Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This site offers free book making activities -- the old fashioned way with paper and art supplies. Of particular interest is the project titled Making Books around the World in which students can make slat books, palm leaf books, accordion books, "papyrus" scrolls, and cloth books of many types. Tips for teachers make the book making projects accessible. Book plans are also available in Spanish.

tag(s): artists (84), book reports (28), creative writing (124)

LETTERBOXING is an intriguing pastime combining navigational skills and rubber stamp artistry in a charming "treasure hunt" style outdoor quest. The letterbox game is a treasure hunt using a compass and directional clues. Directions are simple to follow and would be a great activity for students just learning cardinal directions. Another portion of the site gives information on how to create your own rubber stamps using an art gum eraser with some simple tools or using adhesive foam pads.

tag(s): directions (11), map skills (63), maps (220), mysteries (23)

This site offers a searchable database of lesson plans in all subjects and grade levels. Searches can be performed by subject area, grade level, and/or keywords. A short summary of each lesson is offered with the search results, lessons contain an overview, content standards (state and national), learning objectives, materials needed, procedures, and assessments. Remediation and Extension activities are also included. Some lessons also include variations added by site users.

tag(s): resources (83)

This site is useful for learning about both the technical and historical aspects of animation. Over seventy animated shorts date back as far as 1941. Several informative films explain a variety of processes animators' use and include biography pages. The section, "My Film Class", is specifically for children. It contains games, films, and activities for students. Many of the films on this site reflect on the human condition and have a strong philosophical message. The National Film Board of Canada organizes films into seven main themes such as citizenship, folk tales or rights and responsibility. There are a few postings for film competitions. This site is a "work in progress" with new material being added often, so be sure to check back.

tag(s): animation (64), comics and cartoons (55), drawing (61), french (75)

Have a student stumped by homework? Find exercises and extra help in various subject areas in this kid-friendly site. Navigate through the various resources and friendly graphics to areas of the site such as "Sweet Stuff" which features neat interactives, "Needed Knowledge" with great tips, "Book review" to view video book reviews, and "Getting Historical." Watch informative (don't confuse with boring) videos of various math problems whether it be basic math, solving word problems, or even geometry. Find videos for other subjects such as science, language arts, social studies, health, and art. Review information in various subjects by trying age-appropriate interactives.

tag(s): homework (29), tutorials (52)

Invite students to carve a spooky Halloween Pumpkin without worrying about sharp knives, candles or pumpkin seeds. ABCya's simple, interactive site lets students create virtual carved pumpkins and then save them to the computer as a JPG. Carve out the pumpkin to your desire, click done, and see the pumpkin illuminate.
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tag(s): drawing (61), halloween (32)

This is the official website for the first math museum in the United States that opened in 2012. Currently, there are several videos from their "Math Encounters" presentations that help bring math to life. Topics include Symmetry, Art and Illusion, the Geometry of Origami, Geometric Sculpture Barn Raising, and more. One fascinating portion of the site is Math Monday - a weekly column discussing fun, experiential mathematics topics. Previous topics include shadow folds, cut and fold Escher, and pencil star.
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tag(s): critical thinking (127), logic (161), origami (14), sculpture (18), video (266)

ABCya.com, created by a web developer turned computer teacher, provides educational games, videos, and activities for elementary students. Nearly every subject is included. Simply click on your grade level (K-5) and find what is available under language arts, math, and other subjects. Specific topics range from basic typing activities to creating word clouds to grammar games (at all levels) and so much more. The interactives are teacher approved and offer colorful and attention grabbing ways for learning. Opportunities for sharing on Facebook, tweeting, and sharing on social bookmarking sites are incorporated. This is a MUST SEE site for elementary teachers looking for some great practice sites for basic skills!

tag(s): alphabet (53), decimals (85), drawing (61), fractions (160), game based learning (205), geometric shapes (134), keyboarding (28), latitude (10), literacy (122), longitude (9), number sense (69), numbers (120), operations (72), preK (270)

This site, created by the Kennedy Center, offers a wealth of interactive lesson plans for grades K-12 dealing with a variety of topics, all with an "arts" spin. Search by subject, keyword, or grade level (K-4, 5-8, or 9-12). Some examples of topics include Native Americans, Civil War, Shakespeare, myths, melodrama, adjectives, monsters, baseball, and countless others! Be sure to check out the category "Our Best Resources Organized by Subject." After that click on the the top menu for Education and get even more resources. There are many interactive lessons: some with video, audio, or slideshows. The lessons provide an estimate of time required and complete, step-by-step instructions. There are printables included with some of the lessons.
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tag(s): african american (115), baseball (32), civil war (139), comics and cartoons (55), dance (31), folktales (34), greece (47), habitats (92), immigration (68), literature (221), mexico (37), musical instruments (52), myths and legends (37), native americans (108), painting (54), surrealism (2)

Create the letters of the alphabet with folded paper. The animated video directions are easy to follow along and successfully create origami. The trip to the local craft store for origami paper is not necessary because Origami Club also provides free printable, decorative paper.

tag(s): alphabet (53)

The object of this site is to put the picture back together by sliding pieces around. If you complete a medium or hard puzzle, you can enter the Sliders Hall of Fame. Three levels of difficulty are offered through 6 different puzzles, suggestions for number of moves to complete the puzzle are offered.

tag(s): problem solving (233), puzzles (149)

Deceptively simple, this game offers the opportunity for students to test their observation skills. Within the big picture, try to find the small piece shown to one side. There are two levels of difficulty for those wanting to test their skills further. When stuck, click on the help button to be shown the missing piece. Build your visual discrimination skills!

tag(s): logic (161), puzzles (149)

Have lots of fun learning about color on ColorCube. Several different activities explore the world of color. In Color Paintbox mix colors from the 5 color palette to recreate the color given on the site. Explore the color systems of hue, saturation, and lightness with Color Slide by deconstructing images to find the various colors within. Try the Color Scrambles puzzle to practice color sequencing and recognition; choices at the bottom of the page allow for easy, intermediate, and difficult puzzles.

tag(s): colors (63), light (56), photography (130)

This site offers a list of monthly "newsletters" full of teaching ideas and parenting tips/suggestions. Each months activities reflect the seasons and their special holidays. Many activities include letters, words, and book activities. Besides the basic activity, quite a few of the monthly offerings include downloadable books to print and use, original song lyrics, and links to other related websites. This site is great to use with young ESL/ELL students too who need lots of fun reinforcement with learning the alphabet and pre-reading skills. This site includes many math activities as well.
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tag(s): crafts (64), literacy (122), poetry (193), preK (270), seasons (37), songs (46)

This unique site by Multicultural Canada is part of a digitization project that aims to tell the stories of the cultures that make up Canada. Other modules include Chinese, Japanese, Scottish, Indonesian, Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese,and Pakistan collections are included in the learning modules. Detailed lesson plans, related resources, with rubrics are included. IN this module, Simon Fraser University shares their collection of Wayang Kulit, or shadow puppetry from Indonesia. Wayang Kulit often portrays moral or political messages. The university featured the exhibit, Crossing Oceans, Crossing Cultures, which includes the shadow puppets and stories about good and evil, respect, duty, friendship, and loyalty. The website shows some of the Wayang Kulit shadow puppets, as well as providing information on traditional stories. Photographs of several intricate shadow puppets are included. Ideas for projects using a variety of free downloads are suggested. There is also an introductory video.
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tag(s): canada (24), myths and legends (37), readers theater (12), stories and storytelling (58)

This wonderful collection of interactive whiteboard activities is designed for students ages 3 to 18. Topics include Math, Literacy, Science, Physics, History, Art, Music, and Religion. Within each topic are categories to help narrow down search results. Activities contain a short summary, a link to the resource, and some have objectives. Because this is a British site, be aware that some vocabulary and content may be unfamiliar to American students, so preview carefully before using.

tag(s): descriptive writing (42), energy (133), environment (252), forces (37), grammar (137), literacy (122), literature (221), map skills (63), maps (220), novels (34), persuasive writing (58), poetry (193), preK (270), religions (95), rhythm (21), rivers (16), seasons (37), shakespeare (99), speeches (23), spelling (98), water cycle (22), weather (160)

The goal of this site is to educate youth about philanthropy and giving their time and knowledge for the global good. To do this, they offer over 1400 free lesson plans for teachers, parents, and community leaders. Lessons are coded to state standards and can be searched by grade level, keyword, subject, or academic or philanthropy standard. Some lessons are geared toward private or religious schools and are clearly labeled as such. Lessons include subject, key concepts, vocabulary, objectives, materials needed, approximate time, procedures, extensions, handouts, and much more. An example of a grade 3-5 lesson would be Cool Kids Compost which explores responsible use of resources by gathering data about lunchroom waste. Don't let the concept of philanthropy keep you from exploring the site, there are many great classroom lessons available for all subjects.

tag(s): african american (115), animal homes (57), animals (294), character education (79), charts and graphs (171), colonial america (95), communities (35), data (151), diversity (40), ecology (103), environment (252), heroes (24), money (113), recycling (45)