---

Thematic instruction continues to be very popular in the classroom as a tool for curriculum integration, and no time of year is more exciting for children than the season of Winter. That is why this week's issue has been devoted to best Internet resources about Winter. Special thanks to Cathy Brand and Jerry Blumengarten for their recommendations on this week's topic!

• Deck the Halls - http://www.kate.net/holidays/Christmas/deckhalls.computer.html
  Kate Palenscar offers this full page of all kinds of holiday graphics, backgrounds, animated images, icons, screen savers and desk top images.
• Hinterland Who's Who - http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hww-fap/eng_ind.html
  The Canadian Wildlife Service presents this wonderful collection of native animals, each with its own page of pictures and information. Available in English and French, you can even order free materials to further study these Winter animals with your students.
• Igloo -- the Traditional Arctic Snow Dome - http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/houses/igloo.html
  Interested in sharing with your class the actual design and construction of igloos? Then this is the page for you. Part of the Native American Indian Resources site, there are links to many other kinds of native homes, as well.
• Kid's Snow Page - http://www.teelfamily.com/activities/snow/
  The Teel family of Chugiak, Alaska has put together this wonderful page on snow. It emphasizes high interest experiences over mere information, presenting science, art, literature, recipes and lots more activities for children to enjoy.
• Molasses-on-Snow Candy - http://www.harperchildrens.com/holiday/chri4.htm
  The publisher Harper-Collins offers this recipe as a literature connection to Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods. The complete recipe and easy to follow instructions are provided here so that you and your class can experience this frontier treat together!
• The Siberian Husky - http://www.articdog.com/
  Kids love these dogs, and this site celebrates them along with malamutes, samoyeds, norwegian elkhounds and arctic wolves. There is a special focus on the hosts' two huskies Nikita and Kayla, including an interactive game wherein the race one another home for supper!
• Surviving Denali - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/denali/kids/
  NOVA offers this awesome look at the Denali mountains of Alaska and the science and safety practices which make it livable for humans. Home of Mount McKinley, the highest point in north America, and part of the geography that embraces the Iditarod every March, there's lots of Winter tie-ins here!
• The Taiga Biome - http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/taiga/animals/index.htm
  The Evergreen Project presents this fascinating look at wild life that thrives in the taiga, including the Bald Eagle, Canada Goose, Ermine, Least Weasel, Long Eared Owl, Moose, Red Fox, Rose breasted Grosbeak, Snowshoe Rabbit and the Wolverine.
• Winter and Snow Theme Page- http://atozteacherstuff.com/themes/winter.shtml
  A to Z Teacher Stuff offers this collection of online units, lessons, projects and books ideal for primary classes studying the theme of Winter. There's also printable pages and related themes on holidays of the Winter season, as well as links to many other year-round themes!
• Winter Fun - http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/winter/index.html
  Kid's Domain offers this extensive listing of arts, crafts, games, stories, free downloads and links. The holidays section is especially educational, covering a diverse collection of celebrations including Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan and seven other Winter dates.
• Winter Sites - http://www.fvsd.ab.ca/stm/winter_sites.htm
  Cathy Brand presents this collection of categorized links for Winter studies, including General Topics, Polar Bears, Penguins, Poetry and Stories, Snow and Ice, Gingerbread and Arts & Crafts. Perfect for Primary teachers!
• World Wide Christmas Calendar - http://www.algonet.se/~bernadot/christmas/calendar.html
  Here's an advent calendar that combines clickable images with information about Christmas around the world for each of the 24 days it covers. The traditions are actually submitted by boys and girls from around the world, and the page is actually hosted by the Bernadotte School in Denmark.
  

Click here for the Innovative Teaching Archive!

Next week's topic: "Multicultural Holidays"

Please send in URL's of high quality sites which may be of interest to our readers to walter@surfaquarium.com! Also, I'm always looking for new topic ideas and input!

Find More Great Resources at the Innovative Teaching Website: http://surfaquarium.com/it.htm.

Archive	http://www.egroups.com/group/innovative-teaching
Subscribe	innovative-teaching-subscribe@eGroups.com
Unsubscribe	innovative-teaching-unsubscribe@eGroups.com
List Owner	walter@surfaquarium.com

This newsletter may be forwarded or copied provided the header and signature information remain intact. Show a colleague what you have found in Innovative Teaching! =D -©1999-2001 Walter McKenzie