PreK to Grade 5 Internet Curriculum Links
HCPSS Online Subscription Databases | Homework Help | General Research/Reference | Authors, Illustrators, and Characters | Biography | Countries, Maps and Flags | Magazines | Maryland and Local Information | News Sites, Magazines and Journals | United States - Facts, History, Government
Grades 6 - 8 | Grades 9 - 12
HCPSS Online Subscription Databases
Students should see the school library media specialist for login information to these databases.
CultureGrams -
Concise, reliable, and up-to date country reports
on 182 world cultures
NoodleTools -
Generate, edit, and publish an MLA Works Cited list
or APA References list using NoodleBib
SIRS Discoverer -
Easily retrievable full-text articles from approximately
1,200 newpapers, magazines, and U.S. government documents;
includes World Almanac for Kids
World Book Online -
This is the online version of this popular encyclopedia.
Homework Help
- Pinchbeck's Homework Reference - Links to numerous reference tools
- Tutor.com - Online tutoring service is provided through the Howard County Library(HCL); click on the question mark (?); requires an HCL library card
General Reference/Research
- Ask an Expert - Index of expert question and answer services available on the Internet
- Bartlett's Quotations - Search for famous quotes and phrases.
- Can You Do the Dewey? -
Test your knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System
and find out about Melvin Dewey.
- "Do We" Really Know Dewey? - A detailed, yet child friendly, investigation of the Dewey Decimal System of classification
- InfoPlease - Allows students to search the encyclopedia, dictionary, and several almanacs
- Library Spot - A huge hotlink page to ready reference sources, online libraries and other online media (journals, newspapers, speeches, etc.) - a must see!
- Little Explorers Picture Dictionary - Primary dictionary provides illustrations and example sentences
- Merriam-Webster Online - Online dictionary and thesaurus
- Multicultural Calendar - Online calendar that allows searching holidays by month, country or holiday
- OneLook Dictionaries - Type a word, choose a dictionary.
- Puzzlemaker- Create a variety of types of puzzles, including crosswords, word searches, and mazes.
- The Quotations Page - A large-scale quotation site with many original resources
- The Weather Channel - This site has weather forecasts for U.S. and International cities.
- WordCentral - Merriam-Webster student site with definitions, parts of speech, and pronunciations, as well as a rhyming dictionary
- Zip Codes -
United States Postal Service Zip Code directory
Authors, Illustrators, and Characters
- Avi - Biography and news
- Bailey School Kids (Debbie Dadey) - Information on the series, including activities
- Official Berenstain Bears Website - (Jan and Stan Berenstain) Activities and stories with the Berenstain Bears
- Judy Blume's Official Web Site - Biography, writing tips, and interesting facts about her books
- Jan Brett - Wonderful activities, bookmarks, projects, and author information
- Arthur (Marc Brown) - Activities and information about Arthur the aardvark
- BetsyByars.com - Writing tips, autobiography, and photos
- Official Eric Carle Site - Good ideas on how to use Carle's books
- Nancy Carlson's Neighborhood - Newsletter, biography, drawing instructions, and recipes from the author of the Louanne Pig books
- Alice in Wonderland Interactive Adventure (Lewis Carroll) - Many games and activities based on Alice's adventures
- Magic School Bus Fun Place (Joanna Cole) - Series information, activities, and kids' art gallery
- Official Roald Dahl Web Site - Author information, downloadable activities, and games for students
- Dinotopia (James Gurney) - Many details about the books, including maps, author information, and teacher activities
- Mem Fox - Information about Mem Fox and her books.
- Jean Craighead George - Q & A, writing tips, photos, audio, and Quicktime movies from the author of Julie of the Wolves
- Grimm Brothers @ nationalgeographic.com - 12 full-text folktales from the Brothers Grimm
- Kevin Henkes - Learn all about his characters, special recipes, and games
- Brian Jacques Home Page - For fans of the Redwall books
- Junie B. Jones (Barbara Park) - Provides information about Junie B., her books, various activities and a biography of author Barbara Park
- Loreen Leedy - Includes project ideas and activities to download
- Narnia (C. S. Lewis) - Detailed information about the stories, characters, and settings from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia
- Adventures of the Real Winnie-the-Pooh (A. A. Milne) - Introduction to the beloved character and the true story of the stuffed animals that inspired A. A. Milne
- Christopher Robin's Winnie-the-Pooh Character Guide (A. A. Milne) - A biographical introduction to all the characters in the 100 Aker Woods
- Rebus Rhymes: Mother Goose and Others - Favorite nursery rhymes presented as rebuses and a Mother Goose scavenger hunt
- Margie Palatini - Information about this award winning author and her books. Activities, recipes, crafts, and book guide are included.
- Katherine Paterson - Official site of the author of Bridge to Terabithia
- Dav Pilkey's Web Site O' Fun! - Biography, games, news, and puzzles from the author of Captain Underpants
- Patricia Polacco - Biography, newsletter, contests, as well as bookmarks and posters to download
- Peter Rabbit Home Page (Beatrix Potter) - Information about Beatrix Potter and her books
- Kids' Corner (Beatrix Potter) - Full-text and RealAudio readings of Beatrix Potter stories
- The World of Curious George (H. A. Rey) - Biography of Margret and H. A. Rey, matching game, and e-cards
- Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling) - Scholastic site about the boy wizard, with series information, author biography, pronunciation guides, trivia game, and more
- Dr. Seuss's Seussville (Dr. Seuss) - Lots of child friendly activities: email a question to the Cat in the Hat, print puzzles and coloring sheets, and enter the monthly contests
- Lemony Snicket - For fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events
- William Steig - Author information and reading guides
- Janet Stevens - General author information, with detailed descriptions of her illustration methods
- Rosemary Wells - Author information, games, and pages to print
- Charlotte's Web (E. B. White) - Chapter summaries, an alphabet book, games, and puzzles, all created by a second grade class
- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frontier Girl -
Extensive biography, photographs, family information,
songs, and games relating to
the author of Little House on the Prairie - Audrey Wood - Information of the author/illustrator and related activities
Biography
- Biographical Dictionary - Facts and figures on 18,000 people
- National Inventors Hall of Fame - Biographies of inventors, indexed by inventor, invention, or by date
- National Women's Hall of Fame - Search for biographical information about famous American women.
- Presidents of the U.S. -
In this resource you will find background information,
election results, cabinet members, notable
events, and some points of interest on each
of the presidents.
Countries, Maps, and Flags
- Flags of all Countries - Flags of the nations of the world
- Google Earth - Google Earth combines the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings to put the world's geographic information at your fingertips.
- Google Maps - This searchable site uses Google Earth satellite technology to assist with finding locations.
- Historical Map Web Sites - This site has historical maps from the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas at Austin.
- InfoPlease - Countries of the World - This site includes maps, flags, facts, quizzes and crossword puzzles, to name only a few features.
- Kids@nationalgeographic.com - Information, games, and activities about the world
- Map Machine - National Geographic provides electronic maps and links to a wide variety of map resources.
- National Geographic Country Profiles - Check this site out for a wealth of country information.
- Outline Maps - Use this site to print or download a variety of outline maps for homework or classroom use.
- USA City Link - Look at this comprehensive source for information on cities and states.
- U.S. Gazetteer - This site allows users to search for United States maps by zip code or city and state. It is published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
- World Flag Database - Use this site to find flags of all nations.
- Dragonfly - Online version of the science magazine
- National Geographic World - Online version of the magazine
- Ranger Rick - Articles, games, and activities from the nature magazine
- Sports Illustrated for Kids Online - Online version of the popular kids' magazine
- Stone Soup - Online magazine for ages 8 - 13 features stories and artwork by children.
- Time for Kids - Online version of the magazine features current events and a news ticker.
Maryland and Local Information
- Howard County Public Library - link to the homepage of HCPSS' A+ Partner. With a library card number, access to the library's online databases is provided.
- Maryland.gov - Easy-to-use information on Maryland from the Maryland Archives.
- Maryland Kids' Page - Maryland geography, history, symbols, and pictures
- Maryland Manual Online -
The online version of the print manual - contains
Maryland information from the Maryland Archives.
News Sites, Magazines, Journals
- 50states.com - This website provides a directory with links to newspapers across the United States.
- Baltimore Sun -- Use the Baltimore Sun's page for today's headlines, sports, and weather.
- National Geographic World - Explore kid-oriented articles on a variety of topics.
- Time for Kids - Affords kids an age appropriate version of Time magazine
- Washington Post- In addition to the current issue the full text of issues printed during the previous two weeks are searchable and available free of charge.
- WTOP - Local news, traffic, and weather, 24/7
United States - Facts, History, Government
- American Memory (Library of Congress) - U.S. History primary sources, lesson plans, photographs and more.
- EPA Student Center - This site contains information about conservation, water, ecosystems, human health, waste and recycling, air, "in your neighborhood".
- From Revolution to Reconstruction -
The history of the United States from the landing
of the Mayflower to current times
- Kids' Pages - FedStats - FedStats is a listing of kids' pages from many governmet departments and agencies, including NASA.
- Library of Congress -
This site has links to legislative information
and research tools including full text access to
current bills in congress.
- National Archives and Records Administration - This site provides access to primary sources related to U.S. government and history.
- Stately Knowledge - Facts About the Fifty States - Basic state facts, including state symbols and links to other sites
- U.S. Census Bureau - The Census Bureau has information from the U.S. Census of 1990.
- The White House - Presents information about the federal government, presidential information, access to White House documents, and commonly requested federal services.
Other Grade Levels
PreK - 5 | Grades 6 - 8 | Grades 9 - 12
Contact: Carol Fritts, Coordinator of Media and Educational Technology
Office of Media and Educational Technology
10920 Route 108
Ellicott City, MD 21042
410-313-7179