I am a resource teacher and work with a student who is bipolar and severely ADHD. After full testing, he is not self-contained in my room. He loves to work on a computer. I would love some sites he can go and learn 3rd grade science or social studies while I am working with other students. Can you suggest some resources that might be helpful?
The Internet has some great resources for helping students to learn science and social studies. See the article Using Multimedia Tools to Help Students Learn Science(opens in a new window) for a rich collection of web-based sites. The article is divided into three sections: Modeling Tools and Multiple Representations, Tools that Facilitate Collaboration and Discourse, and Simulations and Virtual Labs. Each section has a list of tools that you can implement in your classroom. Grade levels vary, but there are several tools that would be just right for third grade. Take a look at the tools, and hopefully, you will find some that will be engaging to your student.
In terms of social studies, see the articles Teaching History to Support Diverse Learners which describes ways to engage students with critical thinking and history learning. The article Learning History with Multimedia Materials(opens in a new window) is another great resource. Unfortunately, many of the tools mentioned in this article are for middle and high school grades. However, the Jean Fritz History Series is made for students in grades 3-7. The series explores different social studies themes and introduces students to key historical figures. CITEd’s article Multimedia Geography Instruction(opens in a new window) also provides links to some really engaging online tools. Many of the tools mentioned in this article are aimed toward elementary students. Landscapes(opens in a new window) game, for example, includes activities for using relative location to construct maps. This program allows students to use map construction tools in a digital environment instead of using traditional materials such as pencils, crayons, construction paper, and clay.
We hope these resources will engage and instruct your student and be helpful to your classroom management.