Week 10 - AASL Best Websites for Teaching and Learning

From the AASL website: http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/best-websites/2013

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) released a list of the best websites for teaching and learning. I spent some time looking at the sites.  There are some that are amazing for elementary students and libraries.

The first is Wonderopolis.  For some reason, I feel like I have mentioned this website somewhere before, but it is pretty cool.  The purpose of the site is to answer questions.  There is a wonder of the day (today's wonder is "What are Hors D'oeuvres?") that the students can explore.  There is a written description that the students can read or listen to.  There is a tab for more information, including pictures, links, and recipe ideas for this topic.  Another tab has a list of vocabulary words for the topic.  There is even a comprehension quiz.  It can be used in the classroom or library because there is a search feature to match the wonders to common core standards.  The students can explore the site during independent computer time in the classroom or use the site as a research tool in the library.

The next site that I found interesting is 19 Pencils.  It is sort of like Pinterest for teachers.  I was interested to see what it could do.  Unfortunately, the free option is a bit confusing and difficult to use.  I created a classroom page that I can pass on to my parents.  The site says it is an educational resource for educators and the opening page has three very interesting sites, however, the search feature is not limited to educational resources.  It is no easier than searching through Google.  I would prefer to just use Pinterest.  If I could ever figure it out, this site could be used to give parents online resources that they could use at home in an easy place.  The site would be added by the teacher or librarian and would fit the school population and curriculum.

The final site is Garbology.  This is a site to teach kids about where their waste should go.  There are resources and games for parents, teachers, and students.  In the For Teachers section, there are lesson plans, categorized by grade level that are very creative and get the kids thinking and moving.  The For Students section has fact sheets and activities to try at home.  The activities and fact sheets would need to be modified for younger children, but they could still participate.   There is also a section for activities for families.  The main part of the site is a game where students decide where the waste should go.  Once they make a choice, a video pops up to tell them a little more about their choice.  This would be a great resource for a difficult standard to show the students.  It is covered at every grade level and this site is a wonderful resource!