Intermediate/ Middle Childhood Links for Learning

Introduction

Computers and education have always been closely tied and are even more so today. As computers become more important to everyone seeking an education, education gains a greater presence on the Internet. Most schools today have at least one computer with access to the Internet.

The Intermediate/ Middle Childhood Committee of ACEI has long felt that a resource guide would be helpful to those who work in any capacity with these children whose ages range from about 9-15. They have unique characteristics and special needs which demand that we search for information resources for those of us who are involved with their education.

This electronic resource is intended to assist in selecting, expanding and/or enriching materials and experiences which are currently available to you. We chose to use the electronic format because we can add and delete items much easier and keep our guide up to date for the membership. It is divided into three informative sections: Students, Educators, and Parents.

We hope this will encourage you in your work and will ultimately benefit middle school age children all across the world. We appreciate your support and feedback, suggestions for future resources, and hope this beginning effort proves helpful to you.

Student Web Site Resources:


Science:

City Bugs http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/explore
Tenth graders catch, identify, and mount insects.
This is a model collaboration between the University of California at Berkeley scientists and student teams. They have an interactive site at: http://berkeoley.edu/iu/

Thinking Fountain http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln
Find a wellspring of science and art ideas in the Thinking Fountain.

Science Learning Network http://www.sln.org
Explore El Niño, meet "The Atoms Family;" get wet with "Water in The City;" learn about "The Science of Sports;" be weatherwise with "Franklin's Forecast;" track a hurricane, take a whirlwind tour of a whirligig farm; or view tiny creatures--all on one site!

Social Studies:

Yahooligans! http://www.yahooligans.com
A searchable, browsable index of the Internet designed for Web surfers ages 8-14.Travel throughout the United States and around the world to special places learning about cultures and geographical regions.

Tour the Kyoto National Museum in Japan http://www.kyohaku.go.jp
No reservations required! Just click in and sit back for a stroll through one of the best collections of East Asian articfacts in the world. Stop at the Museum Dictionary to find out what you need to know about Buddhism, East Asian archaeology, Lion-Dogs, and the importance of tea.

Math:

Dr. Math http://mathforum.org/dr.math/
Dr. Math is a question and answer service for K-12 math students and their teachers. A handy FAQ (frequently asked questions) is also available to get quick answers to more common questions.

Educator Web Site Resources:

Science:

Center for Urban Science Education Reform (CUSER) http://www.edc.org/CSE
They support science reform, instructional materials, development, technical assistance, professional development and are grounded in inquiry-based science teaching and learning.

Language Arts:

Literature Cyberguides http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyberguide.html
Web based student activities to use with core elementary-level literature.

Language Arts Adventures http://www.ccph.com/index.html
Enjoy adventures focused on different regions of the world.

Learning Vocabulary Can Be Fun http://www.vocabulary.co.il
This vocuabulay oriented Web site was designed to be fun, simple, easy to use, and friendly.

Penpal E-mail Site http://www.epals.com
Get your students involved in writing to students from other parts of the world.

KIDLINK http://www.kidlink.org
A grassroots project aimed at getting middle level students involved in a GLOBAL dialog; includes forums for individual and classroom dialogue.

The Arts:

Comprehensive Listing of Art Museum Sites on the Web http://artsedge.Kennedy-center.org/artsedge.html
Curriculum and web links to music, art, design, dance, theatre, and literary arts sites.

Lesson Plans:

K-12 Teaching Lesson Plans http://www.yahoo.com/Education/K_12/Teaching/Lesson_Plans/
This site has a collection of interesting lesson plans for teachers.

Web Resources...Helpful to Middle School Teachers

The School Page http://www.eyesoftime.com/teacher/index.htm
Educational resources by subjects, book reviews, interactive and innovative programs for the classroom, exchanges, links to scientists, and hot sites for teachers.

Ask ERIC http://ericir.syr.edu
Looking for lesson plans to enhance your classroom teaching? Confused about portfolio assessments and how they are used? Searching for materials about the "constructivist" approach to classroom learning? Just Ask ERIC.

Grants:

NASA Quest K-12 Internet Initiative http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/top/grants.html
This site is updated several times a month and provides extensive information about grant possibilities, and improving grant writing skills. It is recognized as a model education web resource.

Guide to National Board Certification:

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards http://www.nbpts.org
Visit the official web site of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or use the 1-800-532-1813 to learn more about the Middle Chidhood / Generalist certification. Learn about new initiatives to develop higher standards, increase accountability, and raise student achievement.

Parent Web Site Resources:

Safety:

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children http://www.missingkids.com
Check this site out for information on child safety.
Six Safety Guidelines for Parents:
By taking responsibility for your children's online computer use, you can greatly minimize any potential risks of being online. Consider making rules to:
  1. Never give out identifying home information--address, school name or telephone message in chat rooms or bulletin boards.
  2. Know the services your child uses.
  3. Never allow face-to-face meetings with another computer user without your permission.
  4. Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that are obscene, threatening or make your child uncomfortable.
  5. Remember that everything read online may not be true.
  6. Get to know your child's "online friends" just as you know their school friends

Financial Aid:

Helping Your Child http://www.ed.gov
A series of informative governmental links for parents on the topics of financial aid, individuals with Disabilities Education Act, ERIC educational research, statistics and the latest findings on what works in education, and technology issues. This is one of the most widely used education resources on the Internet.

Travel:

Distances Between Two Cities http://www.indo.com/distance
Use this valuable resource to determine mileage between two cities in preparation for traveling.

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These pages are copyright 2003 by the Association for Childhood Education International. Please send any comments to Marilyn Gardner at aceimemb@aol.com.

Last updated April 2003