Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Remember playing Spirograph as a kid? Now you can create and play online with Inspirograph! Choose from fixed and rotating gears, and then change the size of the gears. Change the background and pen colors using the toolbar. Click on the + sign to personalize colors. Be sure to view the gallery of saved designs for lots of inspiration when beginning. Click the download icon to save images to your computer.

tag(s): angles (52), critical thinking (127), gifted (66), problem solving (233)

Love Google Doodles, those fun and spontaneous changes to the Google logo? View the gallery of Google Doodles on this site. Click About on the top menu to learn the background of Google Doodle. View the Doodle Archive with the newest Doodle appearing first on the page. Click the information button (i) for each doodle to bring up an information box. Click More Doodle Details to go to the Doodle page or click Search for to learn more about the topic or date. Move from one Doodle to the other by clicking the forward or back arrows on each Doodle page. Click Doodle4Google to view the Google contest. The competition typically takes place during the Fall. Click Classroom Activities for ideas on sparking and nurturing creativity in kids of all ages. Check back to find the next Doodle4Google contest for students.

tag(s): artists (84), creativity (86), drawing (61), gifted (66), STEM (297)

The Annenberg Learner Foundation's goal is to advance excellent teaching in American schools. Annenberg Learner's multimedia resources help teachers increase their expertise in their fields and improve teaching methods in all grade levels in all subjects. There are video resources for all subject areas. Find lesson plans for all subjects by grade level. A variety of interactives accompany lessons or can also stand alone. Follow the monthly updates and blogs for the latest information.
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tag(s): art history (102), butterflies (13), conversions (37), critical thinking (127), dna (43), earth (184), environment (252), geometric shapes (134), immigrants (34), medieval (32), native americans (108), patterns (61), periodic table (44), renaissance (38), rocks (35), russia (36), south africa (13), spelling (98), statistics (121), volcanoes (55), weather (160)

Find over 100,000 unusual and interesting drawings, paintings, photographs and advertisements related to medical and social history through contemporary healthcare and biomedical science. This site is dedicated to the history of health and medicine, and the oldest examples go back two thousand years. Everything is available under Creative Commons licensing. Browse the collection through the galleries or search by keyword. The titles of the galleries are Explore, Favourites, Science, History, Art (for Schools), and Galleries. Under each title, find several categories such as Olympics, Health, World, Pathogens, Cell Division, DNA, Vaccines, Surgery (Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Modern), Aids Posters, Patterns and Texture, and many more. The site was created in the UK, so some of the spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): creative commons (28), images (263), medicine (57), photography (130)

Find many resources for using pattern blocks at this site. Choose from many different pattern block templates sorted by categories such as holidays, vehicles, and alphabet. Click any template to view the PDF for instant printing. When printing, do NOT "scale to fit page." Be sure to print at 100% or the actual size. The site is designed for use with standard pattern block pieces. However, if you don't have any, no worries! Select the Printable Blocks link for many print-and-cut options to use.

tag(s): geometric shapes (134), manipulatives (9), patterns (61), problem solving (233)

Homeroom is an online tool and mobile app to share your class photos privately with parents, students, and others. Create an album and invite people to view it. Each time you update it, the members will be notified. When you populate your album with photos, you can also add a comment. Access Homeroom and upload photos on any device. For Initial registration you can use the app (iOs or Android) or register using your Google or Facebook account, or manually using email. Once registered, you can access the tool using any device using your username and password. Invite others from any device or computer by phone number or email address. They will become members and will be able to update your photo albums. You will be alerted about the new content. Albums are private. Only the people with the invite have access to the photos.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), images (263), photography (130)

LunaPic is an easy to use, online photo editor that doesn't require registration. Upload your picture from any computer, website, or social media option to begin. Choose from many photo effect options such as red-eye removal, vintage, dark, or pencil strokes. Use options within each photo effect to create your desired image. There is even an effect to insert your picture as the image on a dollar bill! Choose from save options to save to your computer, email, or add to other sites.
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tag(s): editing (93), images (263), photography (130)

WikiArt is a visual art encyclopedia for anyone looking for high quality images of public domain and copyrighted artwork. The artwork featured in this tool includes both classical and contemporary art. WikiArt is a wiki and editing of contents by participants is encouraged. Moderation of the updates ensures consistent and accurate content. The site includes both public domain artwork as well as those protected by copyright. SIte owners stipulate that the protected works on the site are displayed in accordance with Fair Use. The images can only be used for informational and educational purposes and are readily available on the Internet. The images are low resolution copies of the original artworks.

tag(s): art history (102), artists (84), images (263), painting (54)

Learn to draw, paint, or design following step-by-step tutorials from Artyfactory. Discover basic techniques of drawing and painting through Still Life lessons. Practice perspective, proportions, drawing animals and portraits, and more. Artyfactory's slideshows are an engaging way to increase your knowledge of art, art appreciation, and design.
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tag(s): africa (148), art history (102), artists (84), bulletin boards (15), design (79), egypt (56), perspective (14)

Bring art alive for young students. Paint and color, clay, fabric and fiber, drawing, construction, and print are the six strands of visual art covered by I Am An Artist. Click on a strand to view short videos, about six minutes in length, designed to keep your attention. Each strand also has a "Look and Respond" stimulating slide show with discussion questions. The "Can You?" section under each visual strand provides steps for a hands-on explanation. I Am an Artist allows you to explore the visual arts with various materials and tools, allowing students to express their world in a visual, tangible form. The "For Teachers" section on each strand page provides child-centered lessons developed to foster creativity and design with printable activity sheets. The site also provides weblinks and interactive games on a wide range of visual arts topics. Explore the I Am an Artist Gallery for examples. Find information about how to submit your own work to the gallery. The content for I Am an Artist has been created in consultation with Irish teachers.

tag(s): colors (63), crafts (64), creativity (86), design (79), drawing (61), makerspace (40), painting (54), sculpture (18)

The Fun Theory is a collection of experiments captured on video to find out if making tasks more fun can change people's behavior. One of the most popular videos on The Fun Theory is a staircase in a subway station. The stairs were converted into working piano keys as a way to convince commuters to take the stairs over the escalator. Another test uses a game-based scenario to recycle bottles. Students and colleagues at all levels are subject to the same ineffective carrots-and-sticks. Why search around for methods to motivate when fun is the key to unlocking a world of possibilities? A contest also encourages visitors to upload their own applications of The Fun Theory. After watching the videos, you will see the evidence that appealing to an individual's intrinsic motivation is better on many levels. Make the road less traveled FUN! The collection of Fun Theory videos is an excellent resource to support game-based learning in your classroom. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): psychology (65), science fairs (20), scientific method (48), video (266)

Totally History offers a brief overview on many historical events and topics. Choose from categories including art history, U.S. history, world history, famous history, and the history of technology. Within each topic, find facts and a several paragraph overview of the content.
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tag(s): american revolution (82), art history (102), civil war (139), presidents (135), religions (95), vietnam (38), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

Search Creative Commons images by COLOR(s)! Choose up to five colors. As you choose each color, the tiled squares fill with a myriad of images that include that color. Click a second color to view images that have both colors in them. Choose up to five colors. Click on "Next" in the lower right hand corner to view more pages of images. Click on the image you like to go to its Flickr site. Use CTRL-click (or right click) to view the different sizes of images and download pictures. Our editors did not notice any inappropriate photos. However, we highly recommend previewing this site before sharing with students. You will want to discuss what to do in the unlikely event that an image comes up that is not classroom appropriate. As with all Creative Commons images on Flickr, you will want to look at the details of the license to be sure you can use any image as you intend to. Some have limited use (such as no "derivative works"). Click the Rights link at the right when viewing an individual image to see the specifics.

tag(s): colors (63), creative commons (28), design (79), graphic design (49), images (263), media literacy (109), psychology (65)

Find crafts and activities for both home and in the classroom. First, figure out which are ads and which is actual site content! Discover activities for families or after school. Find your area by searching within your state or area code. Discover party ideas, theme ideas, crafts, classroom helpers, puzzles and games. Free personalized printouts include; blank checks, thank you cards, coupon books, and bookmarks. Find fun worksheets for holidays.
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tag(s): crafts (64), directions (11), holidays (187), mothers day (12), parents (57)

Published monthly, The Seminole Tribune of Florida is the official newspaper of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Current issues and archives are available via PDF download. Click on the appropriate tab at the top, or scroll to the bottom menu. The cultural information includes art, basketry, beadwork, housing, clans, language, legends, green corn dance, food and recipes, and clothing. Read an explanation about the current government within the tribe. Florida Seminole Tourism offers information for events and places to visit. Note: You do not need to subscribe to use this site. Simply click to view Current Issue or Archives. Scroll to to the very bottom to find the link for the Archives.
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tag(s): civil rights (209), cross cultural understanding (173), cultures (180), myths and legends (37), native americans (108)

Whether the contest is over or not, there is plenty for classroom teachers to use here. Think about having your own class or school wide contest with custodians, bus drivers, administration, secretaries, etc as the judges. Made By Milk Contest (a design and building challenge) simply your students to learn in a creative way. Of course you can make your own rules or follow the ones on this site. Create a design using 100 or more milk cartons. Take pictures of the completed project, and include a short essay explaining what was your student's idea. Be sure to check out the Past Winners page for ideas on what it takes to create a winner. Even if you do not want to have a contest, be sure to check out the wonderful STEM projects to try within your school or at home, so check out the Educational Resources.

tag(s): architecture (75), counting (60), grants (15), STEM (297), structures (18)

Sketch Toy is an intriguing, online drawing tool. No membership is required. Click in the blank graph paper to begin drawing. Click buttons/menus to adjust the line size and color, undo, or erase. Note that you must click Erase a second time to turn it off! Set your line to vibrate using different options. One of the best features of this site is the ability to take an image from your desktop and drag it onto the drawing screen. Once your image is on screen, use the image to trace and create a stencil. Then choose "SAVE" to view your artwork in a step-by-step replay. Copy the image URL and/or share using social networks. Going to the URL will "play back" the drawing process. Click Refresh to watch it over again. You can also download your image. This tool works nicely on tablet browsers. Important: Be SURE to save your image URLs in Favorites or paste them somewhere so you can find them again later. With no registration, you have no way of "saving" your works of art within the tool!
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tag(s): creative writing (124), creativity (86), drawing (61), geometric shapes (134), images (263), perspective (14), writing prompts (61)

Engage young children in this colorful site, packed with songs, interactive audio books, art and music interactives, and emergent reading activities. Reaching a wide range of grades, this site offers over 50 different engaging activities. Visit the stories made by children. The free part of this site includes a great variety of topics: Boston Tea Party, alphabet, making mistakes, metamorphosis, Mars, a variety of popular children's songs, nouns, upper case and lower case, Beatrix Potter, jokes, Bach & Van Gogh, Mona and Beethoven, and much more! Some of the activities are also available in Spanish. Check out Teachers at the bottom of the page for Lesson Plans.
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tag(s): alphabet (53), independent reading (81), preK (270), sight words (23), songs (46), video (266)

Create animated GIF images FREE and EASY using GIFMaker. Animated GIFs are images that change from one image to another automatically. There is no registration required. Select and upload the images that you want to use (in PNG, GIF, or JPG format). Choose your animation speed and image size. You can even choose an image from your smartphone. Animations can be run backwards to create another different animation. Download the finished creation to your desktop.

tag(s): animation (64), images (263), photography (130)

This tool is an amazing geometry playground. Select points on your screen and connect them. On tablets, draw roughly with your finger (such as a circle), and the tool will generate a real circle. Use the Help page to identify the gestures that can be used on a tablet. The interface uses icons that are easy to find and follow. This web tool is designed to work on mobile browsers on any device.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), functions (52), geometric shapes (134), perspective (14)