darsie.ucdavis.edutales

This archive of folk and fairy tales is a good sampling of the storytelling art which is common across the world. Scandinavian, Siberian, Scottish, native American, Chinese and Japanese stories are all represented. The classroom literacy work that can be done around an archive like this can be as rich as the resource itself.

NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

weber.u.washington.educhudlerneurok.html

Designed as a teaching aid about the nervous system, this is an attractive site full of activities. It offers an exploration of the nervous system and lists of resources. There is even a way of writing notes to yourself as you go and emailing them so that you will not forget. Students can be linked in to the neuroscience network and can join an email list to receive regular updates.

STOCKPORT LEA INTERNET SERVICE

www.stockportmbc.gov.ukmenu.htm

This gives the impression of vitality and common sense, being clear, attractive and rooted in curriculum realities, such as the Art Resources pages. Early key stages have not been neglected and a major feature is the way that the national curriculum documents in some areas have been annotated with links and further advice. The most attractive feature is the gallery of work from schools. The links which have been researched are exceptionally good.

VINCENT VAN GOGH INFORMATION GALLERY

www.vangoghgallery.com

Paintings, sketches, water colours and letters - they’re all here. Vincent van Gogh, in addition to being a great artist, was also a great writer. His letters show that if he had chosen this path he could have made as much impact as an author. This is a comprehensive site which covers all aspects of Van Gogh’s work in detail. There is also a database which analyses the letters and refers them to the paintings. This is one of those sites that you would pay for if it was a CD-Rom.

SEARCHING FOR CHINA

www.kn.pacbell.comwiredChina

It is well worth looking at this site even if you are not studying China, as it is a way of looking at learning. The activities are created as “models for ways to integrate the World Wide Web into classroom learning”. China was chosen as a topic because it exemplifies just the kind of thinking that the Web is great at fostering. Far too often learning is reduced to series of disconnected facts and filtered perspectives. “The Web offers a broader, more authentic learning experience,” says the site.

THE MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES

www.ncl.ac.uknantiq

Based around Roman antiquities found in the area of Hadrian’s Wall, this is essential viewing for all those studying Roman Britain. It’s an innovative site, and the work on the temple of Mithras is accompanied by a short panoramic film which looks around the site. With a good, fast connection this will be splendid. Primary teachers will have to simplify some of the language for their pupils.

VIEWS OF THE FAMINE

vassun.vassar.edusttaylorFAMINE

The unlocking of archives to the public has been one of the great features of the Internet. This site looks at the 19th century famine in Ireland through a number of sources, including The Illustrated London News, The Cork Examiner and Punch. Sites like this will revolutionise the teaching of history.

TREASURE ISLAND

www.dreamcatchers.nettreasure

Treasure Island is one of those books that many see as hackneyed. In spite of that it continues to be an absorbing read to those who encounter it for the first time. Joan Bigelow, a teacher from Avon School in Connecticut, created the Treasure Island unit. She has put the results of her work on the Internet. It contains maps, information on ships, pirates and background details.

LEONARDO DA VINCI

www.mos.orgslnLeonardoLeoHomePage.html

Leonardo da Vinci’s skill as a painter and draughtsman during the Renaissance was remarkable. “His amazing powers of observation and skill as an illustrator enabled him to recreate the effects he saw in nature, and added a special liveliness to his portraits,” says the site. He was an artist who tried to explain the world. His experiments with linear and aerial perspective were groundbreaking and had considerable influence on both science and art. The site is illustrated with Da Vinci’s work and suggests ways of using his ideas in the classroom.

CYBER FILM SCHOOL

www.cyberfilmschool.com

The study of film and video grows in importance all the time. The Cyber Film School is a good site to direct people to. It is midway between the fan type of site, with its uncritical adulation, and the academic structuralist approach ,with its jargon. It has some good links as well as a forum for discussions.

Jack Kenny