Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Slavery Footprint calculates the number of forced laborers involved in making the products we buy as consumers (such as beans in our coffee). Questions are based on the food you eat, clothes you own, and even the sports you do. There is even the option to add detail about certain commodities to allow the program to make a more precise calculation. The result gives you the exact number of slaves that "work for you" in the supply chains of your consumption. An interesting portion of the site goes into detail about the methodology used for determining the number of slaves "working" for the respondents. The site also provides their definition of a slave: "Anyone who is forced to work without pay, being economically exploited, and unable to walk away." Be sure to share the opening portion of the site, "What? Slaves work for me?" with students for a wonderful explanation of slavery and the purpose of the site. Note: There is one question in the survey about paying for sex. While sexual slave trade is a very real issue in today's world, you may not want your less mature students to encounter this question. Only you know your school community's tolerance for such discussions.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (178), ecology (118), slavery (79)

Scroll down the page to find the video "100 Most Common Words in English Speaking." These are the little words that make a huge difference to understanding what someone is saying such as be, and, to, with, they, her, and so on. The video focuses on the speakers lower face so student s can pause the video and see facial expressions and tongue placement. The video resides on YouTube so it may not be viewable at your school

tag(s): pronunciation (33), vocabulary (251), vocabulary development (102), word study (58)

Need kid-friendly online news? This safe site, written for kids, by kids, offers news from a younger point-of-view. You can create a class page where you can load a variety of articles, add a book list, a calendar, favorite sites list, add lesson plan instructions, monitor student comments, and more. DOGOnews is kid-friendly, colorful, and flexible. After all, DOGO means young or small in Swahili. You can select articles from a number of categories (Social Studies, Science, World, Current Events, etc.). There is an integrated dictionary for challenging words and maps for geographical context. Some of the articles include short video clips. Students may leave brief comments about each article (no login required). Also, typing the word "video" in the search box will bring up the Video of the Week for the past several weeks. The videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. In addition, find a Book and Movie section with a brief summary for the book or movie, and comments. You don't have to join to read the articles, but you do need to join to create a class page. There are many benefits to creating a class page, and it's all free! Don't want to create a class page? You can also embed articles on your current web page.

tag(s): journalism (74), news (223), reading comprehension (146), sports (88)

Earthnova is news about our climate for the young. The site is divided into three main areas: Climate Core, Climate Series, and Lesson Plans. Each feature resources regarding the topic. Embedded throughout the articles are YouTube videos and short quizzes. Lesson plans are downloadable PDFs.

tag(s): communities (40), news (223), service projects (17), sustainability (54)

This great ESL/ELL site offers online listening and viewing activities, language games, storytelling and a storytelling marathon, information on language tests in Great Britain, information and practice for job interviews, and more. Vocabulary and grammar activities are animated and highly interactive. Don't miss the links to Language Snacks, Overcooked, Simon Says, and How-To videos. There is an interactive "Wordshake" game similar to Boggle. The range of topics is wide and appealing. The site's opening page changes weekly and features new topics, words of the day, competitions, winner announcements, and grammar polls. All material on the site is available in both Chinese and English. The tab at top right takes you to the extensive Teachers section of the site. Free membership registration provides access to more content and offerings tailored to your needs. Note that the site is from the UK, so spellings will vary from those in the U.S.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): chinese (38), grammar (139), listening (117), vocabulary (251), vocabulary development (102)