Science and Math Review with Study Jams

Hello all,

There do not seem to be many tools to support students with the general science MAPS test.  There seems to be numerous resources available to students to improve their reading, language, and math scores. Beyond the MAPs test, it's nice to find additional study resources to reinforce concepts that go along with the science curriculum or from time to find resources that refresh students' memories of past science topics. I have found Scholastic's Study Jams fulfills both purposes of curriculum support and concept review from past years. Study Jams are available for both science and math. Many of the science Study Jams feature a video or slide show followed by test yourself questions. The questions are scored at the end and the reasoning for the correct answers is revealed by looking at feedback for each question.   Study Jams seems to be geared toward the 5th-8th grade crowd.  I've especially found it beneficial for the 6th grade reinforcement of topics. The test yourself questions work well for team trivia battles.

Happy studies,

Mrs. A

Rader's Physics for Kids

Hello All,

There is a terrific site called Rader’s Physics for Kids.   Many physics concepts are introduced here without relying heavily on mathematics.  While the site name states for kids, it proves to be of value for secondary students who need to review or need clarification on material being learned.  Major concepts covered include motion and mechanics, electricity and magnetism, heat and thermodynamics, light and optics, and modern physics (nuclear, quantum, etc.).  Rader’s Physics for Kids also offers a number of quizzes for students to self-check for understanding.  The site relies heavily on text; reading comprehension may be a challenge for some students.  The content ranks mostly between a 7th to 10th grade level according to Readability-Score.com.

Andrew Rader with the help of volunteers created Rader’s Physics for Kids along with many sites including Chem4Kids, Biology4Kids, Geography4Kids (Earth science), Cosmos4Kids, and NumberNut.com.  All of these science sites and the math site can be found at Kapili.com.  The sites have received various recognitions since 1997.

Happy exploring,

Mrs. A

The M in STEM.

Hello All,

Math and science are beautifully intertwined.  No surprise, I have a great appreciation for many things STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) related.  The University of Cambridge NRICH is a wonderful resource for math and STEM activities.  There are elementary and secondary offerings for both students and teachers.  Curious, I clicked the lower level secondary link and followed the STEM link at the top of the page. This led to some interesting math based STEM activities under the Living World and Physical World.  I especially enjoyed exploring the genetics option.

Alcumus is another site that caught my attention in the online world of mathematics. If you are familiar with Math Counts, Math Counts Minis are available here. Students can compete with other students through AoPS for the Win, FTW!  FTW! encourages students development of skills for middle school level math competitions. Students can also take advantage of the adaptive curriculum that chooses questions based on the students previous performance.  There is quite the selection of short math videos.  If one prefers, there are math and programming courses that may be paid for as well.

Happy calculating,

Mrs. A