Freely Educate

Free Curriculum for Elementary Students (really worth checking out!)

Okay, listen up, you'll like today's free educational find if you are teaching to the elementary grades.  Lesson Pathways used to be a subscription site, but on February 24th they decided to switch to offering their valuable site for 100% free, no catches at all. They say they're hoping to, like Twitter and Facebook, monetize the site through high traffic and ads.  Thankfully, the site isn't full of ads at all.   But I'm sure it will be full of high traffic, once the word gets out!

What is Lesson Pathways? 

Here is their description of the site: "We've found the very best online lessons, projects, games, and activities for K-5 students and we've assembled them into ready-to-teach, weekly topic units. [We offer over] 900 FREE weekly topic units; pre-screened, high quality, online resources; and an easy-to-use Planner, allowing you to customize your child's curriculum or supplement."

My favorite thing about the site is that planner. I have each student set up in the planner so that I can create a custom curriculum and assignments just for that child.  

You can use Lesson Pathways to create your own homeschool or classroom curriculum.  You may choose to assign a weeklong unit to one student, or assign a 36-week learning plan on a core subject (for example, math) for an entire classroom grade level (eg. Science 4).

Any catch?

You do need to register, but, if you want to, you can register with your Facebook account so that you're not giving out any other information.  Or you can register with your email address, like I did. It's quick easy, and spam-free to register.

See what you think by visiting Lesson Pathways.  The following are a few of the testimonials from the Lesson Pathways site:

	KimberlyC says:  "I have been searching high and low for ideas without having to buy a "boxed" curriculum. So far I am liking what I am seeing."
	jollygreengiant93 says:  "Thank you! I have had such trouble finding quality science information for my 1st grader. This is exactly what I was looking for!"
	bmw29 says:  "This really takes the headache away from planning fun yet educational activities to go along with our lesson plans."
	Katy says:  "This is such an unbelievably wonderful program. I have everything I need to start."
	StacyJ says:  "Finally, the exact curriculum I wanted with the same type of activities and resources, but it's already been pulled together for me! Thanks! " ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subscribe to FreelyEducate here Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Practical Skill: A Unique Geography Idea

It's hot.  Let's stay indoors this weekend and embroider a globe, shall we?

This idea comes from the Piece Work magazine site.  They offer full instructions, a history of embroidered globes (1840s schoolgirls used to do this), and stitching details.

If you embroider a globe, please comment below with a link to a photo so we can admire your piecework!

To Get the Instructions:  Visit this Embroider a Globe page 

For:  Students over age 9, give or take, should be able to handle a needle without difficulty.

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Free Educational Games to Keep the Kids Learning This Summer

Let's keep the kids happy while learning this Summer, shall we? Game Classroom, a site created by teachers, gathers and organizes educational games from other sites so well that it is worth a visit from any educator of K-6th grade students. 

Here is more about the site from its founders:

Game Classroom is a one-stop web destination for accessing high-quality educational games, worksheets and homework help for K-6^th grade students.  At Game Classroom students, teachers and parents will find:

• Math games and language arts games conveniently sorted according to skill, topic and grade level.
• Printable worksheets, categorized by grade level, covering important math and language arts skills.
• Age-appropriate newsletters and lesson plans full of learning tips, current events and activities.
• Comprehensive homework help.
• Educational articles covering topics such as kids online safety, homeschool tips and the top educational iPad apps.

How to Get This Freebie: Visit Game Classroom

Grade Level: K-6th grade students

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School History Lesson Plans, Interactives and More for PreK-12th

Heather, a Freely Educate reader, shared this School History site with us.  She wrote, "I discovered a website about a year ago that I've used for some of my kids' history lessons and thought I'd share it with you. Lessons can be done online and  complemented with other offline activities, depending on the lesson. I had my son complete a lesson on the Spanish Armada, which he enjoyed. My daughter is currently doing a unit study on the French Revolution from this site. Hope you like it. ~ Heather"

This School History site is so vast that it is hard for me to grasp all that the site contains.  It covers PreK (4yo) through 12th grade seniors (18yo).  There are interactive games, interactive quizzes, lesson plans, and much more ~  all for free, of course. 

Thank you, Heather, for sharing it with us.

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Free 6' U.S. Presidential Timeline Poster (in the mail) & a Lot More @ C-SPAN Classroom

( This one is a good one!)

Here is what the site creators say about C-SPAN Classroom:

C-SPAN Classroom is a free membership service for social studies teachers. Our mission is to enhance the teaching of social studies through C-SPAN’s primary source programming and websites.

Membership [free, homeschoolers welcome] gives educators access to their own library to store C-SPAN Classroom videos and video clips, supplementary materials such as lesson plans and handouts, and special offers like our American Presidents Timeline poster.

How to Access C-SPAN Classroom:  Go to C-SPAN Classroom to browse and complete a free membership form. 

About that free American Presidents Timeline poster:   "The 6ft long poster details the lives and public service careers of every president, plus key historical events, Supreme Court cases, and technology milestones throughout 280 years of Presidential history." 

How to Get the Free Poster:  Go to the Special Offers page to order the poster, but you'll have to register with the C-SPAN Classroom site to receive it (free, no catches). The poster will be delivered to your mailing address for free.

p.s. I'm not sure of their quantity in stock, but imagine that this may be a Limited Time Offer.

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Free 12-Hour DVD Series (with Free Shipping!) from the History Channel!

Since we have had so many new subscribers (welcome!) since running this freebie on April 1st, I thought I'd post it again.  Notice that the deadline is July 1st.

 

This is an awesome find!  The HISTORY Channel will mail their upcoming 12-hour series called America: The Story of Us to all US educators (including homeschoolers!).  The DVD set will be mailed to your address in the fall (deadline to reserve a copy:  July 1, 2010)

Here is MORE ABOUT THE SERIES from the HISTORY site:

America The Story of US — (premiered on HISTORY™ April 25, 2010) — is a six week event that provides a fascinating look at the stories of the people, events, and innovations that forged our nation. It will provide you with an unprecedented opportunity to bring our nation’s history to life for your students. This 12-hour series will be supported by educational materials tied to curriculum standards and is copyright cleared for Fair Use in the classroom by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities.

Here are the DETAILS from HISTORY (bold emphasis, mine):

HISTORY is offering America The Story of US on DVD to every school in the United States. School must be an accredited public, private or home school, grades K-12 and college. DVD requests must be made prior to July 1, 2010. DVDs will be mailed around August 2010, and free shipping is included in this offer.

HOW TO RECEIVE the FREE offer:

1. Go to the HISTORY site to learn more about America: The Story of Us (scroll past the ordering information to view the movie trailer & read the description, if you like.)
2. Then, fill out this simple mailing form to order your copy.

Note: This is a Limited Time Offer.  Deadline to reserve your copy: July 1, 2010.

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Subscribe to FreelyEducate here

Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at freelyeducate@gmail.com (Thank you, Donna, for mentioning today's high quality, 100% free educational find!)

Since we have had so many new subscribers (welcome!) since running this freebie on April 1st, I thought I'd post it again.  Notice that the deadline is July 1st.

 

This is an awesome find!  The HISTORY Channel will mail their upcoming 12-hour series called America: The Story of Us to all US educators (including homeschoolers!).  The DVD set will be mailed to your address in the fall (deadline to reserve a copy:  July 1, 2010)

Here is MORE ABOUT THE SERIES from the HISTORY site:

America The Story of US — (premiered on HISTORY™ April 25, 2010) — is a six week event that provides a fascinating look at the stories of the people, events, and innovations that forged our nation. It will provide you with an unprecedented opportunity to bring our nation’s history to life for your students. This 12-hour series will be supported by educational materials tied to curriculum standards and is copyright cleared for Fair Use in the classroom by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities.

Here are the DETAILS from HISTORY (bold emphasis, mine):

HISTORY is offering America The Story of US on DVD to every school in the United States. School must be an accredited public, private or home school, grades K-12 and college. DVD requests must be made prior to July 1, 2010. DVDs will be mailed around August 2010, and free shipping is included in this offer.

HOW TO RECEIVE the FREE offer:

1. Go to the HISTORY site to learn more about America: The Story of Us (scroll past the ordering information to view the movie trailer & read the description, if you like.)
2. Then, fill out this simple mailing form to order your copy.

Note: This is a Limited Time Offer.  Deadline to reserve your copy: July 1, 2010.

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Subscribe to FreelyEducate here

Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at freelyeducate@gmail.com (Thank you, Donna, for mentioning today's high quality, 100% free educational find!)

Free United States Government Documents and Lessons

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government was created especially for kids.  Divided by age group, the site offers just about all the documents and information you would want for teaching United States history. 

Here is an example of what the site offers to 9-12th graders:

And here is an example of what is offered to K-2 students:

(There are also chalkboards for 3-5th grades and 6-8th grades)

Here is the description of the site from the creators:

"Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids is brought to the World Wide Web as a service of the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. These resources will teach how our government works."

p.s. A good starting point is the Parents & Teachers page.

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Thank you, Michelle, for sharing this high quality, 100% free educational find with us!

Free Historical Paper Structures to Cut Out and Assemble

 

PaperToys.com offers paper structures (to cut out and assemble) of several world landmarks.   These structures may be used alongside your history program.  

For example, below is a screenshot of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (clicking on the photo takes you directly to that drawing):

Or how about the Taj Mahal? (clicking on the photo below takes you directly to that drawing)

To view the full list of structures, which includes The White House, Neuschwanstein Castle, Sydney Opera House, Wrigley Field, Big Ben, and the Statue of Liberty among many others, go to PaperToys.com.  There are structures simple enough for Kindergartners and structures that will even challenge high schoolers (or you!).

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PaperToys.com offers paper structures (to cut out and assemble) of several world landmarks.   These structures may be used alongside your history program.  

For example, below is a screenshot of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (clicking on the photo takes you directly to that drawing):

Or how about the Taj Mahal? (clicking on the photo below takes you directly to that drawing)

To view the full list of structures, which includes The White House, Neuschwanstein Castle, Sydney Opera House, Wrigley Field, Big Ben, and the Statue of Liberty among many others, go to PaperToys.com.  There are structures simple enough for Kindergartners and structures that will even challenge high schoolers (or you!).

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Subscribe to FreelyEducate here

Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

PaperToys.com offers paper structures (to cut out and assemble) of several world landmarks.   These structures may be used alongside your history program.  

For example, below is a screenshot of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (clicking on the photo takes you directly to that drawing):

Or how about the Taj Mahal? (clicking on the photo below takes you directly to that drawing)

To view the full list of structures, which includes The White House, Neuschwanstein Castle, Sydney Opera House, Wrigley Field, Big Ben, and the Statue of Liberty among many others, go to PaperToys.com.  There are structures simple enough for Kindergartners and structures that will even challenge high schoolers (or you!).

~~~~

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here

Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Thematic Units and Lesson Plans for Free

Innovative Classroom offers Thematic Units, Lesson Plans and teaching tips for elementary grades. 

 
The Thematic Units are on the following subjects:

• Borneo
• Flight
• Peanuts

The Lesson Plans cover the following subjects:

• Social Studies
• History
• Physical Education
• Arts
• Language Arts
• Math
• Science

Interested in this free educational find?  Visit the Innovative Classroom.

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Thank you, Katherine, for sharing this high quality, 100% free, educational find with us!  Want to share something, too?  Email me at freelyeducate@gmail.com

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Free Peace Corp Learning & Lesson Plans

The Peace Corps has created a teacher-friendly site for learning from Peace Corps volunteers around the world.

The Peace Corps describes the site as, "Bring dozens of Peace Corps Volunteer stories, letters, and folk tales with standards-based lessons to your class. Also discover ways to involve students in service learning."

Offered on the site:

• Lesson Plans by subject area, region and grade level:

-- for grades 3-5

-- for grades 6-8

-- for grades 9-12

• Enrichment Projects (including an interactive game in which children work as Peace Corp volunteers in a fictional village)
• Service Learning    
• Language Learning (how about learning some Bambara in Mali?)

There is quite a bit more, so be sure to go to the main Educators page at the Peace Corp site as well as the areas above.

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at freelyeducate@gmail.com

Free Audio History Lectures on Abraham Lincoln & Winston Churchill

From The Teaching Company, you can listen to two audio lectures on "two of history's greatest men."  One lecture (41 minutes) is on Abraham Lincoln and the other lecture (43 minutes) is on Winston Churchill.

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Free History Curriculum: World History I & Timelines (Elementary Grades)

The following description is from the BringingUpLearners.com website:

Myths, Maps, and Marvels coordinates books, maps, timelines, activities, and websites to provide a thorough overview of Ancient Civilizations for early elementary grades, plus it also includes plans for poetry appreciation/memorization, great literature selections, and an optional introduction to world religions. The guide contains daily lesson plans for 36 weeks, but is intended to be followed only as closely or as loosely as you desire. Feel free to modify to suit your own family’s needs and aspirations!

This 150+ page guide is a free download! No strings or anything - This is just my way of helping to make homeschooling an affordable and enjoyable alternative.

Note:  The curriculum requires obtaining some books, many of which may be found for free at your local library.  See the resource list for information.

AND A SECOND FREEBIE!...

The Mosaic Introduction to Timelines:

This free 26 page eBook download includes extensive discussion and comparison of timelines for parents. It also details 3 great projects (including templates and appropriate timeline figures) for introducing timelines to young children in meaningful and relevant ways!

~ Enjoy this high quality ~ 100% free ~ educational find from FreelyEducate.com! ~

The following description is from the BringingUpLearners.com website:

Myths, Maps, and Marvels coordinates books, maps, timelines, activities, and websites to provide a thorough overview of Ancient Civilizations for early elementary grades, plus it also includes plans for poetry appreciation/memorization, great literature selections, and an optional introduction to world religions. The guide contains daily lesson plans for 36 weeks, but is intended to be followed only as closely or as loosely as you desire. Feel free to modify to suit your own family’s needs and aspirations!

This 150+ page guide is a free download! No strings or anything - This is just my way of helping to make homeschooling an affordable and enjoyable alternative.

Note:  The curriculum requires obtaining some books, many of which may be found for free at your local library.  See the resource list for information.

AND A SECOND FREEBIE!...

The Mosaic Introduction to Timelines:

This free 26 page eBook download includes extensive discussion and comparison of timelines for parents. It also details 3 great projects (including templates and appropriate timeline figures) for introducing timelines to young children in meaningful and relevant ways!

~ Enjoy this high quality ~ 100% free ~ educational find from FreelyEducate.com! ~

FREE DVD Series (by mail!) from the HISTORY Channel: "America: The Story of US"

 

This is an awesome find!  The HISTORY Channel will mail their upcoming 12-hour series called America: The Story of Us to all US educators (including homeschoolers!).  The DVD set will be mailed to your address in the fall (deadline to reserve a copy:  July 1, 2010)

Here is MORE ABOUT THE SERIES from the HISTORY site:

America The Story of US — premiering on HISTORY™ April 25 at 9pm/8c — is a six week event that provides a fascinating look at the stories of the people, events, and innovations that forged our nation. It will provide you with an unprecedented opportunity to bring our nation’s history to life for your students. This 12-hour series will be supported by educational materials tied to curriculum standards and is copyright cleared for Fair Use in the classroom by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities.

Here are the DETAILS from HISTORY (bold emphasis, mine):

HISTORY is offering America The Story of US on DVD to every school in the United States. School must be an accredited public, private or home school, grades K-12 and college. DVD requests must be made prior to July 1, 2010. DVDs will be mailed around August 2010, and free shipping is included in this offer.

HOW TO RECEIVE the FREE offer:

1. Go to the HISTORY site to learn more about America: The Story of Us (scroll past the ordering information to view the movie trailer & read the description)
2. Then, fill out this simple mailing form to order your copy.

Since only one free DVD set will be mailed out per school, and you may want to order a second copy to keep or give away, I found TWO COUPON CODES for you:

Free Shipping on 'America: The Story of Us' DVD pre-order.Use code STORYFS at checkout.

20% Off Your HISTORY Order:

p.s. While you're using that 20% off coupon, you may want to consider adding the bestselling WWII in HD to your cart.  It looks great for educators (I want this one!):

 

Note: This is a Limited Time Offer.  Deadline to reserve your copy: July 1, 2010.

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Subscribe to FreelyEducate here

Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at freelyeducate@gmail.com (Thank you, Donna, for mentioning today's high quality, 100% free educational find!)

Order Free Loan Materials from the National Gallery of Art (plus a lot more!)

 
The National Gallery of Art has art to view.  Duh, you guessed that, right?  But they offer much, more more than just a gallery of art to view.  The NGA online site also offers:

A Lending Library.  You choose the items (DVDs, slides, teacher packets) and the National Gallery of Art will loan them out to you, free, for a certain length of time, like a library would.  They'll ship the items right to your door!  Your only cost is the return postage (this is open to all teachers, including homeschooling teachers).

Interactive lessons which include lesson plans and printables for several subjects  (you will find these lessons listed at the top of the home page, and more if you scroll down to "super-learner interactives")

My favorite section of the site for teaching is the search feature, which allows the educator to search through the National Gallery of Art's vast collection by curriculum, topic, or artist. This is also accessed on the home page. 

And, finally, set the kids loose at NGA for Kids, a kid-friendly site with more art-related features, games and interactive fun than I could tell you about in this little paragraph.  It's so big that I should highlight the NGA for Kids site on its own someday.