Moving Curriculum Out of the Classroom and into the Computer Lab
With funding cuts and a more rigorous curriculum teachers today are faced with higher demands and less time. Lesson plan preparation and finding relevant teaching materials is time consuming, and many teachers are finding that there just aren't enough hours in a day. Many teachers recognize the enormous potential of the Internet, but find that the time and effort required to search out the little gems that exist is easier said than done! Having said that, we all recognize that kids love computers and kids love to learn. The Homework Help 4 Kids series is a valuable tool that you can use with little prep time to move parts of your curriculum out of the classroom and into the computer lab. This series is organized by curriculum strand and presented by grade. It covers Mathematics, Language, Science and Social Studies. Testimonials from other teachers have said it all. To view some sample content, check out the sites below. We promise you won't be disappointed!

A kindergarten or grade 1 reader can go to a fabulous site at http://www.starfall.com to be entertained and educated all at the same time. This Web site is full of phonetically based exercises and stories that capture the attention of young readers.

A grade 2 student can visit http://www.funbrain.com to play a great game called Math Baseball. The learner can practice addition or subtraction while advancing his or her player around the baseball diamond.

Grade 3's can practice their critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills with MysteryNets Kids Mystery at http://www.kidsloveamystery.com

Medieval history is an exciting component of the social studies curriculum for grade 4. Students can take a fascinating journey into medieval times on a guided tour lead by a knight, a merchant, a nun or a peasant at http://emuseum.mankato.msus.edu/history/middleages

Need help with grade 5 math? Check out http://www.mathleague.com and scroll down to the Help Facility for grades 4-8. Topics such as probability, percent, ratio and introductory algebra are covered in detail with great explanations and examples.

If you're in grade 6 and need some project info on the solar system you can take a nine planet solar system tour at http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu

It's all there, all your students have to do is type in the Web address.