Reading Strategies

Eureka AGORA http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/read_with_understanding.html This site offers pdf downloadable files on many different reading strategies such as Think-Pair-Share, Reader’s Theatre, and many more.

Learning to Read

Reading Eggs http://readingeggs.com/home This site offers a 14 day free trial period. The testimonials I read recommended this program for special needs children who were struggling with reading. The graphics and voice are appealing. The program begins in pre-school and continues through age thirteen.

Fun Castle Facts

Here are some fun castle facts. Enjoy!
Buttery and Bottlery• The busy kitchen in larger castles had special rooms set aside for storing food and drinks. The buttery held large kegs of ale, and the person in charge was called the butler. Another room, the bottlery, held the castle’s wine, with the man in charge called the bottler.
Bathtubs
• Bathing took place in a large wooden barrel cut in half. Servants heated and carried the water. The tub would be placed by a fire in winter, but in warmer weather, the tub would possibly be placed outdoors.

Read more: Fun Facts About Medieval Castles | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7222458_fun-medieval-castles.html#ixzz2ObNGTzhm

• The stone towers of castles were originally built in square shapes. Following the Crusades, they were replaced by rounded towers, which were easier to defend and provided better lines of sight and overall visibility.
Prisons
• Toward the end of the medieval period, warfare moved away from castles to open fields. Many castles then housed political prisoners — the Tower of London and the Bastille being among the most famous.

Windsor Palace
• Currently the home of Queen Elizabeth, Windsor Palace in England is the largest, continually inhabited palace in the world, covering almost 13 acres. The original castle was built there by William the Conqueror around 1070.

Read more: Fun Facts About Medieval Castles | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7222458_fun-medieval-castles.html#ixzz2ObhG79JU

Word Games

Word Mash is a game to make words from letters. The site offers a game for 1st through 6th grades. There is a time limit. http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-reading-word-mash/index.html

History of a Sextant

While reading Carry on Mr. Bowditch, we researched the History of a Sextant and found this information compiled by Peter Ifland.

So what do navigators need to find their position on the earth’s surface by observing the stars?
1. They need an Almanac prepared by the astronomers to forecast precisely where the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon planets and selected navigational stars, are going to be, hour by hour, years into the future, relative to the observatory that prepared the almanac, Greenwich, England in modern times.
2. They need a chronometer or some other means of telling the time back at the observatory that was the reference point for the data in the almanac,
3. It is the cartographer’s job to provide accurate charts so that navigators can establish their position in latitude and longitude or in reference to landmasses or the hazards of rocks and shoals.
4. The navigators need a quick and easy mathematical method for reducing the data from their celestial observations to a position on the chart
5. Finally, navigators need an angle-measuring instrument, a sextant, to measure the angle of the celestial body above a horizontal line of reference.

How do navigators use the stars, including our sun, the moon, and planets to find their way? Well, for at least two millennia, navigators have known how to determine their latitude — their position north or south of the equator. At the North Pole, which is 90 degrees latitude, Polaris (the North Star) is directly overhead at an altitude of 90 degrees. At the equator, which is zero degrees latitude, Polaris is on the horizon with zero degrees altitude. Between the equator and the North Pole, the angle of Polaris above the horizon is a direct measure of terrestrial latitude. If we were to go outside tonight and look in the northern sky, we would find Polaris at about 40 degrees 13 minutes altitude – the latitude of Coimbra.

In ancient times, the navigator who was planning to sail out of sight of land would simply measure the altitude of Polaris as he left homeport, in today’s terms measuring the latitude of home port. To return after a long voyage, he needed only to sail north or south, as appropriate, to bring Polaris to the altitude of home port, then turn left or right as as appropriate and “sail down the latitude,” keeping Polaris at a constant angle.
http://www.mat.uc.pt/~helios/Mestre/Novemb00/H61iflan.htm

Energy

Here are some links for studying Energy in Science.
Science for Kids http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/energy.html
Potential and Kinetic Energy – Marshmallow Catapult http://www.imcpl.org/kids/blog/?p=9040
What is energy? http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=1 This site has categories to review in detail. Clearly laid out. See for example, Energy Basics http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=about_home-basics which gives types of energy and describes the difference between kinetic and potential energy. This is a fabulous site with lots of information.
Remember to click on the other areas such as History of Energy and look at the timelines. Take time to look at the famous people such as Edison. Enjoy!
Energyville http://www.energyville.com/ This site offers a challenge game to a group of students to keep the power on for this city through 2030.
Kids & Energy http://www.kids.esdb.bg/basic.html This is a fun website with lots of information in categories. Click on one to learn more.
Energy Experiments: Energy Transfer Through Balls http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/bouncingballs.html
Energy for Every Kid by Janice Van Cleave http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/energy-janice.pdf
Potential and Kinetic Energy http://www.lessonplanet.com/article/elementary-science/potential-and-kinetic-energy-lessons This is a great experiment with cardboard , wax paper, checkers, flour, water, butter, tape, and a timer.
Rollercoaster Energy http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/roller-coaster3.htm
The Energy Story http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/roller-coaster3.htm
The Energy Song by Mr. Edmonds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uLSFigtLKg
Bill Nye the Science Guy – Energy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLXDirj4JUA&NR=1&feature=endscreen
Potential and Kinetic Energy in Hoodwinked http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ4FFWvZtyo
James Watt and the Steam Engine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVomz8TXrqE

Poetry

Here are some links for teaching and writing poetry. Enjoy!
Daily Writing Tips 36 poetry terms found at the following address: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/36-poetry-terms/
Glossary of Poetry Terms http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0903237.html
English Poetry Terms http://quizlet.com/23128245/english-poetry-terms-flash-cards/
Poetry Terms with examples http://quizlet.com/20303504/poetry-terms-examples-flash-cards/

Fun Way to Learn Synonyms!

Here is a site that enables you to learn vocabulary and feed the hungry.  The idea is to choose the nearest meaning to the given word and for each correct answer 10 grains of rice are put on the wooden plate beside the excercise.  See how many plates/bowls you can fill up.  Have fun! 

The site is called Free Rice http://www.freerice.com/index.php

SIGHT WORDS

Sight Word Solutions

Struggling with sight words when reading and writing, try these sites.

Learn Dolch Sight Words.  This website uses games to reinforce sight words.  Enjoy!  http://www.mrcpl.org/literacy/lessons/sight/index.html

Room 108 Dolch Word Games.  This site says the word on the computer and then asks the student to spell it.  The sight words are utilized in sentences reading paragraphs and a variety of other ways.   Enjoy!  http://www.netrover.com/~crose/dolch/dolch.htm

Here are some of games on this site:                    

(1) Listen and Spell: This is a game where the student is dictated a word and given a group of mixed up but correct letters and has to click the correct letters to spell the word. This game is timed and marked by the computer.

(2) Listen and Match: This is a game where the student must flip cards to match the sound with the word. This game is set for two players to play against one another.

(3) Jigsaw: This is a game where the student must fit a word into a groove where they can click to hear the word

There is a link to the Teacher Store which has a several items on sale.  A school license may be purchased for about $79.00 which allows all teachers in a school to access specific materials.  http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/licensing.htm

School Licensing

Everything in the Teacherstore for all the Teachers at your school. At home or in class. Unlimited, no time limits, only a one time payment of $79.99.

DK Daily Teach

DK Daily Teach is an interesting resource for teachers and parents (especially those who homeschool).  The newsletter tells what happened on that particular date in history and offers one clip art picture daily for free.  In addition, there are fun math and language drills for children.  Interestingly, there is a current topic, taken from the daily newspaper, with discussion with ideas for lessons(K-12).  I especially enjoy knowing which famous person has/had a birthday that day.  Using these little trivia tid-bits, helps capture the young minds. Be sure to sign up if you’d like to receive the newsletter daily.  http://us.mg1.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=1&.rand=1pl5orrcubrv5   Enjoy!