WFSU Kids - Educational Resources

Tools Educators Can Use
In the Classroom

Classroom Resource Title	Description	Target Age/Level	Curriculum	Accessibility
wfsu.org/faceplace	PBS Kids Go! FacePlace is a free online site that gives children the chance to learn while engaging in entertaining activities starring their favorite PBS characters. Keeping children's natural curiosity about the adult world in mind, PBS Kids Go! FacePlace begins by giving children the opportunity to choose a face to head their "profile" page, similar to popular social networking sites. Several learning activities are provided including the Word Girl Excercise Your Lexicon antonym matching game, Wishbone's Scene Detective where users can tell stories, Ruffman's Activities, and more! Users can decorate their pages upon completion of the learning activities.	Ages 6-10	Antonym Matching Storytelling	Free Resource provided by WFSU
PBS TEACHERS ACTIVITY PACKS pbs.org/teachers/activitypacks/	PBS Teachers Activity Packs are a library of free Web-based widgets that contain links to high-quality PBS education resources and activities focused on a specific curricular theme for multiple grade levels.	Multiple Grade Levels	Activity Pack themes cover a wide range of subject areas, including reading/language art, science, social studies, health, and art.	More than 30 Activity Packs are available free-of-charge for educators to “grab” for classroom use, or to post on their classroom and school Web sites or favorite social networking sites.
The Electric Company www.pbskids.org/ electriccompany/parentseducators	The Electric Company Outreach Kit is an unbelievable resource for both parents and teachers. All the materials in the kit, including this guide, build upon and extend the goals of The Electric Company. They're aligned with national educational standards, and they're all about having fun-using language and words as a powerful means to a rewarding end.	The Electric Company aims to entertain children between the ages of 6 and 9.	Teaches four crucial areas of literacy that are challenging for struggling readers.	Free.
PBS KIDS and Education Web Resources www.pbskids.org www.pbskidsgo.org	PBS's children's content reaches all of America's children – a diverse and growing audience. Because children, parents, caregivers and educators access media in different ways and have different needs, PBS offers a variety of Interactive resources to choose from. Below is a brief overview of the core Internet offerings to further children's development and encourage their growth through exploration and discovery in a safe environment. These sites offer access to all of PBS's children's series and Web-only games, activities, resources and streaming video, covering all curriculum areas with quick links to Parents and Teachers sections for each program. Each program site allows kids to be immersed in play with their favorite characters and shows. Offers bilingual resources for parents & teachers Offers streaming full episodes and clips for both audiences	pbskids.org: children ages two to five; pbskidsgo.org: primarily children ages six to eight although some content skews older	Covers all curriculum areas ranging from math, science, engineering and technology to literacy, health and social-emotional learning	Free Web site accessible through dial-up and broadband (for video player). No log-in required.
PBS Kids Go! Island www.pbskids.org/read	This site is specifically designed to build reading skills and aggregates the literacy-based activities, games and resources from PBS KIDS Raising Readers series that include SESAME STREET, SUPER WHY, WORDWORLD and BETWEEN THE LIONS for parents, teachers and kids in one place so it's easily accessible in a cohesive environment. The site is built on a literacy framework, based on the National Reading Panel guidelines and funded by a Ready To Learn Grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The site tracks children's progress through seven key literacy building skills Features bilingual content for parents, caregivers & teachers Offers dynamic modules, including “Word of the Day” Designed to support all literacy levels Check out these PBS KIDS Island videos: For Parents: youtube.com/watch?v=3SxQGEqNDws For Kids: youtube.com/watch?v=kgeQGJjsCCU	Children ages two to five, especially those from low-income families (phase two will offer games and content for kids ages six to eight); parents, caregivers and teachers.	Literacy-skill development, with an emphasis on reading.	Free Web site accessible through dial-up. Log-in required to track and save progress
Classroom Resource Title	Description	Target Age/Level	Curriculum	Accessibility
PBS Parents www.pbs.org/parents	Visitors can also find information about their children's favorite PBS KIDS programs Educational activities related to PBS KIDS programs Explanations of educational goals Visitors can interact with experts on a wide range of parenting topics through the PBS Parents Expert Q&A. Visitors can share real-world advice and strategies with other parents through the Supersisters blog, authored by three sisters, with eight children among them Sign up for the PBS Parents free e-newsletter	Parents	PBS Parents features extensive information about children's development from birth through the school years, as well as educational resources and activities for children to help get them ready for school.	Free Web site accessible through dial-up and broadband. Log-in not required, but those who do receive personalized information.
PBS Teachers & PBS TeacherLine www.pbs.org/teachers www.pbs.org/teacherline	PBS Teachers® is designed for preK-12 educators and includes more than 3,000 local and national standards-based teaching activities, lesson plans, blogs, on-demand video assets and interactive games and simulations. In addition, PBS Teachers Connect (pbsteachersconnect.org) provides an online education community for preK-12 educators. Your membership in PBS Teachers includes: Exclusive Content from PBS! Be the first to see previews of new PBS programs and access resources exclusive to PBS Teachers members. Ability to Save, Rate and Comment on Classroom Resources With PBS Teachers, you can save and tag classroom resources you find on PBS Teachers. Online Discussions on Media and Technology Connect with educators who use PBS resources – and program producers and local stations – to share ideas and innovations. Discount at ShopPBS for Teachers Just by signing up, you will receive a 10% discount on your next purchase at ShopPBS for Teachers.	Preschool-12 educators, and beyond	Covers many facets of traditional and contemporary subjects with an emphasis on a innotative, multi-media approach using digital resources - including content from PBS to teach.	Access - all resources are free but do require educators to log-in with an e-mail address and password.
teachersdomain.org	Teachers' Domain is an online library of more than 1,000 free media resources from the best in public television. These classroom resources, featuring media from NOVA, Frontline, Design Squad, American Experience, and other public broadcasting and content partners are easy to use and correlate to state and national standards.	Preschool-12 educators, and beyond	Resources include video and audio segments, Flash interactives, images, documents, lesson plans for teachers, and student-oriented activities. Teachers’ Domain strives to strengthen teacher knowledge by providing innovative teaching methods that incorporate technology in the classroom and inspire students to learn.	Educators e-mail address and a password are needed for registration. Once you register, you can personalize the site using “My Folders” and “My Groups” to save your favorite resources into a folder and share them with your colleagues or students.
Lure of the Labyrinth labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/	Lure of the Labyrinth is a digital game for middle-school pre-algebra students. It includes a wealth of intriguing math-based puzzles wrapped into an exciting narrative game in which students work to find their lost pet - and save the world from monsters! Linked to both national and state mathematics standards, the game gives students a chance to actually think like mathematicians. If you are already a registered user of Thinkport, you can use your Thinkport user name and password to log on to the game. In all other cases, you need to register.You will have to select a role to play... for example, if you are a teacher and want to use the game in your classes, you should register as a teacher. If you registered as a kid under age 13, you can log onto the game immediately. Just enter the user name and password you picked and you will be on your way.If you registered as any other kind of user, you will receive an email shortly with directions for completing your registration.	Grades 6-8	"There is a quiet river that flows from the game to your curriculum" The mathematics embedded in the game is a core part of any pre-algebra curriculum, based on key standards that guide mathematics curriculum throughout the nation. Lure of the Labyrinth's exploration of number relationships is complex and intriguing, and accessible to all mathematical thinkers.	Registration required. See description to the left.
Nova and Nova Science Now pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/	Since the mid-1970s, NOVA has been unrivaled in bringing authoritative, innovative, and entertaining science documentaries to television. Now the same award-winning producers have teamed up with Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, author, and host, to present multiple stories in a magazine format show. Each hour-long episode of NOVA scienceNOW features Tyson's "Cosmic Perspective" and four fast-paced, timely science and technology stories, including a profile piece on an intriguing personality in the field.	Nova programming is for everyone, teacher lesson plans and resources are geared towards middle school and high school teachers.	Both Nova and Nova Science Now offer amazing variety and explorations in the fields of Anthropology, Chemistry, Earth & Life Sciences, Math, Physics, Social Studies, Technology/Space and much more.	Teachers have access to Viewing Ideas, Classroom Activities, Related Resources, Lesson Plans and Interactives for students. Free access to all.
Classroom Resource Title	Description	Target Age/Level	Curriculum	Accessibility
Nature pbs.org/wnet/nature/category/for-educators/	Over more than a quarter-century, NATURE has brought the beauty and wonder of the natural world into American homes, becoming in the process the benchmark of natural history programs on American television. The series has won more than 450 honors from the television industry, the international wildlife film community, parent groups, and environmental organizations - including 10 Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, and the first honor ever given to a program by the Sierra Club.	3rd through 12th grade.	Life Science, Earth Science - Animal behavior, environment, conservation, humans & Nature, living places and wildlife varieties.	Resources include teacher guides, lesson plans, worksheets, activities and vidoe segments Accessibility - free
Reading Rockets readingrockets.org	Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.	Preschool-12 educators, and beyond	Covers reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better.	Resources for children, parents, families, teachers, librarians, and other professionals, lessons plans, and activities.
Story Cove	The Story Cove format enables children, families and teachers to explore these stories in a variety of ways. As a result, each child is able to develop a more personal understanding of a story while learning about the world.	Preschool through 6th grade	Activities designed for one-on-one, personal play with interactive puzzles, music fun and hidden pictures.	Resources include: children, families and teachers, guides, puzzles, lesson plans, and activities.