The advent of Chromebooks and similar devices has lead to the development of numerous online “curricula.” Some can be great supplemental resources; others are just thinly disguised (and often poorly designed) games with an educational spin to promote sales.
As a Curriculum Administrator, the programs below were some of my teachers’ favorites. If your district has the funding, you may wish to consider their use. Note: These are simply personal recommendations. I do not receive any compensation of any kind from these companies.
Istation –Istation is an award-winning personalized learning software used by thousands of schools nationwide. Many school districts not only use Istation for state-mandated K-2 Assessment, but also for 3rd-6th personalized learning, and 7th-8th remediation. This adaptive software modifies instruction to meet the needs of individual students, regularly assesses progress, and provides reports that administrators and teachers can use to monitor and adjust classroom instruction and target interventions.
BrainPop and BrainPop Jr. –BrainPop is an animated educational site with thousands of 3rd-8th mini-lessons for English, Math, and Science. BrainPop Jr. has similar content for K-2 students. These fun, informative videos offer a great way for teachers to introduce new concepts, giving them a solid foundation for expanding instruction. In addition, BrainPop Educators lets teachers link BP videos and activities to state standards. Teachers simply choose a standard, subject, and grade … and can instantly find BrainPop videos and activities for that standard.
Mystery Science –Mystery Science is a K-5th Science program with hundreds of lessons on multiple topics. Each lesson begins with a “mystery” to hook students’ interest, followed by a “story” told with stunning images and videos. The lesson is also punctuated with several opportunities for discussion. Aligned to both state and NGSS-aligned standards, each Mystery Science lesson also includes a hands-on activity to further support mastery. Both the discussion component and the hands-on activity offer opportunities for DOK 3 and 4.
STEMscopes – STEMscopes NGSS 3D is a phenomena-based approach to teaching science … from investigative labs to “student wonderings” to hook activities. By using phenomena, teachers can use students’ natural curiosity to help develop and expand inquiry of the content area. The link above will take you to an introductory video that describes STEMscopes NGSS 3D in detail. (Note: There is also a section on phenomena-based learning in the Science section of this Blog.)