Miscellaneous Sites

American Photography: A Century of Images
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/americanphotography/index.html
The companion site to the PBS series, this site chronicles the growth of photography, both in our private lives and in the public world of news and journalism. The site includes the text of the series, as well as plenty of images and teaching suggestions. It also includes an "Image Lab" feature that lets users experiment with cropping and other digital manipulation of images as well as share the experiences of a photojournalist on a "shoot."

Anagram Server
http://wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html  
"Did you know that parliament is an anagram of partial men? Or, Clint Eastwood an anagram of Old West Action? Someone once said, "All the life's wisdom can be found in anagrams. Anagrams never lie." Here is your chance to discover the wisdom of anagrams." This site provides a fun online tool that creates anagrams from any word or phrase you type.

AzKidsNet: Knock Knock Jokes
http://www.azkidsnet.com/JSknockjoke.htm
This is a great humor site with many kinds of riddles and jokes. The punchline is hidden until you make it appear. On the Knock Knock Jokes pages, hover over "Who's There?" with your mouse to see the question, and then move over to "Answer" to see the punchline. The other joke pages, such as Elephant Jokes, Riddles, and Brainteasers, use a variety of different (but easy to use) click and hover techniques to keep the answers hidden until you are ready for them.

Beehive
http://www.thebeehive.org/Templates/School/Level3NoRight.aspx?PageId=1.527
The Beehive is the pride and joy of the One Economy Corporation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. Beehive is the place to go for information and resources around the things that matter in our lives: money, health, jobs, school and family; included are some games and quizzes to keep it interesting.

Big Eye in the Sky
http://www.bigeyeinthesky.com/
This site has amazing panoramas brought to you by Ed Fink. He does his photography from a helicopter. There are several ways to check these out. You can use the scroll boxes at the top of the page to choose what you want to look at or you can scroll down and check out the ones listed on the home page. If you go into the panoramas, you’ll notice there are labeled areas and that some have pictures above the label. If you click on the image, you are taken to a panorama of that area. This is a great site to explore.

Braillebug
http://www.afb.org/braillebug/
The American Foundation for the Blind created an age appropriate site for students to learn braille. Under games, students can see what their name looks like in braille, or figure out words with a braille alphabet close by. Students can also change the colors on this website to make it easier to read.

Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Kids
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/games/index.htm
Fun games and activities divided into Grades Pre-K-2, Grades 3-5, and Grades 6-8.

City Creator
http://citycreator.com/build.city
This is a site where students can use their creative talents to drag and drop pieces from a palette to create a city. Using buildings, roofs, people, vehicles, roads and walkways, they can experience the basics of planning and designing.

Classroom Clues
http://classroomclues.com
Classroom CLUEs (Children’s Literature for Understanding Economics) is an online, searchable database of children’s books and lessons useful for teaching basic economics to K-6 grade students. It is a program of the Center for Economic Education at the University of Kansas.

Click Magazine for Kids
http://www.clickmagkids.com
An interactive, online magazine for preschool and early elementary students developed to enhance the award winning Click print magazine. The site includes monthly themes, booklists, games, and printable projects to complete offline.

Colorblind Homepage
http://www.colorvisiontesting.com/
Are you colorblind? Have you ever wondered why colorblindness occurs? Do you think you are colorblind, but aren’t sure? Well, this site has answers and explanations that will answer all these questions. There are sections that deal with helping you diagnose children with colorblindness and if they are colorblind, how you can tell, what you should do, and how to effectively teach them. You can test for colorblindness in the “I Want to Test my Color Vision” section. This information gives a better understanding of the concept of colorblindness.

Consumer Reports 4Kids
http://www.consumerreports.org/
Students can access information about Product Tests, Toy Tests, Ad Smarts, Money Smarts, etc. The information is geared toward younger readers. The Wacky Photos section has pictures where students can guess what is happening and then click to find the real story. There is also a section For Teachers.

Decode the Barcode
http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/activity/8c_decodebarcode.html
Do you know what the barcode means at the bottom of an envelope? See if you can figure out how to crack the code that the postal service uses to deliver mail in this fun activity.

Discover Engineering
http://www.discoverengineering.org/
Want to Save the Planet? Want to Help Others? Want to Design with Computers? These are questions that are addressed on this site. Click on the tabs at the bottom for What's Engineering?, Video Activities, Did You Know?, What's New in Engineering, and Cool Stuff which includes online activities.

Documentary Project for Refugee Youth
http://www.global-action.org/refugee/index_flash.html
Artistic work consisting of scrapbooks, photo essays, testimonies, videos, and interviews of displaced refugees in New York City documents the "condition of displacement, desire for connection, and the need for home."

Droodles Online Exhibit
http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/droodles/
Droodles is a name that combines doodles and riddles. At this exhibit, you are briefly shown sets of images and asked to draw them from memory. In one set of drawings, the names of the images are nonsense words, while in the other set the names are helpful in describing the images. This exhibit shows that if random information can be arranged in a way that makes some sense, it will be easier to remember.

Educating Jane
http://www.educatingjane.com/ 
EducatingJane.com is a national site for girls, their parents and educators dedicated to girls' self-esteem, self-awareness, and involvement in the world. Education is our highest priority. Educating Jane is committed to providing scholarship leads, information, and opportunities to succeed.

Engineering: Your Future
http://www.engineeringk12.org/students/default.php
Everything here makes an engineering career look fun and exciting. Start with a look at the engineering alphabet from aerospace engineering to transportation engineering, and move on to learn how to choose the right engineering college. Don't miss the list of "many fascinating people" who have been engineers or have a engineering background. Assess yourself with two quizzes designed to determine your success in engineering. "Do you like to work with computers and play video games?" "Do you like mazes and puzzles?" Those who answer "yes" are good candidates for a career in engineering.

Fidgit
http://pbskids.org/designsquad/games/fidgit/
Fidgit is a multiplayer game on PBS' Design Squad site. The challenge is to save the fidgits by getting them safely into their box. Be sure to read How to Play before attempting to save the fidgits!

Futures Channel
http://www.thefutureschannel.com/index.php
Math and science educators will find free video resources that can help connect their lessons to real-world applications at TheFuturesChannel.com. The site produces short documentary-style videos that take students behind the scenes with professionals from a wide range of careers. As the subjects of these video clips discuss why math and science are so important in their respective fields, they help answer the common question, "Why do I need to learn this?" The site's Hand-On Math section features movies on counting numbers and integers, algebra, fractions, geometry, measurement, and statistics. One clip incorporates measurement into a video about college students who must measure food for animal feedings. Teachers can download classroom activities based on the video content. All videos and classroom activities are available free of charge.

Globalization101.org
http://www.globalization101.org  
Globalization101.org is a free website geared toward high school and college teachers and students. The website offers news analyses, issue briefs, lesson plans, and more on issues related to globalization. There are issue briefs on the environment, trade, technology, international law, culture, and many more areas.

GoodCharacter
http://www.goodcharacter.com 
The free resources on GoodCharacter.com are all organized by topic and grade level and are for parents, K-12 teachers, coaches, counselors and youth group leaders. Included are curriculum materials like discussion questions, writing assignments, and group learning activities. There are also opportunities for student action, service learning and abundant support material, like specially selected links to other resources.

Good Character Teaching Guides
http://www.goodcharacter.com/EStopics.html
Here are guides for teaching life skills, from trustworthiness to conflict resolution, for use with a set of videos, "The Six Pillars of Character." Most of the information and ideas can be used without these videos. There are discussion questions, student activities and writing assignments, and even a section for parents.

Grand Illusions
http://www.grand-illusions.com/articles/russian_puzzle/
This Russian Puzzle is one of many interesting things on this site. After trying to complete it, explore the other areas of the site: Articles, Optical Illusions, and the Toy Collection.

Highlightskids.com
http://www.HighlightsKids.com 
Similar to the Highlights magazine, this site offers fun stories, Hidden Pictures, Games and Giggles, science articles, and jokes. In addition, there is a daily update on “what happened in history on this date.”

HowStuffWorks Online Magazine
http://express.howstuffworks.com/
"HowStuffWorks Express" is a monthly magazine published by HowStuffWorks Inc. during the school year. The magazine integrates science, math, reading, and technology in one cool and exciting package. With full access to the magazine's feature articles, Webquests, biographies, toy autopsies, and games online, this site is a must for teachers and students alike! Check these out under Archives on the left.

Iditarod
http://www.iditarod.com/
This site has the latest in Iditarod news and photos, as well as a treasure trove of classroom ideas for teachers and students. Students can follow the reports "written" by Zuma, a canine correspondent with his own e-mail address and discussion forum. Teachers can follow the dispatches written by Diane Nye, the official "Teacher on the Trail." For Iditarod history, a mushing glossary, Frequently Asked Questions, and the meaning of the Widow's Lamp, click on General Information.

Introduction to Bunraku
http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/  
This site explores the world of the Japanese art of Bunraku, the traditional puppet theatre of Japan. Learn the history, how the stage is constructed, and all about the puppets and how they are made. You may also view various video clips of Bunraku productions.

It's My Life: Bullies
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/bullies/index.html
Bullying can make kids feel depressed and alone. This PBS Kids site offers advice and topics on bullying, such as who's a bully, who's a target, how to handle bullying, innocent bystanders, online bullying and more.

Kids Can Make a Difference
http://www.kidscanmakeadifference.org/
"Inspiring kids to end hunger and poverty in their communities, their country and their world." Highlights of this site designed for middle- and high-school students are the Hunger Facts, Hunger Quiz, and an archive of the Kids Can Make a Difference print newsletter with student stories. The What Kids Can Do page gives ideas for student volunteer opportunities. April 20-26 is National Voluteer Week. This site can teach students how to volunteer.

Kids Know It Network
http://www.kidsknowit.com/
What Would You Like To Learn About? Students may choose from many subjects. Each subject has a Website with lots of activities.

Kids Work!
http://www.knowitall.org/kidswork/index.html
Kids Work! is a virtual community of workplaces designed to give students an interactive job exploration experience that connects school work to real work. Each Kids Work! place provides an area to: Discover the History of the career field by using a timeline, play three Job Play activities that provide an interactive virtual work experience, meet Real People who work in this profession, and explore the Work Zone and learn more about a real workplace.

LATCH: Organizing Information
http://www.kidport.com/Grade5/TAL/LATCH/tal.html
This site provides a great interactive video about LATCH, a mnemonic for organizing information using Location, Alphabetical Order, Time, Categories, and Hierarchy. It explains each of the 5 aspects and provides examples. Note that it is very text-orientated, requiring adequate reading skills.

Leap Year Rules
http://www.wwu.edu/depts/skywise/leapyear.html
A leap year is any year "whose number is perfectly divisible by four - except for years which are both divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400." Got that? By the time you are finished with this site, you will understand the whys and whens of Leap Year Day. Then, if you're game, you might want to click on links to any of the 40 other astronomy-related topics available on page-left.

Legend of Nessie
http://www.nessie.co.uk/
Every country has its legends and folklore. Scotland's favorite is Nessie, the Loch Ness monster. Fact or fiction, it's so much fun to hear the stories. Monster or no monster, the Loch is breath-takingly beautiful.

Machinto Project
http://machinto.org/
Based on the beautiful Japanese picture book Machinto, The Machinto Project brings classrooms of the world together to study the effects of war on children. Click on About Machinto to view a presentation on Machinto, and to learn how students in Canada reached out to students in Japan to discuss how children are affected by war.

Mr. Anker Tests
http://www.pumaland.net/Staff_Pages/Henry_Anker/Mr_Anker_Tests_New/indexAllTests.html
This site was created by a teacher from Alexandria Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, California. It contains a multitude of online tests in a variety of subjects.

New 7 Wonders
http://www.new7wonders.com
There are 21 "wonders" that are in the running to become the new 7 wonders of the world. Students can take a World Tour to learn about these wonders and then vote on their favorite 7. This is a great way to learn about Earth's treasures! Check out the Kids and Schools section for Classroom Tools, School Projects, lessons, and more.

Perseverance
http://www.clevelandcountyschools.org/CharacterEd/perseverance.htm
Perseverance is a virtue. This site offers lesson ideas, quotes by famous people, and a list of suggested books that will help young children understand perseverance and why it is important to stick to one's goals.

Photo Foolery
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0104/foolery/index.html
Test your awareness of truth and illusion in visual images by viewing these six tricky photos. This National Geographic site demonstrates that you can't always believe what you see. To help you learn how to discriminate between real and fake, the site provides awareness tips and background information for each image.

Playground Rules
http://econtent.thelearningfederation.edu.au/ec/viewing/L949/index.html
Launch a what-would-you-do activity that uses simple text and animated cartoons to teach basic social skills, such as sharing, not littering, inclusion, and respect for other people's feelings and property.

Playing with Time
http://www.playingwithtime.org/index.html
Playing with Time allows you to look at how the world around you changes over many different time periods. You will see time sped up and slowed down, and behold the beauty of change. Time will be in your hands to witness, replay, and even create. You never know... you might not look at things quite the same way again. Visit the Gallery of Time to see amazing movies and check out the activities section with exciting challenges and diversions.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey
http://www.ringling.com/
"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, the online edition of The Greatest Show on Earth!" Following the left-hand menu, you can start your tour with Fun and Games, where you'll find Shockwave arcade games such as Create a Clown and Morph a Clown and a Ringmaster's Quiz. Other sections are The Magnificent Menagerie, History & Tradition, and an excellent section for teachers titled Circus Works. The first Ringling Brothers performance was on May 19, 1884.

Shoe Lacing Methods
http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/lacingmethods.htm
I don't know how educational this site it, but I thought it was interesting. It is all about lacing shoes. It shows 22 diagrammed methods to lace your shoes. From Criss Cross lacing that is very popular to Checkerboard lacing, you'll find varied methods that give very different and unique looks to your lacings. Perhaps teachers could use this for an art activity or for eye-hand co-ordination skills.

Strategies for Empowering Students
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/ce/
This excellent site is teacher-friendly, providing classroom activity exercises geared to building character education. The lessons are distributed in three sections: primary, intermediate, and upper level. This is an excellent teacher resource.

Trading Around the World
http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/center/students/trade/index.htm
Students take on the role of international traders on the International Monetary Fund’s Trading Around the World educational website. Decide if you want to make as much money as possible by selling your commodities for as high a price as you can, buy many different types of goods to satisfy your country’s consumers, or buy raw materials for a specific industry. Keep an eye on the global economic conditions since they affect the price of goods.

Universal Leonardo: Play
http://www.universalleonardo.org/activities.php
This unique Webby award winning site uses Leonardo daVinci's classic works to help students learn things like physics, biology, mathematics, and more. The "Play" section of the site offers a series of interactive excercises with intriguing titles like "Make the Mona Lisa Smile," "Leonardo Sings the Blues," and "Fly Like a Bird, Sink Like a Stone."

Values to Pass On
http://www.forbetterlife.org/be_inspired/values.asp
Dedicated to the premise "The values we live by are worth more when we pass them on," the Foundation for a Better Life has created an interactive site for stories based on an alphabetical list of 50+ values, ranging from Ambition to Vision. Each label leads to a page where users may post audio, written, and video stories related to that particular value. This is an excellent site for class discussions, essay-writing, narrative writing, etc.

Wacky Uses
http://www.wackyuses.com/uses.html

What Do You See?
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/educators/workshop/discover/yousee.html
Use these activities from the Library of Congress to improve critical viewing skills. The site offers activities appropriate for K-12, such as matching, sequencing, timelining, etc. The activities center around primary source images, such as photos.

Women of the Iditarod
http://library.thinkquest.org/11313/Iditarod/
"In 1985 nobody noticed as a woman, slight of frame, left Anchorage in the Iditarod. She was a nobody from somewhere. But when she was the first one to check into Safety - the last checkpoint before Nome - five hours ahead of the nearest competitor, everyone cheered in surprise. At 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20th, Libby Riddles became the very first woman to ever win the Iditarod." Women of the Iditarod is just one section of the larger Women in Alaska site, written by two high school students for a ThinkQuest Internet Competition.

Work in Freedom: 3Plus-U
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/3PLUSU/index.html
This website presented by International Labour has an on-line digital adventure which introduces students and teachers to the importance of work and the need for protecting people in the workplace. Through stories, quizzes, challenges and adventures, it illustrates how the world of work affects everyone and introduces the issues of the International Labour Organization's Declaration: abolition of child labour, forced labour and discrimination at work, and the right to freedom of association.