Freely Educate

A Holiday Break!

I'm sure you're not thinking about education, and neither am I, so I'm going to take a holiday break starting today through January 4th. 

If you are still thinking about education, you'll find great 100% free educational finds in the archives.  I often use "Most Popular" link above, or the Categories listing in the left sidebar when I need to find a site for our little school. Start there!

If you subscribe to Freely Educate, you'll know the minute I start posting again (January 4th).  You can choose to read the posts through many readers or via email.  There is no spamming allowed, and you may unsubscribe easily at any time.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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JASON: Science: Now Accepting Argonaut Applications

I'm (obviously) thinking more about the holidays than education lately, but thought I'd pop in here to rerun a post about JASON because I received notification today that they are now (until February) accepting applications for a 2-year program for both Teacher and Student (14-15yo) Argonauts.  Go to the JASON site links below to find out more.

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JASON: Free High Quality Science for Middle and High School

Wow!  National Geographic, NOAA, NASA and other smarties have teamed up to create JASON, a site full of curriculum, lesson plans, games, live events, an argonaut program and more.   The site is so vast and so well created that I urge you to check it out.  

Although you are able to view demos, FAQs and the JASON philosophy, you do have to register to explore the full potential of the the site.  Registration is a 1-2 minute minor inconvenience (name, address, password, school or homeschool info), but the site is of such high quality that that minor inconvenience is forgotten in less time than it took to fill out the registration form.  Truly.

After registering, you are able to create a classroom and fill it with assignments for your students.

(The following information is from JASON)

JASON's science curriculum units are designed to:

• Light the spark of inspiration in students
• Fit within school districts' core 5th-8th grade curricula
• Adapt to higher and lower levels
• Align to state and national standards
• Cover at least five to nine weeks of material
• Include numerous research articles, hands-on lab activities, videos, games, and multimedia resources
• Include suggested lesson plans, extensions, interdisciplinary connections, and teacher resources for alignment, assessment, and classroom management.

Q: What grade levels are JASON curricula designed to serve?

A: JASON's standards-based Operations curricula are geared to students in Grades 5 through 8, although JASON's materials can be easily adapted for lower or higher grades.

Q: Do JASON materials align to national model standards and state curriculum requirements?

A: Yes, visit one of our standards pages to see JASONs alignments to National Science Education Standards: Operation: Infinite Potential, Operation: Resilient Planet, Operation: Monster Storms. State standards alignments are available in the JASON Mission Center.

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Wow!  National Geographic, NOAA, NASA and other smarties have teamed up to create JASON, a site full of curriculum, lesson plans, games, live events, an argonaut program and more.   The site is so vast and so well created that I urge you to check it out.  

Free Kindle Books for the Student, Teacher, Homeschooler & any Educator

Since the Kindle is currently Amazon's bestselling, most gifted, most wished for item this Christmas, I thought  I'd write a post of free educational books you can download onto the new Kindle, whether you're the one receiving one or giving one.  

I've had my Kindle (pictured above) for a year and a half now.  I justified the expense (at the time, $349; now it sells for just $259) because of all the free books I could put on the Kindle and would no longer have to buy.  There are a few other reasons* I think the purchase price was worth it, but first, here are some links to free Kindle content:

 from Jane Austen to Mark Twain to Greek books, FreeKindleBooks.org  has links to thousands of free Kindle-format-ready books...

Project Gutenberg, a frequently used site for any literature lover, has over 30,000 books ready to use on the Kindle...
  

 
There are over 25,000 free books at ManyBooks.net...

 

There are also free books available straight from Amazon, new and old.  Often, free books are offered as special limited time offers. Here is a Listmania list to get you started:

 
There are many, many other sites to list.  If enough of you are interested, I may start a Kindle category.  I think the Kindle - and devices based on it - may be in the near future for most students.  Imagine not carrying those heavy textbooks across campus!

* A few of those other reasons I justified buying my Kindle, even at the higher price it was then:

• It can hold thousands of books and magazines (even more with a memory card added to it) so I only have to carry one thing
• Amazon saves every single thing - even the notes I write in the books -  so I don't have to worry about losing my Kindle content
• The web browser.  It is in black & white and the browsing is not the fastest thing, but I use the web browser often  to check the news or my email and I like having it for emergencies.  One time we were lost in the shady side of a new-to-us city and I used my Kindle to view an online map to find out way out.  Whew.
• There are no monthly fees at all.  I mostly download free content.  So, since my Kindle is a year-and-a-half old, it is a real bargain at $349* divided by 18 months of usage (and counting!).  It's much cheaper than my cell phone is! (*the Kindle is now $259)

Do you have Kindle?  If you do, chime in!

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ReQall: A Teacher's Aide

Here's a free site I saw featured in a recent issue of a popular magazine...

Here's the idea of how ReQall works:

I call a phone number.

An automated voice says "hello," then asks something like, "Add? Recall?"

I say, "Add."

The voice says, "Add your item."  Or maybe it beeps.  I'm going from memory here.

I say, "Buy garbage bags."

Or, "Write a post about the free cookbook on Kindle."

Or, "January 18, 2010, 1:30pm, First drama club meeting."

I did all of the above today.

Then...Reqall organizes what I say (and keeps the recording so I can later hear myself say whatever I said!). 

I can go to Reqall.com to log in and view my organized lists.  My lists are: shopping list, to-do, "today", and others.

Or, I can patiently wait for my daily Memory Jog (I think this is a pro feature.  I'm on the free pro trial right now*) to arrive via email.

Or, I can look at my Google Calendar, where magically I'll see anything that was filed by date (such as the January 18th drama meeting). 

There are many other ways to use the free ReQall service.  Here is a link to testimonials (reading these will give you ideas of how to use the service).

So.  I'm sure my version was quite confusing, so go to Reqall.com to check it out and maybe sign up, too (free!).  

I think this will be a big help to me as I'm forever thinking of things -- things to write, things to not forget, things to add to the grocery list -- when paper and pen aren't handy.  I frequently email or text myself, but this way I can have Reqall not only jot down my note, but organize it into lists. 

I've only used it for a few days now, but already like it enough to pass on to you.  Let me know what you think.

*Note:  There is a pro version, which contains a few upgrades to the service.  The basic service - which is really all you'd need - is 100% free.

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Free DVDs (in your mail!) from John Stossel of ABC News

I received DVDs in my mailbox from John Stossel yesterday. I hope you got yours, too!  I ordered all four DVDs (years 2007-2010) and received them this week.  Our 8th grader has been happily watching John Stossel and learning current events for hours today. 

In October, I posted the following article.  If you didn't see the first post, or didn't take advantage of the offer, you still can!  Here's the original post...

You recognize this face, right?

He says, "Give me a break!" quite a lot and works with ABC News.

Give up?  His name is John Stossel.  He has created several DVDs on educational topics (voting, Katrina, farm subsidies, and private roads are just a few of the subjects on the 2010 DVD). The DVDs are called Stossel in the Classroom and you can get them for .... FREE! ... by filling out a form at the Stossel in the Classroom site (email, name, address, and school or homeschool information are required in the form).

The direct link to the DVDs to order is here.

And a direct link to the Teacher Guides is here.

An example of what will be on the DVDs is here, in a video on gas prices.

Oh, good news for homeschoolers!  When I asked if homeschoolers can order the free DVDs, too, Kathleen at Stossel in the Classroom said, "Yes, we have many homeschoolers on our list. Thanks for the plug,  Kathleen."  

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I received DVDs in my mailbox from John Stossel yesterday. I hope you got yours, too!  I ordered all four DVDs (years 2007-2010) and received them this week.  Our 8th grader has been happily watching John Stossel and learning current events for hours today. 

In October, I posted the following article.  If you didn't see the first post, or didn't take advantage of the offer, you still can!  Here's the original post...

You recognize this face, right?

He says, "Give me a break!" quite a lot and works with ABC News.

Give up?  His name is John Stossel.  He has created several DVDs on educational topics (voting, Katrina, farm subsidies, and private roads are just a few of the subjects on the 2010 DVD). The DVDs are called Stossel in the Classroom and you can get them for .... FREE! ... by filling out a form at the Stossel in the Classroom site (email, name, address, and school or homeschool information are required in the form).

The direct link to the DVDs to order is here.

And a direct link to the Teacher Guides is here.

An example of what will be on the DVDs is here, in a video on gas prices.

Oh, good news for homeschoolers!  When I asked if homeschoolers can order the free DVDs, too, Kathleen at Stossel in the Classroom said, "Yes, we have many homeschoolers on our list. Thanks for the plug,  Kathleen."  

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Charlotte Mason based Curriculum: AmblesideOnline

Ambleside Online is a free homeschool curriculum designed to be as close as possible to the curriculum that Charlotte Mason used in her own private and correspondence schools. Our goal is to be true to Charlotte Mason's high literary standards. Ambleside Online uses the highest quality books and costs no more than the cost of texts. The curriculum uses as many free online books as possible, and there is no cost to use this information or join the support group.

Personal Experience:  This one is near and dear to my heart, as our family has been using Ambleside Online as our curriculum for the past two years.  Our lives are much richer for it!  If the book lists and schedule at first seem overwhelming, look again.  The children are not sitting for 8 hours at a desk. Rather, they are reading and studying in small amounts, to have time to absorb the information.

I highly recommend joining the support groups, which should be listed at the site (they are Yahoo groups, I think the main one is called "AmblesideOnline." Let me know if you need me to hunt for it)

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Personal Experience:  This one is near and dear to my heart, as our family has been using Ambleside Online as our curriculum for the past two years.  Our lives are much richer for it!  If the book lists and schedule at first seem overwhelming, look again.  The children are not sitting for 8 hours at a desk. Rather, they are reading and studying in small amounts, to have time to absorb the information.

I highly recommend joining the support groups, which should be listed at the site (they are Yahoo groups, I think the main one is called "AmblesideOnline." Let me know if you need me to hunt for it)

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The Princess & the Frog Lesson Plans

Lesson Planet always has a lot to offer the teacher - we've featured the site on Freely Educate before - but I thought you'd be especially interested in this one, if you're educating little girls who like princes, princesses, and fairy tales.

Disney's newest movie, The Princess and the Frog is opening in theaters on December 11th (I'm sure those little girls you're educating already know this!). 

As incentive to get some schoolwork done, Lesson Planet has put together a series of lessons related to The Princess and the Frog movie. The subjects include frogs, Louisiana, and the Grimm Brothers among many others

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Get a Free Educational Download Daily!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day offers a free download of an ebook or audio each weekday.  Each offer only lasts 24 hours.  You'll definitely want to check the site often (daily, perhaps?) to catch the latest freebie while it lasts!

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Thank you, Kim, for reminding us of this high quality, 100% free, educational find!

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