Making the grade
The school year is in full swing, and you’re probably spending a fair amount of time on homework. While it’s great to use books, magazines and newspapers to help you with homework, there also are some good Internet sites that can help with everything from a report on the Constitution to picking the perfect science fair project.
Here are a few of our favorites.
Overall homework sites
• Study Buddy
Teachers and librarians have approved all the information, so you can trust it. The site offers video from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and NASA, the U.S. space agency. One of our favorite features is that you can create a virtual “backpack” where you store searches you might want to use again. The site also can be found at homework-help.aol.com.
• BJ Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper
school.discovery.com/ homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/
This site, started in 1996 by then-7-year-old B.J. Pinchbeck (his friends call him Beege), is part of Discovery Communications’ site. We love that a kid started it and that he answers e-mails from other kids! There’s a bit of everything here, including science fair ideas, an online puzzle-maker and mind-bending brain boosters.
• Fact Monster
Improve your vocabulary with the word of the day and amaze your friends (and parents) by knowing what happened on this day in history.
• Pupils Ask Teachers Help
This isn’t the flashiest site, but it has the advantage of having teachers online to answer questions or help you figure out that math problem.
• Scholastic for Kids
www.scholastic.com/kids/ homework
Kids can send in their own tips for dealing with homework. The site has advice on ways to study and memorization tips for spelling words. The “Sandwich Station” offers a fun refresher on writing book reports.
Sites for specific subjects
• Book Reports
This site, started by 10-year-old Emma Walker of Bethesda, Md., has lots of reviews written by kids, for kids. It’s divided by age and author, making it easy to choose a perfect novel for your next report.
•Geography
www.nationalgeographic.com /education/homework
If you need a map, this is hands-down the best place to check out. There are also lots of beautiful pictures, articles and information about other countries.
• Science
This site has great suggestions for science fair projects and lab experiments. But what we really love is that it reports science news in a kid-friendly way.
• Math
This site says it’s for kids ages 13 to 100, but younger kids will learn something, too. It has some cool graphics and interactivity — if the floating numbers don’t make you seasick.