ONLINE SITES FOR SOSE TOPICS

  Excellent site for students to learn about other countries - http://www.geographyiq.com/index.htm.  An online world atlas packed with geographic, economic, political, historical and cultural information. In addition, GeographyIQ brings together a number of other resources including maps, flags, currency conversion as well as climate and time zone information

A great site for SOSE and lots of other activities - www.beenleigss.qld.edu.au

Kid's Gardening Guide - http://www.whitneyfarms.com/guide/kids/  This site contains 12 gardening activity sheets, ready for student use, that encourage children to explore the natural wonders in the garden.

The Smithsonian National Zoological park is home to thousands of animals from all over the world. This site takes users on a virtual tour that allows students to view the zoo through web cams and photo galleries.  http://nationalzoo.si.edu/

Jungle Walk  - www.junglewalk.com/ 

Jungle Walk is a virtual animal encyclopaedia. There is a large compilation of animal movie and animal sound clips, categorised and arranged for easy reference. Learn about many different animals, big and small. Watch movies of protozoan animal cells and cheetahs hunting, explore bird sounds, and hear blue whale songs. Teachers can sign up to receive classroom aids to be used with this site. Many of the images available on the site are in the public domain.

Transportation Weblinks - http://members.ozemail.com.au/~slacey/transport.htm

This website uses the divisions of General Transport, Land Transport, Water Transport, Air Transport, and History of Transport. It contains resources aimed at younger students, identifying a mixture of American and Australian websites.

didj u know Stories - www.abc.net.au/messageclub/duknow/

'didj u know Stories' is part of the ABC's Message Club site. The stories cover aboriginal culture, history, people, rights, and sports people. (This site has lots of other great resources in all curriculum areas) Worth checking out.

Animals  - www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/animals.htm

From kidcyber, this website contains information about various animals for students in the range K-6. Among the topics are Australian Animals at Risk, Threatened and Extinct Species, Animal Digestion, and Classifying Animals. The Australian Animals unit of work includes student information pages, ideas for teachers, student worksheets, and three kidcyberQuests for students K-6.

Health - Kids Health - www.cyh.com/cyh/kids/index.html

Easy to read information for children and parents from the South Australian Child and Youth Health unit which is funded by the Department of Human Services. Topics include danger, asthma, bullies, divorce, dreams, exercise, friendship, getting on with the family, grief, no friends, peer groups, rest and sleep, starting school, teeth, what is a family, and your food.

Simple Steps to Better Dental Health - Fun for Kids www.simplestepsdental.com/SS/ihtSS/r.WSIHW000/st.35080/t.35082/pr.3.html

Simple Steps to Better Dental Health is a joint project of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and the health insurance company, Aetna. This part of the website includes information and activities for young students. Information for older students is available from a menu bar.

Connecting You with Australian History and Culture online: a resource for teachers and students http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au

The Culture and Recreation Portal has developed a new information guide for teachers about connecting with Australian history and culture. The Culture and Recreation Portal is a single-point public access gateway to Australian cultural organisations, websites, resources, news and events. It has lots of useful resources to help you find more about Australian history and culture - as well as plenty of webtools to understand the internet and participate in the online world.

OUR AUSTRALIAN IDENTITY

Australian National Flag Day, 3 September - http://www.flagaustnat.asn.au/flagday.asp

Australia's National Flag was first flown on 3rd September 1901. In 1996, The Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Sir William Patrick Deane, acting on the advice of the Federal Executive Council, declared the 3rd September be designated Australian National Flag Day. For additional information please visit http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/flying_flag.html

Australian Citizenship Day, 17 September - http://www.citizenship.gov.au/citday.htm

Australian Citizenship Day, first celebrated in 2001 on September 17, is an opportunity for all Australians to reflect on the meaning and importance of our citizenship. It is a chance for all of us to think about the changes that have shaped our nation and the role both new and Australian born citizens have played in building Australia and shaping our future. Most importantly, Australian Citizenship Day provides a focus, a special day on which we reflect on the values which underpin our democracy - equality and respect for each other's beliefs - and other aspects of Australia and our way of life that we cherish and which unite us.

EdNA Online Theme Page - Australian Identity - http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/page1426.html

The aim of this page is to provide a useful collection of resources for teachers to support classroom learning and activities connected with learning about our Australian identity. The resources listed have been evaluated in the searchable EdNA Online database. Each of the links on this page gives a customised search of the EdNA Online database, yielding selected resources suitable for classroom use. Topics include: Aboriginal Culture & Heritage, Australia Day, Immigration, Inventions, Banknotes & Coins Maps, Culture, National Parks, Explorers, National Symbols, Famous Australians, Population & Statistics, Flags, Postage Stamps, Food, Bush tucker & Recipes, Prime Ministers, Gold Rushes, WebQuests, Heritage, and World Heritage Areas.

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS

Reviled and Revered - http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/herps/start.html

Reviled and Revered is a set of lesson plans on reptiles and amphibians, or herps, created by the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Education for grades 3-8. The website includes five interesting lesson plans, most of which blend biology with an examination of our cultural attitudes towards reptiles and amphibians.

TRANSPORT

Transport - Past, Present & Future @ www.transport.qld.gov.au/qtkids

The Trams of Ballarat @ http://amol.org.au/guide/stories/trams/ballarat_trams.html

Winging it: A short history of Australian Flight @ http://amol.org.au/discovernet/tales/flight.asp

Great Invention Comes to the Murray-Darling, the Paddle Steamer @ www.nexus.edu.au/ozprojects/journey/paddle_steamer.htm

23 Different types of Paper Aeroplanes to make @ www.paperairplanes.co.uk

Smogbusters Way To School Kit - All you need to know about sustainable transport and how the school community can help clear the air www.waytoschoolkit.infoxchange.net.au

Project Atmosphere Australia Online - www.schools.ash.org.au/paa1/ebmodules.htm 

(teachers will find lots of teacher resources, online activities, puzzles at this site)

LIVING THINGS

Australian animals, birds, minibeasts, fauna... www.edna.edu.au/schools/themes/animals.html

A site designed to help Save the Bilby - providing teachers and children with educational resources, project material and lots of fun activities -www.easterbilby.com.au

Living Things site looking at animals and plants as individuals, families, neighbourhoods and the Circle of life -www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/

Focusing on the living things we find in our own back yard - www.backyardnature.net

This web links page allows students to find easy and harder information about mini-beasts such as insects, arachnids, amphibians and invertebrates. In addition to general resources with descriptions, there are easy links for younger students, and links to images.  http://members.ozemail.com.au/~slacey/minibeasts.htm

This page contains links to sites with facts and information about 15 different Australian mammals, organised according to complexity. - www.teachers.ash.org.au/jmresources/ausanimallinks/index.html

This links to sites relating to birds - www.teachers.ash.org.au/jmresources/birdlinks/index.html.

Tales From The Billabong - www.fraynework.com.au/story/index.html This site features Australian children's stories and games. The stories feature a choose-your-own-adventure style. The site includes an Ask Bunyip feature where children can ask questions about Australia.

Animal welfare - RSPCA Site www.rspca.org.au

World Wildlife Foundation - www.wwf.org.au

Sea Creatures Weblinks    www.members.ozemail.com.au/~slacey/seacreatures.htm

This teacher-created website by Sue Lacey contains a list of useful websites for students and teachers including information about fish, ocean animals, invertebrates, whales, sharks, and unique Australian animals.

PestWorld for Kids - www.pestworldforkids.org

What are pests? Think of them as animals out of place. Out in nature, they're just doing their jobs. But when they move into our homes and yards, then we call them pests. So come explore the world of pests. Then you can use your knowledge to outwit the pests in your world. PestWorld For Kids is sponsored by the US National Pest Management Association. The site includes interactive games. For teachers there are lesson plans, and classroom resources.

Dogs and More Dogs - www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/dogs

From the huskies of the frozen North to the basenjis of the Congo River basin and the golden retrievers in backyards, dogs have carved a niche for themselves in every human society. How did this unique relationship develop? What can the latest breakthroughs in genetics tell us about the secrets of dog origins and breeding? And can dog sociologists and psychiatrists unravel the puzzling, lovable, and often maddening quirks of dog behavior? Despite such variation, all domestic dogs, as well as their common ancestor, the gray wolf, have virtually identical genes. How can science explain the incredible diversity of breeds? In this companion website to the PBS NOVA television programme learn about the diversity of dogs, explore their geographic origins, and get to know working dogs and their jobs.

Caring for animals

You and your pets - http://url.edna.edu.au/e4MD

This page from the 'Kids' Health' section on the Child Youth Health website is for young children. The topics include: what's good about having a pet; choosing a pet; keeping pets safe; some unusual facts; and a pet/animals quiz.

Responsible pet ownership program for schools - Junior primary http://www.pets.info.vic.gov.au/01/menu.htm

This is a Victorian Government educational site for primary school students featuring information on responsible pet ownership. The Junior Primary website has links to: Pet club; working pets; choosing a pet; great art work; lost pets; dealing with dogs; dealing with cats; games (Snakes and ladders, and Super Sleuth); teachers' resources and other links.

Creature Features - http://www.abc.net.au/creaturefeatures/default.htm

Creature Features is an ABC Television series about pets, animals and the people who care for them. The website contains information about a variety of animals, things to make and do, instructions for drawing animals, and a articles about celebrity pets.

ABC TV's Our Animals - http://www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/animals/

Developed to support an ABC TV series of the same name, and aimed at lower to middle primary students, this web site looks at Australian animals, their physical features, food, homes and environment and social groups. For animals in the air, on the ground and in the water, there are colouring sheets and a glossary.

Message Club - Just for Fun - http://www.abc.net.au/messageclub/just_fun/

The ABC Message Club provides this collection of online games for children, all designed along Aboriginal themes and including Australian animals.
 

Healthy Kids ... Healthy Future - www.edna.edu.au/edna/page1423.html

Asthma Awareness - www.edna.edu.au/edna/page1440.html

Health and Healing - www.edna.edu.au/edna/page1422.html

Nutrition - www.edna.edu.au/edna/page1417.html