Teaching about Insects and Spiders: 10 Websites Not to Miss

I LOVE teaching about insect and spiders. First, because they are facinating, plus the kids love learning about them! It's such a good time to teach about form and function, adaptations, and about predators and their prey! 

The trick is to make sure to keep the unit exciting and interesting. Kids are natural nature lovers, so this is the perfect unit to use in integrating language arts skills too! As you start preparing for your unit, check out these fun sites that not only teach about bugs, but bring out the entomologist in every student!

Spiders

1.  All About Spiders from TheSchoolRun.com  This site includes spider information, a video, and links to all kinds of spider activities such as building a spider web online,  jigsaw puzzles online and even create your own spider!

National Geographic Kids

2,  You can't do better than National Geographic Kids, and this site about insects with blow their minds! This is a good one to send home....they'll be exploring (and reading) for hours!

Orkin for kids

3.  I usually don't like sites from businesses (it's advertising after all), but this site from Orkin is absolutely amazing! It includes an insect safari, an insect guidebook filled with downloadable worksheets (or the whole book). It has games and coloring sheets, plus lesson plans! You can't do better than that!

Mr. Nussbaum's Insects

4. I don't know who Mr. Nussbraum is, but he sure has some great information on the Internet! This site has online stories, a virtual butterfly garden and tons of information! It is so engaging even your reluctant readers will be pulled in!

Spider facts/videos

5.  This fun site from "owlcation" and is FULL of great videos from Anansi, to videos of spiders in webs. It is quite extensive, so I advise teachers scope out what they want their students to see on this site.  This is particularly true of younger students. Some videos show spiders hunting, and can be a little scary. There's lots of information and LOTS of videos. The video of a water spider building an air bubble is pretty amazing. These videos woulld be great on a SmartBoard for sure! Be sure and check out the World's Weirdest Spiders from Nat Geo! 

The Kid Should See This

6.  "The Kid Should See This" is an amazing site filled with videos kids will be talking about to their parents at night! From butterflies and bees drinking turtle tears, to watching lightning bugs in the Iowa woods. If you're looking for a "hook" for your unit, it's here!

Grasshopper

How a caterpillar becoomes a butterfly

7.  I love videos of bugs. Kids do too!  Here are a couple that are particularly good. The grasshopper is on You Tube, but with no commercial, the other is a website. 

Kids.com Insect games and videos

8.  This site from Kids.xom is filled with insect games and videos. It includes word games, and videos of giant tarantulas....plus much more! It's a good one to use for centers, or when kids have free time. 

Education World, Arthropod Academy

9.  It's always great to find some really good lesson plans...why reinvent the wheel? I love this site from Education World.  It has 10 bug lesson plans for a variety of grade levels.  Lots of hands-on goodies. If a worksheet is needed, it is provided. 

The Bee Conservancy

10.  This site from the Honeybee conservancy is really good! There are a number of short videos that are perfect for inserting into lessons.

If you would like to check out my resource on TPT that includes task cards plus 25 pages of teaching materials check out:

This resource is also available as a PowerPoint or as Digital Boom Cards.  The link to these resources is on the page linked above.

I hope you will find the websites helpful, and will save you lots of time....plus really hook your students on bugs!

Burst Through Reading Comprehension Barriers!

I'll never forget a student of mine, let's call him Jay, who could read words so well he could "read" at an eighth grade level in third grade.  The problem was that he couldn't understand a thing that was going on!  That's called "word calling" and isn't reading at all. Reading is understanding, so if the understanding isn't there, it isn't reading. Many times I have discovered that many students have variations of "word calling" that aren't as severe as Jay's, and have gotten away as being great readers because they sound like they know what they are doing. They may pick up just enough information to get by, but true understanding of what is going on in a story or article eludes them.

Comprehension can be greatly increased with three easy to use strategies that kids love, and give great results. Test taking time will tell the tale....comprehension, real comprehension, makes all the difference.

So, what are these strategies?

1. Draw a picture

Start out by asking students to draw a picture of an important part of a story you are reading aloud to the class.  I like to use dry-erase boards. If you want to read a blog on how to make them for just pennies apiece, check out: Make Dry Erase boards for pennies apiece
Share some of the pictures with the class, and ask students to explain why their picture shows an important part of the story.  Once you have done this a few times, ask students to draw a picture of a selection in the book they are reading independently, or at guided reading.  Ask them to tell, or write why the scene they have chosen to draw is important to the story.  Delve into the picture and ask why the student added details that are noted in the reading selection. Details such as how the character is dressed, or how she looks, or showing the setting all demonstrate understanding of details. Draw attention to the details the student has grasped, and used in the picture. Once targeted students can do this easily, move on to asking them to explain in words what is happening in a selection. If they still have difficulty, ask them to read the selection again, and then explain what is happening.

Why this works:  This strategy works because students who skip over details, are forced over time to search them out and use them in the picture. This is why a discussion of the pictures is vital. Students have to undestand that things they have mmissed in their reading are important. They can understand this when seeing that other students have used details from the story to add depth to their pictures.  Basically, this helps student reevaluate how he or she is currently reading.

2. Discuss with a friend

This can be done in two ways, either verbally or in writing. It is much easier to understand a text once it is discussed with someone. If written, it can be in the form of a book review or done as a reading critic. When using this strategy, I like to elicit from the students four or five things they should include in their discussion or written piece once the selection is read. If this is being done for a chapter in the middle of a book, for example, students might include what is going on in the selection, why is it happening, how are characters responding to what is going on and so on. I personally think it is important for students to have imput into this part of the assignment. It gives them "buy-in" and helps them focus on what is about to be read and discussed.

It's important to give students about ten minutes or so to discuss with each other what is going on in the selection, then turn it into a class discussion. During the class discussion students who have missed the point have the opportunity to reevaluate (again) what needs to be noted when reading.
To vary this strategy, ask students to discuss a slection with an imaginary friend, toy or whatever.  Younger kids may enjoy discussing their book with a rubber duckie (for example).

Why this works: Talking about what you know about a text can help clear up things that are confusing. It's a great way to work through lack of understanding.

3.  Stop: Summarize

Include in both oral reading to the class, guided reading and individual reading time to ask students to stop and summarize what is going on up to that point. For example, if you are reading to the class, stop at different points and ask a student volunteer to use one sentence to summarize what is going on.  You will need to have a mini-lesson beforehand to demonstrate how to get the main idea into one sentence, but it is an important skill for kids to have.  Stopping to summarize in a large group helps students who have gotten confused to get back on track again. It is important in a group to ask for volunteers to summarize, to get individual struggling students to summarize, go around privately during guided reading and ask students to summarize in a sentence what is going on. There's nothing more humiliating for a stuggling student than to be put on the spot. Once they feel more confident, he or shee will volunteer too.

Why this works: The more a student can re-contextualize the text in his or her own words, the better understanding will be. It also helps to "lock" the information read so far in their mind, so they can continue on with even greater understanding.

This will all take time. Comprehensiion doesn't come easy to many students. However, with practice and using these strategies over and over again, comprehension will increase not only for struggling students, but for good readers too!!

Want to read my six part blog series on guided reading instruction, plus get freebies?  Check out:

Searching for Guided Reading Materials
Don't Hide from Running Records
What are the other kids doing?
Creating a Guided Reading Schedult that Works
Here Comes Guuided Reading
Take a Closer Look at Guided Reading

Are you looking for a Guided Reading resource that walks you through the entire process, plus includes 100 guided reading worksheets for reading levels 1-5?  If so, click on the picture below!

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The 10 Best Multiplication Games to Download Today!

There's all kinds on on-line games to help kids learn their multiplication facts, but sometimes you just want a great, easy to play, simple game that you can give to kids to play at school or at home. Sometimes it may need popsicle sticks, dominos, or even a game board. They are perfect to play with a buddy, and help develop interpersonal skills as well as math skills. I've scoured the Internet and here are my top ten to download today! Enjoy!! By the way....there are more than ten games, some links have multiple games...even better!

1.   This great game from "Fun Games for Learning" is super simple and tons of fun. All you need is a set of dominos!  You can use this one for learning addition facts, or for multiplication.  

Dominom Multiplication Game

2.  This game from "Games for Learning" is one of my favorites!  It includes the free game board as a download. it's great to schedule for the sub since it takes awhile to play.  It can easily be played for half of your math block.  It's also perfect as "homework" for multiplication math fact practice. What's better than a game to play with mom or dad?  I have also included an answer sheet checklist to give to kids as well. One kid plays, the other checks his/her answer. 

Multiplication Squares Game

Answer sheet for 0-12

3.  This site called Bloglovin' actually has three fun multiplication games with a freebie.  The first is a Kaboom game with popsicle sticks, the second is multiplication sppons, and the third is headband multiplication.  All are fun and easy to prepare. The freebie link is just above the last graphic picture.

Three Multiplications Games Your Kids Will Love!

4.  This game from "Suiper Teacher Worksheets" is a super fun game kids love to play...and it's free! It's fun to pull out when you have an extra five or ten minutes at the end of math! It's the first link at the top of the page.

I Have/Who Has Freebie

5. Ok, this is mine, but I love it! So do the kids! You can pull out and combination of multiplication cards that you happen to be working on. There are multiplication cards from 1 through 12.  It is a free 18 page download. 

Feed the Chickens Multiplication Game

6.  I have to admit that I love witches, it doesn't have to be Halloween either. Kids are that way too, so this fun game from "Teacher Take-Out" will become a quick and easy game favorite in no time!

Wicked Witch, A Thrilling Multiplication Game

7. This fun game from "Math Coach's Corner" is perfect for teaching the 2s, 4s, and 8s using the doubling strategy. Love this one!

Double, Double, Double

8.  Love the math games on this site, especially Multiplication War. All you need is a deck of cards and kids! They love this one!  Other games here are equally as good!

Multiplication War and More!

9.  Multiplication Spiral from "Math Geek Mama" is SUCH a great game! Kids will love this and it is wonderful math fact practice!

Spiral Math

10. Lastly I wanted to share this great site that has 22 fun hands-on activities and games to help kids learn their facts. It's a good one and FULL of great stuff!

22 Fun, Hands-on Ways to Teach Multiplication

So that's it! I hope you find a bunch of great games that you and your students find useful!

If you are interested in a new way to teach multiplication that REALLY works, click on the picture  below.