This week we will continue the standards discussion with a new series exploring how the Internet can support standards-driven learning in the classroom. Here we explore two curriculum sites with a focus on Language Arts. And the following weeks we will take a look at some ideas for how one can document student achievement on-line as well as professional development resources to support these conversations. If you have any suggestions for this series, please do not hesitate to forward them to Leslie and me. Thanks! -- Christina

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(1) Winstar's MindsEye Curriculum Projects: A detailed description of the Monster Project is provided with a host of useful links. (Also check out more Monster Project links at "Spring into Science, Part VI: Connecting Lessons and Standards").

(2) McRel Compendium of Standards -- Guided Tour: We will take you on a guided tour through this site, linking you first to the main page, then to Language Arts links, next to Internet Connections, and finally to sample activities which link standards and curricula.

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Continuing the conversation started by Leslie's "Spring into Science, Part VI: Connecting Standards and Lessons" web site, we wanted to highlight again one of our favorite on-line projects -- The Monster Project. The Monster Project is one of the Winstar's MindsEye Curriculum Projects featured in the last web site. This is a great project you can do anywhere and with anyone -- a classroom across the country or right next door! Moreover, Language Arts Standards, Visual Arts Standards, and Communication Standards are addressed.

The Monster Project involves classrooms partnering over the Internet. First, teachers working in a similar timeframe and with compatible grade levels touch base. This contact is made via email and can certainly involve more than two classes. Then, students from these classrooms work on a project which involves creating their own monster.

The students create their own monster first by drawing it. They then write a description of their monster. This written description is sent to students in partner class(es) via email. The students in the other class(es) then take the description and work on their own drawing of the monster. Then both monsters are scanned and emailed for comparison (via instructions on the Gallery Maker web site) and are displayed on-line together with the descriptor.

All the final projects are on view at the Monster Gallery! Some former participants are even sharing their lessons plans and ideas for curriculum integration on-line.

The MindsEye people have taken time to add the New York State Standards that their projects address. I notice that the Monster Project, when done on-line, expands to include technology standards and well as social studies and cultural standards. In Philadelphia we have a cross-cutting competency for multicultural understanding, and by partnering with classrooms all over the world, in very different communities (and even different languages!) the Monster Project can be used to address these standards. Here are some of the teacher and student outcomes that MindEye says you can expect when participating in their projects.

This site is an excellent site, as it is truly comprehensive. It examines standards in 14 subject areas (255 standards and 3968 benchmarks to be exact!). In addition, it provides cool Internet connections and lesson ideas which link these standards to actual classroom practice. Below, we will take you on a guided tour of the site. The sample lessons examined are in the area of Language Arts; feel free to veer off the path to explore lessons and standards in other subject areas relevant to your own work!

The Tour. This tour connects you to a sequence of links which you can follow on McRel's page in order to give you an idea of how this page can be used.

1. Click here to connect to the main page of the McRel Compendium of Standards. This page connects you to resources and displays a menu of three options.
2. Choose the second option and click here to Browse the Standards and Benchmarks Database.
3. Scroll down to Language Arts. You will see a number of options which will let you link to sites which provide information on Standards, Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. For the purposes of our tour, click on Writing.
4. Next, click on Internet Connections -- Language Arts. Here there is a list of a huge number of useful links for your class.
5. Now, the guided tour is going to split along the paths below. One for elementary school students and the other for high school students. (We've added a couple missing sites that we think are great for middle grades students too!) Along each path, a link from this page (the Internet Connections page) is examined and described in the context of Language Arts and Standards.

MidLink Magazine is an electronic magazine for and by kids in the middle grades.

KidLink is a non-profit grassroots organization aimed at getting as many youth through the age 15 as possible involved in a global dialog. They ask the question " What Does KIDLINK Offer the Classroom?" and answer it by "connecting your curriculum to the world." Read through ideas by participant teachers about the connections by subject area.

And don't forget to find additional resources on former Weekly Websites lists, such as Kids and Young Adults publishing on-line