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Juneteenth Resources for Students of All Ages - Graduation Alliance
Grades
K to 12tag(s): african american (130), holidays (283), Juneteenth (31), poetry (196)
In the Classroom
Watch one of the educational videos suggested on the page, such as a PBS or Sesame Street resource, and lead a class discussion about freedom, equality, and why Juneteenth is still celebrated today. Create a poetry and art activity in which students read poems connected to freedom or perseverance, then design an illustration, collage, or symbolic artwork that represents the meaning of Juneteenth. Extend learning through a community connection project by having students interview family or community members about traditions, celebrations, or important historical events they remember. Students can compile responses into a class book, a podcast with Buzzsprout, reviewed here, or a bulletin board display about remembrance and community history.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Building AI Knowledge: A New AI Literacy Curriculum from Quill + aiEDU - Quill and aiEDU
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (274), critical thinking (171), digital citizenship (104), logic (163), reading comprehension (146), STEM (354)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of this free curriculum or choose individual lessons to teach students how to use AI and consider digital citizenship guidelines when utilizing AI, either as a stand-alone technology lesson or by integrating the lessons into language arts, science, or computer science lessons. Extend learning and continue to promote critical thinking skills using Kialo Edu, reviewed here to structure student debates about AI ethics. Kialo's structure offers mapping tools that facilitate constructive debate and provide opportunities for viewing information from different perspectives.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Open Culture Free Audiobooks - Open Culture, LLC
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): audio books (43), authors (113), cultures (290), novels (34)
In the Classroom
Assign different classic audiobooks to small groups (such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, or The Great Gatsby. Have students listen to selected chapters and discuss plot, tone, and character development. After listening to a story or poem, have students record their own dramatic reading, poem response, or character interview using classroom recording tools or free platforms like Adobe Podcast, reviewed here. Pair an audiobook like 1984 or Pride and Prejudice with a brief research activity about the novel's time period. Students can create posters or slides using Canva for Education, reviewed here templates showing how the story reflects its era.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Connecting Across Disciplines in PBL - Edutopia
Grades
3 to 5tag(s): professional development (302), Project Based Learning (27), teaching strategies (66)
In the Classroom
Have students investigate a simple real-world problem in your school, such as noisy hallways or wasted food in the cafeteria. Let them gather data in math, write observations in ELA, and brainstorm causes in science. Create a mini interdisciplinary inquiry in which students read a nonfiction text in ELA about a science or social studies topic, then design a hands-on model or diagram that explains the problem from another subject's perspective. Launch a small PBL challenge in which students create a proposal to improve something at the school or in the community. They may research in social studies, write persuasive pieces in ELA, measure materials in math, and present solutions digitally using Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dia De Los Muertos Celebration in the Classroom - Sonrisas Spanish
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): fall festival (14), holidays (283), mexico (70)
In the Classroom
Students can participate in the activities that are posted in the blog. Students can host a virtual Q&A with someone who celebrates the holiday using Adobe Podcast, reviewed here. Another idea, have students use Storyboard That, reviewed here to create a nonfiction writing piece about the holiday.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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15 Of The Best Children's Books About Mali - Our Ancestories
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): africa (154), book lists (160), cultures (290), diversity (52), perspective (27)
In the Classroom
Read a picture book about Mali, such as Emmanuel's Dream or The Magic Gourd, and have students create a story map using Story Map, reviewed here or a paper map identifying key elements: setting (Mali), characters, problem, and solution. Play traditional Malian music (such as kora or djembe drumming) to inspire students to create art similar to Malian culture, such as bogolanfini (mud cloth) patterns or masks. Students imagine they are living in Mali and write a letter to a friend, describing their daily life, traditions, and experiences in Mali. After reading a nonfiction book about Mali, have students compare daily life in Mali to their own in a Venn Diagram on paper or using Venn Diagram Creator reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnect Book List: Civil War - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): 1800s (84), black history (129), civil rights (220), civil war (143), lincoln (66), slavery (78)
In the Classroom
During your unit on the Civil War, encourage students to read one of these books for their independent reading. Choose a book from the list for a read-aloud with your class. Older students could choose from this list for literature circles.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dewey Know How to Find Information - TeachersFirst
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): reading strategies (93), Research (83)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many resources and activities shared on this site to provide direct instruction to students on using the Dewey Decimal System to find materials for research projects and encourage learning about topics of personal interest. In addition, engage students in learning using Blooket, reviewed here, to create entertaining learning quizzes and games for individuals and groups of players. Blooket also includes "homework only" activities for use as flipped learning lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Work Smarter, Not Harder: Using Non-Fiction Text Features to Find Information Efficiently - TeachersFirst
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): professional development (302), reading comprehension (146), reading strategies (93)
In the Classroom
Share this article and the included activities with peers as part of your professional development activities. Work with your peers to identify specific nonfiction texts to use during your lessons. One excellent resource for finding short, nonfiction articles is Newsela, reviewed here. Assign articles to students through Newsela and differentiate information based on individual student needs. Use Newsela's annotation feature to highlight text features discussed during your lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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LiveGap Charts - Livegap
Grades
K to 12tag(s): charts and graphs (194), data (212), noregistration (78)
In the Classroom
Save this handy chart creation tool in your bookmarks and on student computers for various classroom uses. Enter data on the site, then demonstrate how to represent the information through multiple formats and representations. Collect data in your classroom and quickly create a graph to express it, then choose another design to share the data in another way. Share your charts by adding links or uploading images to blogs, wikis, or websites--share graphs on an interactive whiteboard or projector for better data analysis by the class. Graph results of a test, answers from students, favorite foods, fictitious budgets, class schedules, and anything applicable in your classroom. Use an informational text, and have students create a pie chart to understand how to read charts accompanying the nonfiction texts. Have cooperative learning groups create graphs to share with your class. Create quick pie charts on your interactive whiteboard whenever you count class votes or encounter other data so students "see" data visualized regularly; visual students will have another way to absorb the information. Keep the link handy on your web page for you and your students to access it quickly in or out of class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Vizzlo - Vizzlo.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): charts and graphs (194), data (212)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to share data through many different formats and representations. Collect data in your classroom and quickly create a graph to represent it, then choose another design to share the data in another way. Share your charts by adding links or uploading images to blogs, wikis, or websites--share graphs on an interactive whiteboard or projector for better data analysis by the class. Graph results of a test, answers from students, favorite foods, fictitious budgets, class schedules, and anything applicable in your classroom. Use an informational text, and have students create a pie chart to understand how to read charts accompanying the nonfiction texts. Have cooperative learning groups create graphs to share on the class wiki. Create quick pie charts on your interactive whiteboard whenever you count class votes or encounter other data so students "see" data visualized regularly; visual students will have another way to absorb the information. Keep the link handy on your web page for you and your students to access it quickly in or out of class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Text Features Questions: Higher Order Thinking - Teaching Made Practical
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): reading comprehension (146), reading strategies (93)
In the Classroom
Use the suggestions found on this site as a starting point for ideas to use when teaching nonfiction. Engage students by creating choice boards with options to demonstrate learning. Learn more about choice boards by viewing the archive of the October 2018 OK2Ask: Engage & Inspire: Choice Boards for Differentiation session, located here. Enhance learning by using Padlet's video feature. This is a link to Padlet's Help section for posting video or an image. , to ask students to provide video responses to questions about nonfiction text. Extend student learning further by asking them to create nonfiction multimedia projects. Provide a variety of options including Book Creator, reviewed here to create digital books, Powtoon, reviewed here to create animated videos, and Buzzsprout, reviewed here as a podcasting option.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nonfiction Text Features: Books and Lesson Ideas - Minds in Bloom
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): reading comprehension (146), reading strategies (93)
In the Classroom
Use this blog post as a starting point for ideas to use when teaching with nonfiction text. Create a book list using Padlet, reviewed here sharing ideas for nonfiction books with your students. Organize them into categories using the "stream" option. Ask students to share their comments and short book reviews as a way to share reading materials with classmates. Enhance learning further using nonfiction materials and lesson ideas found at ReadWriteThink, reviewed here. Type in "nonfiction" using the keyword search at ReadWriteThink to find printable materials such as a nonfiction pyramid, a lesson plan using guided inquiry to learn about nonfiction, and use of the THIEVES strategy as a guide to previewing nonfiction reading materials. Extend learning further by asking students to incorporate nonfiction text features within their writing. Share student work using Edublogs, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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5 Ways to Practice Nonfiction Text Features - Raise the Bar Reading
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): reading comprehension (146), reading strategies (93)
In the Classroom
Although many of the links to materials found on this site link to a paid site, the ideas are easy to incorporate without purchasing information. Use the ideas on the site to create your materials to fit your lesson needs. For example, use Google Slides, reviewed here to create and print visuals to display on your bulletin boards. Take your slides digital and add links to online learning resources to create a complete learning activity. Learn more about how to create interactive lessons using hyperdocs by watching the archived recording of the July 2019 OK2Ask Session: Believe the Hype! Using Hyperdocs for Innovate Instruction, located here. Find many different types of graphic organizers to use online or offline at the TeachersFirst Special Topics Resource Page, located here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Booklist: The Artist's Eye - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): artists (98), colors (61), drawing (57), perspective (27)
In the Classroom
This list will be a natural fit for anyone teaching art whether in elementary, middle, or high school. Use the books to introduce concepts in art and have students create digital sketchbooks about the styles and concepts they like. Replace the paper journal or sketchbook with one that can be accessed anywhere and never left behind. Use a digital "idea bin" collector like Padlet, reviewed here, that offers tools for creating shelves or grids to organize information about the concepts learned and post ideas and photos. Be sure to share this list of CurriConnects books about art with parents on your teacher webpage.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OneHistory - Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (84), 1900s (83), african american (130), biographies (94), cross cultural understanding (177), essays (18), great depression (33), primary sources (125), speeches (23)
In the Classroom
Bookmark OneHistory as a resource for primary sources when teaching American History and as an excellent tool for finding information featuring diversity throughout the years. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. Take advantage of the high interest, low readability level stories on the site to differentiate for the variety of reading levels in your classroom and to include informational (nonfiction) reading standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Owl Eyes - Alex Bloomingdale
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): authors (113), book lists (160), literature (213), poetry (196), reading comprehension (146), reading strategies (93)
In the Classroom
Use this site to assign reading of classic texts, nonfiction, poetry, and stories. Take advantage of the included annotations found with literature selections to build Common Core skills analyzing informational texts. Use this site to post and share discussion assignments on texts and selections from the text. Share Owl Eyes with students for use with literature circles (or small groups reading) as a tool to collaborate, improve reading strategies skills, and to present their book to the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nanotechnology: Harnessing the Nanoscale - NBC News Learn
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): careers (200), chemicals (36), engineering (138), scientists (71)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set, or "activator," to introduce a unit or lesson in a chemistry or physical science class. Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Have each group choose a video to use as a launching pad for further study. Have students create an annotated image, including text boxes and related links, using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Place the videos on your classroom website or blog for students to explore on their own. Flip your instruction and, as an assignment, have your students watch the videos before class time to build background knowledge. Review nonfiction reading strategies with students before having students read transcripts. Have students explore STEM careers by researching the scientists' jobs.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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When Nature Strikes: Science of Natural Hazards - NBC Learn
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): earthquakes (52), floods (11), hurricanes (36), natural disasters (21), scientists (71), tornadoes (17), tsunamis (15), volcanoes (62), weather (173)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on the weather. Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Have each group choose a video to use as a launching pad for further study. Enhance their learning with the challenge to use YiNote, reviewed here, which is a Chrome extension for taking notes online on the video while watching it. Have students create an annotated, narrated image, including text boxes and related links, using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use it: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. Place the videos on your classroom website or blog for students to explore on their own. Flip your instruction, and have your scientists watch the videos before class time to build background knowledge. Review nonfiction reading strategies with students before reading the transcripts. Have students investigate STEM careers by researching the jobs of the scientists interviewed in the videos.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Changing Planet - NBC Universal Media, LLC
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): arctic (34), climate change (116), diseases (60), glaciers (18), mountains (10), oceans (139), scientific method (48), statistics (128), STEM (354), temperature (34), trees (19), tundra (13), water (104)
In the Classroom
Place the URL to Changing Planet on your classroom website or blog for students to explore the videos on their own. Flip your instruction and assign the videos to your scientists to watch before class. Flipping will maximize classroom time. Encourage budding scientists to investigate climate change. Use this site as a springboard for individual or group projects that connect to our world today. Have students create presentations to share what they learned using a tool such as Powtoon, reviewed here. Build student's background knowledge by watching the videos, and reviewing nonfiction reading strategies with students before reading the transcripts. Use the videos on Changing Planet to help struggling readers with the content on the cue cards. Encourage your scientists to tackle the topic of climate for a science fair experiment or graduation project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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