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How to integrate Extreme Planet Makeover into the classroom: Extreme Planet Makeover is a neat simulation where students can design a custom planet. As they create their own custom planet, they will begin to notice what makes a planet habitable or not, and the unique features that must be in place for life. Extreme Planet Makeover can be used with the whole class using a projector-connected computer or interactive whiteboard. Invite each student to make an adjustment to the planet. With each adjustment, students can describe the ways that the planet has changed. The finished class planet can be used as the base for a creative writing prompt. Set up Extreme Planet Makeover as a center activity where students can create a planet and download to save. The finished planets can be shared on a class photo stream, website, or blog where students can compare and contrast the features of each planet. In a one to one or computer lab setting, students can each create a planet that they use for a compare/contrast to an actual planet in the solar system and as a creative writing prompt. Who lives on this planet? What galaxy is their planet in? How do you get there? Tips: One of the features I really appreciate about the Extreme Planet Makeover is the explanations that pop up over each planet attribute. Students learn about how atmosphere, size, different stars, the distance from the star, and the age effect a planet.

What it is: Mr. Thorne Does Phonics is a website and YouTube channel dedicated to teaching kids phonics through videos.  The site has a great tag line, "Where learning to read becomes reading to learn." The videos are divided up by categories which include: Introduction to PhonicsGeraldine the Giraffe VideosAlphabet Letters and SoundsMore Alphabet Letters and SoundsConsonant DigraphsLong Vowel SoundsConsonant BlendsAlternative SoundsAlternative Spellings200 High Frequency WordsGrammarChristopher Thorne hosts all of the phonics videos with occasional guest appearances from his friend Geraldine the Giraffe (who has her own book!).  The videos are engaging, help students listen for phoneme segmentation, and give them encouragement to replicate the phoneme sounds themselves.  This library of phonics videos is wonderfully comprehensive! How to integrate Mr. Thorne Does Phonics into the classroom: Mr. Thorne Does Phonics is a fantastic introduction to phonics, phonemes, and decoding words. Students can practice word recognition, pronunciation, and phonics rules with fun videos that can be played, paused, and rewound.  The Mr. Thorne Does Phonics site would be a wonderful site to have available for students on classroom computers as a reading center. Students can visit the reading center and pull up the video of the exact phonics skill that they need to practice.  Mr. Thorne Does Phonics would also be a wonderful way to introduce your whole class to a new phonics skill by playing the videos for them using a projector-connected computer or interactive whiteboard. If you have access to a built-in webcam or portable video camera, encourage students to create their own Mr. Thorne inspired phonics videos.  These can be shared with other students in the class, parents, and younger grade levels.  The videos also make a great record of progress throughout the school year. Tips: You can also find Mr. Thorne's phonics videos on YouTube. Can't access YouTube at school?

A great kindergarten classroom website

"Joliprint is a free service that converts online articles into a printer-friendly, reader-friendly format. The easiest way to use Joliprint is to add their bookmarklet to your browser's toolbar. Once installed click the Joliprint bookmarklet whenever you're reading an article that you want to print and Joliprint will generate a PDF of that article without the sidebar content from that blog or website. If you don't want to install the Joliprint bookmarklet you can simply copy a url and paste it into the conversion box on Joliprint. "

Websites about using LiveBinders

No matter the subject or grade level, the website offers up excellent videos to supplement lessons and provide windows into different facts and concepts. Science teachers especially have plenty to love and appreciate with this valuable resource. 

Consider using the videos on this list both as "discussion starters" and as fun ways to end a class when there is a few minutes of "extra" time left:

Great list of different sites on habitats

Educational sites listed under curriculum headings

Here is a great example of a classroom website. Note the tools she uses!

Kids love hands-on projects and Science With Me is chalk-full of fun science projects. You'll also find science movies, songs, coloring sheets, worksheets, and stories to help kids learn scientific principles and science in a fun way

designed for the pure enjoyment of mathematics." This interactive site features a plethora of fun games, puzzles, calculators, and lesson plans.