Education World Site Reviews Vol. 12 Issue 35

Dear Education Professionals, Welcome! This free Site Reviews newsletter is published weekly by Education World®, the largest free, independent resource on the Web for educators. If you enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to others. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml. To unsubscribe, see instructions below. Education World remains a free resource thanks to the support of our advertisers -- so please click on ads of interest and visit our advertisers' sites. Thank you. =========================================================================== This week's newsletter is sponsored by American Public University. A Master's Degree at American Public University (APU) can help you increase your impact on student achievement, improve your earning potential and expand your career opportunities.  Programs include: M.Ed. Teaching with a concentration in Instructional Leadership, M.Ed. Administration and Supervision, M.Ed. Guidance and Counseling, M.A. in History, M.A. in Humanities and more.  Tuition is affordable ($825/course; no registration or application fee) and all class content is delivered online (M. Ed. practicum done at your school), so you can earn your degree while balancing other commitments.  Courses start monthly.  APU is a member of the regionally accredited American Public University System.  =========================================================================== This week's newsletter is sponsored by Smart Television Alliance. National Educator & Television Survey How much does violence and sex on television affect behavior in the classroom? Does the surge in summer viewing impact kids' back-to-school readiness? Your opinions can make a difference. Take our educator survey now. ============================================================================ Volume 12 Issue 35 August 26, 2008 This week, Education World reviewed three Web sites of interest to educators. PBS Nature Interactives Don't try to feed the animals: It messes up your monitor! http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2008/r0208-04.shtml NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Education Ocean motion: all about marine life in America's national sanctuaries. http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2008/r0108-28.shtml The Open Vault WGBH TV archive 1968-1993 – a gold mine of teachable video clips. http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2008/r0108-25.shtml   PBS Nature Interactives Don't try to feed the animals: It messes up your monitor! http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2008/r0208-04.shtml REVIEW: A+ Students will have hours of interactive engaging experiences while learning about the natural world at PBS Nature Interactives. Visitors to the site can help a 30 year old sea turtle, Adelita, find her way to Japan to lay her eggs; help a cheetah named Toki catch a meal and avoid danger; go inside a glacier to learn about crevasses and icefalls; search for amazing creatures in all levels of the rainforest; discover how diamonds are formed; learn the difference between a crocodile and an alligator; find out what creates a wave an how certain weather conditions can lead to monster swells; take a snapshot tour of India; scale the Himalayan peaks; and much more. But the site isn't all fun and games there are also lesson plans and guides for teachers as well as videos, animal guides, podcasts and an archive of all past Nature features. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Education Ocean motion: all about marine life in America's national sanctuaries. http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2008/r0108-28.shtml REVIEW: A+ The National Marine Sanctuaries Education site offers teachers and students a wealth of information and resources for teaching and learning about the incredible diversity of life and habitats in the National Marine Sanctuaries. Visitors to the site will want to begin by taking the virtual Sanctuary Tour where they can observe the sanctuary habitats by viewing video clips and image galleries with stunning photographs. Students will go for the Fun section that includes high-tech simulations and games as well as coloring books, puzzles, and more. Or, they might like the Student section, where they will find interactive digital labs and activities, online story books, information on marine careers, activities, free materials, and other cool stuff. For teachers, there are curriculum offerings such as the "Oceans for Life Lesson Plans and Videos" that include twelve free and downloadable lesson plans and short videos. There is also the &l dquo;Navigating Change Curriculum." Other activities include "Coral Cores: Ocean Timelines" and an activity about how to foster a "Coral Spawning Globe." In all, this site provides a good range of short-term and longer-term learning experiences for a range of grades. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Open Vault WGBH TV archive 1968-1993 – a gold mine of teachable video clips. http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2008/r0108-25.shtml REVIEW: A+ Teachers who are interested in implementing project-based lessons in their classroom will want to bookmark this site for a host of resources from lesson plans to ideas about how to effectively implement PBL in your own school. The site is labeled as "high school" but there are plenty of materials that are easily adapted for middle school content areas as well as high school (science, math, language arts, social studies, and visual/performing arts). All of the materials are downloadable and ready to be replicated, adapted and built on according to each teachers curriculum needs. Teachers will also appreciate the Flash videos that describe the approach to project-based learning, conversations with PBL teachers and a documentary on the impact of PBL on student learning. Each week, Education World spotlights books of interest to educators. This week, read a brief summary of two more of our "top 50 books for educators." Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years This book from Teachers College Press applies the project approach to teaching, which has traditionally been associated with the middle grades, to early childhood education. This can not only energize and focus early childhood lessons, but also lay a foundation for inquisitive thought that students can benefit from for the rest of their school years, even for the rest of their lives. Click to learn more or to purchase this book. Teaching Science for Understanding: A Practical Guide for Middle and High School Teachers We all know that the United States has to "play catch-up" with science and math teaching, compared to other countries, and this book is a serious attempt to contribute positively to that effort. Science may be especially susceptible to passive, direct-instruction styles, and this author instead advocates active, inquiry-based learning. A unique feature of this book is a set of excerpts from popular science textbooks along with suggestions for making the content contained in those books come alive for students. Click to learn more or to purchase this book. Click the icon to the right to see more books and many other products that are available in the Education World MarketPlace. ========================================================================== The Best of LEARNING GAMES If you enjoy Education World's weekly LEARNING GAMES feature, you'll love this book! Education World and the National Education Association (NEA) have joined forces to create a handy, pocket-size booklet of more than 30 of our most popular learning games. PLUS an extra bonus -- ten more games for classroom fun! These classroom games span the grades and the major subject areas -- and inject a healthy dose of fun into the serious business of teaching and learning. Looking to fill the end of a hectic day with something fun and educational? Looking for a great reward for students that will make valuable use of free time? Looking to reinforce basic skills with a fun activity? These games will fill the bill! Included in this 80-page booklet you'll find these games and more: Math Facts Race (Math, grades K-8) You Can Count on Spelling (Math and Language Arts, grades K-12) Find It... Fast! (All Subjects, grades K-12) Concentration Review Game (All Subjects, grades K-12) The Dictionary Game (Language Arts, grades 3-8) Play Ball: A Major League Review Game (All Subjects, grades K-12) Friendly Feud (All Subjects, grades K-12) Plus 35 more games! The Best of LEARNING GAMES is part of the Teacher Treasure Series, an NEA Professional Library Publication. http://store.nea.org/NEABookstore/control/productdetails?item_id=0696800 ========================================================================== Education World now incorporates www.SchoolNotes.com ~ "everybody on the same page!" The leading school-to-home communications platform, with FREE pages for teachers and automatic notification of parents and students when new homework is posted! For a modest $24.95 PER YEAR, upgrade to Personal Edition, "Super SchoolNotes," with thousands of resources linked to your state's standards. Click here for more information. ========================================================================== MORE FEATURES OF INTEREST! Reader's Theater More than two dozen scripts, perfect for the classroom. Best Books for Teaching About… Booklists for 30 popular teaching themes. Sign Up for Our Newsletters Ten free newsletters full of practical ideas. Special Education Center Tools for the special education community. TGIF Kick back and start your weekend off on a light note. Education World Techtorials Our tutorials take the terror out of technology. The Template Library A wide variety of templates to meet educators' needs. Wire Side Chats Each week, Education World chats with an expert in the field. Printables Library You're sure to find great resources here. Hundreds of printables! Meet Our Columnists Meet our team of columnists from many corners of the "education world." Teaching Themes for Early Childhood Sue LaBella offers teaching ideas for popular EC themes. Stress Relief Kit Take a deep breath. Then take a look here for great reading. Classroom Management 101 Real teachers share what they are doing to manage real classrooms. News for Kids News of our world written with kids in mind. Teacher's Guide included. ========================================================================== Have you signed up to receive the... Education World ADMINISTRATORS DESK NEWSLETTER? Each week, Education World's Administrators Desk Newsletter shares with school leaders all the new content of interest posted to Education World in the previous week. You will find news articles on wide-ranging topics; the weekly How I Handled… feature, in which a principal shares a recently solved problem; a new or archived "Principal Files" article in which principals share practical ideas about real issues; a principal profile; and much, much more. Would you like to see a sample of the Education World Administrators Desk Newsletter? If so, simply click the link below: http://www.educationworld.com/newsletters_images/admin_sample.shtml If you would like to subscribe to the Education World Administrators Desk Newsletter, simply click the following link: http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml#admin If the Administrators Desk Newsletter is not of interest to you, do you know somebody else who might benefit from it? Perhaps you could pass this information along to that person. If you enjoy this What's New This Week at Education World Newsletter, please feel free to forward it to other teachers! If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up for it -- and any of the other Education World newsletters -- at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml. ============================================================================ If you enjoy this Site Reviews Newsletter, please feel free to forward it to other teachers! If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up for it -- and any of the other Education World newsletters -- at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml. =================================== Education World® http://www.educationworld.com/ newsletter-reviews@educationworld.com =================================== Education World 1062 Barnes Road Suite 205 Wallingford, CT 06492 ===================================