Sites for Fifth Grade Teachers

READING

** BOOK THEMES FOR STUDENTS - http://www.teachersandfamilies.com/open/readtheme-sel.html

We’re also continuing to add to our reading collections for students. To make it easier for your reluctant readers to find interesting titles, we’ve listed many of these titles by theme. Now it’s easy to find books your students will actually read. New this week: a collection of titles that emphasize good character qualities.

SCIENCE

Chemistry Resources from Teachers First

Acids and Bases

SOCIAL STUDIES

** JUSTICE LEARNING - Welcome to Justice Learning
    Civics Lessons

** READWRITETHINK - BIOGRAPHIES - http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=26

** NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FOR KIDS - National Geographic Kids
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/index.html

FROM BLUE WEB'N - An online, interactive magazine (e-zine) for elementary students. It's a busy site, so keep your eyes peeled for the Kids Magazine, the Explorer
Classroom Magazine, games, activities, crafts, experiments, and homework help. This month's feature is Halloween and other creepy stuff. The same
high quality you'd expect from National Geographic but packaged for kids. (added 10/25/02, reviewed 10/25/02)

Grade Level: Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary
Content Area: Community Interest (Leisure) [Dewey #790]
Application type: Other Resources

** Explorer’s Graveyard - http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/graveyard.shtml

FROM TEACHER'S FIRST - Halloween is fast upon us, and here’s a great way to combine your explorer study with a Halloween art project. Our Explorer’s Graveyard lesson combines writing, art, and your recent study of explorers, asking students to compose and decorate a suitable epitaph for their favorite explorer. The results should be good enough for more than one bulletin board! You’ll find our explorer’s graveyard at:

** Colonial Ideas - http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/forts/

FROM TEACHER'S FIRST - November is a time when many students are studying colonial America. Fear not – TeachersFirst has plenty of resources to assist in the effort. One of the most interesting is our Frontier Forts unit – a description of what life was like in remote forts during the American Revolution. There are lots of pictures, and students can learn everything from how colonists defended themselves to what children did for fun and games.

SCIENCE

**  SCIENCE - BIOMES - http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/biomes/

**  ECOSYSTEMS - BUILD A PRARIE - Build-A-Prairie
http://www.bellmuseum.org/mnideals/prairie/build/index.html

FROM BLUE WEB'N - The prairie is one of North America's great ecosystems and a vital habitat for many plants and animals. The prairie once spread across 1.5
million square kilometers of the Great Plains! Today, only two percent of native prairie remains. Build-A-Prairie is an interactive game which
lets you restore the prairie. In addition to the game, you have access to a Field Guide of prairie plants, birds, insects, and mammals as well
as Quicktime movies and VR panoramas of prairies. Brought to you by Bell  LIVE! 1999 and the University of Minnesota. (added 10/25/02, reviewed
10/25/02)

Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School
Content Area: Science (Life Science) [Dewey #570]
Application type: Web Based Activities

**  HEALTH - Plastic Fork Diaries 
http://www.plasticforkdiaries.org/index_flash.cfm

FROM BLUE WEB'N - Follow six middle school students as they experience first-hand the relationship between food and their changing bodies, cultural differences, the vanishing family meal, nutrition and athletic performance. In a series of episode, you access diaries, letters and
notes of a group of people who aren't really friends, but may have more in common than they realize. Along the way, there'll be mysteries,
celebrations, disappointments, and regular everyday stuff. Take some time to explore. The site is Flash-intensive.

Along the way, you'll find basic information and exotic facts about something in the story. It's usually a particular food, but it might be
a place famous for some strange ingredient, or a famous cook, or an unusual way cooking something. This information will include history,
cooking techniques, nutritional and medicinal values, and odd facts.  Produced by Maryland Public Television. (added 10/14/02, reviewed
10/14/02)
        Grade Level:  Elementary, Middle School      
        Content Area:  Health & Physical Education (Nutrition) [Dewey #613]
        Application type:  Other Resources, Web Based Activities

TECHNOLOGY

** CYBERHUNT - Cyber Surfari Internet Treasure Hunt  *****
http://www.cybersurfari.org/index.cfm

Playing Is Fun and Challenging! The object is to find and submit as many treasures as possible. The more clues you solve, the better the prizes,
and the more chances of winning cash in the drawing at the end of the contest. Once you've signed-up, click on the "Play Now" button. The race
is a lot of fun, but keep in mind the real treasures you find on this hunt are the sites you visit and the cool stuff you learn! See the
Teacher's Guide for more ideas. Created by The Children's Web Surfing  Alliance (TCWSA).
!!The next contest starts October 18, 2002 !!
(added 10/14/02, reviewed 10/14/02)
        Grade Level:    Elementary, Middle School      
        Content Area:   Community Interest (Leisure),
                        Education (General/Other) [Dewey #790]   
        Application type:  Web Based Activities, Web Based Projects
 

**WEBQUESTS - WebQuests (from the San Diego City Schools Triton Project)
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/projects/featured/featured.html

FROM BLUE WEB'N - Don't know how we missed this one and in our own backyard too! These web quests were developed by teachers for teachers as part of a San Diego City Schools Technology Grant. The Triton and Patterns Projects are a multi-partner educational collaborative that integrate technology with the standards-based education reform efforts of the San Diego City Schools to create new learning opportunities for students and teachers. The results are some great webquests for a range of learners (K-12). The Featured Projects are exemplary units ready for implementation. Guess what? You can do it too. (added 10/25/02, reviewed 10/25/02)

Grade Level: Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary, Middle School, High
School, Adult/Professional
Content Area: Education (Curriculum) [Dewey #375]
Application type: Other Resources, Web Based Activities
 

**Technology Topics - http://www.teachersfirst.com/matrix.htm

Need help integrating technology into your classroom? It isn’t always easy, but our technology topics listings can help. We’ve moved these directly into our Content Matrix for easy access to scores of tips and tricks that can make you and your computer stars in the classroom.

HOLIDAY THEMES

** THANKSGIVING ACTIVITIES -  http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/thanksg.htm

FROM TEACHERS FIRST - The holiday season isn’t that far off, so we’ve updated our TeachersFirst Thanksgiving collection for this year’s turkey season. This page has lots of activities and ideas for elementary students, as well as some nice history, recipes, and some primary documents that will interest older students. One of our most popular pages.

Native American Crafts - http://www.teachersfirst.com/summer/nativecrafts.htm
Elementary students love our Native American Crafts activities, and they’re a great tie-in to the study of early American colonists. There are instructions and illustrations for several different projects, pinchpots, corn husk dolls, and the like. You can do most of these projects with little or no expense, and the results are fun to share with family and classmates.

Books with Native American Themes - http://www.teachersandfamilies.com/open/readtheme2.cfm?theme=native%20american

November is also a great time to assign reading materials that tie to history and holidays. Our TeachersAndFamilies reading theme pages include a nice selection of books on Native American themes, especially for middle schoolers. These include some classics as well as some newer titles, and all make great reading suggestions for interested students. Check out the other themes, too.