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ESA Kids

What it is: The European Space Agency (ESA) has a great website for kids.  ESA Kids has fabulous, kid friendly information about the Universe (the story of the Universe, the sun, the planets and moons, the galaxies, comets and meteors), Life in Space (astronauts, space stations, life in space, exploration, are we alone?), Lift Off (launchers, orbits, mission control, spacecraft, new ways to space), Useful Space (TV and phone, know where you are, space spin-offs, weather, health), and Earth (climate change, natural disasters, protecting nature, water world).  This site is absolutely packed full of information and awesome images.  Students can “work in a lab” where they can build papercraft globes and spacecraft, try reading space maps, and learn fun space facts.  Students will also enjoy the space themed games and puzzles, online coloring book, quizzes, and downloads.  Each month, a new story about space is added to the News section, keeping students up to date about what is happening in space exploration.   How to integrate ESA Kids into the classroom: When I am hunting for space related websites, I usually begin with NASA.  ESA Kids is being added to my must visit places for all things space.  The site is organized well, very kid friendly, and has fun activities that students can take part in.  Use ESA Kids for space research, when learning about the weather, climate change, and natural disasters.  After students have some background knowledge about space and space exploration, have them visit the Lab and choose a papercraft spacecraft to print and build.  Students can write a story about their spacecraft, including facts that they learned on the ESA Kids website.  They may even write a fictional story about their visit to space that includes factual elements that they learned in the Life in Space section.    Be sure to visit the Useful Space tab, I think students will be surprised at how many common items are linked to space and space exploration. Tips: Be sure to visit this site often, the news is updated every month with current space events. Please leave a comment and share how you are using ESA Kids in your classroom.

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iboard: How Far Away do You Live?

Posted by admin | Posted in Interactive Whiteboard, Math, Primary Elementary, Secondary Elementary, Websites | Posted on 27-12-2009

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What it is: iboard’s How Far Away Do You Live? is an excellent interactive activity for the interactive whiteboard or for use with a projector.  Students create labels with their names and pin them on a graphic chart to depict how close they live to the school.  Students can also add places to the graphic such as restaurants and stores.  This is a great way to begin discussions about distance and introduce some new math language.  When students have finished placing themselves on the graphic, they can compare the results on a block graph.


How to integrate iboard: How Far Away Do You Live? into the classroom: How Far Away Do You Live? is a neat interactive to teach students math language about distance, how to read a graph, and how to describe objects in relation to each other.  Begin by defining what it means to live close to the school.  What does it mean to be “very close” is that one block away, around the corner, less than a mile, a 5 minute walk, closer than the shop on the corner?  Define what each distance will mean on your chart.  Then, invite students to the board to add a sticky note where they think their house falls on the chart.  After everyone has been added to the chart ask questions such as: “Who lives closest to the school?” and “Who is the furthest away?”  Finish by looking at the block graph and discussing how many students fall into each category.  This is a great way to teach your students to create and read informational charts and graphs.


Tips: iboard has a variety of activities for the interactive whiteboard that can be purchased. How Far Away Do You Live? is one of their freebie samples.


Leave a comment and share how you are using iboard: How Far Away Do You Live? in your classroom.

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