TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jul 27, 2025
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
Self-Care for Educators - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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View this collection of resources offering nurturing to the nurturers and acknowledging the unique challenges faced by those who dedicate their lives to shaping young minds. In the...more
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View this collection of resources offering nurturing to the nurturers and acknowledging the unique challenges faced by those who dedicate their lives to shaping young minds. In the demanding world of education, where giving is constant and burnout is common, these carefully curated tools and resources are designed to help educators replenish their own wells of resilience and compassion. This collection recognizes that teacher well-being directly impacts student success, from podcasts to meditation to puzzles for brain breaks. Find practical approaches to physical, emotional, and professional self-care that can be seamlessly integrated into even the busiest educator's schedule.
tag(s): mental health (57), social and emotional learning (110)
In the Classroom
Save these sites for when you need more motivation. Find ways to nurture yourself with self-care. Share these resources with your colleagues, perhaps during staff meetings or in-service training.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Do Now Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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View this collection of tools to use for Do Now activities as students enter your classroom. Do Now activities (also called entrance tickets) are essential instructional strategies...more
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View this collection of tools to use for Do Now activities as students enter your classroom. Do Now activities (also called entrance tickets) are essential instructional strategies that help educators kickstart lessons, assess prior knowledge, and engage students from the moment they enter the classroom. These brief, focused tasks set the tone for learning and provide valuable formative assessment data. Resources for Do Now and entrance tickets span a wide range of formats, from simple question prompts to games to interactive digital tools. Many of these resources offer features like randomized question generation, multimedia integration, and real-time data visualization, enabling teachers to gauge class understanding and adjust instruction accordingly quickly. By leveraging these diverse resources, educators can create consistent routines that maximize instructional time, promote student accountability, and provide a smooth transition into the day's main learning objectives.
tag(s): assessment (134), Formative Assessment (42)
In the Classroom
Help your students to show what they know using these engaging resources for quick formative assessment. Share these resources with your colleagues and school parents by emailing the page or sharing the link from your school web page and in your school newsletter.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iGradePlus Online Gradebook - iGradePlus
Grades
K to 12
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iGradePlus Online Gradebook offers an easy-to-use, FERPA-compliant interface with many options for busy educators. After creating an account you may want to use the step-by-step tutorial,...more
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iGradePlus Online Gradebook offers an easy-to-use, FERPA-compliant interface with many options for busy educators. After creating an account you may want to use the step-by-step tutorial, then you would create a grade book, add classes and students, and then assign students to the appropriate courses. iGradePlus includes several options to modify or set custom grading scales, such as grade weights for exams, quizzes, or other assignments. Free accounts include adding grades, tracking behavior and attendance, parent/teacher communication tools, custom report generation, and more.
tag(s): classroom management (105), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
If your school doesn't provide a required gradebook, consider using iGradePlus. This resource is also helpful for sharing feedback for after-school programs or with tutors to share information on student progress. Modify class information as needed to adjust grade weights to fulfill requirements for special needs and gifted students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brain Breaks for Students - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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Regular brain breaks are a simple but powerful way to boost student focus, engagement, and retention in the classroom. These short periods of physical activity or mental rest re-energize...more
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Regular brain breaks are a simple but powerful way to boost student focus, engagement, and retention in the classroom. These short periods of physical activity or mental rest re-energize young minds when they start feeling tired or restless. Brain breaks improve how students think by increasing blood flow and brain connections. They also provide a much-needed reset when students feel overwhelmed or have checked out of the lesson. This collection highlights brain-break ideas, exercises, and activities that easily fit into lessons. Discover ways to get students moving, laughing, reflecting, and re-centering their attention. Using these resources will create a more active and focused learning environment in your classroom.
In the Classroom
Find new tools to try in your classroom for brain breaks. Each review includes classroom use ideas. Read the details of each tool and find the ones that will work for you and your students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Read Along - Google
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
1 Comments
Google Read Along is an entertaining, interactive website designed to help young children learn to read. This site is currently available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Marathi,...more
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Google Read Along is an entertaining, interactive website designed to help young children learn to read. This site is currently available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, and Urdu. Though you can use Google Read Along on your computer, the best experience will be by using an Android device. Read Along engages young readers with a friendly character named Diya, who provides assistance and feedback when needed. Students receive immediate feedback by earning stars for each word they read correctly. In addition, Diya will help if children are stuck on a particular word. Gamification makes learning to read fun and engaging! Students earn stars and badges and can level up to more advanced books as they become increasingly better readers. Google Read Along also tracks how many minutes students spend actively reading. A Google account is required, and enable your microphone access for your browser.
tag(s): digital reading (15), gamification (75), independent reading (81), preK (288)
In the Classroom
Google Read Along would be a great addition to any preschool or early elementary classroom. Teachers who work with ENL students or adults learning to read may also find this site helpful. Students will gain confidence by practicing reading independently yet still get assistance if needed, all while the teacher can work with individual students or small groups. In addition, many books are cross-curricular, so they can be used to enhance instruction for other core subjects.Comments
This is a great resource to help my Spanish 1 and Heritage students to learn how to read.Jessica Zapata, , Grades: 9 - 12
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Crowd Buzzer - Crowd Buzzer
Grades
K to 12
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Crowd Buzzer is a virtual game buzzer that lets players buzz in from any digital device and lets others see who buzzed in first and the order of other players. ...more
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Crowd Buzzer is a virtual game buzzer that lets players buzz in from any digital device and lets others see who buzzed in first and the order of other players. No more wondering who hit that buzzer first! Begin by giving your game a name, then look for the game code in the upper left portion of the page. Next, provide players a link to the Crowd Buzzer site, located here, and ask them to enter the game code. In addition to the game code, players add their name and the optional team name if desired before joining. Next, turn the buzzer on and off from the hosting site; for example, turn off buzzers while reading a question, and turn them on when ready for responses. Finally, players click the buzz button on their screens, and the host receives a list of names in the order they buzz in. Watch the short explanation video to begin.
tag(s): game based learning (210), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
Crowd Buzzer is perfect for many in-person and virtual activities. For example, use Crowd Buzzer to engage students at the start of a lesson to review previous concepts or as an exit ticket activity at the end of class. Enhance learning by including students as the host of activities, ask groups to share information with their peers, and host a Crowd Buzzer game to have other students provide answers to questions they create. Extend learning by asking students to become the teacher and share a project-based learning activity using Crowd Buzzer as a virtual learning activity that includes students and adults. An example would be a student project to understand food waste in the cafeteria. Students share a slide presentation created with Google Slides, reviewed here, or prepare a Wakelet collection, reviewed here, with information found in their research, and then provide an interactive presentation that includes opportunities for administrators and students to buzz in to respond to questions based on statistics learned as part of the students' research presentation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SchoolStack - Sarah Schwartz and Hal Schwartz
Grades
K to 12
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SchoolStack is an instructional design system that provides tools for personalized learning options for students. After creating an account, the first step is designing or choosing...more
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SchoolStack is an instructional design system that provides tools for personalized learning options for students. After creating an account, the first step is designing or choosing lessons from SchoolStack's library. Lesson options include adding exit tickets or making tasks optional or required. Next, add assignments to a "stack," like creating a choice board of activities. Then, assign stacks to a whole class, groups, or individuals. Dashboards for students, teachers, and caregivers track students' progress throughout their lessons. Free accounts offer limited stack creation, limited access to the lesson library, the ability to add one teacher collaborator, and email support.
tag(s): differentiation (77), personalized learning (7), playlists (5), remote learning (31), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
Use SchoolStack to differentiate learning for different student needs and abilities by quickly modifying lesson activities to share with individual students or groups. Replace your current homework activities using SchoolStack to provide students with various options for completing learning activities. Offer activities that meet student interests and learning styles within each stack to encourage student interest and participation. When teaching blended learning or remote learning activities, use SchoolStack to share information with students and gather data and feedback from their participation in the lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Along - Gradient Learning
Grades
6 to 12
3 Favorites
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Along is an online tool for providing digital check-ins and reflection activities with students using audio, video, or text. Share a question with some or all students to encourage...more
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Along is an online tool for providing digital check-ins and reflection activities with students using audio, video, or text. Share a question with some or all students to encourage making connections and check in on student wellness. Students select an option to share their responses, and the teacher views reflections within the Along dashboard. Follow up with students as desired to continue the conversation or to make personal connections with all students. Use the tips and content provided by Along to select research-based questions designed to help students build life skills and confidence. Teachers with students under 13 years of age will need to send home a letter of consent, which Along has provided in Spanish and English and for print or to email. Find the Community Guidelines, which all students need to agree to, from the menu at the bottom of the home page under Trust & Safety.
tag(s): charactered (77), classroom management (105), communication (113), social and emotional learning (110), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
Along makes it easy for you to implement this tool into your classroom with their many free resources. Resources include guides to introducing Along to students and fellow educators. Share the privacy information guide with parents as you begin using this tool. Begin by using the customizable calendar as a method for planning to introduce and use Along. Consider using the information found on the site to create and share a presentation about this product using Google Slides, reviewed here, or by creating a short video using Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker reviewed here. Be sure to show students how to prepare for their responses. If you find some students are reluctant to use one of the modes, for instance, the video, work with that student to help them feel comfortable. Uses for this tool are only limited by your imagination, and it's perfect for staying updated on the social-emotional learning (SEL) of your students. Check-in with students during long projects or reports to see where they are in the process and if they have any frustrations, check-in after a science lab to see who has questions, ask students at the end of a project or lab what they would do differently next time. Check-in with Language arts book groups to see how students are doing with the novel, their group, the project at the end, etc.
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Teacherstack - Teacherstack
Grades
K to 6
8 Favorites
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Teacherstack helps manage and organize simple classroom tasks such as center rotation schedules, seating charts, and displaying to-do tasks for students. Create your account and add...more
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Teacherstack helps manage and organize simple classroom tasks such as center rotation schedules, seating charts, and displaying to-do tasks for students. Create your account and add students and classes. This site is beneficial for creating Station Rotations. Personalize options within the program to create student groups, add schedules, allot time for each session, add transition time, and more. Display information on your whiteboard for you and your students to view and remain on track.
tag(s): classroom management (105), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
Use Teacherstack to manage everyday classroom routines easily. Display on your whiteboard to help students understand group rotation schedules, use the time and transition sound to keep everyone on schedule. Start with longer transition times as you introduce station rotations, then reduce the time as students understand rotation procedures. Create a to-do list to display and share with reminders of upcoming events throughout the day. A to-do list is beneficial for use on days when there are disruptions to normal routines and schedules, such as early release days or special events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ClassroomQ - Kyle Niemis and Dan Martinho
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
ClassroomQ is the digital solution to organizing help with student questions. The premise is very simple - the teacher creates a class code and gives it to students, as students ...more
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ClassroomQ is the digital solution to organizing help with student questions. The premise is very simple - the teacher creates a class code and gives it to students, as students work and find they need help they provide their name and class code along with a comment, and they add their name to the help queue providing the instructor with a list in the order of help requested. If students find they don't need help after requesting it, they use the cancel option to remove their name from the list. This tool is exceptional for the shy or special needs student who won't have to raise their hand and get the attention of the entire class.
tag(s): classroom management (105), disabilities (32), organizational skills (83), Special Needs (49), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
Simplify and organize your time with ClassroomQ. Use this resource during student work time in class, or for your blended class as a simple and quiet way to provide student help in a timely manner. Ask students to create a comment including their specific question to help you prepare to provide them the appropriate help (perhaps that is in the form of help from another student). Use ClassroomQ during review games and have students buzz in using this site and add their answer as the comment. Using it this way helps you know who came in first, didn't answer, or took longer to find the response. ClassroomQ also helps you understand the kind and number of comments created and assess areas where students need more help. Use this information to guide instruction. Consider taking common questions as a starting point for a follow-up lesson and have students complete some research on their own. Ask them to share links to additional help using a bookmarking tool like Raindrip.io, reviewed here. In addition to creating and sharing bookmarks, use Raindrop.io to add comments to supplement the provided links. As students become more confident in the material, enhance their learning and modify classroom technology by asking them to create simple explainer videos using Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here, not only as a reflection tool but also as a guide for other students with similar questions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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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: student portfolios, schedule conferences, send reminders, and more....more
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Bloomz is a tool that has several free features that teachers need to communicate with their classroom community: student portfolios, 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 video listed under the teacher support or some of the videos for what Bloomz can do for you on YouTube! Bloomz Videos.
tag(s): calendars (37), communication (113), DAT device agnostic tool (124), images (259), parent conferences (21), parents (55), Teacher Utilities (198)
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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Future Me - Write a Letter to the Future - Matt Sly and Jay Patrikios
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Future Me is an email service that allows you to write an email and have it delivered in the future (up to 50 years later). Insert your email address, subject, ...more
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Future Me is an email service that allows you to write an email and have it delivered in the future (up to 50 years later). Insert your email address, subject, and write your email. Choose a future date for delivery, and it's ready to go! Options include adding an image and making the email public or private. Note - the public gallery is unmoderated so may contain content not suitable for school. Also, some of the advertising is in the form of clicking on free PDFs which will take you away from the Future Me website.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): back to school (55), creativity (81), digital storytelling (151), letter writing (20), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
Future Me is a wonderful tool to use at the beginning of the school year. Ask students to send themselves (or you) a "future" email with what they would like to learn this year, subjects they do and don't like, and goals for the school year. Send and share the emails on a date near the end of the year to see how they have changed. High school seniors may want to write a letter to themselves four years in the future with their goals for college and the future. Share with parents, and ask them to write a letter to their student for future delivery. Have students write an email to you describing what they know about any topic or person before beginning a unit, have the email delivered upon completion of the unit as a reminder of how much learning has occurred. Have middle schoolers write emails with summer goals before summer break and have set them for delivery in September so students can see whether their summer was as productive as they had hoped. What a great way to teach goal-setting!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classroom Management Made Simple - Seating Charts - Instant Classroom
Grades
K to 12
10 Favorites
0 Comments
This free site makes classroom management more accessible by allowing you to create a seating chart easily. There is also a Random Name Generator and a Classroom Group Maker. You ...more
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This free site makes classroom management more accessible by allowing you to create a seating chart easily. There is also a Random Name Generator and a Classroom Group Maker. You can create many groups with up to 100 students in each group. Under the Help/F.A.Q. on the top menu bar, discover a 1 page PDF for quickly getting started. Once you have set up your seating chart, click SuperTeacherTools on the top right menu bar to find games and activities you can create.
tag(s): classroom management (105), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
Use this site at the beginning of the year to create a seating chart for your classroom. Use the drag and drop technology to configure the desks the way you want them. Use the Random Name Generator to choose a student for an activity or to answer a question. If you need to create groups of 2, 3 or more, use the Classroom Group Maker to automatically split your class into even groups.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fun Icebreaker Ideas & Activities - icebreakers.ws
Grades
K to 12
22 Favorites
0 Comments
Start the first day of school or a new marking period with a getting-to-know-you activity from this great, searchable collection. The activities are designed for all ages, so some will...more
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Start the first day of school or a new marking period with a getting-to-know-you activity from this great, searchable collection. The activities are designed for all ages, so some will not work well with very young ones (such as writing things on slips of paper). The site is easy to navigate and sorts ideas by group size and activity level for easy retrieval. There are also activity suggestions for Zoom if you use distance and remote learning. You are invited to submit your own ideas. Since the site is designed for general use, not for schools, some ideas may be impractical in a classroom setting but could be easily adapted. Substitutes - check out some of these icebreakers, the kids will love them....and you! Warning: By clicking the "Download Templates - Free" you will go out of the Icebreaker website to the Shift website that has templates (unrelated to icebreakers) for free.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): back to school (55), firstday (22), newbies (10), remote learning (31), substitutes (25)
In the Classroom
New or veteran teachers who want students to get to know each other as they enter a new school (starting middle school, for example), want to observe them so YOU get to know them, or need to build better team skills with a challenging class or club, will find ideas to try. Mark this one as a Favorite so you can find it again, since "first day" activities tend to get lost in the flurry -- and in the fading memory -- during the year.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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