HomeWeb Connections for January 2008
Web Connections for January 2008
The Web sites listed below were verified at the time of publication, but please check that they remain valid before using them in an educational setting.
"Thinking Outside the Book"
The following Web sites promote writing in a safe, student-friendly environment.
Digital Stories
Book Reviews
E-Zines
"The Scene of the Crime: Investigating New Mysteries"
Professional Resources
- From the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, “Challenging Children with Mystery Stories” is a creative lesson plan on reading, critiquing, and writing mysteries. Also included is a short bibliography of recommended children's books. (Gr. 4-6)
- The librarian-created Cyberbee Web site “Who Dunnit?” has instructions for a range of analytical activities, resources, and an online mystery to solve (“The Case of the Barefoot Burglar”). (Gr. 6-8)
- From the Discovery Channel's Lesson Plans Library Web site, “The Science of Forensics” has instructions for a fingerprinting study, suggested research projects (investigate the deaths of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.), discussion questions, and resources. (Gr. 6-8)
- From the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, “It's a Mystery to Me” presents writing and vocabulary activities and approaches to the mysteries of Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie. (Gr. 8–10)
Student Resources
- Sponsored by Scholastic, “Math Maven's Mysteries” offers numerous math-related mysteries for children to solve involving logical reasoning, probability, and a variety of mathematical operations. (Gr. 3-5)
- Scholastic's “History Mystery,” hosted by the flamboyant Carlotta Facts, is a collection of “mysteries that kids can solve using their knowledge of history. Mysteries are categorized by topic (African American history, Inventions and Technology, World Civilizations, Explorers, and more). (Gr. 4-8)
“Literature-Based Storytelling”
Sue Black is the storyteller-in-residence at Robert E. Clow Elementary School in Naperville, Illinois, and Beverly Frett is the school’s library media center director. Together they developed the following Web pages on integrating storytelling into the curriculum.
“Exploring the Civil Rights Movement”
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The “Civil Rights Movement,” from the Discovery Channel’s Lesson Plans Library is a creative lesson plan for grades 6–8 in which kids research and prepare a “Children’s Encyclopedia of the Civil Rights Movement” targeted at younger students. The site includes instructions, suggestions, discussion questions, and resource and vocabulary lists. (Gr. 6–8)
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The Web site of the PBS documentary The Murder of Emmett Till includes a time line, information on relevant people and events, and a multifaceted teacher’s guide. A special features section also offers a look at teens and segregation and a Q&A with civil rights historians, journalists, and politicians. (Gr. 8–12)
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From the Teachnology online teacher’s resource site, “Martin Luther King Jr. Day Lesson Plans” feature a varied range of lesson plans, including a “Write Your Own ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech” project. Site contains some advertising.
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From Teaching for Change, an organization dedicated to providing equity-based teaching materials, CivilRightsTeaching.org provides lesson plans, handouts, and an annotated Web resource list related to the civil rights movement. (K–Gr. 12)
“Celebrating Freedom”
Emancipation
Reconstruction
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Hosted by the Schools of California Online Resources for Education, “Unfinished Business: Making Democracy Work for Everyone, 1877–1904,” a teacher-created lesson plan on the post-Reconstruction South, students take on the roles of government commissioners investigating race-related social and political issues. Included are background information, resource suggestions, and discussion questions.
Juneteenth
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From Crayola’s Educator’s Web site, “Juneteenth Proclamation Jubilation” has a brief history of the holiday along with instructions for making a replica Emancipation Proclamation and suggestions for celebrating.
“Stitches in Time”
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The Illinois State Museum’s “Keeping Us in Stitches: Quilts & Quilters” is a varied list of quilt-based activities, lesson plans, and interactive online exercises for kids. For example, kids design a crazy quilt, create a story quilt, and learn about traditional appliqué.
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Microsoft Education’s “Create a Learning Quilt” at has suggestions for a range of creative classroom quilts, among them reading, math, biographical, and science quilts, and an “I Have a Dream” quilt.
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“Quilts” is an integrated 10-lesson study unit for grades 1 to 2 from the University of Illinois College of Education. For example, kids design quilt patterns, write and illustrate books about natural fibers, make a paper story quilt, and more.
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From the Yale–New Haven Teachers Institute, “The Art of the Quilt” covers the history of quilt making, African American quilts, and the life and work of quilter Harriet Powers. Activities include making paper quilt squares and an autobiographical quilt.
“Latkes, Gumbo, and Apple Pie”
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From the California School Garden Network, the “Food around the World” Web site features gardening projects, classroom activities, and background information on the origins, histories, and varied cultural uses of different foods.
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The Food Museum Online is an educational Web site specializing in food issues, resources, history, and news that also features interactive exhibits and online puzzles and quizzes. Also see the related Potato Museum Web site for a wealth of illustrated information on the life and times of the amazingly versatile potato.
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From reference librarian Lynne Olver, the superb “Food Timeline” Web site is an interactive history of food from prehistoric times (water, salt, and emmer grain) to the present (space cornbread and Kool-Aid pickles). Associated pages include a culinary history time line, teacher resources, and an extensive list of food history lesson plans.
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From the National Network of Child Care’s Connection Newsletter, “Cooking with Children: Kids in the Kitchen” by James E. Van Horn and Lyn Horning, features appropriate cook activities for ages two to five and simple kid-friendly recipes.
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The “Food, Friends, and Fun” section of the Peace Corps’ Kids World Web site describes the foods eaten by kids around the world, including Russia, Nepal, and Morocco.
Guidelines for Cooking with Children
Prepare work area and chefs
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Gather clean cooking utensils
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Have children and adult helpers thoroughly wash and dry their hands
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Help children put on clean aprons
Familiarize chefs with the recipe
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Create a copy of the recipe to refer to during cooking (this keeps books clean)
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Show and read the recipe to the chefs
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Present the copy of the recipe, the utensils, and the ingredients that will be used in the recipe
Explain the procedure
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Discuss how each child will take part in cooking and designate each child’s role
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Provide health and safety rules regarding keeping hands and ingredients clean and the use of utensils and heat source
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Inform chefs of when the finished dish will be eaten
Prepare the recipe
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Closely supervise chefs (the younger the children, the smaller the cooking groups should be)
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Upon completion, involve the children in clean up
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