With
the snowy season upon us, there is no better time to explore a variety of winter-related resources in the
Michigan eLibrary (MeL) for students and teachers. The professional journals, eBook
Collections, and encyclopedias in MeL provide some lesson ideas for teachers as well as resources that students can explore on their own.
Blizzards & Snowflakes
Two great video clips to get the snow flying are from
Britannica School. One helps
us understand how snow crystals form, and the other
explains why snow crunches when we walk through it.
Also from Britannica School are articles, images, and additional video clips to help students understand
snow. Remember, Britannica offers leveled content.
Although the article opens at the middle school level (2), it can be changed to elementary (1) or high school (3) reading levels as well.
In the
eBook K-8 Collection
searching the keyword blizzard brings back a mixture of fiction
and nonfiction titles, including a title for early learners:
How
to Survive a Blizzard. Keep in mind that eBooks from this collection (and several others) can be shared with multiple users on multiple devices simultaneously; there are no holds
or wait times!
Precipitation
Matters, an article from
Science
& Children, a publication in
Education Source, offers
hands-on lesson ideas for examining snowflakes.
Winter Solstice
Understand the Differences between Solstices and Equinoxes
is an engaging, 3-minute, Britannica Demystified video clip. Also available through Britannica School is an
article that describes a solstice and includes
an image. By setting limiters in NoveList K-8 Plus,
book
titles on winter solstice and other winter-related themes can easily be searched and reviewed.
Hibernation
To get the earliest learners thinking about animal behavior this winter,
Science
Spin K-1 from
Primary Search has
Ready,
Set, Snooze! article and activity about groundhog behavior. The
corresponding
article from the
Science
Spin K-1 (Teacher’s Guide) can be found in Education Source.
A keyword search of
hibernation in the eBook K-8 Collection garners 14
results, including titles on bears, insects and frogs.
Scholastic
News (Edition 5/6) has a fun, yet informative article,
Heavyweight
Champ, from
Middle Search Plus that
describes the Alaskan Brown Bear packing on the pounds for winter.
There is much to discover in the MeL eResources on various winter subject matter; this is only just the tip of the iceberg!
If you are having any issues linking to items on this page, contact
melerhelp@mcls.org for help.
Brought to you by
Ann Kaskinen from the MeL Team.
Supporting Michigan Libraries by Putting You First.
Want more information on MeL? Stay tuned for the next MeL Minute available on many Michigan library listservs, visit http://mel.org,
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Ann Kaskinen
MeL Engagement Specialist, K-12
Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS)
1-517-325-5333