Canku Ota

(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

April 3, 2004 - Issue 110

Favorite Sites

collected by Paul and Vicki

Word searches are popular because they are fun to play and easy to make. Whether you are a teacher looking for activities to customize for your curriculum, or a student looking for something different to include in a school report, word search puzzles fit the bill. The following sites create printable word searches from any word list. To see a sample puzzle from each site, visit http://www.surfnetkids.com/wordsearch-samples.htm

Discovery School: Puzzlemaker
Puzzlemaker, my pick-of-the-day, offers an abundance of options and produces uncluttered, easy-to-read puzzles. And they don't stop at just word searches. You can also create criss-cross puzzles, double puzzles, cryptograms, and word searches with a message hidden between the target words. Ever come across a computer generated word puzzle with an inadvertent offensive word? Puzzlemaker has filters to prevent this from happening to you. Sign up for a free Custom Classroom membership, and you'll be able to save your puzzles for use at another time.
http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/WordSearchSetupForm.html

EdHelper:Word Search
EdHelper also generates a variety of puzzles, but not all are free, so navigating the choices can be confusing. To make a custom word search, enter your words, and click "Create Word Search Now!" The next page displays dozens of formatting options, but only the first three are free, the balance are for paid subscribers only. Your selection includes upper case, lower case, or no backward and diagonal words (for an easier puzzle.) Custom crossword puzzles are also free. You find the link on the horizontal "Also Try" menu.
http://www.edhelper.com/wordfind.htm

FunBrain's Word Turtle
With four levels of difficulty, and a choice between interactive and printable play, Fun Brain's Word Turtle hits the spot. The interactive option is unique among today's sites. It allows you to create a puzzle, and play it immediately. It does not, however, allow you to save the puzzle for play at another or time, or to create a version you can add to your own website. I'm not as keen on the printable version, however, because the row and column numbers add unnecessary clutter to the printed page.
http://www.funbrain.com/detect/

Michelangelo, born in Caprese, Italy in 1475, was one of the most important artists of the Renaissance. His well-known works include Piet (a marble statue of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus after the crucifixion), the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and David (a marble statue of the Jewish king.) In addition to being a sculptor and painter, he also excelled as an architect and poet.

Infoplease: Michelangelo
"Michelangelo drew extensively as a child, and his father placed him under the tutelage of Ghirlandaio, a respected artist of the day." This six-part biography from the Infoplease Encyclopedia is an excellent resource for school reports. Best clicks are the hyperlinked keywords that whisk you away to related articles, and the Cite function (small link in the middle of the page) that creates bibliographic citations. If you get lost in the maze of linked pages, you can always find your way back by using the Search Biographies function in the lower left-hand corner of any page.
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0833029.html

Michelangelo Buonarroti
This beautiful site was created by a web design firm as a showcase for their talents, and is my pick-of-the-day. In addition to the three-part biography, extra goodies include a selection of seven Michelangelo images for use as Windows wallpaper, and two word search puzzles. The wallpaper images are found at the bottom of the Gift Store page. Links to the printable puzzles are at the top of the Resources section.
http://www.michelangelo.com/buonarroti.html

MSN Encarta: Michelangelo
Encarta is another great site for school reports, also with a built-in citation generator. But these citations lack both the date you viewed the page, and the exact URL of the article. Check with your teacher about the exact bibliographic format you need to use. While you are here, don't miss the multimedia gallery. It contains twelve annotated artwork images, and a page of Michelangelo Quick Facts. "Michelangelo was a celebrated poet during his lifetime: about 300 of his poems survive."
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560125/Michelangelo.html

STAR
Students And Teachers Against Racism announces their new website that offers insight into the Native American perspective to teachers and educators.
http://www.racismagainstindians.org/