Elementary Resources
Quick Links
About This Page
The purpose behind this page is to provide teachers and media specialists information about MeL Kids and the databases found in the Homework Helpers section. You can find items like handouts, slide decks, and videos that can be used in the classroom to help introduce students to the resources, or even supplemental material like graphic organizers or classroom materials. If you have any suggestions for content, or would like to share a resource you currently use, please email your ideas to CSchneider.MeL@gmail.com.
Keep Updated!
Be sure to keep updated on new resources added to the Teacher pages or anything MeL! Sign up for our K-12 School Library/Media Center & Educator Community on our Govdelivery ListServe! Click here to sign up: 
Detroit Public TV: Digital Adventure: 360 Interactive Experience - Winged Creatures
Teachers and your students...
DPTV, the Detroit Zoological Society, Leslie Science & Nature Center, and the Organization for Bat Conservation created a Digital Adventure 360* Interactive Experience specifically for teachers, students, and caregivers! Three videos will take you on a virtual field trip inside these habitats to view first-hand animal behavior - and wait until you see how penguins and bats react to the cameras! Be sure to check out all of the hot spots within the video to read articles, listen to audio, or view a related video.
Each 360* interactive video includes lesson plans that have been designed by teachers for teachers and are aligned to the state standards for Michigan. And the lesson plans incorporate Michigan eLibrary content! These experiences are targeted for 6-12th grade, but are certainly not limited to this age group.
You won't want to miss this experience!
To access the videos and associated lesson plans, click on: Digital Adventure 360* Interactive Experience - Winged Creatures.
Once you have viewed the videos, be sure to come back to mel.org to conduct further research!
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MeL Kids
Specifically for our youngest users, MeL Kids focuses on resources appropriate from basically birth to 5th grade. On the landing page, users are immediately greeted by our Kids Mascot, Brookie, and his frog pal, Read-It. Be sure to click on Read-It to get access to a MeL coloring page!
There are four centers within MeL Kids:
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Homework Helpers is the place to go to access all of the MeL pre-paid subscription databases appropriate for this age group. As long as your IP address is located in Michigan, you have free access. No logins are required!
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Be sure to print off this handy guide to the pre-paid databases found in MeL Kids.
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If you would like to link directly to a pre-paid database on your website, feel free to copy and paste our logos on your page and be sure to embed the Geo-Authenticated link. Database List with Geo-URL links
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In addition to finding access to some of our pre-paid subscription databases related to reading, there are many great web links including Giggle Poetry, Kidsreads, Reading Rockets, and Storyline Online just to name a few.
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Just like with the other centers, find access to some of MeL’s pre-paid subscription databases, this time with an interactive game and activity focus. External web links include CIA Kids’ Zone, DLTK’s Crafts for Kids, and Mr. R’s World of Math and Science.
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Who doesn’t want to learn more about this great state in which we live?? We created this center specifically with elementary educators in mind since Michigan history is taught in the early grades. Here, users can click on external links that will let them explore and learn about things like Fish Identification, Birds, Bugs and Insects, and Snakes from Michigan. Also, there is a video about the Legend of Sleeping Bear and a great digital collection from around Michigan found in Michigana.
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Britannica School Resources
Grades 3-4. Find information on countries, animals, and people in articles, media, and a world atlas. Watch and learn with videos, games, and activities.
Pre K - 2nd grade. 
School code is mel5. Activity-centered learning to explore, play, read, and build technology skills. Letters, numbers, geography, shapes and much more are included.
Gale Resources
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Gale’s Blog: Learn how real-world educators have used Gale’s 21st century resources to lead learners to higher rates of achievement and productivity.
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Google Drive Integration Tip Sheet
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Google Classroom Tip Sheet
General Reference Center Gold **Google & Microsoft Integrated**
General user. Mo
stly full text. Integrates a variety of sources - newspapers, reference books, magazines, and trade publications. Find articles on current events, popular culture, business and industry trends, the arts and sciences, sports, hobbies, and more. Updated daily. Indexing, abstracts, image, or full text formats available.
Kids InfoBits **Google & Microsoft Integrated**
Grades PreK
- 5. Full text. Especially for beginning researchers in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Covers geography, current events, the arts, science, health, people, government, history, sports and more. Curriculum-related and age appropriate content is from the best elementary reference sources and magazines.
Tip: to access educator resources for Kids InfoBits, once in the product, click “More” at the top of the page next to the search bar. Then click on “Educator Resources” for tools to help you and your students.
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Kids InfoBits video tutorials including Basics, Documents, Searching, and Your Library vs. Open Web
Research in Context **Google & Microsoft Integrated**
Includes t
he most-studied topics for grades 6-8 - literature, science, social studies, and U.S. and world history. Written specifically for middle schoolers (high school students may find it useful too) this information comes from authoritative sources including Gale, National Geographic and Scholastic and is aligned to national and state curriculum standards. Designed to develop learning skills to launch 6-8 graders into high school and beyond.
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Research in Context Videos
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Basics (2:48)
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Searching (2:18)
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Topic Pages and Documents (4:33)
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Narrowing Your Research Topic and Searching for Sources (6:15)
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World Books Resources
Grades PreK-5. Fo
llow Trek and Taffy the cat around the world learning about colors, numbers and other fun things. Strengthen reading foundations with stories, activities and videos. Explore the Know It encyclopedia designed especially for early readers. Includes materials for educators.
Tip: Once you are in this resource, be sure to click on “For Educators” button located at the bottom of the screen toward the middle. Then click on “Educator Tools”. Here you can find some very helpful information to guide you to incorporating Early World into your classroom.
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Video Overview - Early World of Learning (14:37)
Enciclopedia Estudantil Hallazgos
Grades PreK - 5
. Bilingual resources - visual dictionary, world of animals, encyclopedia articles, and Spanish language newspapers. Eight categories to browse: arts, history and government, people, places, plants and animals, science and mathematics, sports and hobbies, and world religions. The visual dictionary includes thousands of images and more than 12,000 labels. Save, print, or email content.
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Video Overview - Hallazgos (6:59)
Grades PreK - 5 Co
ntains eight major subject categories: Arts, History and Government, Living Things, People, Places, Science and Mathematics, Sports and Hobbies, and World Religions. Has full-featured pictures, sounds and videos. Also includes a section for teachers.
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Videos - includes 9 video tutorials on how to use World Book for Kids
eBook Resources
Grades PreK -
5. An interactive experience that allows beginning readers to explore fiction and non-fiction designed to increase understanding and fluency. Increase comprehension and have fun at the same time!
Remember - every book pair has an associated lesson plan with it! Once you’ve chosen a book pair, look to the top right for the link.
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iction and nonfiction books you can read online - for school and for fun. Search for what you want. Picture books, homework topics, languages learning. Online help available too.
- eBooks and Audiobooks Support Center - User guides, help sheets, and video tutorials for EBSCO resources with instructions for iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows devices.
Find just the right bo
ok by subject, age, awards won, Lexile Reading levels, Common Core standards; even books made into movies, and much more. Read reviews and learn about the author. Create your own reading wish list.
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Videos - 2015, eight short videos showing how to find books in these areas: Match a Unit of Study, Historical Events, Picture Book Extenders, Read-alikes, Reading and Writing Concepts, Narrative Nonfiction for Young Readers, Right books using Lexiles, and NoveList for schools.
Test Prep and Skills Improvement Resources
LearningExpress Library - School Center
Grades 4 through
12 skills improvement in math, writing and grammar, reading comprehension, social studies, and vocabulary and spelling through tests, eBooks, and tutorials. U.S. Constitution study and review.
