May

=May Monthly Highlights=

**Mothers Are Special! Celebrate! Brainstorm adjectives that describe your mom using Inspiration. Write an Acrostic Poem with these words in MS Word. She will appreciate your thoughts!

**
 * [[file:My Mother.doc]]**

[|**Motherhood Math: Mothers in the Workforce**] **- Study an online table and discover how the number of mothers in the workforce has changed since 1955 - Worksheet included. [|Memories of Mom] - Students write their special memories of Mom using daily writing prompts //-//** //A Holiday Memory With Mom, A Funny Moment With Mom, The Best Advice My Mother Gave Me , Mom Always Says ... , A Time I Told a Fib to Mom, and more.//

[|Edublogs] - Create a classroom blog for your upcoming students. A wonderful way to encourage collaboration and publish student writing! [|Del.icio.us] * [|Diigo] - Keep your favorite bookmarks online and share! You can access your favorite web sites from any computer at school, home, or any location with Internet access. [|Google Docs & Spreadsheets] - The online way to keep your files - Create, Edit, Share - Free! [|GCast] - Podcast from your cell phone! //Make your voice heard...// [|Google Video] - Search, upload, and share videos online - Education category [|Flickr] - Manage & share your photos [|Box.net] - Free Online File Storage, Internet File Sharing, RSS Sharing, Access Documents & Files**
 * [|Web 2.0] - What is it? Sharing & Collaborating! The future brings [|Web 3.0]?
 * [|Wikipedia] - A collaborative encyclopedia under a Wiki platform that is written and maintained by volunteers.**

**[|Cinco de Mayo WebQuest] - Discover Mexican history and culture! This webquest includes links to websites for learning more about the history of Cinco de Mayo, fiesta food, Mariachi music, and pinatas! [|Cinco de Mayo Vocabulary] - Unique vocabulary activities and printable puzzles [|Interactive Quiz] - Take the quiz to learn more about Cinco de Mayo.**
 * [|Cinco de Mayo] - Resources from Teach-nology - lesson plans, vocabulary builders, crafts, and more**
 * [|Unitedstreaming] - View //"Holiday Facts and Fun: Cinco de Mayo"// - Blackline Master student learning sheet and online quiz included**


 * [[image:http://www.lexington1.net/technology/instruct/months/images/sun.gif width="240" height="217" align="right"]]Yippee! It's Vacation Time!**
 * Start planning your summer vacation! Students research using the Internet, collect data, use a spreadsheet to display information, and write persuasive paragraphs.**

Take an Internet Road Trip to some of America's favorite vacation spots! Start at a vineyard off the cape, continue to Saratoga Springs, the Catskill Mountains, Coney Island, Great Smoky Mountains, Opryland, and more. Short paragraphs with a picture are used to introduce the destinations. A US map reveals your progress throughout the journey! Special feature stories include Miami Beach, Car Camping, and Summer Camp.** [|**Google Earth**] - Amazing way to explore the world! Do a student survey of the locations your students will be traveling this summer. Use Excel to collect and graph their responses. Practice graph reading skills!**
 * [|RiverVenture!] (from Knowitall.org) Your students will love these river excursions - "The Three Rivers", Columbia, SC and "The Estuary", Charleston, SC - Move your mouse & see all that appears! See if you can find the Panoramas, gather clues, and file a River Wrap report. Click and learn as you journey!**
 * [|NatureScene Interactive] (SCETV) Explore parks and nature preserves across the United States! Destination options include: Take the Tour (includes videos), Lay of the Land, Who Lives Here?, Who Am I?, Site Description, and wonderful Learning Resources for teachers, students, and families!**
 * [|WayBack - Summer Vacation!] (from PBS American Experience)
 * [|National Geographic Explorer] - Play this month's game! Enjoy the Activities, Articles, Word Challenge, and Quick Flicks all through the summer!**
 * Are We There Yet?**
 * [|MapQuest]** **- Check the distance from home to your ideal vacation destiny!

**Digital Information for South Carolina Users**

[|**DISCUS**] **can be accessed from school, home, or the public library!**
 * Remember to take advantage of South Carolina's Virtual Library - an electronic library of essential information and learning resources for all South Carolina citizens. You will find a wealth of information - InfoTrac Periodicals & Reference, Biography Resource Center, Who's Who, Health & Wellness Resource Center, What Do I Read Next?, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, The New Book of Knowledge Online, Encyclopedia Americana Online, SIRS Discoverer, SIRS Knowledge Source - do use this wonderful resource!**

These creepy crawlies are from the Arthropod group of animals. Do you know the characteristics of all insects? Take time to explore! [|Insects Theme Page]**
 * [[image:http://www.lexington1.net/technology/instruct/months/images/bug.gif width="71" height="75" align="left"]] BUGS! BUGS! BUGS! They're Everywhere in Summer!

(Do a Unitedstreaming keyword search: insects)**
 * [|Unitedstreaming] - Explore videos such as //The Incredible World of Insects, Junior Zoologist: Insects//,//Those Amazing Arthropods!//, //World of Nature: Insect Disguises//, //Insects: Facts and Folklore//, and more!


 * **Write About Your Dream Vacation!**

|| **For interesting fun, students can pick one imaginary place they'd like to visit this summer, then write a short paragraph about it to share with the class. Include where they're going, why they want to go, and one special attraction they would like to see while visiting. Here are a few locations to give a start! Use Internet resources!** [|Charleston] - South Carolina [|Savannah] - Georgia [|Disney World] - Florida [|NatureScene Interactive] - US Parks [|The Caribbean] - Tropical islands [|Hawai'i] - The ? state to join the United States of America.** || [|The World Fact Book]** **- Facts about countries of the world - Learn about others!** [|GeoBee Challenge] - Play everyday - You'll learn more about geography! [|Biomes of the World] - Rainforest, tundra, desert, grasslands, temperate, taiga** [|Geography4Kids] - Physical geography and earth science basics - Earth Structure, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere, BGC Cycles, Climates (You will also enjoy [|Chem4Kids] and [|Biology4Kids])**
 * [|Myrtle Beach] - South Carolina
 * **Additional Geography Resources:**
 * [|MapMachine] - Locate cities, countries, or other locations around the world - cool map here!**
 * [|MapQuiz] - Tons of quizzes to keep you busy for hours. Lots of other "stuff" here too!
 * [|MapQuiz] - Tons of quizzes to keep you busy for hours. Lots of other "stuff" here too!
 * [|The USA Quiz] - Excellent review of the 50 states with an interactive map.
 * [|Habitats] - Explore Cities & Suburbs, Deserts & Tundra, Forests, Fresh Water, Oceans & Coasts, and Prairies!**
 * [|Foreign Language for Travelers] - Learn common phrases; hear pronunciations; find currency exchange rates; a hotel database; and more! This is an excellent resource for Foreign Language teachers.


 * **Swimming Anyone?**
 * **Swimming Anyone?**
 * **Swimming Anyone?**
 * **Swimming Anyone?**


 * [|**Wild Animal Watch: Dolphins**]** - What are dolphins? What's the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise? What are flippers and flukes? How fast do dolphins swim? What is echolocation? Learn all about these exciting mammals of the sea!
 * [|What Is A Dolphin?] (from SeaWorld)****[|About Marine Animals] - Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises, Seals, Sea Lions, Walruses, Manatees, Dugongs, and more! This site also includes a few [|grammar tips] for writing a report, plus, you can take a [|quiz on marine mammals]!**

(Do a Unitedstreaming keyword search: dolphins or whales or oceans)** || [|Miami Sea Aquarium] Swim with the dolphins! [|Whale Web] - Facts -whales, dolphins, & porpoises [|Seaside Live!] 3D Creatures, Coastal Habitats, and other topics related to marine ecology. ||
 * [|Unitedstreaming] - Take advantage of the many opportunities to show your students "real-life" videos****! Blackline Masters, Teacher Guides, and South Carolina Standards are available.


 * Stay Sharp During the Summer Months!**

[|Storyline Online] - An online streaming video program featuring Screen Actors Guild members reading children's books aloud [|FableVision Place] - Stories, games, and fun places! [|Story Hour]- from the Internet Public Library - Perfect stories for group classroom viewing...Do take a few minutes and look at "Do Spiders Live on the World Wide Web?" Consider having your class write, illustrate, and publish their own story! Summer Reading - Encourage your students to read during the summer months.Here are several Internet sites you can suggest to them! [|Page By Page Books] - Expand your horizons! Read a book online! [|Kidsreads.com]- A reading activity site especially for kids! [|Eagerreaders.com]- Book lists, topics, suggested reading[|GigglePoetry.com] - The #1 Fun Poetry Site for Kids on the Web[|Children's Storybooks Online] - Read online with your students! They can read during the summer! [|Writing] - Help your students learn to write well. (Tips for parents and teachers are included, too!) [|Young Writers Workshop] - Story starters and activity pages to encourage writing
 * [[image:http://www.lexington1.net/technology/instruct/months/images/flowerorg.gif width="94" height="102" align="left"]]Language Arts**
 * [|Carol Hurst's Literature Site] - A wealth of information - reviews of books for students, ideas of ways to use them in the classroom, subject resources, curriculum areas, themes - a wonderful resource for cross-curriculum planning.**

[|Mega Mathematics] - If you're looking for unusual math activities that encourage thinking skills, this is the place! Take a look at "The Most Colorful Math of All, "Games On Graphs", or "Machines That Eat Your Words" for a start. Your students will remember your class forever if you dare to try any of these activities with them.** [|Fractions - Elementary School Lessons & Materials] - Explore many ways to help students understand fractions. The "Review and Enrichment" section has several fun games such as [|I've Got Your Number] - A super way to review any math skill. [|MathStories.com] - Word problems based on Dr. Seuss books - Ready to print! Also, you can find word problems based on The Three Little Pigs ([|higher grades] -[| lower grades]) [|101 Math Links] (from www.101science.com, which has links for all subjects) This web site will give you links to math sites for a variety of grade levels and math skills. [|Math Baseball] - Play ball and practice math!**
 * [[image:http://www.lexington1.net/technology/instruct/months/images/flowerorg.gif width="94" height="102" align="left"]]Math**
 * [|NumberNut] - Shapes & Colors, Counting,Operations, Date & Time, Money, Decimals, and more
 * [|Visual Fractions] - Interactive practice using lines and circles to identify fractions. Fun!**
 * [|All About Fractions] (from AAAMath) - Each page has an explanation, interactive practice, and challenge games about fractions.

//**"Dear X" .....Keep A Summer Diary!** (named for "Excel")// //** **(Adapted from The Technology Loop)//**
 * This is a perfect way to encourage writing throughout the summer. Students use Excel as a personal journal. They can record exciting events, places they visit, activities they do, or just use it to write creative stories and personal thoughts. The journal can be used daily, weekly, or whenever the mood strikes. Creative students can practice technology skills by changing background colors, font colors, adding graphics, etc. This is also a wonderful way to keep several months of writing in 1 file! Extra worksheets can be added as necessary. Any student/parent with Internet access and Excel software can download this file at home. Try it!

[|**Primary Resources**] **- Free lesson plans, activity ideas and resources for teachers in all subject areas - Web, PowerPoint, SMART Board, and more!** [|Teachers Hub K-12 Interactive Learning Center] Online curriculum resources Review skills with interactive learning! This site has resources for elementary, middle, and high school students plus a quiz hub, spelling hub, words hub, and teachers hub!

[|OpenMind]**
 * [[image:http://www.lexington1.net/technology/instruct/months/images/flowerorg.gif width="94" height="102" align="left"]][|The Graphic Organizer] - Visual learning resources and information on the use of graphic organizers such as Inspiration. There are examples as well. You may want to explore this site during your free summer vacation time.**
 * [|Inspiration]
 * And more visual learning [|examples] you can browse!**