Library Week 2010 – Daily Web Sites

These Web sites were featured during National Library Month  (April)

April 1- NASA Education for Students

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html

With Clayton Anderson set to launch on the Space Shuttle Mission: STS-131, students will want to learn more about the mission. Explore careers, photos, news, podcasts, eClips, video podcasts, NASA TV, and much more on this rich site whose information is categorized by grade levels (K-4, 5-8, and 9-12).

April 5–  MayoClinic.com

http://www.mayoclinic.com/

One of the premier medical facilities in the world offers extensive information promoting human health.  Explore diseases, symptoms, nutrition, healthy living, and drugs and supplements. You’ll want to add this to your bookmarked sites.

April 6 –Document Cameras

From Technology Integrated Into Learning & Teaching (TILT) Wiki

https://4jtilt.wikispaces.com/Document+Cameras

A document camera makes it easy to display anything to a large group (e.g., a page in a book, a butterfly wing, or something as small as the painting technique to use to paint an eyelash on a portrait), involves students in their learning, and saves time. It’s more versatile than an overhead projector and smaller too. If you haven’t used a digital document camera yet or need a refresher on how to set one up, check out this wiki page. It gives easy-to-follow set-up directions for AverVision document cameras (with pictures!), video tutorials, helpful ideas on how to use them, and classroom ideas. Once you use a document camera in the classroom, you won’t want to be without it.

April 7 –Water — National Geographic (April 2010)

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/

The April issue of National Geographic magazine online focuses on water from every imaginable perspective. Will we have enough water to sustain our population? How are we using it? What’s in it? Naturally, the photography is breathtaking, but there is so much more to explore here. There are thought-provoking videos (Why Care About Water? We Can’t Live without It), interactive pages (The Hidden Water We Use), World Water Day activities, current news (Cocaine, Spices, Hormones Found in Drinking Water), and more. The site will appeal to everyone and all curricular areas. The video Freshwater Fish Pharm shows a NG designer creating a graphic made of pills to show the types of pharmaceuticals that are in our water. (It could easily be used in an art or careers class.) There’s much here that teachers could use for Earth Day activities.

April 8- eSkeletons Project

http://www.eskeletons.org/index.html

This interactive site allows users to examine and learn about skeletal anatomy using digital photo technology. View and compare the bones of both human and non-human primates from multiple lateral, dorsal and ventral angles (e.g. gorilla, chimpanzee, lemur, marmoset, etc.). The visually stunning pictures are from the University of Texas at Austin osteology database. Fun for browsing or study.

April 9 – Diary of Anne Frank

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/annefrank/

PBS Masterpiece is airing an all-new adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank on April 11, Holocaust Remembrance Day. A number of free educational opportunities related to the broadcast are available online, including a teacher’s guide, a discussion guide, an audio slideshow from the movie with conversations with the actress playing Frank, a video Q & A of a relative speaking about Anne, and many resources.

Castles on the Web

http://www.castlesontheweb.com/

Visit castles from all over the world and learn about topics related to castles, such as arms and armor, heraldry, or moats. Modern homes that use architectural style of castles of old are also featured. There’s a blog for users to post their questions about castles and thousands of great photos and illustrations. This site could easily be used in social studies, construction science, English/language arts, or art classes.

April 12–Giggle Poetry

http://www.gigglepoetry.com/

How can you resist a site entitled Giggle Poetry? There’s something for everyone here: interviews with current poets (including Kenn Nesbitt, author of Revenge of the Lunch Ladies), tongue twisters, riddles, “poetry class” where students can learn about specific kinds of poems, poetry theatre, word games, and a special section for poetry teachers.  Everything is presented with a sense of fun. The illustrations are great too!

April 13-

For elementary students: R.E.D. Zone

(Read Every Day) from Book It!

http://www.bookitprogram.com/REDzone/default.asp

Reading. This Web page, part of the Book It! site sponsored by Pizza Hut,  includes activities devoted to 20 minutes of reading daily. It offers two excellent resources that can be used in the media center or classroom:  activities that focus on a storybook character (e.g. Corduroy by Don Freeman) in both English and Spanish and a link to a free read aloud story from OneMoreStory (a new story each week).

For secondary students: Digital Book Talk (University of Central Florida)

http://digitalbooktalk.com/

Watch 1-2 minute book trailers of popular books. This collaborative Web site is based on research into what motivates reluctant and striving readers to select, read, and complete books.  Check out Unwind by Neal Schusterman  http://digitalbooktalk.com/?p=673 Students will love it!

April 14- Bookwink

http://www.bookwink.com/index.html

No time for booktalks? This is the site for you! Students can listen to Sonja Cole’s audio booktalks, watch video and/or read print booktalks on Bookwink. Link this site to your Web page and books will fly off the shelves. Search by subject, grade level, title and author.

April 15 Teen Literature Day – April 15

For secondary students:

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

http://goingbovine.com/

Watch Libba Bray talking about her award-winning book Going Bovine on her Web site. The links included on the page are both entertaining and informative.

(Bray won the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature for her book Going Bovine this year.)  You can also listen to the beginning of the book on TeachingBooks.net   http://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=3941

Today is also Income Tax Day!!
Find out more about the the National Archives’ primary source documents and lesson plan suggestions about the federal income tax.
http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/todays-doc/index.html?dod-date=415

For elementary students:   Babymouse
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/babymouse/homepage.htm
Meet the authors in a great video (which can be embedded in a Web page or blog, play the Munch Mouse game, and learn about graphic novels. Great interactive site for Babymouse fans!

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April 19- ZIPskinny

http://www.zipskinny.com/

This is the perfect site if you’re talking about the Census information or demographics. This research site allows you to type in a zip code for anywhere in the U.S. to get information from the 2000 Census, along with a map.  See charts, look at schools in the area, compare zip codes, and build a widget.

April 20- Earth Day 2010

http://holidays.kaboose.com/earth-day/

Learn about Earth Day from many angles:  crafts, food & nutrition, going green at home, and fun. There are lessons and quizzes, games, projects, and a history of the day. This site has something for everyone!

The Wilderness Society’s Earth Day website

http://earthday.wilderness.org

Learn about the history of Earth Day, migratory and backyard birds,  arctic wildlife refuges, and planetary heroes.

Celebrate Earth Day with The Lorax

http://www.seussville.com/lorax/index.php?section=home

This interactive site for primary students gives book suggestions, classroom activities, fun games, and Earth Day tips. The engaging music will keep everyone interested.

April 21-Glaciers and Icecaps: How Much Do You Know?

http://climate.nasa.gov/IceQuiz/quiz_template.html

Test your knowledge of the planet on this NASA site. Users can also explore global climate change from many perspectives.

April 22-Extreme Weather and Climate Events

http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/extremes.html

Nebraska isn’t the only place that has extreme weather. Check out statistics, descriptions and images of nature’s worst weather events. Worldwide weather and climate are also included. There are great satellite images.

National Weather Service’s Playtime for Kids (K-6)

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/reachout/kidspage.shtml

April 23- A site for staff:  Rotten Tomatoes

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

Are you looking for something to do this weekend? How about a movie? You can find out about almost anything about current movies and their actors/actresses on the Rottentomatoes.com site/ Check out what’s playing and when in Lincoln (or anywhere), the national attendance figures, top box office figures, movie trailers and what the critics are saying. Enjoy!

April 27-

For elementary students: International Save the Frogs Day (April 30)

http://www.savethefrogs.com/day/index.html

Learn about the activities associated with this day or check out the “Cool Frog Facts.”

http://www.savethefrogs.com/cool-frog-facts/index.html

Other frog sites:

Ribbit! Ribbit! A Thematic Unit on Frogs by Christine Gorman (K-2)

http://www.everythingesl.net/lessons/Christine_Gorman.php

Students will learn about frogs and their habitats. Even though the site was originally developed for ELL students, it can be used with all primary students.

Listen to Naomi Shihab Nye perform the poem “The Frogs Did Not Forget.” on TeachingBooks.net.  It has great examples of figurative language!

All About Frogs

http://allaboutfrogs.org/froglnd.shtml

April 27-

For secondary students:  Plus Careers with Maths Library

http://www.plus.maths.org/interview.html

Since April is also Math Awareness Month, it would be a good time to investigate math-related careers, such as a games developer, military aircraft controller or an avalanche researcher. The +plus Magazine…living mathematics site includes this career library as well as fascinating articles, features and interviews.

April 28- Name That Candybar!

http://www.thinkingfountain.org/c/crosssection/namethatbar.html

This site is too enticing to miss. Identify the names of candybars from cross section photos. You could use this site for fun or as a quick introductory science activity when talking about cross sections.  Be careful though, you’ll want a snack after viewing it.

(See other fun links from the Science Museum of Minnesota’s Thinking Fountain site:  http://www.thinkingfountain.org/)