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November, 1998
Gander Academy's Theme-related Resources
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/themes.html
Grade Level: K-5+
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CONTENT:
The Gander Academy is a great resource on thematic teaching using the Internet. The site has an extensive list of topics with link lists that include general information, teacher resources, and student projects.
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AESTHETICS:
The site is beautifully put together with large, easy-to-read fonts and clearly organized links set-up in tables. The graphics are mostly in the background, and definitely help to create high interest.
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ORGANIZATION:
The main section of the site has lots of navigational tools that are well laid out and easy to find. These tools vary as one goes deeper into the site. The category pages have a navigational bar on the left side of the page that links to the main page, search features, and the Gander Academy Home page. The final theme pages have navigation menus for the pages themselves and buttons that will take the user back to the main and sub category pages. The teacher's section off of the main page has fewer navigational tools and often requires use of the browser's back button.
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REVIEW:
Gander Academy's Theme-Related Resources Page is put together by Jim Cornish, a Grade Five Teacher at Gander Academy, Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. Many of the themes are of particular importance to local Canadian students, but can also be of great use to others outside of the area. The list was put together to provide busy teachers with lists of links to specific subjects that are useful, accurate, age appropriate, easily downloadable, and safe for elementary students. The site has 27 categories, each with extensive sub categories. Castles, owls, whales, the Solar System, sea turtles, deserts, dinosaurs, tornadoes, Vikings, bears, and kids' e-zines are some of the themes that students can research. Also included are teacher resource sections with lesson plans, activities, and more. The student projects sections have links to student projects posted on the Internet. This is a great site, where kids can roam freely. The site is rated for K-5 but can be used with older grades.
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