TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Nov 16, 2014
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
The Year We Had Two Thanksgivings - Marist College
Grades
5 to 12
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Learn the story behind the year with two U.S. Thanksgivings from this simple, yet interesting site. The short article tells the tale of President Roosevelt's journey to declare the...more
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Learn the story behind the year with two U.S. Thanksgivings from this simple, yet interesting site. The short article tells the tale of President Roosevelt's journey to declare the official date for all states to celebrate Thanksgiving. View several documents, including letters and telegrams to the president voicing opinions on setting an official date for Thanksgiving.
tag(s): primary sources (118), roosevelt (12), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Use information from the article and documents as part of any lesson about Thanksgiving. Share the documents as part of a unit on primary resources. Print and share documents with students and challenge them to present an opposing point of view or write a reply from President Roosevelt. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast different points of view. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook "as" President Roosevelt or one of the writers of letters to the president.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Form Time Ideas - Jonathan Hall
Grades
5 to 9
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Form Time Ideas offers a constantly changing selection of daily quick activities in many subjects. (For American teachers, "form time" is roughly equivalent to "homeroom" time.) Choose...more
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Form Time Ideas offers a constantly changing selection of daily quick activities in many subjects. (For American teachers, "form time" is roughly equivalent to "homeroom" time.) Choose the Home Page to view a mix of topics such as Brainteasers, In the News Today, and Word of the Day. Select links to choose activities for only specific topics such as literacy, numeracy, or news. Easily print any page using the link in the top right corner of each section. If finished early, refresh the page for a new set of activities! You can also click on the button under each question to only refresh that particular question/statement. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English. This is a perfect site for you to leave for your substitute for early finishers!
tag(s): grammar review (31), literacy (110), news (227), numbers (119), riddles (16), substitutes (26), vocabulary (237)
In the Classroom
Form Time Ideas is perfect for daily review and bell work as students arrive in class or as a quick review at the end of class. Print out different pages for use during quiet times or send home for absentee students to complete. This site is excellent for enrichment. Include it on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Substitutes will love the handy ideas on this site!Comments
AWESOME RESOURCE!Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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Zip Lookup - esri.com
Grades
6 to 12
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What does your zip code tell you about the demographics and lifestyle of your community? Find out with Zip Lookup. Type in any zip code for quick information on the ...more
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What does your zip code tell you about the demographics and lifestyle of your community? Find out with Zip Lookup. Type in any zip code for quick information on the "Tapestry" of your area. View the top three demographic segments of the community such as "Boomburbs" or "Savvy Surbanites." Use the drop-down box for an explanation of each segment. Click on tabs to further narrow down information such as income, age, and population density comparing each zip code to the county, state, and the entire United States.
tag(s): communities (36), demographics (13), population (48)
In the Classroom
Use Zip Lookup to compare and contrast any areas of the United States using several different categories. Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on states and communities on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Include it in discussions of politics and election strategies or local and state government. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Venngage reviewed here. Have students create maps using MapHub, reviewed here. Students can add information learned using the zipcode, other text, icons, URLs, images, and location stops.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Earth Null School - Cameron Beccario
Grades
6 to 12
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Earth Null School is a visual compilation of winds plotted at many, many locations around the globe, updated every three hours. In addition, the globe shows ocean surface currents updated...more
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Earth Null School is a visual compilation of winds plotted at many, many locations around the globe, updated every three hours. In addition, the globe shows ocean surface currents updated every five days and ocean temperatures, updated daily. Click and rotate the globe to view any area in the world. Scroll in and out to zoom in on any location. Choose the word "earth" at the lower left side of the screen to view controls and additional data. Controls allow you to view data from previous days, adjust from air to ocean currents, and add overlays for temperature, humidity, and more.
tag(s): climate (82), oceans (149), temperature (35), weather (161)
In the Classroom
Introduce Earth Null School on your interactive whiteboard or projector during a unit on weather. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. View and track information from this site for your school's location. If you Skype with a class in a different location, Earth Null School is a perfect addition to comparing and contrasting weather information with your partner class! Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here) to compare weather at any two locations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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English Worksheets Land - English Worksheet Land
Grades
K to 5
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Visit English Worksheet Land anytime you need an activity for Kindergarten through fifth grade English language learning. Select Common Core aligned curriculum from the menu bar at...more
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Visit English Worksheet Land anytime you need an activity for Kindergarten through fifth grade English language learning. Select Common Core aligned curriculum from the menu bar at the top. Discover analogies to vocabulary and everything thing in between (with accompanying answer keys). Find PDF downloadable worksheets by grade level or alphabetical topics. Sign up and receive their weekly New ELA worksheet via email.
tag(s): antonyms (13), capitalization (9), context clues (5), figurative language (15), grammar (133), grammar review (31), handwriting (16), homophones (6), inferencing (7), myths and legends (22), parts of speech (40), phonics (50), poetry (189), prefixes (9), punctuation (25), reading comprehension (142), root words (10), sentences (22), spelling (97), suffixes (8), synonyms (16), vocabulary (237)
In the Classroom
Why reinvent the wheel? Bookmark this site for use all year. Use these worksheets to help differentiate for students. Many of the topics are covered at different levels and with different activities. Use some of the worksheets as review of a topic you already taught or to prepare for a test. Set up stations with worksheets from different topics for different days of the week, i.e. Monday is always spelling day and Friday is always poetry day. Choose individualized options so students are working at the appropriate level. These worksheets would be great practice for ESL/ELL and learning support students. Hate worksheets? Have students access this site and create their own learning activities to challenge each other based on the content here, but adding their own creative touches. They could use a quiz creator or multimedia tool from the Edge. Create "free and easy" interactive polls/quizzes using Kahoot (reviewed here).
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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A Guide to the Energy of the Earth - Joshua M. Sneideman
Grades
7 to 12
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This Ted-Ed Original lesson features a video and related activities to understand where energy goes on Earth. This lesson features a multidisciplinary approach to understanding energy:...more
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This Ted-Ed Original lesson features a video and related activities to understand where energy goes on Earth. This lesson features a multidisciplinary approach to understanding energy: using the natural science, social science, and economics to understand. Watch the video. Think by answering a series of questions. Dig Deeper with more information about the topic and join a discussion.
tag(s): conservation (86), energy (130), fossil fuels (9)
In the Classroom
Share the video using a projector or Interactive whiteboard. Use the questions in the lesson or develop your own to identify problems that students have in understanding the concept. Use the Dig Deeper information to understand more about the concept of energy and related problems from its use. Consider creating subtopics for students to research and report on to fellow classmates. Debate our current use of energy, problems for the future, and possible solutions using a discussion forum or in the classroom. Have students create energy posters using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here)Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Beyond Traditional Math - Jen Smith
Grades
2 to 7
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Beyond Traditional Math is an interesting blog written by a fourth-grade teacher who was "appalled to be handed a math book in which all instruction was whole group." This inspired...more
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Beyond Traditional Math is an interesting blog written by a fourth-grade teacher who was "appalled to be handed a math book in which all instruction was whole group." This inspired her mission to move beyond the traditional classroom model for teaching math. Informative articles discuss building strong classroom cultures through standards, writing clear learning targets, and discussions on classroom activities. Explore this blog to find many lesson ideas along with practical classroom tips for use throughout the year. The ideas are adaptable across several grade levels. Click on tags at the bottom of each blog post to find archives of posts about similar topics.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): problem solving (226)
In the Classroom
Subscribe to this blog through email or follow on Facebook and Twitter to receive notification of blog updates. Use blog posts during professional development or brainstorming sessions to find and develop classroom lessons. Try these ideas to differentiate for all students. Click on the Common Core tag to see a strategy to get students to start showing their work! Share student-made math projects using Ourboox, reviewed here. Ourboox creates beautiful page-flipping digital books in minutes, and you can embed video, music, animation, games, maps and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Photogrammar - DSL University of Richmond
Grades
6 to 12
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Take a visual tour of 90,000 historical US photographs (many related to agriculture) taken between 1935 and 1945 via this interactive map. Browse and find photos several ways: click...more
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Take a visual tour of 90,000 historical US photographs (many related to agriculture) taken between 1935 and 1945 via this interactive map. Browse and find photos several ways: click on any highlighted map area to find images; use the sliding bar to narrow down the time frame for available images; or choose from selected photographers. Use the top menu for many more search options. Most of the images are in the public domain so can be used as part of multimedia and other projects. Click on the "call number" on an individual photo page to see whether there are any limitations.
tag(s): 1930s (20), 1940s (14), agriculture (47), maps (208), photography (118)
In the Classroom
Share images from the map to compare and contrast life in your location now versus in the 1930's and 1940's. Display images on your interactive whiteboard to compare photographs from different parts of the country. Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects exploring American life following the Depression Years or on the home front during World War II. Have students choose an angle or area of emphasis to investigate, such as home life, work, farms, building, etc. Have students create timelines using Sutori, reviewed here, with images, text, and collaboration. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about life as an American in the 1930's and 1940's.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Illustris - The Illustris Collaboration
Grades
10 to 12
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This project is a simulation of the actual creation of our Universe. Much of the theory of the formation of space, galaxies, and solar systems is complex and difficult to ...more
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This project is a simulation of the actual creation of our Universe. Much of the theory of the formation of space, galaxies, and solar systems is complex and difficult to understand. Use this project to understand difficult concepts such as clustering and ejection of matter. What is this project? Developed by teams of scientists, data from 50,000 galaxies were used to develop the simulation. Be sure to view the Videos/Images tab to learn about the various concepts used to develop the simulation. Identify relationships within the Universe, Laws of Physics, new understanding about Dark Matter, and more. Change various aspects of data using the layers icon in the upper right while viewing in the Explorer. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. Be sure to read the About section for a better understanding of the project, basic concepts, and more information about the model.
tag(s): solar system (109), space (214)
In the Classroom
Use this site to enhance your discussion of subjects in an Astronomy unit or when discussing the difference between theories and laws in any science class. Point out that the data used for the simulation was gathered from 50,000 galaxies, taking into account all scientific laws with the understanding that conditions continue to change in the Universe as it continually expands. Astronomers, and scientists in general, have learned astronomical amounts of information from this project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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