Classroom Integration Strategies
Center Based
First, print the worksheets found on our Web site. Prime the students to receive the information covered by exploring the chosen topic in a classroom discussion. Use the worksheets to engage students in a meaningful discussion.
Centers or workstations feature a set of activities through which groups of students rotate in a given period of time. These activities may be completed individually or as a group.
While designed for middle school students, many teachers will also use HowStuffWorks Express at the elementary level. In the elementary school classroom, centers typically involve all of the disciplines. For example, students might rotate through a math center, a reading/writing center, a science center and a computer center. HowStuffWorks Express offers many resources that can fit with the center approach. Each issue features activities that involve reading, science, math and technology.
In the middle school setting, however, centers usually are linked together with a common theme. Since the middle school class period is only 45 to 50 minutes long, rotating through a set of centers may last several days. Using the center approach allows every student the chance to take advantage of limited resources, such as computers.
For instance, in a science classroom, a set of centers could revolve around the topic of plate tectonics. Possible activities might include:
- Exploring famous volcanoes using a CD-ROM
- Learning about the Mesozoic era by navigating the Internet using the HowStuffWorks Dino Trek project
- Creating a flip-book to see how the continents moved over the past 200 million years
- Sifting through fossil-rich sediment to find clues to past life forms
- Watching a video about how the earth's surface has changed over time
- Graphing earthquake foci to identify the type of plate boundary
Whole Classroom
First print the worksheets found on our Web site. Prime the students to receive the information covered by exploring the chosen topic in a classroom discussion. Use the worksheets to engage students in a meaningful discussion.
Use either a video-projector or a large TV/monitor connected to a single computer with access to the Internet. Encourage active learning and involve the entire class by allowing groups of two to four students to navigate each featured site and share the online information with the class. Each group also should be responsible for leading the discussion related to its assigned questions. If a large screen is unavailable, teachers can have groups of students working at two or more computers at once. Allow students to take turns at the computer while others in the group assist.
Independent Study
Use these student-ready projects as enrichment activities for differentiated services or extra credit.
