TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jun 28, 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
Skyenimals - skyenimals.com
Grades
K to 4
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Skyenimals is a website just for kids to learn about real and make-believe animals. Skyenimals are mixed up and imaginary animals created by kids. Explore and choose different animals...more
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Skyenimals is a website just for kids to learn about real and make-believe animals. Skyenimals are mixed up and imaginary animals created by kids. Explore and choose different animals to find related pictures, games, puzzles, and more. Choose the activities link to find coloring pages as well as online and printable activities.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (289), creativity (91)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share a link on classroom computers for use as a center. Allow students to explore their imaginative side and use this site to create their own Skyenimal to use as inspiration for a creative writing project.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Clash - Clamp Studios
Grades
5 to 12
3 Favorites
1 Comments
Capture your audience's attention with audio messages from Clash. Type in your message of up to 140 characters and let Clash work its magic. Clash uses audio content from music, ...more
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Capture your audience's attention with audio messages from Clash. Type in your message of up to 140 characters and let Clash work its magic. Clash uses audio content from music, movies, and TV. It creates a unique message that is sure to capture anyone's interest. Edit individual words using options from different sources. When finished, choose the Save/Share button and share using the URL or social networking options. Clash seem to work best on Microsoft's Edge. Clash will work on any device with a modern web browser and an internet connection.
tag(s): communication (138), speech (68), text to speech (21)
In the Classroom
Create a message for your class using Clash as an attention-getter as students enter the room. Send out a tweet using a Clash message to remind students and parents about upcoming events, homework, or other classroom events. Make professional development more fun by adding Clash messages to any presentation!Comments
I am the creator of this project, and would love to hear thoughts about how Clash is working in your classrooms as well as how it could be improved to help for educational purposes. Thanks for using Clash!Phillip, , Grades: 0 - 12
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Google Photos - Google
Grades
K to 12
5 Favorites
1 Comments
Find, organize, edit, and share your photos from one place with Google Photos. Automatically upload pictures from any device to one storage platform. Use keywords to locate any uploaded...more
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Find, organize, edit, and share your photos from one place with Google Photos. Automatically upload pictures from any device to one storage platform. Use keywords to locate any uploaded image. Use the editing tools to create animated GIF's from images or combine related images and videos into a movie with a matching soundtrack. Google Photos allows you to upload photos from any mobile device and provides free unlimited storage for photos up to 16 megapixels or videos up to 1080 HD.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), images (261), Storage (6), video (262)
In the Classroom
Create a classroom Google account for students to upload video projects or images for projects. Share raw materials for student multimedia projects, such as photos of lab experiments or local historic sites. Share classroom projects privately and easily from your Google account. In elementary classrooms, teachers can use this tool to share photos from field trips, assemblies, project presentations, and other special events. Share the password with parents only. Have older students create their own Google account for collaborating on multimedia projects.Comments
Melissa, , Grades: 0 - 5
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George Washington's Mount Vernon - Virtual Tour - Mount Vernon
Grades
6 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Take a virtual tour of Mount Vernon, the home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. Beautifully executed, and packed with special features, the tour is billed...more
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Take a virtual tour of Mount Vernon, the home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. Beautifully executed, and packed with special features, the tour is billed as the "second best way to visit Mount Vernon," and doesn't disappoint. Click on the three dots with a checkmark in lower right corner to find a menu of places to look. Click the video play button in the middle of the page and watch the tutorial so you don't miss any of the many tips and tricks to get the most out of your virtual tour.
tag(s): 1700s (36), presidents (133), virginia (14), virtual field trips (101)
In the Classroom
Ideal for use on an interactive whiteboard or for students to access individually, this virtual tour has many features. You can explore the buildings, zoom in on items in the buildings, access stories and discussions that highlight features of the property and the daily lives of those who lived at Mount Vernon. Enhance learning by having students share their impressions of and questions about Mount Vernon and more with video, using a tool like Flip, reviewed here. Flip provides a means for video responses to a question along with comments from peers. There are additional links to lesson plans and other student resources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Disability History Museum - Disability History Museum
Grades
8 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
The Disability History Museum is dedicated to raising awareness about how culture, identity, and law have helped define the lives of those with disabilities. A digital archive of photographs,...more
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The Disability History Museum is dedicated to raising awareness about how culture, identity, and law have helped define the lives of those with disabilities. A digital archive of photographs, artifacts, cartoons, and other primary source material offers important context to the discussion. A small collection of lesson plans will assist in helping students talk about and understand their own assumptions and knowledge of what it means to live with disabilities, both historically, and in the present. A collection of digital exhibits is expected to be added in the near future.
tag(s): character education (77), disabilities (30), primary sources (119)
In the Classroom
Use the resources here to help students talk about the role and experiences of those living with a disability. How have attitudes changed over time? What has driven those changes? Helping students understand why some people experience physical and emotional challenges, and the importance of honoring their contributions and abilities can be difficult. The resources in this archive may be helpful in sparking discussion.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Bloomz - Chaks Appalabattula
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Bloomz is a tool that has several free features that teachers need to communicate with their classroom community: share photos, schedule conferences, send reminders, and more. These...more
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Bloomz is a tool that has several free features that teachers need to communicate with their classroom community: share photos, schedule conferences, send reminders, and more. These features are all in one place. So don't use one program to share photos, one to send reminders, one to share calendar updates, and another to schedule volunteers and conferences. Just use Bloomz and do all of the work from the same site. Once you have signed up with your email, watch the introduction video and view the demo class to see how easy Bloomz is to use. This tool works with all mobile devices and computers. Be sure to check out Bloomz' Privacy Polixy to read about their FERPA and COPPA compliance.
tag(s): calendars (37), communication (138), DAT device agnostic tool (147), images (261), parent conferences (21), parents (60), Teacher Utilities (159)
In the Classroom
Use Bloomz for all your communications with your classroom community. Not only that, but share important documents (field trip permission slips, a syllabus, etc.) for others to access; post photos of special projects in class or from field trips. P.E. teachers and coaches can use this tool to post what skills students are learning and action pictures of student involvement in games and activities. Parents can download the free app or receive updates via email. Currently, there are three ways to invite parents and other class members. Email, enter the information manually, or upload an Excel spreadsheet and send a bulk invitation. Create groups within your Bloomz class and invite members. These groups might be volunteers in the classroom, volunteers for driving on a field trip, and more. Then you can communicate just to that group when necessary. Introduce Bloomz to parents at Back to School Night in the fall, Open House in the spring, or during parent conferences. Encourage resource teachers and others to join your class community to see what your class is doing. Update Bloomz on the go with your mobile device!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Quizizz - Quizizz
Grades
K to 12
12 Favorites
2 Comments
Quizizz is a free assessment tool that includes much more than quizzes. Quickly create assessments, lessons, and interactive videos using your materials or those from the site's library....more
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Quizizz is a free assessment tool that includes much more than quizzes. Quickly create assessments, lessons, and interactive videos using your materials or those from the site's library. Choose from the delivery of activities in live mode or the student-paced feature. Additional features, including a dyslexia font, options for reduced answer options, and translation tools support special needs and diverse learners. After signing in to your Quizizz account, choose from the options on the dashboard to explore options available in the library, add a class, or use AI to create activities. Choose the "Create" link to build assessments, lessons, reading passages, and flashcards. Assign activities directly to Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, or other Learning Management Systems. In addition, students can access Quizizz using the link or join code provided after assigning the activity.
tag(s): artificial intelligence (148), DAT device agnostic tool (147), differentiation (89), flash cards (42), game based learning (181), gamification (78), polls and surveys (48), quiz (66), quizzes (89), spanish (107)
In the Classroom
Use Quizizz to generate lessons and formative assessments that engage students in learning. Assign solo quizzes for students to review classroom information and easily differentiate learning by adjusting the reading level and content of the questions. Host a live quiz before starting a new unit to guide lesson planning based on students' prior knowledge. Create and share flashcards with students to use as a study tool, build flipped learning lessons using the interactive video option, or use AI features to generate questions using your documents and websites.Comments
Melissa, , Grades: 0 - 5
Great way to conduct formative assessments that students love! Its got a great quiz creation interface and many useful customization options too.Deepak, , Grades: 0 - 12
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DK Learning - Dorling Kindersley Limited
Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Find an answer to your question or great question starters for any conversation here with this free tool! Featured under the Resource tab, you can access articles, books, case studies,...more
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Find an answer to your question or great question starters for any conversation here with this free tool! Featured under the Resource tab, you can access articles, books, case studies, lesson plans, Kahoot, videos, downloads, and events. The site caters to students in preschool through grade 12. When signing up for free, you gain access to more content on the site.
tag(s): animals (289), climate change (93), immigration (68), musical instruments (49), racism (79), timelines (54)
In the Classroom
In the classroom, teachers can access lesson plans on climate change, timelines, wellness, and how to be an engineer. Students can engage in Kahoots on musical instruments, explorers, and ancient Rome. Students can also watch videos on hot air balloons, jellyfish, and lighting.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CommonLit - CommonLit
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Access commonly taught themes for classic literature and discussion questions for that theme. Plus there are Text Sets perfect for social studies teachers! Choose a Lexile'''''®...more
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Access commonly taught themes for classic literature and discussion questions for that theme. Plus there are Text Sets perfect for social studies teachers! Choose a Lexile'''''® grade level for reading and download the text in PDF format or read online. Each text has a menu across the top offering Paired Texts, Related Media, a Teachers Guide, and a Parent Guide. Accompanying the text are critical thinking questions, an Assessment, and some have Guided Reading Mode. Choose the size of the font, listen to the Read Aloud (and pause it), translate to Spanish, and Highlight. Track student progress. You can search by Book, Genre, Grade Level, Literary Device, Text Set, Theme, and Spanish Texts. All of this for free! What else could one want? Well, you can also request a text, and they will negotiate with the copyright holders to have that text on their site. Take a look at their blog, too! You'll find lots of suggestions and thoughtful reflections for using nonfiction texts with your students.
tag(s): critical thinking (118), differentiation (89), literature (217), reading comprehension (148), spanish (107), substitutes (26), Teacher Utilities (159), themes (12)
In the Classroom
CommonLit is an excellent resource for literature teachers, speech and debate teachers, and history teachers. Share the site with students on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and ask the class what themes they would like to investigate. Under each theme are two questions. Divide the class into small groups with each group investigating one of the questions for one of the themes and reading the accompanying text. Differentiate for students by having students read on the same theme, but at their reading level. Challenge individuals, pairs, or small groups to create a graphic organizer for the story they read replacing paper and pencil and using a tool like Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, reviewed here. You could take this to another level and have two groups read different selections on the same theme, use a graphic organizer to make comparisons for how the theme was presented, and then enhance learning by challenging the groups to present their findings to the class via video. Use a simple video creator like Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here. This site would also work when you have to make substitute plans unexpectedly. Just put the link in your plans and tell the sub what theme you want students to read about, or better yet, let the sub choose!
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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