Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Visit and listen to a forest and its wildlife without going outside. Listen to narrated portions or click on areas in the forest to learn about inhabitants. You can even zoom in to learn more about specific topics. As you move through the screens, you will understand the meaning of sustainable forestry. Click on the map at the bottom to choose between various topics such as mature forests, bioenergy, and wetlands. Click on Sustainable Forestry to learn about topics related to the economic, environmental, and social uses of forests. The site creator, UPM, is a "...forest industry company. UPM consists of three Business Groups: Energy and Pulp, Paper, and Engineered Materials."

tag(s): forests (30), habitats (92), sustainability (50), trees (18)

Use this online biology study guide to find the answers to more than 1800 questions on a variety of topics. Read through the questions from beginning to end in order to completely understand the material as it is arranged in order to completely understand the concepts. Click on a variety of topics including "Biochemistry," "Zoology," "Ecology," and "Diseases" among others. Click "Search Answers" and enter your question to find items that can answer your search.

tag(s): diseases (67), ecology (103), evolution (89), genetics (81)

Use this site to find some GREAT word searches that are ready to go! Whatever topic you are looking for, you just might find a word search here. If you can't find one, make your OWN ONLINE word search. What a fantastic tool to use and/or create in any subject!

tag(s): photography (130), puzzles (149)

Human Anatomy Online is so packed with information, students could spend hours maneuvering through the text. This site provides detailed information about the entire body as well as common procedures and interesting facts. The simple, colorful visual aids make it very easy to understand the make-up of all of the systems as well as many of the body processes such as reproduction, muscle strength, cardiovascular health and much more. Be careful to keep students focused on the area of concentration. Otherwise, they could become overwhelmed with the quantity of information and get off track. Great for research projects and health units. Make sure to check out the fantastic tutorials, animations and description index.

There are some minor advertisements at this website.

tag(s): body systems (40), brain (56), heart (27), human body (93), olympics (45), respiration (11)

Many museum sites are little more than a set of on-line directions to get to the brick-and-mortar museum and a few promotional photographs. This site, however, is designed to be used as an online museum. You can start by searching the museum by geographic location or keyword. You can also search by time period from the "Teaching Kit" area. Or click on one of the featured exhibits which range from excavations of the CSS Alabama, the remains of an 18th century fleet sunk in New York's Lake George, to the HMS Serapis. A link to a "teachers' kit" gives information about ordering (free with the exception of shipping costs) a hands-on set of materials to keep and get free updates for as long as they would like to use it. For younger students, there is a slide show that introduces the concepts of underwater archaeology in an interactive whiteboard-friendly format (see featured exhibit: A Children's Introduction).

tag(s): oceans (149)

Explore the science of fear with this fun and interesting site. Click on "Explore Fear Online." View "Fear and the Brain" to understand how the brain responds to fear. Learn animal responses in "Fear in the Wild." Other links include "Fear and the Media," "The Fun Side of Fear," and "Dealing with Fear." Each link includes several more specific topics. There is also a Parent's Guide with some of the topics.

tag(s): brain (56), emotions (49), halloween (32), psychology (65), stress (7)

Interested in the chemical changes that occur during cooking? Have food related cooking questions? Find your answer here on this free site. Learn proper food cooking techniques and identify the science behind them. The menu at the top offers topic such as Recipes, Cooking Techniques, a Food Encyclopedia, and more.

tag(s): cooking (32)

This site provides instructions (on 6 simple slides) on how to grow seeds in a plastic glove. It is an awesome project. Seed varieties could be adjusted to suit classroom needs. A nice feature of this site is that the directions are printable so if computer access is limited, the lab can still take place.

tag(s): photosynthesis (21), plants (146)

This site is filled with study tools to help students learn information in a variety of subject areas. Stacks of topics related to geography, history, math, languages, medical, tests (SAT, ACT, etc.), science and more are linked with collections of learning tools that include virtual study cards, matching games, word search puzzles, and hangman games. There really is something here for nearly all subject areas and grade levels! Students can select the tool that works best for them and work at their own pace until they are satisfied with their progress. If you can't find a stack to fit your needs, you can edit existing lists or create customized study stacks. The site also allows you to print out study cards, or export flash cards to study them via cell phones, PDA, or iPod. Email the stacks to peers or connect with Study Stack through Facebook. Some of the activities require Java. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

tag(s): flash cards (44), greek (47), hebrew (16), latin (23), test prep (69), vocabulary (238)

Water is a basic human need and also a human right. Water and Sanitation is Sustainable Development Goal (SD) 6. Read about this goal and the UN's progress towards it. Explore the statistics, controversies, and issues concerning water use around the globe. Click the "Water Facts" tab to learn important information about Water Ecosystems, Human Rights, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Climate Change, Quality and Waste Water, Scarcity, and more.

tag(s): climate change (99), conservation (102), earth (184), earth day (60), pollution (52), resources (84), sustainability (50), water (102)

Looking for interactive review activities for your subject area? Use Bubbabrain's vast array of activities created for many levels and subjects. Registration is not required to play. When Game ID is checked (this is the automatic default for the site,) you choose a level ranging from Elementary to College (be sure to click the circle in the appropriate grade level) and then choose a subject area from the drop down box at your level. Subject areas vary by grade level and may include: telling time, government, family and consumer science, world languages, sociology, technology, and countless others.

Click the "Go" button to start your activity. Click on the correct answer to the question and then a new question appears. Prompts to try again appear if the answer is wrong and a percent right appears on your screen as you progress. Click on the teacher's link in the upper right hand corner for more information on becoming registered. Once registered, teachers can create their own games for the site. Your teacher ID can be entered by students to access created games.

tag(s): psychology (65), sociology (23), time (91)

As part of their extensive site for vocabulary, roots, and more, MyVocabulary.com has added a themed area for Insects. Find interactive vocabulary activities using Insect-related vocabulary words. You will also find printable crosswords, fill in the blanks and more, all using the same theme words. This and other "themes" available on the site will make vocabulary development fun.

tag(s): insects (69), vocabulary (238)

HeartPoint has created this site that takes a creative approach to teaching students (and adults) about the heart, heart functions, and heart problems. Highlights include "Foods You Will Love" and "Health Tips". Be sure to visit the "HeartPoint Gallery" for detailed pictures, descriptions and other information.

tag(s): heart (27), nutrition (140)

Come to this site to view animation videos, practice online science activities, and learn about science at this interesting site. The videos bring many important science topics alive, including the physics of motion, structures, and more. Examples of movies include "Cleaning Dirty Water," "Exploring Lungs," or "Bouncy Custard Balls." Topics vary from pollution to the human body to levers to making homemade bouncy balls! Print Activity sheets that correspond to the movies as Adobe pdf documents.

tag(s): heart (27), human body (93), pollution (52), structures (18)

This creative site offers "how to" videos on a WIDE variety of topics. Anyone is able to view the videos, but you must be a member (which is free) to comment on the videos, grade the videos, or submit your own "how to" video. Topics vary; some are appropriate for the classroom - others are definitely NOT appropriate. Some of the general topics that may be useful in the middle school or high school classroom include: alcohol, autos, motorcycles, and planes, business and money, computers and programming, diet and health, education (which features a variety of science experiments and more), film and theater, language (English, Chinese, Hungarian, Russian, Finnish, sign language, Polish, and countless others), music and instruments, travel, and several other topics. Within each of these general topics, there are thousands of specific "how to" videos.

Membership is free and has many perks. You are able to comment and/or grade the video clips or even submit your own video. Registration does require some personal information: a username, password, email address, and date of birth. ALL USERS MUST BE OVER 13-years of age! Check with your administrator about allowing the students to register for this site using fictitious names. You may wish to set up a class registration instead of entering true data into the registration site. Another option is to create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up Gmail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Warning: not all videos are suitable for the classroom. Be sure to preview what you wish to share. If you choose to allow your older students to navigate this site on their own (for research or a class project), be sure to set boundaries on which videos to watch, consequences for going elsewhere, and WATCH CAREFULLY! Some videos explain "how to" do things that are unsafe or inappropriate for school-ages audiences. Wonder How To does include unobtrusive advertisements.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): aircraft (16), business (52), money (113), russian (26), sign language (10)

This site allows you to create and customize online quizzes. Once registered, create quizzes using the shared templates or make your own from scratch. Current templates for educators include quizzes in several subjects, including geography, math, and language arts. This site also consists of an extensive database of ready-made questions to use. Customize your quizzes by adding images, changing backgrounds, and more. Use the preview feature to review your quiz before sharing. Share quizzes with a link, use the embed code to embed onto a website, print, or share with social media links.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): quiz (67)

Pandas and dolphins and deer - oh my! This website, created by National Geographic, offers an eclectic mix of reference information about numerous animals: fish, invertebrates, bugs, birds, reptiles, and others. The site truly has something for everyone. For most articles, click on it and enter your email address; read as several articles at one time. There are video clips, interactive challenges, research information, music clips, photos, and current event news stories. There is a link for kids (designed for the elementary grades) with some age-appropriate interactives, news stories, and videos. Some of the material on this site is available only through a paid perscription. This review is for the free material.

tag(s): amphibians (17), animals (295), birds (46), fish (18), mammals (22), reptiles (12)

This site has something for every grade level - all about biology. It is a bit overwhelming at first, but easy to navigate. If you are a teacher (or parent) of a K-8 student, go right to the "Young Explorers" link to find lesson plans, activities, puzzles, and more. If you are a high school biology teacher, you have just found a multitude of ready to go activities to share with your students (effects of tobacco, HIV virus, DNA, cell biology, and much more). There are lesson plans available for all grade levels. Most of the interactive challenges and presentations are designed for middle and high school students. Parts of this site require Flash and Adobe Acrobat. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

tag(s): cells (83), dna (43), marine biology (31)

Explore the Humane Society Career page to learn all about animal protection issues like puppy mills, fighting animal cruelty, the fur trade, factory farms, pet homelessness, cosmetics animal testing, and other sensitive topics and what you can do to stop these tragedies. If you don't see your topic on this main page, type it in the search bar. This site features a FREE online webinar, printable PDF pages on HOT topics, and a podcast section cleverly titled Humane Voices. Other resouces interesting for teachers and students are from Nose to Tail, which has 5 lesson plans, a Farm Disaster Kit, and the Puppy Mills issue has a terrivic resource "7 ways to stop them." There is also an abundance of information in the category for animals, from alligators to zebras, including why they are important to our environment. Be sure to investigate the blog for current issues.

tag(s): animals (295), careers (156), service projects (17)

Find information about building a sustainable environment for the future of your community. Though this site is geared for the east bay area in California, many of the tips and fact sheets are helpful in any area of the world. Get articles and fact sheets (PDF) about plastics, climate change, recipes for healty living, seed saving, and more. Type Lesson Plans in the Search box to find 16 lesson plans on a variety of topics from How to Grow a School Garden, to Global Oneness Project. For those who have used the Terrain lesson plans the site says they will be archived and available soon. Until then, type Terrain into the search, the second entry will take you to their blog about terrain.

Notes: Links on the site ask for donations to the organization and suggest places to volunteer. A store link is also included. This site is best suited for teachers, as it contains lesson plans. Links to articles can be provided directly from your class web page.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): consumers (14), earth (184), earth day (60), ecology (103), molecules (44), Project Based Learning (23)