Wiring a House

This is a project that would be near the end of an electrical unit. It takes a couple of class periods to set up, depending on how advanced your class is. Students get to design and plan their own model house and wire it with working lights and switches. There is multiple stages to this project including planning your wire layout, drawing the wiring diagram, getting supplies, actual wire the house and finally decorate . I found this in the STC book under electricity.

Settling in the far west

I found this website when looking up topics for settling in the far west. It details different western states and gives a brief blurb about what happened in that state. It also outlines the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail. I would use this website as part of a bigger project for students to research the Oregon trail and the western states.

Website

Life During the American Revolution

This book is very organized and concise. The information provided is very detailed and has many sources of information. There are first-hand accounts, pictures, maps, reproductions, and lots of text. The text is easy to read for students or for a teacher to read out loud. It is broken into sections with different fonts and styles. All first hand accounts are in italics and all facts are bolded. Many of the chapters start with a quote by a famous person during that time in history. These quotes allow a gateway into conversation about what the students will read. I would definitely use this as a source for myself, or allow students to use it as a source in their American Revolution studies.

Miller, Brandon Marie. (2000). Declaring Independence: Life During The American Revolution. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications.

Revolutionary War Timeline

This webpage comes from PBS. This is an interactive timeline that allows its viewers to read about the events that happened between 1760 and 1791. Each key term person has a link that will direct the reader to more detailed information. There are a few pictures that accompany the timeline which make it more visually stimulating. On the left hand side of the timeline there is a column that lists certain places and dates. When clicked on, the links bring the viewer to more detailed information. If “Boston 1774″ is clicked on, the viewer will be brought to a detailed view of the Boston Tea Party. The information about the Boston Tea Party is displayed in a newspaper style, with big headings, dates, and first hand accounts. This website could be used by students to find information about events or also for teachers to get a visual of how the events occurred.

Timeline Website

Forecasting Weather

This book is aimed for kids in grades 3-5. It explains many weather processes and instruments. Each description is detailed and gives directions so that students can witness the weather being described. After each description, there are experiments that students can participate in to better understand the weather and how meteorologists measure and predict. This can be used in the classroom as an aid to teachers that need guidance in teaching students about weather. It has many diagrams and pictures so it is very kid friendly.  I would model some of the experiments in lesson plans for my students, but also allow the students to view the book after.

Breen, Mark., and Kathleen Friestad. (2008). The Kids’ Book of Weather Forecasting. New York: Ideals Publishing.

Natural PH Indicator

This website is a great companion to a science experiment testing PH. Instead of using litmus paper, this website uses a natural indicator: cabbage juice. The natural indicator allows the experiment to be inexpensive and even more enriching to the students’ knowledge about testing PH in foods and liquids. The introduction provides valuable information to the teacher and the procedures are very clear. At the end of the article, there are a few articles listed that are related to this experiment. Teachers could easily navigate from this webpage to other valuable sources.

PH Website

Native Americans During the American Revolution

This chapter book is a key source for teachers to use if they want to understand the relationship that the white citizens of the United States (Europeans) had with the Native Indians. The book is loaded with first hand documents like sketches and maps. The maps provide a different look at how the Indian territory was being taken by the Europeans. The text in the book is very concise and filled with many details and facts. This book is in simple language that can be used only by the teacher or to be read to the students.

Calloway, Colin G. (1995). The American Revolution in Indian Country: Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities. Boston: Cambridge University Press.

American Revolution Facts and People

This book is great for both teachers and students. It has many facts about people, weapons, places, and objects used during the American Revolution. Obviously since it is a DK book, each fact is accompanied by at least one associated picture. It is very interactive and allows teachers to be able to share pages with students, or have students research by themselves. The is a credible series of books that students may be familiar with. The familiarity may allow students to seek and find information quickly.

Murray, Stuart. (2002). American Revolution: DK Eyewitness Book. New York: DK Publishing

Emulsifiers

This website is very useful. It outlines many experiments that teachers can use in

the classroom. After each experiment, a lesson plan is attached. The lesson plan is

in a simple form, but can be easily adapted to any classroom. This particular

lesson plan advises teachers how to show students the role of emulsifiers in food

and also the importance of emulsifiers.

Website

 

Women involved in the Civil War

This book is really great as a reference guide for teachers to use. It is constructed in a chapter book style. The index is great to identify certain words of people’s names. The book begins by giving background information about the roles that women participated in before the civil war. It notes dates, and provides specific examples of women. As the book continues, many famous women are explained and placed into their specific role during the Civil War. Some of these women include Clara Barton, Susan B. Anthony, Eliza Frances Andrews, and Mary Boykin Chesnut. 5 would use this book to become an expert of some of these women, and then pick certain elements from the book to teach my students. By reading chapters of this book, I feel that a teacher would be better equipped to answer students’ hard questions.

Massey, Mary Elizabeth. (1994). Women in the Civil War. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press