Virtual School Tools

Preliminary Research

Compiled Eddie Griffin

Crossroads Research has devoted the past 5 years to searching the Internet for the best free tutorials and teaching tools on the internet.

These samples tools may be used effectively today in classrooms where children are having difficulty making it "over the hump". Many students get stuck at some point and fall behind other students. Some children give up on the chase to achieve a quality education. They resolve themselves to "just get by", and some fail even at that.

The following tools will help students that have fallen behind in their studies, due to a lack of understanding educational tools helpful to themselves.

In the Field of Math

[Remember a Standard/ Scientific Calculator is available in Computer Accessories]

Math.com is a comprehensive math tutorial, covering subjects ranging from Basic and Everyday Math, to Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, Calculus, Vector Analysis, and other advanced subjects.

Math.com - Free math lessons and homework help.



Principles and Standards for School Mathematics is a guide for focused, sustained efforts to improve students’ school mathematics. It aims to do the following:

• Set forth a comprehensive and coherent set of learning goals for mathematics for all students from prekindergarten through grade 12 that will orient curricular, teaching, and assessment efforts during the next
decades.

• Serve as a resource for teachers, education leaders, and policymakers to use in examining and improving the quality of mathematics instructional programs.

• Guide the development of curriculum frameworks, assessments, and instructional materials.

• Stimulate ideas and ongoing conversations at the national, state or provincial, and local levels about how best to help students gain a deep understanding of important mathematics.

Build Math Worksheets

Math Fact Cafe provides math fact sheets and flashcards for parents and teachers. The focus of our site is on the elementary grades, K-5. Our site allows visitors to access hundreds of pre-generated math sheets or create custom sheets to meet a child's specific needs. In addition, interactive flashcards allow visitors to review flashcard problems with the choice of simple card flipping or mandatory input (visitor must enter answers and is graded on correct answers).

Combined Fields of Math, Science, and other Subjects

Brain Pop is one of the most entertaining ways to teach Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Art & Music, Health, and Technology. Some courses are free. Other courses provide a 14-day free trial and a subscription.

Science Academy contains an array of math and science tools, as well as links to other educational websites. Most interesting at this site are the collection of reading math problems.

NASA Education tools provide students with exploratory learning experiences. The agency employs an vast array of tools developed through its space program.

The Shodor Foundation is a non-profit research and education organization dedicated to the advancement of science and math education, specifically through the use of modeling and simulation technologies.

MASTER Tools, developed by The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc. are the result of on-going collaborations with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), George Mason University, and other education organizations. They are designed to be interactive tools and simulation environments that enable and encourage exploration and discovery through observation, conjecture, and modeling activities.

[NOTE: Our growing portfolio of MASTER tools will soon be fully integrated with new collaboration tools and online research facilities to create an authentic scientific experience. All of our simulations and supporting curriculum materials are designed in accordance with the new National Science Education Standards and the National Math Education Standards.]

RHL School - Free Learning Resources:
The place to get free ready to use quality worksheets for teaching, reinforcement, and review. Worksheets included in the Field of:

Reading Comprehension
English Basics
Math Problem Solving
Research Skills
Math Computation

LANGUAGE SKILLS

GUIDE TO GRAMMAR AND WRITING

Building sentences and paragraphs, composing essays, learning forms of communications, Power Point presentations, interactive quizzes, and other grammar and writing tools.

Vocabulary Building


Dictionary-Thesaurus Lookup

The site also provides pronunciation of words, translations to and from other languages, synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms, and other language tools.

SOCIAL SCIENCE

Library of Congress

Library of Congress Learning Page

Library of Congress History Page

Texas History
The Handbook of Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at UT Austin.

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT COURSES, EXERCISES, & GAMES

Scholastic produces educational materials to assist and inspire students:
• To cultivate their minds to utmost capacity
• To become familiar with our cultural heritage
• To strive for excellence in creative expression in all fields of learning, literature, and art
• To seek effective ways to live a satisfying life
• To enlarge students' concern for and understanding of today's world
• To help build a society free of prejudice and hate, and dedicated to the highest quality of life in community and nation

ABC Teach is geared for the youngest learners in various subjects.

FREE student memberships! Join the many education professors and education students around the country that are using abcteach. Take advantage of our special university memberships that are available at no cost to education majors, professors, and their universities.

PBS Kids is an all-time favorite for computer literate elementary grade school children. It features PBS recognizable cartoon characters in educational exercises, from counting to verbalizing words.

School Express is another children’s favorite. Of special interest is the games Concentration and Jigsaws. Concentration helps develop children’s attention span and concentration skills, while Jigsaws help develop their mechanical aptitude and manual dexterity skills. School Express also features a Math Generator that helps development basic math skills up to three-digit multiplication and division.

Current Events for Kids

Kidsnewsroon.org is a non-profit organization that offers students and schools alike free access to excellent educational resources.