TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Apr 29, 2012
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
Paying For College - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Grades
9 to 12
Figuring out the TRUE cost of college is tricky. One college may appear to be out of financial range, but once financial aid is applied, the same college may actually ...more
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Figuring out the TRUE cost of college is tricky. One college may appear to be out of financial range, but once financial aid is applied, the same college may actually require fewer out-of-pocket dollars for a prospective student and family. Comparing the true cost of one college to another has been even trickier when college describe their costs and financial aid awards using different terminology. Beginning in 2011, colleges are now required to include standardized college cost calculators on their websites. This site is working toward a centralized utility that would permit students to aggregate this information and do a meaningful cost comparison. At this point, the site is in its earliest stages, and families are asked to give it a test drive and provide feedback so the site will continue to improve. During the test drive, however, families will surely discover information that will help them in the short run as they evaluate college costs and financial aid award packages.
tag(s): college (44), financial literacy (95)
In the Classroom
Teachers who work with high school students, regardless of their curriculum specialties, would do their students a great service by recommending this site, and sites like it, that offer concrete financial data about the actual cost of attending college. If you teach in a field that touches personal financial planning or consumer awareness, asking students to give this site a try would make a great class, group, or individual project.ICT Games - Literacy - James Barrett
Grades
K to 5Check out these free interactive literacy games for the emergent learner. Practicing basic skills is an entertaining experience at ICT Games. The skills include: spelling patterns,...more
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Check out these free interactive literacy games for the emergent learner. Practicing basic skills is an entertaining experience at ICT Games. The skills include: spelling patterns, phoneme patterns, phonics, blending sounds, high frequency words, beginning science vocabulary, using rhyming to read new and unfamiliar words, and reading for understanding. It also has interactive dictionaries for the beginner through upper elementary learner. There is no registration required. Note that the site is from England, so there are minor spelling and terminology differences from U.S. English in a few games. Preview the specific game to be sure.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): dictionaries (48), literacy (121), preK (289), reading comprehension (149), rhymes (22), science of reading (34), spelling (98)
In the Classroom
Use your projector and interactive whiteboard to introduce the site. You might start with "The Wordy Woods," an interactive resource for displaying useful words. Start by checking the lists, and have students identify words they've already learned in class. Populate the "woods" with those first. Save this! Then, as students learn new words have them fill in the forest.ENL/ELL students with emergent literacy skills will benefit from this site by practicing spelling and reading skills. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Use a program like Symbaloo, reviewed here, to create link shortcuts on your student computers. Include a link to the ITC Games on your classroom website or blog for students to practice at home. This is a great site for students to use for additional practice on a skill that is difficult.
Skloog - Skloog, LLC
Grades
K to 12Use this visual bookmarking program to help you keep your online favorites/bookmarks organized. Choose to make shortcuts (tiles with the logo of the site you are bookmarking) for places...more
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Use this visual bookmarking program to help you keep your online favorites/bookmarks organized. Choose to make shortcuts (tiles with the logo of the site you are bookmarking) for places you visit repeatedly. The tiles make it visual and so easy to use! Can't find the logo? Submit a site by clicking on a button at the bottom of the home page. Access and add to your Skloog bookmarks from anywhere using any computer, your mobile phone, or email. Make Skloog one of the tools on your browser's tool bar in order to add to your favorites quickly and easily. Add or change the preset category tabs that show at the top. Search your favorites by tags, URL, or website name. An added feature is the Skloog tab in the upper right corner of the menu on your short cut page. Click to find some of Skloog's favorite sites.
In the Classroom
This resource is best used as a teacher sharing tool for sharing links, RSS feeds, and other resources for students to use on specific projects or as general course links. Use this site to share with other professionals, team members, or parents. Use the categories to save bookmarks for different units you have in your classroom. Make your Skloog page the homepage for your computer, too.Consider having a category for student use for webquests, tools you want them to use, and creative commons images, music, etc. Also, create a category where students update with suggestions from class members. Use different colored alphabet tiles on a Skloog for younger, non-reader students. For example, give each subject its own distinctive color. They will also recognize logos well before they read!
How To Make Digital Flashcards With Google Docs Spreadsheets - MakeUseOf
Grades
4 to 12Want to make flashcards using tools you already know? Follow these step-by-step directions for making flashcards from a Google Spreadsheet. Directions also include screenshots, making...more
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Want to make flashcards using tools you already know? Follow these step-by-step directions for making flashcards from a Google Spreadsheet. Directions also include screenshots, making the process much easier. You need a Google Doc account and some familiarity with using spreadsheets. This site does include comments. At the time of this review, all comments were appropriate for classroom use.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): flash cards (43)
In the Classroom
Create flashcards to share with your students. Students can run them from a computer or download an app that can read the two column format of a spreadsheet to view on the go. All information for using the flashcards is explained in this resource. Use for any subject matter for any age. Challenge students to create their own flashcards to use to study for the big test! This tool can be used in ALL subject areas.Inside Story Flashcards - Inside Story, LLC
Grades
2 to 12Stunning pictures, audio of each word, and short definitions all make this online vocabulary flashcard site visually stimulating and interesting. As a bonus, you can print all cards....more
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Stunning pictures, audio of each word, and short definitions all make this online vocabulary flashcard site visually stimulating and interesting. As a bonus, you can print all cards. Choose from basic, easy, medium, or hard levels of vocabulary to find and listen to words. Definitions can also be turned off for practice with word recall or guessing what the image represents. When ready to print the cards, choose the print button; then select words for the flashcards (or all). There is a paid portion of the site for other flashcards, but the free printable section contains more than enough words to make this site worth a visit.
tag(s): dictionaries (48), flash cards (43), vocabulary (242), vocabulary development (95)
In the Classroom
Display the site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector), turn off the definition under the flashcard and have students try to guess the meaning of the word. Split students into teams to see who can come up with the most creative sentence using the vocabulary word. Print out cards on card stock to use at a writing center as a resource for writing. Print out cards and have students separate by nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. Have a word of the day and challenge students to use the word correctly throughout the day in the classroom. Secondary teachers may want to share this site with students preparing for ACT/SAT testing.Physics animations - Physics at School
Grades
7 to 12Watch easy to understand animations to explain even the most complex ideas of Physics. Choose from Waves, Optics, Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Electricity. View an animated image,...more
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Watch easy to understand animations to explain even the most complex ideas of Physics. Choose from Waves, Optics, Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Electricity. View an animated image, the explanation of the theory, and a video for each concept. Some of the videos require specific plug-ins, depending on your browser. So preview before you share.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): electricity (60), heat (14), optics (11), waves (14)