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This I Believe, Inc. - Jay Allison, NPR, et. al.
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Searching the "For Educators" page gives you a wide variety of ideas for using this site and these essays. Since students enjoy using first person point of view in their writing, this might be an inspiration for some. You can use some of these essays as conversation starters on topics you are studying in class. (Example: Penn Jillette wrote his essay stating that he believes there is no god. This could be related to many books studied, such as 1984 or Brave New World.) Have students write their essays as blog entries or record them as podcasts using a tool such as Podomatic, reviewed here, or as an illustrated essay using ThingLink, reviewed here. Spanish teachers will want to explore the options to listen to or write essays in Spanish, as well.American President - Miller Center of Public Affairs
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): presidents (135)
In the Classroom
If your students do Presidential biographies, this is a perfect site to save in your favorites for their use in preparing these. In addition, the multimedia gallery could be helpful in providing images to accompany lesson plans or other classroom presentations.The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History - The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): 1600s (20), african american (115), american revolution (82), black history (133), civil rights (209), civil war (139), colonization (21), foreign policy (13), great depression (30), history day (39), immigration (68), industrial revolution (22), migration (45), native americans (108), primary sources (117), westward expansion (39), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Find many lesson plans, resources, and primary documents to enrich your history lessons. Make a splash with visual learners by starting class with artifacts from an era displayed on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Explore primary sources and historic texts as part of a Common Core literacy program cooperating among English, reading, and history teachers. Have your students sign up to enjoy access to all the resources. Enhance learning by challenging cooperative learning groups to choose a specific historical time period and become "experts." Have the groups create presentations to share with the class about what they learn. Use a tool like Zoho Show, reviewed here, or allow students to choose the format of their presentation by using Genially, reviewed here, where they can interactive images, infographics, charts, and presentations of all types, and insert maps, surveys, video, audio and more.Cinco de Mayo - The History Channel
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): cinco de mayo (10), hispanic (36), mexico (37)
In the Classroom
This site is ready to use in class. Have cooperative learning groups explore various aspects of the holiday and Mexican culture.If you have time, have them make their results into a class wiki with a page for each angle. Have students write a journal entry replacing pen and paper using a blog tool such as edublog, reviewed here, or Telegra.ph, reviewed here, from the perspective of someone living in Mexico during the 1800s. Share maps of Mexico on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have cooperative learning groups create commercials highlighting what they have learned (be sure they include some new vocabulary words) or even a video advertisement modifying their learning for your class's Cinco de Mayo celebration. For the video use a tool such as Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here. Share the videos using a tool such as Schooltube, reviewed here.Padlet - Padlet
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (177), biographies (94), blogs (65), book reports (28), brainstorming (18), bulletin boards (15), DAT device agnostic tool (147), images (263), journals (15), rubrics (37), timelines (56)
In the Classroom
Use a Padlet to collaborate in collecting ideas, brainstorming, and more. Use this tool easily in your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) classroom since all students can access it for free, no matter what device they have. Padlet does not show which work is attributable to which student, so you may want to require that students initial their contributions in order to get credit. If allowing all students to post to the wall or make comments, you may want to discuss internet safety and etiquette and establish specific class rules and consequences. Making the setting private again will prohibit content from later being replaced by classmate "vandalism."Take advantage of Padlet's many features, such as "recipes," to make and personalize Padlet collections quickly. Examples of recipes include exit tickets, read-and-respond activities, class schedules, and blogs. Another option to use with Padlet is the Sandbox option, which allows members to draw, create, and play with others in real time. Be sure to visit the Sandbox examples that share ideas and templates for Jeopardy games, interactive lessons, collaborative reading reflections, and much more. If you previously used Google Jamboard, which has been discontinued, Padlet's Sandbox features are a worthwhile replacement for Jamboard.
Use a Padlet to collect Webquest links and information to share with students. Leave the wall open to comments, and solicit input, discussions, or viewpoints from students. They can even contribute other sources they find. Color code resources to indicate different reading levels or "high challenge" sources for your more able students. Assign a student project where students choose their theme and design a wall around it. For example, have students create a wall about an environmental issue. They can include pictures, audio or video, links, and other information to display. Use as a new format for book reports. Do your students have favorites such as music or sports? Create a wall around these favorites or hobbies. Use a wall for grammar or vocabulary words. Create walls for debates or viewpoints. Post assignments, reminders, or study skills on a wall. Do you use student scribes or reporters? Use the Padlet site to create a wall with the goings-on in class. Embed your walls in a blog, wiki or website. See a similar tool (and more ideas to use either tool) in the TeachersFirst review of Lino here. Decide which one you prefer! Unfortunately, the Padlet embedded viewer is very small but can be scrolled in both directions.
Use Padlet as a class space during snow days and school breaks. Share the link to a teacher-created, public wall where students can share notes about what they did during the snow day or respond to a thought-provoking question.
Encourage creativity and organization by having your gifted students (or anyone doing independent projects) create Padlets to collect ideas, images, quotes, and more in an "idea bin." Require them to share a brainstorming Padlet to show you the ideas they considered before they launch into a project. Have them brainstorm (and later sort/color code) the possibilities for a creative problem solving or "Maker Faire" project. In writing or art classes, use Padlet as a virtual writer's journal or design notebook to collect ideas, images, and even video clips.
Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Lewis and Clark - LA Purchase Vocabulary - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): lewis and clark (14), louisiana (6), louisiana purchase (5), vocabulary (238)
In the Classroom
Use this site to reinforce and support vocabulary as you study Lewis and Clark. Share the word puzzles on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students create their own word activities from the same vocabulary list, such as matching or ranking challenges for their peers to try on the interactive whiteboard.Write Like an Egyptian - University of Pennsylvania Museum
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): egypt (56)
In the Classroom
By providing picture clues, have students try to solve names using the Egyptian symbols. If students want to seek the scribe and delve into hieroglyphs a bit further, click on Scribe at the bottom of the page. They will be directed to the University of Pennsylvania Museum website for detailed information regarding the Egyptian culture. Are you looking for a site to use with younger students? Check out Journey to Egypt (reviewed here). Click on the link for Hieroglyphics to learn more.Use this site as part of a study of different alphabets and coded symbols, even comparing them to mathematical or musical symbols as a means of communicating meaning. Gifted students will enjoy exploring and comparing different symbol systems.
English Online France: Free online ESL/EFL Academic Reading and Writing Exercises - Glenys Hanson and Fiona Robertson, et. al.
Grades
4 to 12Be sure to check out the videos, which include commercials from the 1960s!
tag(s): vocabulary (238), writing (325)
In the Classroom
This site has so much to offer, the possibilities are endless. Obviously, this site is handy with ESL and ELL students. But there is SO much here to explore for teachers of elementary (social studies or language arts), AND secondary teachers trying to reinforce grammar skills, connect history and writing, and more.Share portions of this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. With primary students, set up learning stations. Have cooperative learning groups explore the site together. Have groups investigate a specific area of this site and create a multimedia presentation to share with the class: wiki, blog entry, podcast, online book, or video. Need some "technology tips?" Try enhancing students' learning by having them create a podcast using podOmatic, reviewed here. Share "student-created" videos on a tool such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Transform learning and have students write online books using a tool such as Bookemon,reviewed here.
A Woman's Work is Never Done - The American Antiquarian Society
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use these images to complement various lesson themes on the historic role of women as workers, or use the site as a whole for a larger discussion of women and work. While the site is not extensive, the images are good, and their organization into themes might help students understand that women's roles as workers have varied tremendously over the years. Share an image or two on your projector or whiteboard for a discussion starter to help students envision life in these by-gone times. Use this site as one of several image sources as you have students research and create wiki pages from different angles: life in colonial America, the history of labor, changing roles in U.S. society during the 19th century, etc.The Teachers' Corner - The Teachers' Corner
Grades
K to 12tag(s): fractions (160), nutrition (140), parts of speech (39), phonics (51), speech (69), themes (16), writing (325)
In the Classroom
Although this site has a TON to explore, one of the best places on this site is the daily writing prompt section (find seasonal prompts at the Seasonal Items link). You can share them on your interactive whiteboard or projector with a picture and fact about the day and a question requiring a written answer. This is a great discussion starter or activating strategy with any grade level and it can already be posted when the kids enter the room or used as a prompt for blogging. Whatever subject area you teach, if you are looking for some new strategies to reach your students, check out this site.Who Came Up With Mother's Day and Why? - HowStuffWorks
Grades
K to 12tag(s): greek (47), mothers day (12)
In the Classroom
Share this historical site with your students on a projector or interactive whiteboard. List this link on your class website during Spring. Parents may be surprised to learn how this holiday came to be!Nova Roma: On Roman Numerals - Nova Roma
Grades
2 to 10tag(s): latin (23), roman numerals (7), rome (37)
In the Classroom
Use the Roman numeral converter to enter a year (ex. 1500.) Note the Roman Numeral that corresponds to the number. Enter another number (ex. 1499) and note the difference. Share the converter on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students determine the rules for using Roman numerals based upon the results. Then have them "predict" the answers while a student game-show host operates the converter for the class.Lincoln Birthday - February 12 - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): lincoln (66), presidents (135)
In the Classroom
Be sure to check out the interactive word puzzles! Have students work in cooperative learning groups, divide up the vocabulary words, and have each group find the definitions for their assigned vocabulary words. Have students locate a picture of Lincoln. Challenge students to narrate the picture using PowerPoint Online, reviewed here. Have the groups share the photos and presidents on your interactive whiteboard or projector.Gold Rush - California - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): california (17), gold rush (15)
In the Classroom
Share the puzzles on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students work with a partner to try out the puzzles on their own. Have students (or groups) create their own word puzzles to share as a class challenge as a student-run interactive whiteboard activity or share them on a class wiki.Memorial Day - May 30th - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): holidays (187), memorial day (11), vocabulary (238)
In the Classroom
Have students work in cooperative learning groups, divide up the vocabulary words, and have each group responsible to find the definitions for their assigned vocabulary words. Enhance learning by having the groups share their words and definitions in an online book, using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. Have the groups share the online books on your interactive whiteboard or projector. And of course, don't miss the interactive word puzzles!April Fools' Day - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): holidays (187), vocabulary (238)
In the Classroom
Share the puzzles on your interactive whiteboard or projector or make them available as links on your teacher public page. Have students (or groups) create their own illustrated dictionaries of terms using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. As you add more vocabulary lists during the year, have them select their favorite 6-10 terms from each list to add to their "book."St. Patrick's Day - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): holidays (187), ireland (11), st patricks day (12)
In the Classroom
Use this site to reinforce and support vocabulary as you study the holiday. Share the word puzzles on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students create their own word activities from the same vocabulary list, such as matching or ranking challenges for their peers to try on the interactive whiteboard.Women's History Month - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): vocabulary (238), women (151), womenchangemaker (37)
In the Classroom
Share the puzzles on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students work with a partner to try out the puzzles on their own. Challenge students (or groups) to create their own word puzzles from one of the TeachersFirst Women History Month resources you are using. Have them share as a class challenge and a student-run interactive whiteboard activity or share them on a class wiki. Students can create a crossword, word search, matching game and more using a tool such as Educaplay, reviewed here.Baseball Cards 1887-1914 - Library of Congress
Grades
3 to 10tag(s): baseball (32)
In the Classroom
Share this link on your class website for your baseball card collectors! Use the site to teach about the early days of baseball. Have younger students create a Venn Diagram comparing baseball today with baseball of the 1880s. Have older students create a blog entry from a famous baseball player of the past.By Popular Demand: Jackie and other Baseball Highlights 1860s-1960s - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), 1900s (72), africa (148), african american (115), baseball (32), black history (133)