Wonderopolis

Wonderopolis, a part of the Thinkfinity community, is an amazing resource for getting kids to think.  Each day the site posts a question for students to ponder.  Some recent wonderings include... 

"What time would you travel to?"
"How much rain can a cloud hold?"
"If blood is red, why are veins blue?"

Click on the Wonder of the day for more information and further questions.  Each one has the same sections:

•  a short introductory video
• "Have you ever wondered..." with more questions on the topic
• "Did you know?" with short tidbits of information about the topic
• "Try it Out" with interactive resources for learning more about the topic
• "Wonder words to know and use" with key vocabulary for the topic
• "Still wondering?" for enrichment information and activities

This site could be a great bell ringer activity each day or, since all the previous Wonders are archived and searchable, it is also an excellent resource for introducing a new topic in class.  

For example, if you're starting a unit on... 

• Westward Expansion, check out Wonder #223 "What was the Lewis and Clark Expedition (http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-was-the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/)
• Weather, check out Wonder #445 "When does the wind chill? (http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/when-does-the-wind-chill/)
• Poetry, check out Wonder #202 "What is a sonnet?" (http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-a-sonnet/)

Read this great blog post about a first grade class that uses Wonderopolis every week.  Very cool!  http://ipadsatburley.blogspot.com/2012/03/big-day-for-big-learning-active-agents.html

Try it out today at http://wonderopolis.org.  Be sure to leave us a comment if you've used Wonderopolis in your classroom or if you find a good "Wonder" that your colleagues can use!