AJUSD Elementary

The Kids' Science Challenge is a free nationwide competition for 3rd to 6th graders to submit ideas and experiments for scientists and engineers to solve. Play science games, watch videos, do fun activities and enter to win awesome prizes and trips! The Kids' Science Challenge is a project of Jim Metzner Productions, Inc. and made possible by the National Science Foundation.

There are three considerations when addressing Internet safety with these students. First, the transfer of handling strangers in "real life" to those in virtual environments is not automatic. It needs to be taught. Second, while most "Stranger Danger" programs teach that strangers are scary, mean and want to hurt or abduct children, this contradicts the way collaboration occurs between strangers online. Not all strangers are dangerous. Lastly, in "real life," students can walk or run away from a potential threat. In an online environment, the danger is inside a student's home and hard to escape without the necessary skills for handling tough situations. This is a lesson that I have done with my kindergarten and first grade students to introduce the idea that strangers exist on the Internet and to discuss how we should interact with them.

Listen and Read has fantastic online reading activities for early learners.  There are 54 nonfiction read-along books that include words, images and sound.  You can sort books by subject including: Community, American History, Animals, Civics and Government, Environmental Studies, Plants and Flowers, Science and Social Studies.  You can also sort books by level (A or B). How to integrate Listen and Read into your curriculum: Non-fiction can be hard to read in the early years.  It often includes unfamiliar words and vocabulary and concepts that students don’t have a lot of prior knowledge of.  Scholastic’s Listen and Read is fantastic because it helps students navigate their way through non-fiction with the support of a read-aloud, sounds and images.  These interactive books help students better comprehend content because they aren’t focused on the words they are stumbling through.  At the end of the book students can click on the unfamiliar new vocabulary to hear the word said again.  This follow-up exposure reinforces word recognition, vocabulary and ideas.

Word Problem Videos:

Recording Sheet

Glogster Learning Station

I used to think blogging was an add-on. I didn’t realise that it can be seamlessly integrated into the classroom literacy program. I used to feel guilty about taking time away from my reading and writing curriculum. It was a light bulb moment for me when I realised that blogging is literacy; and an authentic and important style of literacy too. Now a day without blogging as part of my literacy block would be hard to imagine.

Need help creating a Science Fair at your school? Click “How to do a Science Fair Project” for helpful tips. Want to help your students brainstorm their topics? Use the brainstorming tool to get their creative juices flowing. The first 1,000 entries receive a fabulous, free Kids’ Science Challenge Kit  in the mail. The Kit is filled with give-aways and activities for hours of science fun.

The Kids' Science Challenge is a free nationwide competition for 3rd to 6th graders to submit ideas and experiments for scientists and engineers to solve. Play science games, watch videos, do fun activities and enter to win awesome prizes and trips!

  Learning Box has a virtual version of base 10 blocks that builds in a fun practice game.  Students are given a target number and drag base 10 blocks onto the paper to represent that number.  As students add blocks, a counter at the bottom of the page shows how many blocks are currently on the paper.  This is a great way for students to digitally practice place value, counting by hundreds, tens and ones

Tips: This Learning Box activity is flash based…I’m hoping that someone comes out with an app of manipulatives for the iPad (hint, hint).

Introduction to copyright, fair use and using images in blog posts You can’t just use any image you like in a blog post. Why?  Because unless stated otherwise, the law automatically grants full “copyright” over any creative work a person makes.

I’m sure you’re probably thinking it is okay because as educators, we have a few more flexible rules, called “Fair Use”, to play by.  Fair use, in some cases, if an image, text, video, etc. is being used for educational purposes, means you may have more flexible copyright rules. The trouble is, most of the laws and rules that cover fair use and education were written well before the invention of the web.  They don’t apply to use of copyright material on the Internet.  Using copyright material leaves you open to copyright infringement. So what does this mean? You need to: Learn what images you are and aren’t allowed to use, and why. Learn how to attribute images you are allowed to use. Educate your students that you can’t just use any images off the Internet in their blog posts, show them how to source and attribute images they are allowed to use. Understanding digital copyright is an essential skill we need to understand and teach our students.  This post focuses on use of images.

The 2012 Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is now open! This national sustainability challenge empowers K-12 students to develop and share environmental solutions that may just change the world. Students from kindergarten to high school develop environmental solutions for their schools, homes, and communities for a chance to win prizes for themselves and grants for their schools. Teams of students work and compete with other students across the United States. The challenge is open August 24, 2011 through March 15, 2012. Prizes include scholarships and school grants – up to $50,000 for the first place team! For more information go to the contest website: WeCanChange.com

It is free (you can upgrade to remove ads and have private groups. See below to win an upgrade!). It is easy to navigate and edit. It allows you to store a collection of bookmarks in one location. It can be used across all curriculum areas with all age levels. It has a clean and simple look. It has a bookmarklet feature which means you can add links as you’re browsing. There is an iPhone app.

how to add, subtract, and multiply decimals. We learned that when adding or subtracting decimals, the decimal points always need to line up. When we multiply decimals, the decimal points don’t need to line up.

How are adding/subtracting decimals different from multiplying decimals?* *When might you use addition, subtraction, or multiplication of decimals?*

The project blog and hub can be be found at http://www.langwitches.org/blog/travel/teddybearsaroundtheworld/ I have created a How-to-Guide in order to articulate how and why to join such a project, to make participation easier and to facilitate the process of passing on the information.