New and updated eThemes
Newest eThemes for the week of September 8, 2008
Earth's Spheres
Learn about the four main spheres of the Earth: lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere. Find out how the Earth has changed since the Pangea times and learn about colliding continents, land masses, formation and destruction of lakes, rivers, mountains, and volcanoes. Learn how scientists use Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite sonograms and ground-probing radars to learn more about the Earth. Includes simulations, animations, videos, games, quizzes, and in-class activities. Also includes eThemes resources on the Earth's atmosphere, water cycle, and ecosystems.
Updated eThemes for the week of September 8, 2008
Animals: Rabbits and Hares
These sites are about rabbits and hares. Learn the similarities and differences between them. There is information on wild rabbits, their behavior, and economic importance to humans, and sites about how to care for domestic rabbits. There are videos, audio clips, lesson plans, and many pictures. Included is an eThemes resource on farm animals.
Going Green
These sites provide resources and information on helping a school "go green". There is information on strategies to teach kids about going green and to help create a green school environment. There are also guidelines for schools to get started with the green school program and examples of best practices from other schools. Includes animations and interactive websites, lesson plans, and teaching resources. There are links to eThemes Resources on Recycling, Energy: Renewable and Non-Renewable, Earth Day, and Community Projects.
Habitat: Tundra
These sites are about the types of climate, wildlife, and vegetation that are found in tundras. Locate tundras on maps and view photographs. Learn the difference between alpine and Arctic tundras. Includes classroom activities, video clips, and lesson plans. There are links to eThemes Resources on Arctic inhabitants, Arctic explorers, Alaska, Canada, and habitats.
Natural Disasters: Relief Efforts
A collection of sites describing natural disasters and various relief efforts. Provides preparation and clean-up tips and how to protect family animals. Includes videos, games, and quizzes about natural disasters. eThemes Resources on specific disasters are included.
Plants: Gardening
These sites offer gardening tips and planting activities for kids. Includes hands-on experiments, lesson plans, quizzes, and photographs of plants and flowers. There are links to two eThemes Resources on plants.
Plants: Photosynthesis for Elementary School
These sites focus on photosynthesis and plant growth. There are animations that demonstrate the photosynthesis process, and how plants grow as well as activities, games, and online quizzes. There are also links to eThemes Resources on plants: species and parts, carnivorous plants, plant's life cycles, plants: gardening, teaching with comedy, and Plants: What do Plants Need to Live.
Recycling
These sites have information on solid waste, composting, and recycling. Read about how paper and plastic are recycled. Includes online games and classroom project ideas. There are links to eThemes Resources on Earth Day and pollution.
Weather: Hurricanes
These sites are all about hurricanes. Watch videos on how they form and see photos that show a hurricane's aftermath. Also, learn how to track a hurricane and tips on how to prepare for this dangerous weather. Includes weather maps, hurricane simulations, and lesson plans. There is also a link to eThemes Resource on Natural Disasters: Relief Efforts.
Newest eThemes for the week of September 1, 2008
Geography: Absolute and Relative Location
These sites are about the geographic concept of location. Learn the difference between absolute and relative location. There are maps, activities, lesson plans, and more. Included is an eThemes resource on the five themes of geography.
Literature Awards: Truman Award Nominees 2008-2009
These sites are about the Truman Awards nominees for 2008-2009. Includes biographies for the authors, some book excerpts, reviews, and activities.
Physics: Concave and Convex Lenses
These sites focus on concave and convex lenses. Learn what they are, how they are different, and how they can help correct farsightedness and nearsightedness. There are also topics on light, prisms, and reflection. Includes simulations of lenses, interactive games, hand-on experiments, lesson plans, and quizzes. There are links to eThemes Resources on Physics: Light, Human Body: Eyes, and Microscopes.
Updated eThemes for the week of September 1, 2008
Geography: Five Themes of Geography
Developed by the National Council for Geographic Education in 1984, the five themes of geography are Location, Place, Human-Environment Interactions, Movement, and Regions. These websites have definitions of each of the five themes, lesson plan ideas, and resources for exploring individual themes in depth. Includes an eThemes resource on absolute and relative location.
Literature: "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry
There are summaries, suggested activities, and online quizzes about the book "Number the Stars." Also learn about author Lois Lowry. Includes a link to an eThemes Resource on the Holocaust.
Literature: "The Great Turkey Walk" by Kathleen Karr
These sites have activities relating to the book "The Great Turkey Walk." Read biographies of author Kathleen Karr, plus learn basic facts about turkeys. There are activities, discussion questions, a game, and WebQuest that go along with the book. Includes an eThemes Resource on Turkeys.
Literature: "The Iceman" by Don Lessem
These sites contain information about the non-fiction book "The Iceman" by Don Lessem. Articles reveal how the Iceman was found in the Italian Alps. Also contains information about life during the Stone, Bronze, and Copper Ages. Includes activities and videos on mummies, plus an interactive archaeology game.
Literature: "Trouble River" by Betsy Byars
These resources include suggested activities for the book and biographies on author Betsy Byars. There is also information about the book's themes of pioneer life and rafting. Includes eThemes resources on Westward Expansion.
Literature: Choose Your Own Adventure Stories
These sites provide some examples of "Choose Your Own Adventure" stories, definitions of story structure and tips on vivid grammar. Includes lesson plans, interactive stories with alternative endings. There is also a link to eThemes Resource on Writing: Fiction.
Literature: Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Read about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House books. Learn about the places the Ingalls family lived. Includes activities and teaching guides to go along with various Little House books. Listen to fiddle playing and other music from that period. Read documents written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Literature: Mystery Books
Read all about different mystery books and their authors. Books include "Who Stole the Wizard of Oz," "Encyclopedia Brown," the "Cam Jensen Mystery" series, "Nancy Drew", and "Bunniculla." Includes classroom activity ideas and some interactive quizzes.
Maps: How to Use Them
These sites cover various maps skills and vocabulary words related to using maps. Compare and contrast different maps. Includes online games and quizzes, lesson plans, print outs. There are links to eThemes resources on latitude and longitude, political, economic, physical, and topographical maps and how to use maps.
Maps: Physical and Topographic
These sites feature physical and topographical maps to help students find natural and man-made features. Includes interactive maps, images, games, and a lesson plan. There are links to eThemes resources on political maps and how to use maps.
Maps: Political and Economic
This eThemes resource is a collection of maps that represent political boundaries, major cities, transportation routes, etc. Maps of the world, continents, countries, states, and regions. Some are downloadable and can be modified using graphics editors. Includes images of the maps, printouts, quizzes, and online games. There are links to eThemes resources on physical and topographical maps and how to use the maps.
Missouri: Interstate 70
These sites focus on Missouri's stretch of Interstate 70 and the poor road condition and traffic congestion problems. There are sites about the history of the interstate 70 and interstate, and how it was built. There are statistics on traffic fatalities, accidents, and maps of highways in each state. Includes games on highway safety. Many of these sites cover the debate surrounding Missouri's I-70 problems and are meant to serve as background information for teachers.
Missouri: State Flag
These sites help students identify and learn about state flags, specifically focusing on the Missouri state flag. Includes lesson plans, activities, interactive quizzes, coloring pages, and lots of computer-made pictures of the Missouri flag and other state flags. Also includes information about flag designer Marie Elizabeth Oliver. There is also a link to eThemes Resource on Missouri Facts.
Native Americans: Adobe House
These sites show different views of adobe houses and the types of bricks used to construct these houses. Includes instructions for building an adobe house model and also how to make an adobe bricks.
Native Americans: Totem Poles
These sites have photographs and information on totem poles. Learn about the significance of this art from the Northwest Native Americans. Includes the Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Haida tribes in Alaska and Canada. Includes hands-on totem pole activities and a lesson plan. There is a link to eThemes Resource on Literature: "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelson.
Native Americans: Wampanoag
These sites are about the Wampanoag Indians and Squanto. Squanto helped the Pilgrims and may have been present at the first Thanksgiving. There are maps, lesson plans, and a play. Included is an eThemes resource on Thanksgiving.
Olympic Torch Relay
These sites focus on the Olympics torch relay for the summer 2004 and 2008 games and the winter 2002 and 2006 games. Includes interactive maps, biographies of the torchbearers, videos, photographs, and answers to common questions about the torch. There are links to eThemes Resources on the summer and winter Olympics.
Quilts: Literature Activities
These sites provide information and activity ideas about children's books that reference quilts and quilting, such as "The Keeping Quilt," "The Patchwork Quilt," and many others. Includes interactive games of quilting vocabulary and links to eThemes resources on Quilts: Past and Present and Quilts: Underground Railroad.
Quilts: Past and Present
Look at quilts throughout history including patterns and design construction. Covers quilts from the United States, Great Britain, Asia, Australia, Latin America, and elsewhere. Includes classroom activity ideas, audio recordings of quilt makers, an online game, and many photos of quilt patterns. Underground Railroad quilts are found on some sites. Includes an eThemes resource on Quilts: Literature Activities.
Rivers: Mississippi River
Learn all about the Mississippi River, its role in Westward expansion, and its importance to Missouri. Sites include maps, photos, an audio file and Webcams.
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Learn all about the seven wonders of the ancient world including history and what still remain today. See paintings and sketches that show what the six lost wonders may have looked like, plus view photos of the only remaining wonder, the Pyramid of Giza. Includes games and quizzes. There are also links to eThemes Resource on Pyramids and Ancient Greece.
Transportation: Boats
Information about the different kinds of boats. Learn about canoes, pirogues, keelboats, cruise ships, and sailboats. Hands-on activities and lesson plans are also included. There are also links to eThemes Resources on steamboats, transportation, and Physics: Buoyancy.
Writing: Newspaper Articles
These sites have tips for writing newspaper stories. Learn how to write using an inverted pyramid and answer the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how. Includes information about headlines, leads, and story angles. There are links to eThemes Resources on newspaper production and news sites for students.
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