TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Apr 12, 2015
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
Little Shop of Writers - Maria Anderson
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): creative writing (123), essays (21), expository writing (31), homonyms (8), homophones (6), punctuation (24), spelling (98), writing (324)
In the Classroom
Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector with students when you want to introduce or review one of the writing skills addressed. Put a link to the videos on your class website for students and parents to use at home. Bookmark collections of favorite videos (and other tools) for writing and grammar instruction for quick access using a tool like Papaly, reviewed here. Challenge students to create their own writing videos to "teach" the class, using Powtoon, reviewed here. Share the videos on a tool such as SchoolTube, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of Friendship - Library of Congress
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): japan (57), japanese (47), trees (18), washington (27)
In the Classroom
Cherry Blossoms are both a symbol of spring, and a legacy of the historical relationship between the people of Japan and the United States. Make a brief detour during a lesson on Asian history, on the development of Washington, D.C. as the US capital, or on important American cultural symbols, and look at the roots of this tradition. There are primary sources to explore, and links to contemporary photos of the Cherry Blossom Festival.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture - University of Virginia
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), abolition (7), african american (109), civil rights (200), civil war (136), history day (39), racism (79), slavery (77)
In the Classroom
Whether you are approaching Uncle Tom's Cabin from a literary perspective or a historical perspective, the primary sources here are deep and offer a variety. Listen to minstrel songs, view advertisements for performances, or read poems and other literary responses to the work. Because much of the site contains material that is rooted in a 19th century perspective on race, you should screen images, texts, and lyrics, and ensure that students understand their context before using them in the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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0h h1 - Martin Kool
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (146), game based learning (186), logic (162), problem solving (225), puzzles (144)
In the Classroom
Oh h1 is perfect for use on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this site as a computer learning center or on individual computers. Challenge students to increase difficulty levels and elapsed time. Share this engaging site with your gifted students for some mind stretching fun! Be sure to include a link on your class website or blog (parents may want to try this one too). Have students challenge their parents to see who can complete puzzles the quickest!Comments
Great for logic practice.Melissa, , Grades: 0 - 5
Fun logic game-kids won't realize they are learning.Tammy, OR, Grades: 0 - 9
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The World Cup of Everything Else - Wall Street Journal
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): cross cultural understanding (169), demographics (13), statistics (121)
In the Classroom
This site would fit well in a world cultures/social studies class or even as part of an information literacy lesson. Math teachers can use it to show the usefulness of statistics. World language teachers may want to include it as part of cultural study. Share this site briefly on an interactive whiteboard or projector to spark discussion about what statistics can tell you about a country. Then turn groups loose to predict the outcomes of the "competition" in various categories. Have them keep a record: What do they predict? Why? Were they right? What might be the possible reasons for the "winner" (or loser) in the category they chose? What other statistical competitions would they like to see to gain the best profile of a country? As a class, try to name the top ten most revealing statistics they would like to see that are not already listed here. Then have them look for sources where they might find that information! Extend the findings by having student groups create infographics about their chosen "world cup" topic. Use a tool such as Venngage reviewed here. In a government class, use this site to open discussion about the role of statistics in governing and meeting the needs of your citizens. For more demographics resources, try these or Knoema, a worldwide data source.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Learning from Cezanne - Baltimore Museum of Art
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): art history (91), artists (82)
In the Classroom
In an art class, introduce Cezanne on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Concentrate on the details and techniques known about the artist's style. Encourage your students to create Cezanne inspired works, and to join the challenge project. Suggest they submit their artwork to the BMA for possible posting. Be sure to obtain parental permission first! Create a multimedia presentation on Cezanne's art using one of many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here. Use as an example for projects with other artists, mathematicians, or scientists. Post a link for Cezanne on your class website.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Expedition: Insects - Smithsonian
Grades
3 to 5tag(s): biomes (111), ecosystems (80), guided reading (33), independent reading (86), insects (68)
In the Classroom
Before introducing this ebook (or PDF) to students on your interactive whiteboard (or projector), preview the links and videos. Create a study guide that follows the important points and a vocabulary list for student use during the reading. Create the study guide using a tool like ProcessOn, reviewed here. Embed the study guide on your class website for student use at home. Include clickable links to videos about the insects on the study guide for those who do not have OSX to view them. This reviewer did a simple Google search for Asian giant hornet and found a National Geographic video about them within the first three items listed. To capture student interest, first show the video of the insect the class will be reading about. The PDF version of the illustrated ebook is worth the time it takes to read it! It is full of high-interest nonfiction reading!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Typeform - Robert Munoz
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (146), polls and surveys (49), quizzes (89)
In the Classroom
This free tool is a great way to identify a value or rating of various items. Use this in science class to poll students on various types of renewable and nonrenewable energies as cheap/expensive and clean/dirty for the environment. Poll students on types of cars, rating the cost and gas mileage. Follow up with research into the various makes and models. Poll about famous presidents and various influences on the economy and society. Compare characters in various novels in measures of motivation and other characteristics. In younger grades, gather data about students favorite animals and why (such as fluffy/ferocious) or favorite colors and mood. Learn more about your students through polling of various social and cultural topics such as fashion, movies, and songs. Use this to identify misconceptions and resistance to various subject areas. Identify foods and feelings for each specific kind of food in Family and Consumer Science or attitudes towards various sports. Conduct specific polls for Introduction to Psychology or Sociology about various topics and reactions to the topics. Use to poll students on project ideas or to determine reactions to current events. Older students may want to include polls on their student blogs or wiki pages to increase involvement or create polls to use at the start of project presentations. Use polls to generate data for math class (graphing), during elections, or for critical thinking activities dealing with the interpretation of statistics. Use "real" data to engage students in issues that matter to them. For Professional development, rate different technology tools for ease of use/difficulty and high/low value for instruction. Place a poll on your teacher web page as a homework inspiration or to increase parent involvement. Gifted students would love this tool to dig deeply into the multiple facets of issues they worry about.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Pinup - Martin Tajur
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): bulletin boards (15), homework (29), organizational skills (89)
In the Classroom
There are any number of ways to use Pinup! Introduce how to use Pinup on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Demonstrate how to use the checklist to mark off completed items. Have students use this as a way to organize their reminders and homework. With younger students use with a whole-class email account and list items to be accomplished for the day. Display the list on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have a student scribe check off completed items. Use this site with a whole-class email account to organize a major research project. Keep track (or share) sites to help students study for the big test. Provide this link on your class website for students (or parents) to access at home. Help students build organizational skills with this engaging and useful tool. If your students have a whole-class email account, use a class canvas to display ideas as student brainstorm or respond from their smart phones (if allowed in class). With the canvas open on a projector (interactive whiteboard), their ideas will appear instantaneously. Use Pinup to display and label images. Beginning ESL/ELL students can drag and drop images and label them in their new language. Use Pinup as and idea bin for writing or projects or any brainstorm list.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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JFK Assassination Timeline - Washington Post
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): kennedy (19), presidents (135)
In the Classroom
This site is ideal for an interactive whiteboard or projector. Open the site and view together as a class during a study of the presidents or elections. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast presidential security for JFK to today's president. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here. Have them create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook from the perspective of John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, or a Secret Service agent documenting the day's events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cinco de Mayo Study Guide - The History Channel
Grades
4 to 9tag(s): cinco de mayo (10), mexico (30)
In the Classroom
This site is ready to use in class. Have cooperative learning groups debate the discussion questions. Better yet, turn the discussion questions into a class wiki, allowing students to input their thoughts on the wiki. Have students write a journal entry (as a blog) highlighting one of the discussion questions or from the perspective of someone living during the 1800s. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students replace pen and paper and create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Penzu, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using Edublog, reviewed here. Share maps of Mexico on your interactive whiteboard or projector. The Extension Activity calls for students to create and label a map. MapStory, reviewed here, would be the perfect tool for redefining student learning since you can have images, text, and video in the annotation, and it has a timeline feature. Have cooperative learning groups create commercials enhancing and highlighting what they have learned (be sure they include some new vocabulary words) or transform learning by having students create a video advertisement for your class's Cinco de Mayo celebration. Use a tool like Typito, reviewed here .Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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