POST #3: Share a resource

I teach in a small private school and we did not have a user name or password.  I appreciate how quickly I could call someone from the AEA and they were able to give me the information I needed to complete this activity.  I enjoyed getting on Bookflix. I was working on another class assignment and clicked on some of the science books.  I was amazed at how easy it was to navigate and I found several books that would fit into the lesson I was planning.  I picked the book The Curious Garden Our Earth: Helping Out. Immediately I saw several uses for this book.  I appreciate the lesson plans and the activities that are planned out to use.  I can see several cross curriculum ideas.  I found myself looking for other ideas in other topics.  I plan on using the book A Drop Of Water, too.  I thought the post viewing activities were wonderful.  I am thankful for the opportunity to use these resources and see what is available.  I also shared these resources with another teacher in my building and she was excited to implement them into her curriculum, too.  I believe this will only enrich our students.  

I had fun looking through the different resources during this online course finding materials that I could use in the classroom.  In Bookflix I found a book called "Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin" which I will be creating a lesson plan for my K-5 Students.  The book can be found by using the following link:  http://bkflix.grolier.com/sw/node-33986/bk0044pr

"Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin" would be great with focusing on sounds and instruments.  It does a nice job of describing the different instruments by the pictures, words, and sounds used in the story.  

For grades K-2 I would also use the "Explore the Web" tab and click "Play your Sounds Right" as a group activity to help the kids match the instruments to the sounds.  http://bkflix.grolier.com/ncpage?tn=/gii.html&bl=off&url=http://www.bbc.com/bitesize/ks1/science/sounds_and_pitch/play/

For grades 3-5 the "Puzzler!" tab gives an option of "word match" and "fact or fiction" that can be used as an activity by the students.  http://bkflix.grolier.com/pz/node-33986/bk0044pr

Excited to use in the classroom!  

I love teaching social studies and this year with the elections will be very exciting one.  I know I will be using a magazine for students called "Elections 2016" but I also want to tie in information on the Presidents and Washington DC as well. Because I have a wide range of readers I will use both Bookflix as well as Trueflix.
Bookflix: Under the People and Places tab I will use the following stories - John, Paul, George and Ben and Ben Franklin, Just a Few Words Mr. Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln, So you Want to Be President and George Washington. Under the Celebrations tab I will use - Duck for President and Election Day.
Trueflix:The entire tab for US Government is excellent but especially The Presidency and Voting. Under the Civil War tab there is also an excellent biography on Abe Lincoln.

Next year I will need to create my science curriculum with limited resources. I do not have many resources that the school has provided. My school plans on getting new science resources in a year so I have to find my own this year. I also need to start implementing the new science standards. One of the main concepts that I need to teach is energy. I will teach the basics of energy and then go in depth with each topic. After we have finished learning every topic the students will create a model that shows energy change from one form to another.

I want to use the AEA online resources for my energy unit. I went to the AEA Online and clicked on the BritannicaSchool tab. I clicked on the Elementary tab and typed in alternative energy. http://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/search/videos?query=alternative%20energy&includeLevelOne=1&page=1 

I found two videos that I plan on using. I found videos on wind turbine energy and one on the Pelamis power generator to show that the motion of the waves converts into energy. One of my main focuses will be on energy waves so this video is perfect! It will also go with the video I took of the waves at the beach to show this same concept.

I also found many articles that the students can use for their projects. I like how the site has Lexile filtering so my students can find articles that are most appropriate for their level.

I will use BookFlix for my elementary students for reading and comprehension because a lot of my students read below grade level this site is good for them because they can follow along as it reads to them. After they read/listen to the book I will ask questions about the book to check their understanding. This site is also great because they don't have to read the same book as everyone else the can choose the story they want to hear.
This is how you get to BookFlix:
*Go to AEA Grant Wood
*click on Online Resources
*click on BookFlix
*login in (your school should have your user name and password)
*enjoy reading

Even though I haven't yet taught in the school, because I have a daughter in middle elementary in the district, I know 3rd and 4th grade students do various classroom reports and projects using biographies. The resource I can use to supplement what the teachers are doing is the Britannica School (Elementary Level) database. What I would like to suggest to teachers who do these projects, if it isn't already in place, is to make using an online resource an objective for completing the project. The outcome of using Britannica, would be to become accustomed to logging on, searching, using and/or printing online materials in conjunction with written material available in the library and classroom. Britannica is the perfect resource for this because, not only is it simple to navigate, but it contains a direct link to view biographies by last name that students will find helpful in browsing for a subject, as well as completing their projects: http://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/browse/index/biography#/ 

I love BookFlix.  What I did, was googled Book Flix and it brings you to Scholastic Library Publishing.  (typed in something similar to this...www.scholastic.com/digital/#book).  Once you are logged in to Scholastic Library Publishing, you select Book Flix and you can select Free Trial.  (Which I would definitely use in my lower elementary classroom).  

Actually once I selected Free Trial, I had to sign in with my school.  Once you have your school signed in, you can continue in BookFlix.  Find the book you want to listen too.  

I would use this for my PreK-3rd grade classrooms.  Excellent time for students to listen/watch the story being read to them.  Helps the children build fluency and word recognition.  Love how it highlights the words as they listen to the story.  

I usually introduce an author a month.  So I have a little corner of the classroom dedicated to that author with his "popular" books.  Then the children can listen to them online in their free time.  It also allows you to meet the author.

http://bkflix.grolier.com/r#

This is a link to a BookFlix resource page. I went to the Iowa AEA online webpage and clicked on BookFlix on the left side. I logged in and then it took me to the home page. From there I looked through many of the book pairs. I was very impressed with the amount of books they had available. I clicked on the link at the top right that said resources. I then clicked on the first tab at the top that said using paired texts. This is the link that I shared. It had lots of ideas and different ways to use the paired readings. I thought that it was helpful to look for additional ideas on ways to use the paired texts. The actual link that I shared is helpful to teachers and parents for ideas that can be used for the students using the paired texts. The students that it would be beneficial to are students in grades K-3. In my case, I have lower readers so some of the paired texts may be appropriate for some of my older students. I will use this with my students by letting them do a paired text as part of their weekly rotations in my room. It will allow them to practice their reading skills as well as gaining new vocabulary. It will also build confidence as they are able to do this on their own!

During this course I especially liked TrueFlix.  My students in grades 3 and 4 complete a research project on a topic they care about.  Often students don’t know where to start.  TrueFlix offers multiple, relevant topics and uses video to hook and engage students.  Here is the TrueFlix Main Page. I just love the choices for learning:  Disasters, Ecosystems, Biographies, Civil War, etc.   I was not able to open the digital book accompanying the video but will contact my media specialist to find out why.  I especially like the link on “project ideas” to help students share their learning.  TrueFlix helps students to explore a topic of interest, learn interesting details, and find links to exciting web resources.  

Blog 3 Share a Resource:
I see AP Text and Photo Data bases as most helpful and effective resources.
Here is my blog on about the dangers of Statin drugs as noted in Dr. Graveline’s book Lipitor: Thief of Memory; Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol.
Lipitor: Thief of Memory; Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol by, Dr. Duane Graveline-A Book Review. All Rights Reserved Infinity Publishing-ISBN 0744-1881-9
 Dr. Duane Graveline, Flight Surgeon, former Astronaut, Aerospace Medical Researcher, Scientist and Family Doctor writes this book after losing his memory for a week.
 Dr. Graveline lost his memory for a week and was hospitalized because of the Statin Drug, Lipitor. His book addressed the little known, dangerous side effects of statin drugs.
He details in this book the research on how statin drugs can cause memory loss, depression, and muscle loss/pain and kidney damage.  He also makes the case for vascular inflammation as the greater culprit in cardiovascular disease.
 Noting that if the Blood vessels were not inflamed that the blood vessels would not be so likely to catch and hold clots of plaque. He cites the role of B Vitamins 6 and 12 in reducing vascular inflammation.
 Dr. Graveline asks, “What happens if the pilot flying your plane loses his memory from a statin drug and mentally reverts back to being a 10 year old boy before he knew how to fly?”
 In this book Dr. Graveline expresses concern on page 41 “Biosynthesized in the mitochondria---the tiny powerhouse of the cell that is responsible for cellular respiration and energy—ubiquinone function and vital and necessary electron carrier to our ultimate respiratory enzyme, cytochrome c oxidase. Because of the extremely high energy demands of the heart, this organ is usually the first statin-associated CoQ10 depletion as cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.”2, 3 (2- Ibid ;3- Keys A Coronary heart disease in seven countries.)
 Can statin drugs cause congestive heart failure?
 “Dr. Peter Langsjoen, well–know cardiologist reported at the Weston A. Price Foundation meeting held in Washington D.C. in May 2003 on many cases of statin associated congestive heart failure encountered in his busy cardiology practice. He had become a strong advocate of Co Q10 supplementation for all his patients of statin drugs as well as limiting doses or stopping statins.”
 “Because of the extremely high energy demands of the heart, this organ is usually the first to feel the statin associated Co Q 10 depletion as cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.” Page 41
“Low cholesterol is strong independent predictor of impaired survival in older heart failure patients.”  Page 55
“Homocysteine elevation second to vitamin deficiency appears to be a major player…in heart disease.’  Per Dr. Mc Cully’s research, Page 88.

 Can statin drugs cause polyneuropathy/peripheral neuropathy?
 “Ubiquinone is a slightly altered form known as ubiquinol is found in all membranes where it has a vital function in maintaining membrane integrity. Compromise of this important role is through to be involved in both nerve conduction defects associated with statin drugs and muscle cell breakdown. Dr. David Gaist in a study of 116 patients reported a 16 times greater risk of polyneuropathy among long term statin users. This new and very serious side effect of statins should be of special concern to diabetics, many of whom have prescribed statins because of their high risk status. All doctors know that a very common outcome of long standing diabetes is peripheral neuropathy.”
 Can statin drugs increase your morbidity from cancer? Dr. Uffe Ravnskov’s book, The Cholesterol Myths ( New Trends Publishing 2000) reports of the PROSPER trial published in “Lancet, that statin therapy increased the incidence of cancer deaths, completely off setting the slight decrease in deaths from cardiovascular disease and further complicating of reported benefits from statin therapy. Page36.
 How can Statin drugs affect memory?
 “Pfreiger’s group found that nerve cells must have external sources of cholesterol to form synaptic contact. The brain cannot tap the cholesterol to form synaptic contacts. The brain cannot tap the cholesterol supply of the blood for this purpose, since the lipoproteins that transport cholesterol are too big to pass the blood–brain barrier. Therefore, brain cells must make their own cholesterol and, in this highly specialized organ of the body, the glial cells provide that cholesterol.
 Many questions still exist about the precise mechanism by which cholesterol modulates the formation and function of these magic contact points between cells known as synapse, but there is no longer the slightest doubt that it is vital to this role and must be present in sufficient quantity. Not bad press for a substance defined over the past decades as so notorious it can now be used to frighten small children about their eating habits.”
 Page 33:  Reference 7 Pfrieger F. Brain researcher discover bright side of ill famed molecule-Science 9 November, 2001
 “With ubquinones during production is an absolute requirement for bio synthesis by gilial cells for synapse “Page 98
 Can the low or lowered cholesterol level s contribute to depression and low serotonin levels?
 On Page 55, Dr. Graveline cites “That low or lowered cholesterol also contributes to aggressive behavior, violence, depression and mood disturbances has led to a variety of investigations in the field to propose a cholesterol/serotonin hypothesis to explain the relationships.”
 9. Kaplan M. Low cholesterol cause aggressive behavior and depression. Psychomatic Medicine 56, 479-484. 1998.
10.Bender, KJ, Psychiatric Times  15 (5), 1998
11. Duits N, Bos F. Depressive symptoms and cholesterol lowering drugs. Lancet 341`, Letter, 1999
12. Lechleiter, M.  Depressive Symptoms in hyper cholesterol patients treated with pravastatin Lancet  340 ,Letter,  1999

 What might be the role of  homocysteine/methionine in cardio vascular disease?
  On page 77 ,  “Kilmer Mc Cully’s proposition that arteriosclerosis is largely due to alteration in the homocysteine/methionine metabolic pathways with cholesterol assuming a passive role, at best is rapidly gaining support. Although the jury still is out…”
 
Why is the risk for heart disease and stroke so high?
 Dr. Graveline questions on page 81 if our increased consumption of carbohydrates increase the American Public risk of heart attacks and strokes rather that cholesterol since,” After 50 years of  low cholesterol/low fat diet we are now a nation of fattened sheep conditioned to the erroneous belief that cholesterol is our enemy and almost with low or no fat is our friend”.
 
Does the Heart and Brain run 25 percent more efficiently on ketones than blood sugar?
 Richard Veech is quoted by Taubes in an interview as noted on page 83; as “calling ketones" “magic” showing that the heart and brain run 25 percent more efficiently on ketones than on blood sugar.” Ketones are generated from burning fat and protein for energy. According to Graveline, “As cave men were on a “Ketosis High,” eating only when we could, not when we wanted to?
 Is heart disease really related to cholesterol?
 On page 87 Dr. Graveline quotes Dr. Dudley White “noted that heart disease in the of myocardial infarction was non-existent in the 1900 when egg consumption was high and corn oil was unavailable. When pressed to support the prudent diet, replied, Dr. White I began my practice as a cardiologist, in 1921 and never saw a myocardial infarction patient until 1928. Back in the MI-free days before 1920, the fats were butter and lard and think we would all benefit from the kind of diet that we had at a time when no one had ever heard of corn oil.””
 Dr. Graveline's book is a good read for anyone considering statin drugs or for those folks with family members already on a statin drug.

     I am really excited to use CultureGrams (States Edition) as one of my teaching tools from AEA Online Resources!  Each year in my 4th grade social studies classes, the students choose one of the 50 United States (randomly - - drawing a state name out of a bag).  They create a project about their state.  This poster project includes a map of the state, as well as other important state information (population, capital city, state symbols, motto, flag, etc....).  Upon completion of the projects, students make a presentation to the class as they share their project.  This is always the highlight to begin the school year.  Then, as we study each region of the United States, we have "student experts" on each of the 50 states.  They apply what they learned about their state as they recall the awesome information they learned from creating their project at the beginning of the year.  They love this, and are so excited to be a "state expert".
     Obviously, CultureGrams is absolutely perfect to utilize for these state projects.  My favorite feature is the "Listen" button.  Any student can be given the opportunity to follow along and listen to the state information.  It highlights the words as a voice reads the text for you.  This is perfect for my readers that need that extra assistance to help them feel success as they research about their state.  I also appreciate the fact that the information on CultureGrams is written in a way that is easily understood by elementary students.  Here is the link to one of the pages I explored about the state of Iowa:

http://online.culturegrams.com/states/state.php?sid=15&sn=Iowa

     Another feature I love about CultureGrams States Edition, is the timeline feature.  The first item, under the History category is Timeline.  Click on this, and it shows you a well-organized, easy to read and follow timeline about a state.  I plan to use this feature for my student state projects.  I plan to have students choose 2-3 historical events from each description on the timeline to create their own timeline, in addition to their state poster.  Here is the link to one of the state timelines:

http://online.culturegrams.com/states/state_timeline.php?sid=18&sn=Louisiana&StateSubCatID=4

I teach in a pre-k classroom.  The resource I chose to share is BookFlix.  During our community helper unit we learn about several different occupations.  For this lesson, I would go to the BookFlix website and click on the "Animals and Nature"  tab.  I would find the book pairings, Bark George and Pets at the Vet. We would first watch the Bark George book video, which is about a dog who visits the vet because he isn't barking.  This is a fun way to introduce vets and get the children interested and engaged.  After this fun video, we would talk a little about vets and their jobs.  We would then read the non-fiction book, Pets at the Vet.  Again, there are vocabulary words we would highlight and discuss.  After the two readings we would do the activity, Fact or Fiction, and have the class answer story related questions and identify if they are fact (true) or fiction (imaginary/pretend/not real). My overall objective would be for students to know what vets do in their job, and be able to name at least two facts.  Another objective I would have would to be able to distinguish fact from fiction, in relation to the two stories.  

I enjoyed the opportunity to look over many databases; I love BookFLIX, and will encourage students to use it. We have a link to the site from our media center page, students access it by opening the school website, then Media Center, then Databases, then BookFLIX icon, but here is the link:  http://auth.grolier.com/login/bookflix/login.php?bffs=N
BookFLIX has several features that I can use with the younger students. They learn to log in, (that is a huge accomplishment), and then get to enjoy quality literature, both fiction and non-fiction on a large variety of topics. From the category ASC’s and 123’s; I’ve chosen The Red Hen, and This is the Way We Help at Home. The fiction title is a personal childhood favorite, and that makes it fun for me to share.  After reading both books we can compare and contrast features between fiction and non-fiction texts. From the lesson plan, students can make predictions, learn vocabulary, and for this particular fiction title, learn about different versions of the story. These titles can also spark a discussion on cooperation and being helpful. The puzzler activities reinforce the themes and ideas presented in the books.

https://www.britannica.com
This is the URL for Britannica online.  I use this with my students because it helps them comprehend what we are doing.  It combines visual and print materials.  This site can be used for many different applications.  I use this resource with high School ESL students with limited English skills.  Britannica can be used for many different classes.  I use this to help students prepare for their work studies, to prepare reports, essays, projects.  They can use it for investigating personal studies.  The level of use by the students is limited to their education level.  Some students with limited language skills can learn easier with visual materials that go along with the material.  I have used some of the visual tools to illustrate for use in a skit, provide background for subject study.  By introducing the students to this resource, and having them learn how to use it themselves, it encourages more independent study, keeps them on task, and motivates them.    

Our district has a “Culture Fair” in the spring each year, and I have identified two resources that may help 7th-8th grade students simultaneously learn about a country of their choice and inform others about it as well, via a technology-based presentation.

First, CultureGrams (http://online.culturegrams.com/world/). Students would pick a country that isn’t situated in North America, and would data-scavenge. For this example, let’s say a student picks “Japan” by logging in, clicking on “World Edition,” then “Asia,” and finally “Japan.” They would have to gather information about the country; the challenge comes in trying NOT to identify the country, but rather giving clues about it (in a “Who am I?” sort of activity). To that end, they might have to click on links like “General Attitudes” and clue students in on the population’s mannerisms (for example, “this country honors age and tradition a lot, and they are so polite that they can’t flat-out say ‘no!’”).

Students can then use sites like Soundzabound (http://www.soundzabound.com/) to create a news program or short “game show” style program to clue their class in on what the country is. Searching for music motifs is easy; all a student needs to do is use the search or browse functions on the left-hand side of the page. For example, a student creating a news program can click on “Category” underneath the browsing option, and can click the theme that they are going for (whether it be news, game show, or otherwise). By clicking on “Game Show,” the student now has access to many royalty-free tracks they can listen to and download. Thus, students can record themselves and include music in their productions as well!

I went to Iowa AEA online and clicked on the database Britannica Online on the left side of the page.   After signing into Britannica I first selected to search the High School learning level and used "French Revolution" as the topic of the search.  I then clicked on the title "Nationalism and Imperialism" here is the link provided.
http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/106262#61459.toc

This article from Britannica will provide an excellent review source with the option to search further on other topics related to the test.  I choose this link due to the analysis and comparisons available as Britannica connects the French Revolutions with other movements of the era throughout European History.
 
To follow up with the previous review, I choose to explore AEA Digital Library and selected a short video review by searching "reign of terror".  Here is the provided link. http://www.aeadigitallibrary.org/media.aspx?id=8532

This short video provides information on the events that led up to the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.

The latest long-term sub assignment I completed was in an ELL class.  One group of 3rd/4th graders was supposed to make a poster of a web that featured the different characteristics of amphibians that included certain criteria, one of which was pictures. Using the following link from the AP data base would have been helpful for them to choose good photos for each characteristic:  http://classic.apimages.com/Search.aspx?st=k&remem=x&entity=&kw=amphibians&intv=None&shgroup=-10&sh=14

I went to the Iowa AEA Online page and logged in.  Then I chose the AP tab and searched for "amphibians". If the students would have had the time to expand this project, it would have been engaging for them to include video found in other databases such as the Digital Library or Britannica, to further explain the characteristics.  For ELL students, it is of ultra importance to build their understanding of the meaning of the vocabulary and concepts, so these resources could be a wonderful tool.

I will be reprising a project in High School Vocal Music where students make a presentation based on one of their pieces from the year.  This has been a good way to get my kids to connect more with one of their contest pieces beyond singing it or listening to it.  I have had several types of projects from kids recording themselves singing each of the voice parts then layering them together, to typical Keynote-type presentations, to Lyric Videos, to original stories and the like.  One thing that kids get stuck for hours on is simply opening a Google browser and clicking through hundreds of images and never getting anything accomplished, or never finding the thing they want.  

So, I will add to their list of resources iClipart, which can be accessed here: http://schools.iclipart.com/index2.php?tl=photos&keys=&rows=5

This resource has clipart, but additionally has categorized photos, photo objects, fonts, sounds, video clips, web graphics, and animations, all of which are free and legal for use in presentations.    Images are available as high-resolution downloads which will look far better in kids' presentations than what they would get from a "copy/paste" or a screen-shot.

I like that this will help my kids create better quality projects, and that in doing so will make them feel more successful in my class.

I took some time to navigate the different databases from Iowa AEA Online and found TeachingBooks.net to be a valuable resource that I can use with my kindergarten class. To get there, I first went to the Keystone home page. Clicked on TeachingBooks.net and put in my username and password. At the top of the page I clicked on Browse by grade level. I then selected kindergarten. Many books came up to choose from. I scrolled down and chose the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. I would use this online resource during the first few weeks of starting school to go with our friendship unit. I already have the students watch this story on Bookflix under family and community, but then I can also have them learn more about the author of the book by clicking on meet-the-Author movie with Kevin Henkes. This shows his writing and drawing process he went through in addition to other books he wrote. I also liked how you can click on the Lesson Plan links to use as discussion questions to engage students during the reading of the story. The only downfall I feel with the TeachingBooks.net online resource is that I wish it would read the story out loud.

For my resource I used TeachingBooks.net.  During my time teaching one book that 8th grade students had to read was The Book Thief.  TeachingBooks.net had many valuable resources that worked with this novel.  Below are two resources that I will use when having to teach this unit next year:

https://www.teachingbooks.net/qlw2fpa (Vocabulary List)

https://www.teachingbooks.net/qlp2wby (Lesson Plan dealing with the power of words)

The first resource is a Vocabulary list of words that students will encounter in the text.  This will be a good pre-reading activity to do with the students before we begin to read the novel.  It is nice because not only does it go over the vocabulary word but it specifically gives you a sentence from the novel that uses that word.  So, we would not only be going over vocabulary but it would also get the students thinking about the text.  The second resource is a lesson plan that extends beyond the book.  It has students look at the power of words, which is an important theme in the novel.  I like this lesson plan because it links the novel to other resources and shows the students that this message does not just pertain to this book.  It will require students to reflect on what they just read and then ask them extend their learning by being able to apply that knowledge into an assessment that they will do at the end of the lesson.