Mainely Middle
Journal of the Maine Association for Middle
Level Education
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2001/2002 |
Wonderful Websites for Middle Level TeachersToo many web sites and too little time! It's hard for teachers to find the time to locate good web sites to help with their teaching. Web sites are easy to find. Good ones are harder to locate. It would be nice if someone would spend the time to locate some of the good ones. Well, at the University of Maine at Farmington, Middle Level Education students have been doing just that. They have tracked down some of the most interesting web sites available to teachers and review them here. Learn about famous African Americans, or the Vikings; visit the National Air and Space Museum and otherwise keep up with your science curriculum; find quotes on any topic or learn about the music and recording industry. The reviewers hope you find some of the sites as useful as they have!
African American History In Your Parks We must prevent the rise of any pronounced degree of intimacy between French officers and Black officers. We may be courteous and amiable with the last but we cannot deal with them on the same plane as White American officers without deeply wounding the latter. We must not eat with them, must not shake hands with them, seek to talk to them or meet with them outside the requirements of military service. Make a point of keeping the native cantonment from spoiling the Negro. White Americans become very incensed at any particular expression of intimacy between white women and black men.General John J. Pershing August 7, 1918 This web site focuses on ways African Americans have affected the history of our great nation. Often these people are overlooked and commonly ignored. This site attempts to educate people about African Americans such as the Buffalo Soldiers, James P. Beckwourth, John Solomon Lewis, Stephen Bonga, and many others. This would be a great jumping point for anyone interested in studying African American history. There are five different categories to choose from once you enter the site (Introduction, Stories, Parks, Our Shared Heritage, and Resources). When you click on "Stories," it brings you to three different themes, and from those themes you can find names of African Americans who are important, but overlooked by historians. If you are interested in any of the names, all you need to do is click your mouse on the name and, presto, you are at a short description of the person and a little about their contributions towards the development of America. This site is very easy to navigate and student-friendly. The information is easy to read and has engaging pictures. There are thirty plus National Parks mentioned. When you click on a specific park you will see a brief description of the National Park and why it was preserved. At the bottom of these pages you will find other related sites. "Our Shared History" is a part of the web site that is devoted to teachers. There are seven helpful titles such as Travel, Underground Railroad, Publications, and Exhibitions and Collections. In this section, the pictures are bright, colorful, and follow history with a considerable amount of accuracy. The information is put together in a very spirited way as to make students "want" to click and read further. This web site is great because it gives you information but it doesn't suffocate you with so much information that it becomes boring. There is a whole section devoted to helping teachers promote a "real world" feel to this material. Teachers, or students, can travel to cities where African Americans have made a difference, such as Baltimore, Boston or Detroit. Students can follow the quest for freedom by boarding the Underground Railroad and following the path to freedom. Teachers could have students do poster projects on photos, inventions, and writings of African Americans. There is a section based on tools for learning. Students can study specific State Parks that have been preserved because of great African Americans and their courageous efforts. There are even African American lesson plans to help teachers who are having trouble thinking of an active, student enjoyed, activity
And I "Quote" Quotations can be used in many different ways in the classroom. If appropriate quotations are selected they can often represent significant events or ideas in just a sentence or two. Because quotations are usually short excerpts, they often have a lot to say in relatively few words. The short length forces the students to focus more on each word so they can understand what the quote means. Students are also given the opportunity to interpret them in their own way. Having students discuss or write reactions to a "Quote of the Day" that is related to the topic being covered, can be a great way to get students thinking on a higher level. The purpose of www.famous-quotations.com is to offer a listing of famous quotations that can be used in whatever way the searcher may choose. The website contains categorized listings of famous quotations from the past and the present. The website allows you to search for specific quotations that are related to a topic or event by simply typing in a keyword. You may also search by category, such as education or politics, and by author, as well as, alphabetically. These search options make it easy to find quotations related to specific events or people. If you are not looking for something specific, you can just browse through the quotes until you find something that interests you. The quotations can be out on the board each day and be used as writing prompts that students can discuss and write journal entries about. They could be used to reinforce, or look deeper into a specific event. You could, for example, select a quotation from Abraham Lincoln while you are studying the Civil War and discuss how the quotation relates to the events as they were happening, and what may have influenced Lincoln to say what he did. This gets the students to look at the situation on a higher level and think more about how the events shaped the thinking of the people living during that time. Interesting or funny quotations could also be used as a fun way to get kids to write or have discussions. Students could also select their own quotations from readings or other sources, and could then write about them or share them with the class. Quotations are a great way to get kids to think about and interpret what they are reading. They can also be used to get students to think on a higher level about certain events or people. Using quotations in the classroom is an easy way to get students to write and have meaningful discussions. Quotations are never in short supply, and this website is a great place to search for quotations that might be useful. The ease of use and the search options on this website make it easy to find specific quotes or just browse through and select ones that interest you. Quotations can be selected from categories such as sports, politics, history, and many other subjects. Using interesting quotes can help get the students to enjoy discussing and interpreting them. This website has hundreds of quotations and also has links to other Internet sites that have quotations, as well. These quotations are an easy way to add to a lesson, but they could also be used as a lesson, or lessons, on their own.
Recording Industry Association of America The RIAA website contains information regarding the business of the music industry and the different musical genres. The RIAA is a trade group that represents the recording industry in the United States. Their goal is to assist and enhance their members "creative and financial vitality." Members of the RIAA include record companies such as Sony/Columbia, RCA, Epic, Curb, Warner Brothers, and Jive. The Recording Industry Association of America's website contains a number of subsections that can be used for various reasons. Two subgroups that would be of particular interest for any social studies class would be the "freedom of speech" and "copyright basics" sections. Sections like these could be a good research source for any topic on freedom of speech. For example, a hot topic in the news a while ago was Napster vs. the music industry. These sections contain tons of information, including quotes from various artists on the matter. Your class can use this information to set up a mock court case where you will debate the topic. The students will need to research, plan, and learn the procedures on how to run a trial, such as how to use witnesses and evidence. A music history class could find use in the "Audio Technologies," "Music And The Internet," and "Licensing And Royalty" sections. The class could use these sections to talk about the number of audio technologies that have been developed, including MP3 players. The "Music And The Internet" section has a link where the user can get an MP3 player. This section also talks about the rules for downloading MP3s. Lastly, the "Licensing And Royalties" section can lead into a math lesson on how artists receive the money they do. For instance, "who gets paid before the artist?" or "where does the money come from?" Students can use the "Golden And Platinum" section to research recent bestsellers. They will also find links to their favorite artists' record company home page. One of the most useful subsections is titled "Market Data." In this section, students can track music trends in the U.S. and also in the Latin world. In addition, they can look at current U.S. consumer trends. Under the "U.S. Market" subheading, teachers and students can find information on manufacturers' unit shipment data, trends of new releases, and the cost of a CD. These subheadings depict the trends of the number of releases put out each year, over a period of eight or nine years. Most importantly, there is a large amount of information that deals with the costs of making a CD. This could be used as a hook in a math class. The students can come up with a list of costs associated with making a CD and can figure out how many units would need to be sold to make a certain profit. Another idea on how to use this website is in a simulation unit. The class could split into groups, each a different record company. They must determine the cost of shipping and manufacturing. How much will shipping cost and how many CDs will they make? What other expenses are there in making a CD? How can they make a profit? How much will each CD be sold for? During this time, students could also use a CD burner to create their own CDs. In closing, teachers of every discipline from music to math can find something on the RIAA website. Middle level youth are connected to their music. The music may make them happy. It may help them make it through their day. The music may inspire a student towards a personal goal. By utilizing this website, educators can use the students' passion for music to produce a genuine learning experience.
Keeping On Top Of Your Science Curriculum Ever have scientific questions in class and can't find the resources to answer it? Wouldn't it be amazing to ask questions of a leading research scientist in that particular field? Just click on "Ask a Scientist" link, one of several informative links under general science on Discovery School subject access for teachers. This wonderfully animated site has hundreds of tools and ideas to keep today's middle school science educator up to speed with the latest developments in the scientific community. Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators is an organized list of sites/links useful for expanding curriculum and professional growth. Hundreds of links are categorized under nine general headings, from biological sciences and computing/technology, to physics/optics and NASA links. It is updated frequently to include the best sites for teaching and learning. The site also contains prime-time educational television schedules, lesson plan ideas, and even an on-line store to purchase special materials to enhance the student/classroom hands-on experience. As a student, I always had questions in class that could not be answered, or often wondered how research on a particular topic was proceeding in the scientific community. As a teacher, I will be able to address this issue with this outstanding resource. The answers are all here within the website. Well-organized links can guide any educator and their class to up-to-date information and real-world applications on almost any scientific topic. If your question is not answered in the sites primary content, links can allow you to ask a professional in any field of study. There are even opportunities for continued correspondance with working scientists. From clip art to brain booster of the day, this site is an amazing resource every educator should check out.
The Virtual Field Trip NASM.edu is the website for the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. It makes a great "virtual field trip" to take with your class. At this website, a student can view a number of different models of aircrafts, and get the descriptions about them at the same time. Granted, it would be a lot more fun if the kids were able to go to the real museum for themselves, but this is the best second option available. Students can easily research what is currently going on at the museum, as well as see inside certain exhibits in the museum such as Milestones of Flight, Early Flight, Looking at Earth, Space Race, and World War II Aviation. The site also offers a list of what is currently happening with the NASM, as well as, news lectures and guest speakers. Under Educational Services, there are multiple items and ideas that would greatly aid teachers in the classroom, including any science-based extra-curricular club. There are resources for anyone working on a unit pertaining to some aspect of flight and space travel. There are online activities to use with students, recent publications that can be used to research what is currently happening in the world of aeronautics and flight, and a page to help plan a class field trip (providing your budget would get passed to take your kids to D.C.). NASM.edu would greatly aid a teacher that is trying to teach their students about the wonders of space travel and flight, and many lessons can be woven around it. One idea would be to have students go on a scavenger hunt throughout the museum, perhaps as part of a curriculum integration project combining the concentrations of history and science. The students could decipher clues of great historical significance and then use the information to deduct what air vessel was closely involved with it. The possibilities are as endless as one's creativity.
The Smithsonian Institute presents: Sail the stormy seas of the North Atlantic in your own long ship and retrace the voyages of the discovery and settlement to find the answers. Follow the path of the Norsemen from their homelands in Scandinavia to the shores of the New World to see how recent advances in archeology, saga studies, history, environmental studies, and even human genetics are changing our understanding of the Vikings, their neighbors, and their descendents. Like a real voyage, our journey is designed to be experienced sequentially, with each step talking advantage of knowledge gained in the previous one. This Internet site is an extension of the Smithsonian Institute Exhibit, Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. This museum field trip simulation allows students to explore the history of the Vikings. Through the computer, students board a long ship and sail along a map depicting the voyage settlements of the Vikings. The locations include: Homelands, Western Isles, Iceland, Greenland, Markland and Helluland, and Land of Legend. Within each location, students learn more about archeology, sagas, history, and the environment of the Vikings. Also, within these contents, students may take part in many interactive options that bring this study to life. For example, some options include viewing videos of the land in each of the seven locations, listening to specific sagas tied to the people, land, and history of the Vikings, as well as listening to shipbuilding advice! This site would provide an excellent advantage for incorporating a Viking theme into the classroom. Included in the site is a Teachers Guide of teaching suggestions and reproducible handouts. It provides a list of famous historical figures in Viking history for students to research, lists of geographical features to locate, as well as information for examining the various modes of travel. Also provided is research information in order to engage students in a study of the events leading to the Viking raids and understanding the sources that tell us what we know about the Vikings. In addition, a teacher will find a Viking and Norse bibliography list of folktales, sagas, and fiction works. Website links, a vocabulary list, the directions and model to build a Norse game called "Hnefatafl," and lastly the "futhark runic alphabets" of pre- and early Vikings, the Danish, the Swedo-Norwegian's are also included. This website could easily be developed into an extensive study with students spending time researching each location on the trip. In addition to the teaching suggestions in the teacher's guide, students could also work on map skills, ship drawings to scale, creating sagas, and using each location as a means for students to engage in group inquiry projects. This website has so much to offer the classroom; essentially all the research information needed to effectively teach is within the voyage simulation! The literature, archeology, saga, and environment all lend to incorporating many disciplines and student creativity into the study. The extensive amount of history, video clip, pictures, etc., will bring this theme to life for the students without the need for traveling to the museum. In fact, this web-voyage brings such real life footage into the classroom that I am sure everyone will feel as thought the classroom has turned into an ocean of discovery!
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