How Does Government Work?

Every citizen needs to know about how our government works! That information needs to start early, and needs to be easy to understand. The one thing you never want to see is one of your past students being interviewed for an "on the street" survey missing an obvious question, like "Who is our Vice President?" Good grief, it's hard to believe how many people miss that one!!!  Below are websites, games and videos that can help you with your government unit. By the time you are done, your third through fifth graders will be citizen experts! Let the interview begin!

This site from iCivics is terrific for third through fifth grade students. Games include "Do I Have A Right" about the Bill of Rights, Cast Your Vote, Branches of Power and so much more! If you teach about government there is a game here for your students….terrific for centers!

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This is a learning site for the branches of government. Kids see what each branch is responsible for, then try to match the responsibility to the branch. It's almost like a memory game, which is something most kids love.

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You can't do better than Ben's Guide! There's three great games here!

This video from BrainPop is great...and free!

This great video is a terrific rap-type song that will really get kids' attention. The lyrics are available by clicking the Interactive Lyrics link at the top of the page.

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If you teach government don't miss this site! It has a number of great videos! The one on the three branches is super, super good…cute and catchy.  Other videos includes the Balance of Power, Checks and balances, separation of Power, Schoolhouse Rocks' I'm Just a Bill and much, much more!

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Oh My! I got a little crazy, but there is so much good stuff out there! I hope this gives you lots to choose from. 

If you are interested in a product that helps you teach students about government, and elections, check out:

Simply Simple Machines

Teaching about simple machines is so much easier with great websites, video and hands-on activities! I hope the links below help make your simple machine unit a little bit easier!

Sometimes kids get confused with the difference between an inclined plane and a wedge. This short video makes the difference very clear!

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Bill Nye...the full episode on simple machines!

Lots of good games here!!

This is a great grouping of simple machine games available on the Internet!

GREAT video!! all about simple machines for kids. Teaches about the 6 kinds of simple machines.

This series on simple machines is simple and short. Best for second or third grades. There is a video for each machine. Sid the Science Kid.

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This is a great site for individual, or group discovery of simple machines. That makes it GREAT for a center!

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This site called "Watch Know Learn" is full of terrific simple machine videos. If you really want to grab your kids' interest in simple machines, show them the first one on the list called, "How Was Florida's Coral Castle Built". It's really, really good!

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If you are looking for a task card/activities/game resource on simple machines, or a great PowerPoint or Boom Card deck, check out the resources below:

Hard As A Rock! Plus a Freebie!

My favorite thing to teach is rocks and minerals! Kids already love rocks, so teaching them how they are made is something they are already interested in! I hope the links below will help make your unit on rocks and minerals fun for your kids, and you too! As an added bonus, I have included a freebie from my rocks and minerals resource. Hope you like it!

 Use this freebie (grading key included) to assess your students' knowledge of earth changes.

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These two videos from Bill Nye are terrific (of course). The first is just four minutes. The second is a full episode. 

This is a great site to hook your students into the study of rocks! Links include volcanoes, the types of rocks and how they are made and much more. I love the interactive kitchen at the bottom of the home page that allows kids to click on things in their own house and see how rocks and minerals are used in their production. 

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This is a great source for links to terrific rocks and minerals sites. Just a note, the one called "Exploring Fossils" doesn't link to the activity, it links to lots and lots of more games and activities.

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There"s LOTS of great short videos here on rocks and rock formation, plus quizzes, games, diagrams and more!

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This site is just perfect for center exploration! It has both a dinosaur floor, and an earth floor. To make it even better, there's a link for teachers!!

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If you are looking for task cards, classroom activities, a game and even a rocks and minerals PowerPoint, check out my resources below:

Energize That Energy!

 

Teaching energy is a lot more fun with great games and websites! They're like the energizer bunny for your energy unit!  It's even better when they are FREE! I hope the ones I've found below make energy not only fun for your students, but easier for you!!

This is a great site for teachers and students.  There's even a teacher's guide!

This is a great site for teachers!  When you click on "learn more" you get free PDFs and teaching guides!

This game is all about Kinetic, potential and thermal energy. It's from BrainPop so you know it's good!

Don't mss this great site! It has 33 interactive activities for energy!

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This is a great game !

This You Tube rap is terrific for fourth and fifth grades! I like that it also includes the text!

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If you are looking for task cards, worksheets, a game or even a PowerPoint on energy, check out my resources below:

Taming the Terror of Elapsed Time!

Learning about elapsed time can be such a bear! Kids can get really mixed up. Why? Elapsed time is an abstract concept. Many students find it hard to wrap their head around the entire idea. Additing and subtracting time can cause real problems. What exactly do you do when you pass the hour? The answer is lots of practice (isn't it always the answer!) and that practice can be done within the classroom in only minutes (no pun here) per day.

1. Make time important! When you tell students reading time is over in five minutes, make sure it is five minutes. Kids need to have an "internal clock" and that's impossible to construct without experiencing the true passage of time. Also, don't round time up or down when working on the concept of time. If it will be time to go home in 14 minutes, don't say ten minutes. Using a timer helps students gain internal time understanding. There are many on the Internet that are terrific, such as: Online Stopwatch  Use time throughout the day, "We will go outside to recess in 7 minutes". With time, students start to internalize time. By the way, be sure to change up how you say time, such as a quarter till, fifteen minutes till and even 45 minutes after.

2. To build elapsed time knowledge, students must think about elapsed time in their own life. Before going to an activity, give the class an elapsed time problem about what will happen, such as, "We must be at gym class at 10:05. It takes 12 minutes to walk to the gym. At what time do we need to be walking out the door?" Think through the problem with the class. Doing an activity like this every day builds skills needed to do elapsed time problems.

3. Consider using a timeline to teach elapsed time. Why? When students use addition and subtraction to figure out an elapsed time problem, it doesn't always work. All you have to do it cross that 60 minute mark and things get dicy. I found a terrific number line lesson and resources from NCTM at: Elapsed Time Timeline  It includes the timelines, activity sheets and more. The site also walks teachers step by step on how to teach the use of a number line for elapsed time problems.


As always, practice makes perfect! Try these great sites at centers, small groups or anytime your class needs a fun review of this important skill!

This is a great game, in two versions...desktop and touchscreen!  

This game from SoftSchools.com is perfect for practice.

Mr Nussbaum.com site here..I don't know who this guy is, but he has great games!

This is an interesting one!  Teachers choose the type of elapsed time practice they want, plus choose to have it timed or not.  Click, then you get a link.  Click it and your students have just the practice you have chosen!  It goes from easy to hard.

This is a fun video to show as you begin your unit on elapsed time. This one is especially good for third graders! It's from PBS

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If you need resources for that elapsed time unit check out the resources below by clicking on the cover: