Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Space.com is your one stop extraterrestrial resource! Featuring current information and articles about all things out of this world, Space.com is a resource full of images, videos, and interactives. Images here are brilliant and beautiful. Articles are professional and meaningful.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): moon (71), nasa (28), space (219), stars (71), sun (69)

This short animated YouTube clip shares specific copyright issues, focusing on reusing previously developed materials available on the Internet by uploading and presenting them on YouTube. It begins with a written quiz on the right side of the page to assess prior knowledge and also to get viewers thinking about copyright issues. It presents the message that uploading copyrighted material onto YouTube can have serious consequences. It also explores the fact that, in addition to written and broadcast media, performances and other public presentations may also be copyrighted. It explains the concept of Fair Use in easy-to-understand terms and examples. It also points out that you may watch for people who misuse material and report any such items so they will be removed from YouTube. The video is hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then it may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): copyright (43), multimedia (55), plagiarism (34)

This PBS site is a reorganized collection of over 16,000+ public media offerings (including radio and photographs), arranged specifically for preK-12 teachers. You can search by subject (the landing page subject is physical education) and grade level across many subjects. After viewing three offerings, you must join (for free) to continue. Membership includes the option of saving favorites. Use the search box at the top to find correlations to state standards. The site is still in development, so material is being added frequently.

tag(s): alphabet (52), careers (183), dance (33), data (150), decimals (85), diseases (66), fitness (39), human body (91), mark twain (8), multimedia (55), music theory (47), percent (59), probability (98), problem solving (233), psychology (65)

This site offers a myriad of memory games, brain games, quizzes, and more. Train your brain to think! Interactives offered in a variety of languages include: Dragger, Counterfeit, The Game you Can't Stop, Masterpieces, Sudoko, Mastermind, Crime Scene, The Image Quiz, Anagramania, Square Words, Speed Read, and Spellice. Many other games are also included. After winning a game, you earn a ticket. The tickets let you enter the bonus room to win a surprise image.

tag(s): gifted (64), logic (160), spelling (98)

Investigate the art of shadow puppetry through Shadow Light Productions. This is a commercial site featuring performances for school groups, community centers, or various events. Examples of performances with traditional stories appear in written and video format. A commercial venture on this site sells DVDS of actual performances. Begin your study of shadow puppetry at this site. Detailed plans with standards include suggested objectives, strategies, equipment, materials, and resources for audio, video, and texts. These plans answer all your questions on how to use shadow puppetry effectively in your classroom. Examples of lesson plans and student performance give ideas for language arts classes. Some of the images (although appropriate) may appear scary to younger students. So please preview before you share with your class.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): halloween (33), short stories (18)

Short stories, biographies, riddles, games and other appealing activities make this an attractive way to introduce students to magazine reading. With both academic and just-for-fun features, the site fills the need students have after Highlights Magazine and other similar publications get too old. Students are using their reading skills as they try to solve riddles, tell jokes, and practice tongue-twisters.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): biographies (94), crafts (76), holidays (194), riddles (15), short stories (18)

This site offers a complete lesson plan to use with students prior to beginning a first research project. The lesson takes students through the process of analyzing book titles to determine ones that would be helpful in their research. It then builds on class discussion to enable students to make informed decisions on appropriate research material. One especially useful part of the lesson is the Hints About Print interactive link included in the lesson plan. This would be a wonderful site to use on your interactive whiteboard to lead the class through basics of choosing materials for research. Other useful items on the site are the nonfiction book reviews and nonfiction book evaluation forms that are available in pdf form for easy classroom use. Find all resources and print material by choosing the Resources and Preparation tab near the top of the page.

tag(s): book reports (28), interactive stories (22), Research (88)

Teachers' Domain is a free digital media service for educational use. All of the material are from public broadcasting and its partners. This site aggregates thousands of media rich resources like lessons, videos, learning games and professional development resources. All resources can be found by subject area. In addition, each subject has sub areas to help you refine your search even more. You are allowed 7 views of material without registering.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): professional development (395), resources (83), teaching strategies (52)

Need kid-friendly online news? This safe site, written for kids, by kids, offers news from a younger point-of-view. You can create a class page where you can load a variety of articles, add a book list, a calendar, favorite sites list, add lesson plan instructions, monitor student comments, and more. DOGOnews is kid-friendly, colorful, and flexible. After all, DOGO means young or small in Swahili. You can select articles from a number of categories (Social Studies, Science, World, Current Events, etc.). There is an integrated dictionary for challenging words and maps for geographical context. Some of the articles include short video clips. Students may leave brief comments about each article (no login required). Also, typing the word "video" in the search box will bring up the Video of the Week for the past several weeks. The videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. In addition, find a Book and Movie section with a brief summary for the book or movie, and comments. You don't have to join to read the articles, but you do need to join to create a class page. There are many benefits to creating a class page, and it's all free! Don't want to create a class page? You can also embed articles on your current web page.

tag(s): journalism (74), news (225), reading comprehension (152), sports (85)

This site features a wonderfully specific pictorial database of "every day" images that define cultures. Images are Creative Commons licensed and can be used by download (three sizes) or direct link. At the time of this review, general topics included German, ESL (American,) French, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, and a few others. Besides offering a photograph (in three sizes) of something specifically Chinese or something only found in Japan, the vocabulary label for the object shown as well as its translation into its language of origin is available and indexed. There is also a detailed guide for teachers offering many wonderful suggestions of how to use CAPL in the classroom. The suggested activities include using images as objects, visual "texts," media illustrations, and narratives as well as ideas for using the images to teach vocabulary and culture. More is added to this site frequently, so be sure to check back!

tag(s): arabic (12), architecture (84), china (83), cross cultural understanding (178), cultures (226), france (40), germany (27), japan (62), russia (34), spanish (110)

This site contains many examples of symmetry found in the world around us. Examples include images of animals, humans, insects, and more. In addition to all of the activities, be sure to check out the information at the bottom of page under "Free Stuff."

tag(s): flips (6), geometric shapes (132), symmetry (25), turns (3)

This interactive was intended for woodworkers but works very well in Geometry class. The activity works by showing you a series of geometric figures that need to be adjusted a bit to make them correct. A square highlights the point that needs to be moved or adjusted. Use the mouse to drag the blue square or arrowhead where you feel it is 'right.' Once you let go of the mouse, the computer evaluates your move, so don't let up on the mouse button until you are sure. The 'correct' geometry is also shown in green, so you can see where you went wrong. You will be see each challenge three times. The table to the right shows your score ach time. You can compare your score to the last 500 players or to your last best score.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): angles (51), geometric shapes (132), puzzles (148)

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 (86), book reports (28), creative writing (125)

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 (64), maps (224), mysteries (24)

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 (66), comics and cartoons (56), drawing (62), french (72)

Site is dated but still many great tips. 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 (28), 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.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): drawing (62), halloween (33)

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.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): critical thinking (137), logic (160), origami (15), sculpture (18), video (267)