NCDPI Reviewed Websites

Don and Alleen Nilsen, professors of English at Arizona State University, have lived in Afghanistan for three years with children, and have set up a basic site on Afghan culture. Photos, activities, and puzzles will help student learn about this country from a source other than the news. Recommended Grades: 1-6

This is an ongoing project to help teachers use the content of the digital collection from the Library of Congress in their classrooms. The American Memory site is used to relate to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, and provides historical information about the state, including the Cherokee Indians. Lesson plans are given; images, video clips, and web links are included also. Recommended Grades: Instructor/Teacher

This website focuses on orchestral music and the National Arts Centre Orchestras Recommended Grades: 3-8

This is a companion to a PBS television series that helps young kids with phonics and early literacy skills. There are links to over 70 illustrated stories, along with many games, songs, printouts and activities. Many of the links require Media Player, Shockwave, or Quicktime, but there is a choice of programs that could be used. Recommended Grades: K-3

This is a great website that features the non-profit program allowing disadvantaged schools to have stories read to their kids by professional actors. The goal is to have the students become more enthusiastic about reading. There are 20 national chapters on the site, including one in the Carolinas. Videos of the readings can also be accessed through the site. Recommended Grades: K-3

Four sections of this site that contains landscapes and portraits depicting Native American life before westward expansion include Native American Homelands, Catlin’s life, Indian leaders and personalities, and the ecology and geography of the Great Plains. Several audio interviews are also available, with maps and a search engine. There are lesson plans that are cross-curricular tied to national standards. Recommended Grades: 9-12

This site has a Spanish title, which roughly translated means “lived happily every after!” The tools provided are meant for teachers and parents to help Spanish speaking children learn English as a second language. There are tools for reading and activities for home and school use, and also other links to websites in the same subject area. Recommended Grades: Instructor/Teacher

The Natural History Museum in London has put together a resource of dinosaur information, with body shape and size, habits, and a geologic timeline among other things. This is a good basic resource and encourages further study of dinosaurs. Recommended Grades: 3-10

This is a good site to enlighten viewers of television and other media of the ploys advertisers use to trick viewers and listeners. There are examples of real commercials along with a history of advertising and a look at models and junk food. Recommended Grades: 3-9

The site is better with teacher guidance since there are a variety of subjects for different age groups on the site. The EPA has given a wide range of topics such as environmental laws, ecosystems, conservation, and air and water quality. This is a good site for students to start research on topics like endangered animals, recycling, global warming, and acid rain. Recommended Grades: 6-12

This is formatted for elementary and middle school students, and is a combination between an encyclopedia, almanac, dictionary, and atlas. There are a few daily updates and topics like women’s history and black history. There is a section to help with homework, and another on games and quizzes. Recommended Grades: 3-8

Popular topics on this site include El Nino, hurricanes, plate tectonics, air pressure, and atmospheric ozone. A few activities are provided and could serve to supplement a unit on several science subjects. Recommended Grades: 3-10

The educational programs section of the FDR library site offers assistance to students conducting research with primary source documents. There is a research guide and a document analysis worksheet, along with historical information from FDR’s time period. Recommended Grades: 6-12

The Get Ready to Read site provides tools for early literacy in English and Spanish, printable cards with activities to improve reading skills. There are also games that focus on letter names, blending sounds, and word recognition. There are also links to information about learning disabilities and reading development. Recommended Grades: Pre-K-1

The focus of this site is the historical and cultural context of money through the world. A trip to France allows students to have an allowance and spend money for souvenirs during the trip. A time line and articles highlight several times and events and a news area inform students of recent events such as commemorative coins. There are several teaching guides also for different subject areas. Recommended Grades: 1-5

The companion to the PBS television series teaches the methodology of historical research. There are a number of mysteries presented about wars, historical figures, legends, and other entertaining mysteries. Ballistics, DNA analysis, document examination, forensic anthropology, and property searches are topics of research. There are two main lessons on going to historical sites, and also searching for attic artifacts. Recommended Grades: 6-12

In six episodes, the early history of New York City is described in detail, with subjects such as New Amsterdam, Rivers and Roads, Slavery, and the Knickerbockers Legend. The historical information looks at how the early development of New York relates to the development and change within America as a whole. There are photographs, videos, and also lesson plans that encourage young people to be a part of their communities. Recommended Grades: 4-9

Although the site requires Flash and Java for most of its operations, there are many games to play on this site that manipulate geometric figures to solve puzzles or prove rules about geometry. There are also tutorials, games with weights and measurement, math history, and a section on algorithms. Recommended Grades: 5-12

Individual organizations within the National Park Service have put together different exhibitions on this web site. Several exhibits on the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and the struggles of Black and Native Americans are included. Learning is not limited to social studies as art exhibits and animal exhibits can also be tools for learning. Recommended Grades: 6-12

News Hour Extra provides the news in a student-friendly format, with categories of daily news reports in Arts and English, Science, Math and Economics, the World, History, Health and Fitness, and the Media. The reports include discussion questions. Other packages on the site contain information on certain subjects, such as Mark Twain and African Art in the English section. Video clips and sites for Debating the News are also provided. An editorial section allows student essays to be submitted, and an archive of lesson plans is made for teachers. Recommended Grades: 10-12

This site has long been a reference for students on type of jobs and differences in industries in the US. There are different searches and types of jobs organized by name. Also, further websites and links are available for different articles and information. Recommended Grades: 4-12

The site provides tools to help students write poetry. Tips and games to encourage creating poetry, and a section on types of poetry and publishing add suggestions for students and poets. Recommended Grades: 10-12

This is a helpful website to assist teachers with children learning how to read and struggling readers. Recommended Grades: K-6

This reflects the project of a teacher and a physicist who have developed an early reading program with animation, sound, and video. Works well in two sections for early and advanced emergent readers. Uses games and riddles for practice and has resources for teachers. Recommended Grades: K-3

This site is not meant for students, but it is a good resource for teachers who are looking for books to include in their classroom. The books can be searched by grade level, theme, or subject area. Teacher guides are available, along with profiles of authors and illustrators, and an archive of book talks. Recommended Grades: Instructor/Teacher

This leads students on a multimedia expedition through the basics of computer technology. Sections include Digital Information, an Introduction to Computers, Technology and Society, Circuits and Switches, Microprocessors, and the Internet. Teachers are able to use this site for classroom resources, and personalize the site using passwords for individual classrooms. Recommended Grades: 5-8

Broad categories of this site include: location of water, properties, how we study water, water in our bodies, and water quality. There are articles, quizzes, activities, and a glossary. There is also a collection of maps and pictures in the extensive photo and data gallery. Recommended Grades: 7-12