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When looking for media types that could be used in the classroom to aid in teaching math, I found that videos were the most helpful. By using selection criteria, it helped me sift through the endless amount of videos on the various topics. For most of the videos, I found that accuracy and aim were always the first that made them a quality website. Also for math, I found that diagrams were the best way to organize terms and concepts because of their aim and accuracy.

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NumberRock Coins Song:  Mathematics (2019) Grade 2 #24 of Work with Time and Money 

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This video is a form of media that would be used in my classroom as an introduction to coins. It helps to identify the different coins and how much they are worth in a way that is easy for students to remember. It also explains the relationship between the different coins (5 pennies= 1 nickel and so forth). This is a useful tool because the Alabama Course of Study states that students should be able to identify pennies, nickels, and quarters by name and value. I chose this video because it includes accurate information that is published by experts. They have numerous math videos that are geared to a younger audience.

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Counting Coins Song for Kids | Penny, Nickel, Dime, Quarter | 2nd Grade

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https://bit.ly/TPTCHAR Place Value Infographic: Mathematics (2019) Grade 2 #6 of Place Value

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This infographic is a type of media that helps children distinguish hundreds, tens, and the ones place. Also includes the numerical form, standard form, and word form. I would hang this up in the classroom as a large poster for students to refer back to during the lesson, doing assignments, and also provide them a take-home copy. Having the hundreds, tens, and ones color-coded will help students determine how to classify place values. In accordance with the Alabama Course of Study, students should be able to identify numbers in relation to their place value. This infographic was created by another teacher, so I found it very informational and a credible tool to use in the classroom.

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Measurement Song: 12 Inches in a Foot! Mathematics (2019) Grade 2 #17 of Measurment

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This song is a type of media that is a great way to introduce using a ruler and the proper way to measure items. In the classroom, finding audio in the form of a song is a fantastic way for students to learn in a way that is easy to remember. I would implement this song at the begging of every lesson before we discussed further rulers and measurements. Students must be able to measure the length of an object using a ruler, yardstick, and measuring tape according to the Alabama Course of Study. This song is produced by another math teacher that makes informational videos and songs to help students better understand math concepts. Being a teacher, the author is able to effectively make content that is engaging to younger students.

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NearPod Bar Graph Lesson: Mathematics (2019) Grade 2 #16 of Data Analysis 

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This informational website allows teachers to have interactive lessons within the classroom. This lesson goes through how to read and make a graph while also quizzing and allowing students to post their thoughts about the posed question. I would use this specific lesson to teach reading bar graphs in a way that allows students to participate while I am teaching. I found this tool to correlate with the Alabama Course of Study because students need to be able to create a picture graph and bar graph to represent data. By using selection criteria, NearPod is a credible source, it has accurate information, and it is delivered in a way 2nd-grade students can easily navigate and learn new material.

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In this lesson on picture graphs and bar graphs, students learn key vocabulary, draw the graphs, and compare the graphs.

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This infographic helps children distinguish between triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes. I would display this infographic in the classroom as a large poster to use during the lesson on polygons. I would start in the 1st row of the chart and talk about how to classify triangles and four-sided shapes. From there I would work through the chart from the bottom up. Having it laid out in different rows allows students to build on the information they have learned from the bottom row.  In accordance with the Alabama Course of Study, students should be able to identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes. This infographic was created by another teacher, so I found it very informational and a credible tool to use in the classroom. Its aim is towards younger students in the way it is laid out and the example pictures of the shapes.

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Analyze and Interpret Data from Fossils: Science (2015) Grade 3 #9 of Unity and Diversity

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This informational website allows students to work through a progression on fossils. Starting by showing an animation of how a fossil is formed. It then moves into describing what a fossil is, staying a fossil, what an archeologist does, and then a student review. I would implement this informational website in the classroom by allowing my students to learn independently. In relation to the Alabama Course of Study, this website teaches students the foundations of fossils. This informational website is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and they provide credible scientific information in a way that correlates to younger students.

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Life Cycle of Plants: Science (2015) Grade 3 #6 of From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

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This video is a type of media that shows students the different stages of life a plant goes through. Some students do not know that plants, just like humans, go through a life cycle and do not start out as plants or flowers. I would implement this video in my classroom by showing it to my students as we begin talking about the unique and diverse life cycles of organisms. This video will spark a conversation around how we could draw the life cycle of a plant and even the similarities between other organisms. This video correlates to the Alabama Course of Study because it will allow students to take the information they obtain from the video and create a representation of a plant's life cycle that will also include the commonalities such as birth, growth, reproduction, and death. I was able to choose this video because of the selection criteria. This video was published by child experts and teachers who strive to make educational videos interactive and informational. The credibility along with its accuracy makes this video a good source to use in the classroom.

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Plant Life Cycle & What Plants Need To Grow *Earth Science for Kids*

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When looking for media types and informational websites that could be used in the classroom to aid in teaching science, I found that informational websites were the most helpful. By using selection criteria, it helped me determine which website would be most beneficial to 3rd-grade students . For most of the websites, I found that accuracy and the author were always the first that stood out to make them a quality website. Also for science, I found that podcast were the best way to provide students with a quick recap of information or a way to let students do a self-taught lesson. With audio and videos, for science, I found that their aim was always engaging for a younger audience.

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Major Climates Around the World Article: Science (2015) Grade 3 #14 of Earth's System

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Climate in Different Regions of the World 

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Climate in Different Regions of the World 

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In this text-base informational website it explores the different regions on earth and their climate. This website provides students the definition of climate, the types of climate, where you can find each of these types, and what else can effect local climates. Once students are done reading about climate and all it encompasses, Fun Kids Live takes them through the different climates by using a character named, Marina Ventura. She goes on the explores and shows the students the different types of climate. In my future classroom I would use this website for more than just talking about climate. This website has many other explores that Marina Ventura goes on so it would be a great way for students to do a more self taught lesson by using this website. I would first do a quick introduction about climate and then allow my students to "Set out on the adventure" with Marina Ventura to gain more insight on climates. Then I would have the students pick one of their favorite climates and write about their "experience" there. This website goes along with the Alabama Course of Study because students should be able to describe climates in different regions of the world. This is a credible website because it is aimed to help students learn more about scientific topics which ultimately provides them accurate information in a way they can best understand.

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Fun Kids - the UK's children's radio station

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Climate is all about patterns of weather. We find out more about the different climates on our planet and what causes them to be different from each other.

When you hear the words "weather" and "climate" you might think they mean the same thing - but they're quite different!

It might be rainy today or it might be sunny - that's the weather. But climate is the pattern of weather in a place over a much longer time.

Different parts of the world have very different patterns of weather. The Earth's climate is driven by energy from the sun which arrives in the form of heat. Half of this energy travels through our atmosphere and reaches the Earth's surface.

The other half is either absorbed by the atmosphere or reflected back into space. Because the Earth is a sphere, the sun's rays reach the earth's surface in polar regions at a much more slanted angle than at equator. So straight away, we know that the Poles are colder than the Equator.

When things aren't in balance, nature likes to even things out. So the extra energy at the Equator needs to be spread across the planet and it's this that creates different climate zones across the world.

Warm air rises at the equator and moves toward the poles. Where warm, wet air rises, we get thunderstorms and tropical rainforests. Where air sinks, it stops clouds from forming - so it rains less, even making deserts.

How many climate zones are there and how do they differ?

1. Tropical

Around the Equator we have tropical climates which are hot and humid, this is where you'll find the world's rainforests.

2. Arid

Then there are arid or dry climates - like you'd find in deserts.

3. Mediterranean

Next is Mediterranean with hot dry summers, and cooler wetter winters.

4. Temperate

Then there are temperate climates. That's what we have in the UK, where summers are mild and winters aren't too cold.

5. Continental

In areas that are a very long way from the sea, the climate is continental with long, cold winters and short, hot summers.

6. Polar

Finally, there's polar climates which experience long periods of extreme cold.

Local climates

You might have been to countries like France and Italy, in the Mediterranean, where they have lots of snow in winter - and some of their mountains are even snow covered all year round.
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But they also have beautiful beaches - great fun during the hot and dry summers. So if you've got both snow covered mountains and hot beaches, does that mean they don't have a Mediterranean climate?

No, it just means that local climates in a country can be different to the region's climate. This can be for lots of reasons - high places like mountains tend to be colder because the air is cooler the higher you go.

What else can affect local climates?

Vegetation can also affect the local climate we experience. In equatorial rainforests, dense vegetation blocking the wind combined with high temperatures and rainfall means it's a very humid place to be! Where there's no vegetation, the air can be much drier and the wind can blow.

In busy cities, the air temperature is often warmer than the surrounding countryside, particularly at night-time. This is due to buildings and roads absorbing heat during the day, and giving it off at night.
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Another thing that can affect a local climate is the wind! It might be that part of a country frequently catches wind from another region - this is called a prevailing wind. If it's coming from a hotter place, this might raise temperatures, or if it's from a colder area, it'll cause the local temperature to drop.

The oceans also have a part to play in influencing our weather and climate.

But just because a place has one climate doesn't mean it won't change.

Climate scientists take measurements over long periods of time to track patterns in temperature and rainfall. These help us know what to expect today and in the future but are also a great way to see what changes have happened in the past.

It's amazing to think that 20,000 years ago the UK would have been in the Ice Age, and our climate here would have been similar to the Polar climates that we see today! Cold enough to have a pet polar bear!

Next, we'll be finding out about how and why climates change... click here!
You can hear Marina Ventura's Climate Explorers weekdays from 11.30am on Fun Kids!
Get the series on your phone or tablet and listen whenever you like - at home or in the car!

...or you can listen here:

Additional support thanks to Liverpool John Moores University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Met Office, and King's College London.

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What are the major climate zones of the world? - Fun Kids - the UK's children's radio station

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Climate is all about patterns of weather and in this episode Marina and Map App find out more about the different climates on our planet and what causes them to be different from each other.

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Podcast on Weather: Science (2015) Grade 3 #13 of Earth's Systems

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This podcast is a type of media that students can listen to in the classroom or even at home. This particular podcast walks students through the types of weather. It also highlights the difference between weather and climate. The podcast might be used in the classroom as a chance for students who are auditory learners to better understand the information. Since lessons are generally only taught by the teacher, a podcast allows students to hear a new voice which might lead to them being more receptive to the information. The podcast aligns with the Alabama Course of Study by providing students information on patterns of weather conditions across different seasons and in different areas. Using selection criteria, I was able to find a podcast that was aimed towards students in lower grades and it also provides accurate, credible information.

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We all know that weather can be unruly and changeable. But sometimes we feel we know what the weather "should" be like at a certain time of year - why is this? Marina and Map App find out more.

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Magnetic Interactions & Static Electricity: Science (2015) Grade 3 #3 of Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

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In this informational website, students are able to learn more about magnets and static electricity. I find this website to be well organized and easy for students to navigate through. It starts by breaking down the properties of magnets and their magnetic field. From there, it builds on itself to introduce electromagnetics. Then into electricity. When using this in a classroom, I would use it as a way for students to work in groups to go through the information and help each other learn. I would have students highlight what their group thinks is the most important throughout their reading. Once students are done reading and talking about the new information, they will answer the discussion questions with their group. Once all groups are done, we as a class will discuss what the students highlighted and the answers to the discussion questions. This informational website covers #3 of the 3rd-grade science Alabama Course of Study by allowing students to explore objects that can be manipulated in order to determine cause-and-effect relationships. I chose this informational website because th author is a credible source that provides accurate scientific information in a way that 3rd-grade students can read and following along.