the moon using a variety of interactive charts, pop-ups and pull-outs that students could be posted around the classroom, copied as a reference for individual students, or kept in the classroom library as an excellent reference source.

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Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in the Classroom

Posted on October 4, 2010 by openwidearchive

The following resources are appropriate to begin teaching first graders to become conscientious environmental advocates (Virginia Science SOL 1.8). These resources, including pertinent literature and websites for both students and educators, help highlight the potential consequences of poor environmental stewardship and the positive impact that all students can have if they reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Relevant Children’s Literature:

Michael Recycle
Written by Ellie Bethel
Illustrated by Alexandra Colombo

“There once was a town
Called Abberdoo-Rimey,
Where garbage was left
To grow rotten and slimy.”

So begins the story of a garbage heap of a town that is saved by the surprising presence of a child super hero- Michael Recycle. Entertaining as well as educational, the presence of Michael, a young boy, as the town’s savior empowers children to believe that they too have the ability to affect a change. In that vein, the end of the book lists several green strategies everyone can implement. For example, “Quick and Clean! Take shorter showers… unless you are really, really smelly.”

Pollution? No Problem!
Written and Illustrated by David Morichon

Albert believes his invention will make his life easier… that is until it begins seeping a purple goo. Albert and his friend Henry spend the rest of the book trying to get rid of the goo, but to no avail. Albert tries everything, from burying the goo down deep, to sending it into outer space, but the goo always finds its way back to earth. The boys quickly learn that when you throw something away, it does not just disappear. Albert’s journey is a great lead into a discussion about where our garbage goes when we throw it away (a landfill) and the consequences of the improper disposal of trash.

The Tin Forest
Written by Helen Ward
Illustrated by Wayne Anderson

An old man lives alone in the midst of a garbage heap. He dreams of jungles and living animals to keep him company, and finally one day slowly begins to create the jungle of his dreams with the garbage and tin surrounding him. His tin forest attracts the attention of a real bird, who brings a friend, and a seed. Slowly, the tin forest makes way for a real wilderness.

A story about imagination and the power of dreaming, The Tin Forest is also a great jumping off point to talk about the power of restoration. Considered by some to be the fourth “R”, to restore is to take something and bring it back to life. The old man sees the potential beneath the trash, and his effort restores life to his surroundings.

The Lorax
Written and Illustrated by Dr. Seuss

The Once-ler cuts down all of the Truffula trees, destroying the habitat of such fanciful animals as the Brown Bar-Ba-Loots, Humming Fish, and Swomee Swans. The Lorax continually tries to “speak for the trees” but is ignored by the Once-ler until it is too late. All of the animals are forced to travel away, leaving only the Once-ler to preach this cautionary tale about irresponsibly taking with no thought to the environmental consequences.

For more resources on teaching The Lorax, visit Lorax Project.

Recycle Every Day!
Written and Illustrated by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

Minna is a young rabbit who is excited to enter a contest at school to create a recycling poster. The winning poster will be put in the Community Recycling Calendar! Minna can not decide what to make her poster about, and as she looks around for inspiration, is surprised by all of the little things that her family does everyday to make a difference. All of these small things add up to make a big difference, causing Minna to create the poster, “Re-re-remember. Re-re-recycle Every Day!” Using found and recycled objects to create the art for the book, Nancy Wallace shows the students how important it is to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle at every possible opportunity.

Relevant Websites for Students

Michael, Michael, Go Recycle!

I would recommend this fun, age appropriate game as part of a center rotation after a whole class reading and discussion of Michael Recycle. Although the game is not affiliated with the book, it is a nice extension about appropriate waste disposal, and the positive impact that every student can have on the environment.

The game is a maze, in which the student fights against the clock to collect 10 pieces of litter and then place them in the proper disposal receptacles. Very fun and user friendly!

It’s Not All Garbage!

A very neat quiz, testing students knowledge of how they can dispose of trash, without throwing it away. There are 30 items, ranging from leaves to a rocking chair, that students must decide to either recycle, compost, give to charity, or put in the trash. At the end of the quiz, the students are told what answers they did not get correct, and are given the opportunity to try again.

Recycling Zone

Hopefully students will be inspired by the message behind the RRR unit, and will take some of their new found passion home with them. This website has fun activities that students and parents can do together to begin being more earth friendly at home. Examples of initiatives are composting and creating recycled paper.

Video of the Lorax

Twenty-five minutes in length, this animated movie of the Dr. Seuss classic incorporates songs (whose lyrics are also written by Dr. Seuss) into the original story line. An engaging way to show the impactful story in another format, perhaps as a center rotation.

Green Games

The Green Family is all about taking care of the environment. Watch their informative episodes, or click on this link to play games that reinforce their environmental message! “Lights Out” reminds us to turn the lights out when we leave a room, and “Thrifty Threads” allows you to redesign old clothes to give to charity.

Helpful Resources for Educators

Recycle City

Before it became Recycle City, it was a disastrously dirty town known as Dumptown. In order to clean up Dumptown, you need to research several clean up options, and choose the most efficient and cost effective ones to clean up the town. While the language in this game is far beyond a first grade level, it would be a fun whole class activity to look at each of the options, and discuss the impacts on the town. The students will enjoy seeing the town clean up before their very eyes as their decisions affect positive change.

Garbage: How Can My Community Reduce Waste?

This website is extremely informative and user friendly, giving background on the nature and disposal of all types of waste, from hazardous waste, to sewage and solid waste. The website also shows a global prospective, and the importance of sustainability for the future. This website would be especially helpful to look at before reading and discussing Pollution? No Problem! with a class.

Old CD Case Frames

A fun way to show students first hand the possibilities of reusing. Ask parents to send in any old CD cases, and you have an earth friendly, and inexpensive project, perhaps for Mother’s or Father’s Day.

Recycle Zone For Teachers

Full of lesson plans and printables to help teach recycling, this website is very easy to navigate and has a wealth of knowledge for educators teaching this unit.

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Under the Sea… Teaching Ocean Ecology

Posted on October 4, 2010 by openwidearchive

The resources listed below are great to use in a 5th grade classroom for a unit on ecological characteristics of the ocean (VA Science SOL 5.6). You will find appropriate children's literature related to the ocean environment, websites for students to explore as well as websites for teachers and parents to supplement teaching about ocean ecology.

Recommended children's books:

Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi, Illustrated by Kirsten Carlson

This beautifully illustrated book focuses on the seasonal changes in marine life in the Pacific Ocean. The back of the book includes food web cards on each of the plants and animals mentioned throughout the book, serving as a great resource for teaching about ocean food webs and predator and prey relationships. These cards and additional resources for teaching with this book can be downloaded from the Ocean Seasons homepage.

Prowling the Seas: Exploring the Hidden World of Ocean Predators by Pamela S. Turner

This book presents research done by the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) Project, an organization created in 2000 by a group of scientists to study ocean predators and find ways to save them. The book focuses on four species studies by the TOPP project: loggerhead turtles, great white sharks, bluefin tuna, and sooty shearwater seabirds. Click here for more information on the author, Pamela S. Turner, as well as video clips on the TOPP project.

The Magic School Bus On the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole, Illustrated by Bruce Degen

This book from the popular Magic School Bus series is filled with a wealth of information on the ocean and the creatures that live in it. Mrs. Frizzle and her class explore the various levels of the ocean floor and the different plant and animal life first hand as their school bus transforms into a submarine. The illustrations are filled with facts and labeled wildlife, providing great information in an entertaining and exciting fashion.

Down Down Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins

Caldecott honoree Steve Jenkins uses his beautiful paper collage illustrations to provide a top to bottom look at the ocean, from surface to the sea floor. Jenkins does a great job of explaining the many ocean ecosystems with kid-friendly text and labeled illustrations to help the reader identify the different forms of marine life. The back of the book contains more information about the animals in the book including diagrams to show the size of each of the creatures compared to an adult human’s body or hand.

Eye Wonder: Ocean by Samantha Gray

This book from the Eye Wonder series focuses on the different plant and animal life in the ocean. Beautiful photographs and information on various marine life is presented in an way that is appealing and easy to understand. A glossary of important ocean vocabulary and an animal alphabet is included in the back of the book for quick reference.

Websites for students:

OLogy: The Museum’s Science Website for Kid s – This site is a great way for students to learn more about marine biology. It includes online games, directions for hands-on experiments, and much more!

Ocean Life & Ecosystems: Ocean Portal by the Smithsonian Institute – This site contains feature stories on various ocean life and ecosystems such as the great white shark and coral reefs in addition to an “Encylopedia of Life” which specific information on a wide variety of marine plants and animals.

Gould League: Food Webs – This website is a great way for students to explore the plants and animals that make up the marine food chain, from the producers to the herbivores to the carnivores.

Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures – This site provides several interactive web games for kids to further examine marine life and the role certain species play in the ocean ecosystem.

National Geographic: Great Barrier Reef – This site provides students the opportunity to explore the virtual word of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Additional Resources for Teachers and Parents:

Ocean Planet: Interdisciplinary Marine Science Activities – This site from the Smithsonian contains ideas for lesson plans on a variety of ocean topics including “Sea Connections,” which looks at plants and animals that live in different marine ecosystems.

Scholastic Explorers: Ocean Life – This Scholastic site provides detailed instruction and resources for planning lessons on the impact of human activities on sea turtles of Costa Rica and dolphins in New Zealand.

SeaWorld: Just for Teachers – This is a great site with a wealth of materials and resources for teachers on various marine life including sharks, whales, seals, penguins and endangered species.

Treasures@Sea: Exploring the Ocean through Literature – This website includes a variety of book, writing, art and other interactive activities relating to the study of oceans.

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Volcanoes

The Solar System

Resources of Virginia

Hibernation

Moon Phases

Camouflage

The Planets

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in the Classroom

Under the Sea… Teaching Ocean Ecology

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