TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Dec 16, 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
Lingo Hut - lingohut.com
Grades
4 to 12
Set your sights high to learn world languages! Find both visual and audio lessons. Choose a language from Chinese, Dutch, Japanese, Polish, Russian, or Spanish. A list of lessons with...more
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Set your sights high to learn world languages! Find both visual and audio lessons. Choose a language from Chinese, Dutch, Japanese, Polish, Russian, or Spanish. A list of lessons with tutorials appears and vocabulary for the lesson in your language and the language you wish to learn. Learn colors, counting, days of the week, common phrases, or more challenging language skills. Practice speaking using the microphone tab and say words on your own. Click on the symbols between the tutorial and the vocabulary to try the interactives: matching games, flashcards, listening, and tic tac toe.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): chinese (45), japanese (52), russian (26), spanish (112)
In the Classroom
This is a wonderful site to use with students to get a taste of other languages, including during study of world geography or cultures. Assign different tutorials that complement classroom activities. Share this site on your class website or blog as a resource for practice at home. Use this site on your interactive whiteboard to introduce and review world language terms. Obviously this site has many uses in the world language classroom. But this tool could also be used as enrichment for students or even an after-school club! Your verbal-linguistic gifted students would also enjoy learning and comparing basics in several languages. If you have ENL/ELL students who speak one of these languages, invite others to learn basics to converse with and respect their peers.Math in Unexpected Spaces - Malke Rosenfeld
Grades
K to 4Explore and discover math in the world around you using ideas from this creative blog. Think about math through the eyes of the author as she points out the discovery ...more
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Explore and discover math in the world around you using ideas from this creative blog. Think about math through the eyes of the author as she points out the discovery of math in everyday places and events such as the movement of children and murals created from circular doodles.
tag(s): addition (129), division (98), geometric shapes (134), logic (160), multiplication (122), number sense (68), numbers (121), origami (14), patterns (61), problem solving (233), substitutes (25)
In the Classroom
Subscribe to this blog to explore creative ways for finding math in your everyday life and that of your students. Challenge your students to create their own "everyday math" videos and/or activities to share with the class using FlexClip, reviewed here. Share the videos using a tool such as SchoolTube reviewed here. Have a Math Fun Day and share the videos and activities. If able, invite parents in to participate. Extend student learning and enhance student interest in math by sharing your findings of math in the everyday world. Use Gravity, reviewed here as a starting point to involve students and encouraging them to share their examples of math around them. Start with a prompt asking student to share pictures of objects that include math and discuss the math concept involved.SoundCities - Stanza
Grades
4 to 12SoundCities is an open database of thousands of sounds from around the world. The site itself uses GoogleMaps. However, some of the world maps take you to Google Earth. Recordings ...more
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SoundCities is an open database of thousands of sounds from around the world. The site itself uses GoogleMaps. However, some of the world maps take you to Google Earth. Recordings range from car sounds to airport announcements and thousands of other typical city sounds. Choose a city from the list at the top of the page. Choose from pins on the map or the list of available sounds on the page. View the site's database to listen to sounds by mood such as mechanical, rhythm, or weather.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (176), maps (225), sound (72), sounds (43)
In the Classroom
Use SoundCities as a complement to information found on any map to give students another perspective of what it would be like to be in any city. Compare and contrast sounds from any included city to what is found in your community. Talk about what development does to noise and sound. Ask students to create a list of sounds found in your community (or school) that could be included in the site. During a unit on sound, talk about the ways communities handle excessive sound, applying principles of sound waves and sound transmission. In world language classes, use this site to "hear" the culture in far off cities. Allow students to create similar projects using Zeemaps, reviewed here. This tool allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (on a map). Students could also use Google Earth, reviewed here.Bite Sci-zed Videos - Alex Dainis
Grades
3 to 12This YouTube channel covers a variety of science topics. Use the videos to explore the WHY that many students wonder. Some of the topics at the time of this review ...more
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This YouTube channel covers a variety of science topics. Use the videos to explore the WHY that many students wonder. Some of the topics at the time of this review included: Diet Coke and Mentos, Digestion of a Hamburger, Viruses and the Common Cold, and many others. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): dna (43), human body (91), nutrition (139), scientific method (48)
In the Classroom
Use the basic concept in each video to poll students about what they already understand about the concept. Uncover misconceptions, show the video to the class, and then discuss the concept at length. For more advanced classes, provide time for students to choose a video to view and research the underlying concept. Use specific videos to "flip" your classroom by assigning the videos to be viewed in advance as homework. To share a single video from this site without all the YouTube clutter, use a tool such as Clipchamp, reviewed here, or Watchkin, reviewed here. Students can create a mini-lesson which can be shared with the class or on a blog, wiki, or site. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos and share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. Some video tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, FlexClip, Powtoon, and Renderforest.ClassTools - Russel Tarr
Grades
K to 12Classtools offers online game, quiz, and concept map generators to use in any classroom with any subject. Temlates make it easy. NO registration is necessary. Just start right in!...more
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Classtools offers online game, quiz, and concept map generators to use in any classroom with any subject. Temlates make it easy. NO registration is necessary. Just start right in! Make games public on their website or blog using the link provided upon completion. Templates include Fakebook, X
( still called Tweet) Generator, an SMS conversation (text message) simulator, QR Treasure Hunt, Fishbone, Random Name Generator, Burger Diagram (essay writing), Countdown Timer, and many more. Use the dropdown box to view the complete list of tools or search for a template. Follow the easy step-by-step directions provided. Some items are now considered as premium options which require payment; however, much of the site is free. Avoid the tools with the yellow "premium" banner on the top-right portion of the icon.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): essays (21), qr codes (19), quiz (66), social networking (61), spelling (98), twitter (13), venn diagrams (15), vocabulary (243), word choice (14), word study (59)