EarthWalk

January — The start of a new year is a great time to start a new Social Studies unit on ancient cultures. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites related to ancient Egyptian culture, language, mythology and celebrations. You may find that history isn't at all dull.

• The foundation of any study of a historical period is the basic chronology. One needs to understand the chronology of events to find the connections. Archeologist Zahi Hawass has compiled a chart outlining key events of the ancient Egypt civilization.
  
  
• Kids, discover ancient Egypt! Explore the website and learn about geography, history, Daily life, and the afterlife. Find out about the Great Pyramids, see the importance of the Sphinx, and learn about the famous pharaohs. This fine introductory web site has many sections and excellent illustrations and photographs for the elementary classrooms.
  
  
• Learn more about Cleopatra and her role in the ancient Egyptian civilization. Here you will discover interesting facts on the ancient queen of Egypt!
  
  
• Get your name on a virtual cartouche nameplate that looks like it belonged to a king or queen of Egypt. Understand the basics of ancient Egyptian writing. See how hieroglyphic symbols can equal whole words or alphabet letters. See the actual designs of the cartouches of famed pharaohs Hatshepsut, Akhenaton and Rameses III.
  
  
• So how much do you actually know about the world of mummies? Are you a mummy master or a mummy dummy? Here is your chance to see how you stack up. Take the quiz and learn more about mummies at Mummy Tombs

February — The volcanic eruption in Iceland recently has brought a dose of reality to our earth science studies. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites related to dynamic earth processes. February also gives us pause to remember the ones we love with hearts, chocolate, and cards.

• Check out a brief description of Iceland’s recent volcanic phenomenon, Mount Eyjafjallajokull (pronounced AY-uh-fyat-luh-YOE-kuutl-uh, try saying that 3 times fast). Included in this site are stunning high definition images of the erupting volcano.
  
  
• Volcano World boasts to be the web's premier source of volcano info, and I have a tendency to agree. This site is supported by Oregon State University. Here is an index of volcanoes around the world, information of current eruptions, an opportunity to take an online tour on volcanoes, suggested lessons, and more.
  
  
• Need a little animation to spice up your lesson? Perhaps your students need some excitement to bring life to a Power Point presentation. Volcano World has photos and video clips of volcanic activity available.
  
  
• The mission of the University of California Museum of Paleontology is to investigate and promote the understanding of the history of life and the diversity of the Earth's biota through research and education.
  
  
• Exploring this series of exhibits will take you on a journey through the history of the Earth, with stops at particular points in time to examine the fossil record and stratigraphy. The university's museum staff has also created a set of teacher and student resources.
  
  
• February has become a time to acknowledge the ones we love during Valentine's Day. The Catholic church has compiled the history of St. Valentine, and the History Channel has organized the history of the holiday.
  
  
• The history of chocolate may interest the avid candy-lover. Dr. Nibbles walks you through a timeline of chocolaty events.
  
  
• Let your students go wild creating their own Valentine's Day cards with free clip art from Kids Domain.
  
  
• Billy Bear has a Valentine's Day collection of online games, printable stationary, puzzles, and crafts for the younger crowd.

March — Spring may be a few weeks from now on our calendars, but many spots in the US have been experiencing Spring-like temperatures very early this year. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites related to weather and climatic changes. Its almost time for Easter so it may be time to discuss the lunar connection to this holy time.

• Is our mercury rising? In many parts of the U.S., this has been the warmest winter on record. How is our planet responding? Mercury Rising: Bearing Witness to Climate Change connects you to science data and photographic records, plus timely lesson plans and activities.
  
  
• Global Warming is an interactive online lesson that will educate HS students about this highly debated environmental issue. Students will be given the chance to research global warming with web sites linked to our lesson. Then students can put their knowledge to the test with either a classroom debate or a written essay about the effects.
  
  
• Here is a site that will aid your creation of lesson materials on Global Warming for students in grades 3-9. A downloadable lesson plan complete with overhead masters (in pdf format) is also available.
  
  
• Temperature: Is it hot or cold? This lesson plan will help your young students explore their own environment and get a better understanding of the tools and tracking necessary to plot climatic changes.
  
  
• The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program is an important part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) strategy to understand global climate change. They're gathering data from all over the globe and using it to better understand climate change and global warming.
  
  
• Now that your students are so knowledgeable, you may be looking for opportunities to participate in environmental award programs for kids. Options range from essay contests to community service projects.
  
  
• Let's remember that no matter how confusing our global conditions may seem, there is always a rainbow's promise of beauty.
  
  
• Our moon has long been a dependable object for us to use as a tool for creating calendars and predicting seasonal changes. Here is the first in a series of astronomy lessons. Another great site has been developed by Dr. Jamie Love specifically designed for home schoolers and other distance learners.
  
  
• Some holidays, known as "movable feasts" on liturgical calendars change annually according to lunar phases or because different religious groups follow different calendars. Examples include Mardi Gras, Easter, Passover, and Ramadan. Easter is always the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox.

April — Spring brings a renewed sense of wonder to all of us. This may be the perfect time to capitalize on a readiness to explore the world around and above. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites related to the exploration of our earth, our oceans, and the unlimited expanse of outer space.

• Working on an assignment or research paper about a specific country? More than 100 country reports are available here. Each study contains information about a country's historical setting, social, economic, political and national security systems as well as other institutions.
  
  
• Need a world map? You've come to the right place. More than a dozen individual maps are provided, in black-and-white and color. You'll never get lost again! Perfect for homework assignments, classroom presentations, multimedia projects and even classroom posters or bulletin boards.
  
  
• It's time for a virtual road trip across the U.S.! Learn all about our 50 wonderful states -- and the District of Columbia -- at the Library of Congress. View state flags, read a short synopsis of state histories then connect to fascinating tales that touch on everything from music to culture to wild animals.
  
  
• The Smithsonian Institution has created the exhibition Ocean Planet to share what recent research has revealed about the oceans and to encourage ocean conservation. Ocean Planet has six lesson plans that explore ocean geography, marine ecosystems, environmental issues, and more. There is even a unit that explores the influence of oceans on language and literature.
  
  
• ProTeacher has created a list of lessons on the ocean and marine sciences. These lessons include a wide array of activites and lectures.
  
  
• From Stargazers to Starships: here is an astronomy site for students who might be getting their first look at this field of science, as well as their teachers. This site provides fresh material on physics, astronomy and earth sciences, with new content and added interest. Most of it is written at the high school level, though parts can be taught in middle school and others would fit undergraduate college. Lesson plans included!
  
  
• In April 2001, Dennis Tito became the world's first space tourist. His one week stay in orbit cost a mere $20 million. You can take a similar tour -- free of charge. NASA's Solar System Simulator allows you to view a planet or moon, as it would appear from any other heavenly body or NASA spacecraft. Specify a date and time and the view appears!
  
  
• Here's your chance to attend "Star Trek's" famed Starfleet Academy. New recruits compete with cadets worldwide to make scientific discoveries using environmental programs in the Holodeck and by taking life form scans with a Tricorder. Collect discovery cards to increase in rank, then trade cards with other cadets over the Internet until you have them all. When you've completed your work, you'll graduate as a Starfleet ensign.
  

May — Spring Break is over, and schools are settling in for the final quarter. Medieval studies may offer your students an opportunity to put those warm weather daydreams and outdoor reading periods to valuable academic use. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites related to the exploration of medieval architecture, government, art and literature. Extend your studies with an investigation of those marvelous geometric shapes that are used to create the perfect castle.

• A medieval collaborative thematic unit may just be the ticket for bringing your young elementary students together for a final big event this year. Students will explore the Middle Ages by focusing on castles, knights and dragons. Learning is expanded through various activities and literature in a focused study.
  
  
• What's so important about 1066? How about the facts that England survived three kings, two battles, and one comet. This is a site designed in the UK for secondary level students studying the Norman Conquest.
  
  
• Castles on the Web offers castle links, castle photos, castle site of the day, castles for kids, free castle web pages and more!
  
  
• Castles of the World is a terrific reference for castles, palaces, and monasteries which includes castles tours, history, and medieval architecture. Interested in purchasing a castle or maybe just renting for the season? You can also research medieval armor and weapons.
  
  
• Spring fever may prove a need for a study guide on medieval love songs. Although modern Western ideas about romantic love owe a certain amount to the classical Greek and Roman past, they were filtered through the very different culture of the European Middle Ages.
  
  
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY, offers an outstanding collection of silver, enamels, stained glass, tapestries, and other art forms from the medieval period that you can tour from the web.
  
  
• Design and create a 3-D drawing of your own castle, using geometric solids. You should have at least one each of the four solids studied: prism, pyramid, cylinder, and cone. Then send your work to this website and it may be published for all the world to see.

June — Here comes the Sun! For most of us, June brings the end of the school year, the warmth of summer days, and the joy of vacation. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites related to the exploration of our sun, the summer solstice, and travel tips.

• Begin your investigation of the Sun with the facts. This web page is loaded with photos, facts, and detailed descriptions of the G2 star that centers our solar system.
  
  
• Visit the solar system simulator, a NASA/JPL/Caltech spyglass on the cosmos. Select from the options available to have the simulator create a color image of your favorite planet, satellite, or the sun!
  
  
• NASA sites never disappoint. Check out this web page to learn about the sun's source of energy, its parts, its violence, and what the ancients thought about this wondrous object in the sky.
  
  
• On or around June 21st of each year, we experience the summer solstice. Eric Weisstein's World of Astronomy will explain this process in all of its astronomical glory.
  
  
• Summer is here! Education World will help you "enlighten" your students with facts about the sun and "heat up" your classroom with fantastic books, lesson plans and activities that celebrate the summer.
  
  
• The Learning Network has a family education site that will help you celebrate the start of summer sun and fun. Soak up some facts, take a solstice quiz, and plan your family's vacation!
  
  
• Thinking of traveling a bit this summer? Check out Student Universe for special fares for students and faculty. Expedia also provides an online site for airline tickets and special trip offers.
  
  
• Here are a few travel precautions from Delta that just may save your vacation.

July — Ahh! Summer is upon us with hot days and warm summer nights. However, those long, lazy days do not have to mean that we forget how to use our brain power. Summer is the perfect time to explore the joy of learning for ourselves. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating some terrific summer activities.

• Tired of the same old travel destinations? How about a trip through the Milky Way? View the Milky Way from 10 million light years away from the Earth. Then move toward the Earth in successive orders of magnitude until you reach a tall oak tree outside of a building in Florida. After that, move from the actual size of a leaf into the microscopic world.

• Fun and Sun Rent-A-Car - Make algebra a practical lesson for your students. Students can learn about linear equations and more while planning their vacation in Florida.
  
  
• Are you considering enjoying the great outdoors first hand this summer? You may want to research some good campout cooking ideas. Students will have an opportunity to study food, nutrition, and fitness as they decide what menu to set-up and which foods to select for a group campout.
  
  
• Elementary students may want to visit mystery spots and answer questions about their journeys as part of their summer vacation. This webquest introduces students to our country where there is so much to see. Right here in the United States you can see small towns, towering mountain peaks, raging rivers or green farm pastures. This webquest will take you from the west coast over mountains to big cities in the east. Sit back, have fun and learn about the American continent.
  
  
• Perhaps you cannot afford a vacation (yet). Well, there is more than a game show to help you become a millionaire. Here you will find a challenging webquest to help students become familiar with spreadsheet skills as they learn to manage their finances, create a monthly living budget, and invest wisely in the stock market.
  
  
• The joy of art can be readily explored during the summer. The complete life and works of Pablo Picasso is available with a quick click of your mouse. You will find this virtual trip to the museum well worth a summer's afternoon.

August — Amazingly, it is time to start organizing our plans for the new school term. But let's not forget that the "Boys of Summer" are still trying to hit 'em deep. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites with tips to get your classes started with a BANG, information on the summer passion of baseball, and resources for a study of sports history.

• Are your students ready to go back to school this year or have their minds turned into gelatinous mush? Kids.gov has a site that will help students set the tone for success.
  
  
• Teachers going back to school need support as well. ProQuest offers a wealth of information, planning guides, and teaching tips to get any classroom off to a terrific start.
  
  
• Follow the MLB players and teams as they play their way through the August heat. Check on division standings, the latest news and schedules. The MLB site also has a fan forum and section specifically designed for the younger fans.
  
  
• Learn about the game of baseball from the online resources of the Hall of Fame. The monthly trivia game will test your knowledge.
  
  
• Today's high paid baseball players owe much to the Negro league greats of the past. Visit the official Negro League site to learn about new honors being given to old players, such as Satchel Paige and Marlin Carter.
  
  
• Many students and their parents have spent their summer working towards the dream of making it to the Little League World series in Williamsport, PA, this August 16th-25th. Follow the current schedule of the team from your geographic region or delve into the historic benchmarks of Little League Baseball.
  
  
• The purpose of The North American Society for Sport History is to promote, stimulate, and encourage study and research and writing of the history of sport.
  
  
• Our sports stadiums today have design roots in the ancient Roman Colosseum and Forum Romanum. Visit this site for a history, description of the architecture, and a virtual walk-through.
  
  
• Even Mother Nature loves a good coliseum design. Hopi Buttes is a volcanic field located in northeastern Arizona with the classic structures of a sports complex.

September — Your classroom is organized, curriculum has been selected, and your students are in their seats. It must be September. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites to get your LA classes started.

• Have you selected a theme novel on which to build your unit of study? Don't forget to check the Internet for support pages. Here is a sample of the sites for the AP English selection, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. http://www.ender.com/ender/
  
  
• Poetry may be just the thing to open your students' minds and hearts to new ideas at the beginning of the year.
  
  
• The Well Bred Sentence: An intensive study of sentence construction and punctuation.
  
  
• EnglishPage offers a free, online English grammar tutorial that may help your students express their ideas more clearly.
  
  
• Dictionary definitions and Thesaurus support -- just a click away.
  
  
• How about reading papers with fewer spelling/word processing errors? These tutorials explain how to use Microsoft Word and how to maximize your support from AutoCorrect.
  
  
• Last but not least, you have a comprehensive set of LA lesson plans for grades preK-12, and they are completely FREE!

October — The month that celebrates Christopher Columbus with a federal holiday gives educators an excellent opportunity to "discover" the courage and fortitude of the heroes that explored our planet. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites related to exploration over the centuries.

• What was life like before 1492? What spurred European expansion? How did European, African and American peoples react to each other? What were some of the immediate results of these contacts? 1492: An Ongoing Voyage addresses such questions by examining the rich mixture of societies coexisting in five areas of this hemisphere before European arrival.
  
  
• It's hard to believe, but after five hundred years there's still disagreement about just where Columbus first saw the new world and set foot upon its shores. It's a real-life mystery, and your students are the detectives.
  
  
• "Explorers of the Millennium," will provide students with a wealth of information about the most important explorers of the past thousand years in a simple, easy-to-use format. Student participants in the ThinkQuest Program created this website.
  
  
• Enchanted Learning has created a one-stop resource for information on the key explorers of the last six centuries. This site is searchable by time period, continent, and alphabet.
  
  
• The Environmental Protection Agency has created a website for students 5-12 years of age that helps them "explore" their own environment. There are activities, games, stories, etc.
  
  
• Here you will find loads of links and lesson plans for an explorer unit developed for grades 3-5.
  
  
• Nature inspired, challenged and enthralled the human spirit. In the beginning man wandered, then he wanted to explore the continents and oceans; in a bid to know the unknown and to traverse the globe. This search for knowledge has continued into recent history with modern explorers.
  
  
• Get to know one of today's true explorers, Dr. Robert Ballard. Dr. Ballard founded the JASON Project in 1989 after receiving thousands of letters from students wanting to know more about his discovery of the RMS Titanic.
  

November — Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites related to natural disasters. Most are related to the weather. Some are predictable -- like a hurricane. Some, like an earthquake, surprise us. It's good to know about the different kinds of disasters so you and your students can be prepared! Although disasters themselves aren't fun, learning about them is!

• Before your students spend energy worrying about the worse case weather scenarios, spend some teaching time investigating our daily patterns and prediction strategies from NOAA.
  
  
• FEMA provides many programs, courses, and materials to support emergency preparedness and response for emergency personnel as well as the general public. Their kids section provides appropriate information in a kid-friendly format.
  
  
• When a tropical storm or hurricane threatens, the National Hurricane Center automatically displays the latest warnings, advisories and maps. Satellite images update every hour and the automatic tracking map plots the latest storm coordinates and displays the storms predicted course according to NOAA.
  
  
• The Tornado Project Online gathers, compiles, and makes tornado information available to weather enthusiasts. This site gives the subject a little different twist, with tornado myths, tornado oddities, personal experiences, tornado chasing, tornado safety, and tornadoes in the past as well as more recent tornadoes.
  
  
• West Texas to the Dakotas is called Tornado Alley. This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards for science in grades 6-8. Students will gain an understanding of the Fujita Scale, tornado-proof structural designs, and safer living areas for people in higher risk areas of the country.
  
  
• The U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program website includes a "For Kids Only" section that organizes a wealth of information. Students can gain general knowledge, research science fair ideas, learn cool earthquake facts, and much more.
  
  
• This educational site includes an earthquake quiz, java animation depicting areas of earthquake activity, textual accounts of earthquakes, and links to other recommended sites for additional information.
  
  
• With more food recalls in the news, let's review food safety guidelines before a disaster occurs. The Partnership for Food Safety Education's Fight BAC!® education site is committed to being a key resource for education programs, ideas and fun activities for kids on food safety issues for all age ranges from day care through high school.

December — brings closure to our annual calendar and provides a time for many religions to celebrate key spiritual events. Our hope for the New Year is for peace and growing understanding between these various ethnic and religious groups. Here you will find a linked journey to assist you and your students in locating sites related to December's celebrations.

• The North Pole shows us how Christmas is celebrated around the world. See how people from 30 different nations celebrate this festive holiday.
  
  
• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry is a Christmas classic that can easily be shared with your students for the first time this year or revisited year after year. This eText version is web-enabled with links to Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary
  
  
• Here is a site that gives a quick overview of the history and festivities surrounding the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. This site provides information on the history of the Jewish holiday, as well as stories, guides/how-to’s, and also delicious holiday recipes.
  
  
• Find a fun collection of Hanukah related activities and craft ideas.
  
  
• Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. There are as many meanings of Ramadan as there are Muslims.
  
  
• Interested in learning more about Islam? Mohammad I. Hussain, M.D. presents an informative yet concise overview of the scope and significance of this widely-practiced faith.
  
  
• To bring greater understanding of Islam and Ramadan to your 5th-7th grade class, check out this lesson created by Christy Ferguson.
  
  
• For additional lesson plans related to holidays and celebrations, check out Teach-nology.