Amanda+Carpenter

Resource Website: http://www.taskstream.com/ts/carpenter54/teachersresource.html

Social Studies Web site program Talking Walls Based on the inspirational book "Talking Walls", written by Margy Burns Knight and illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien (a must-read for children, educators and parents alike!), this literature-based software program exposes children to various cultures from around the world. The CD-ROM, which comes packaged with a paperback copy of the book, also features the entire book, complete with illustrations and framed by a navigational toolbar that allows users to travel beyond the beautifully written words to learn more about the places, history and cultures that invoke them. Each page in the book describes a wall in a different part of the world, and the meaning it imparts. The walls are widely diverse; from those bearing Aborigine drawings or Mexican murals, to the exterior walls of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, which were designed to look like the landforms of Canada, to the Great Wall of China and the now defunct Berlin Wall. Users can move one screen at a time through the interactive 'book', reading and/or hearing the pages read aloud, and clicking on highlighted words for dictionary definitions, view the 'Table of Contents', which offers quick links to each wall, or use the "Map" option to see where the walls exist geographically and access those of particular interest. In addition to these options the CD includes a "Beyond the Walls" button which offers abundant background information for each of the walls. This description comes from the above link This is a software program to be installed on computers. From reading the reviews and seeing examples of the program this would be a great program to use when teaching the various cultures of the world. It also encompasses a literature aspect which adds an element of inclusion. The visuals and story itself should keep the children entertained. http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/reviews/socstud2/twalls/merge.shtml