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return to subject listingSyrian Journey: Choose Your Own Escape Route - BBC
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): middle east (43), problem solving (225)
In the Classroom
Include this interactive with any lessons on current events or the Middle East. Allow students to explore on their own to learn about the choices faced by the refugees and the outcomes of their decisions. Share the locations using Google Earth, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a refugee as they attempt to make their way out of Syria. Alternatively, have a student or group of students write a memoir in the voice(s) of a refugee about their experiences using Book Creator, reviewed here, or Ourboox, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Amaze - Ann-Kathrin Grebner, Michael Durgner, G Widschwendter, M Ardelt
Grades
5 to 7tag(s): adolescence (12), difficult conversations (61), diseases (69), hiv/aids (15), sexuality (15)
In the Classroom
Be sure to follow suggestions for age appropriateness and have appropriate parental permission when using this site in the classroom. Share this site with school counselors and teachers of sex education. Use Amaze as a resource for discussions involving relationships, personal safety, and other teen and preteen issues. When appropriate, share a link to videos on your class webpage. Amaze is an excellent site to share with parents as they face difficult issues that arise during the teen years. Have students create personal blogs for their private reflection about these videos and discussions.Comments
I have used Amaze videos for 9th gradersLinda, IL, Grades: 9 - 12
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Mind Over Media - Media Education Lab
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): advertising (26), critical thinking (117), OER (43), propaganda (8)
In the Classroom
Discover the many ready-to-go free lesson ideas to include with classroom discussions of propaganda and persuasive advertising techniques. Share the Learn section with students as part of a flipped lesson, then have students provide examples of propaganda they find on TV or the Internet. Ask students to find advertising demonstrating two opposing points of view, then, with younger or less technically experienced students, use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here to compare and contrast information found. With older or more technically experienced students, use a tool such as Whimsical Mind Maps, reviewed here to create charts or a mind map to make the comparison.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching Children Philosophy - Book Modules - TeachingChildrenPhilosophy.org and Squire Family Foundation
Grades
K to 12tag(s): brain (56), character education (77), cross cultural understanding (167), cultures (145), ethics (21), logic (163), psychology (67), religions (85)
In the Classroom
Although created using children's books, this site is perfect for introducing philosophical discussions to students of any age. Choose two books that represent different sides of an issue to share with your class. Create a mind map including different ideas represented within topics using a tool such as Mindmeister, reviewed here. Then have students create an annotated image demonstrating their viewpoint including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GISIG English for Change eLessons - Global Issues SIG
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): advertising (26), bullying (50), character education (77), cross cultural understanding (167), cultures (145), earth (186), emotions (48), environment (246), nutrition (137), space (216), video (262)
In the Classroom
Discover the many ready-to-go free lessons and videos to accompany your lessons on bullying and other current events topics. If you can't access YouTube or if a video is unavailable, the many questions and activities are still worthwhile. While discussing an issue as a class consider giving all students a chance to voice their opinions (even the shyest and quiet ones) by using a backchannel tool like GoSoapBox, reviewed here. Be sure to share the many ideas with your school's guidance counselor. After viewing videos and discussing the relevant issues, have students create their own videos using Typito, reviewed here, and share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Coaching Boys Into Men - Futures Without Violence
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): bullying (50), character education (77), difficult conversations (61), mental health (36), mentoring (6), school violence (10), social and emotional learning (96), social skills (23), sports (81)
In the Classroom
Share this program with your school's athletic coaches, physical education teachers, school counselors, and parents who coach athletic teams. Use the program locator to find nearby communities involved with the program. Invite a local coach to speak to young men in your school regarding healthy relationship skills. Extend technology use and student learning by having them create a newspaper featuring sports role models using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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From Provocative to Productive - NewseumEd
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): character education (77), debate (40), difficult conversations (61), listening (92), speaking (22)
In the Classroom
Have this lesson handy when a controversial or contentious subject emerges. You just never know when that will happen, but you can run with it if you prepare using these NewseumEd guidelines. Share them with students, so they will understand what they need to do to participate successfully in a discussion or debate. Are there no issues at hand? Try finding one using Code Switch, reviewed here. At Code Switch find award-winning journalists from a variety of races to share their perspectives on current issues. Try giving students a choice! Show them several subjects and use Dotstorming, reviewed here, to comment and vote on topics for the discussion. Use the opportunity to hone students information literacy skills by reviewing how to evaluate and cite sources. Once they have researched their topic, and are ready to discuss, use a tool such as Thinkalong, reviewed here, to practice their discussion and argument strategies. With older students, a next step might be to take the debate public using Virtual Debate, reviewed here, which has online examples and resources for conducting virtual debates.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Who, Me? Biased? - New York Times
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bias (27), black history (130), bullying (50), character education (77), civil rights (200), difficult conversations (61), diversity (37), racism (79), tolerance (8)
In the Classroom
Share videos with students either with a projector, an interactive whiteboard, or use the link or embed codes on your class website to view at home. Have students view from home and enhance learning using Acclaim, reviewed here where you can stop the video and ask questions about the parts where students may need clarification right on the video! Have cooperative learning groups extend their learning by creating podcasts sharing their insight into biases and racism along with suggestions on ways to address each problem. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here. Share this site with your school's counselor for use with ongoing lessons in tolerance and diversity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Short & Curly Podcast - ABC3 Australia
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): debate (40), ethics (21), persuasive writing (57), podcasts (103)
In the Classroom
Use Short & Curly podcasts as an introduction to a persuasive writing unit. Listen together, then have students use content from the podcast to support their opinion on the topic. Have students create their own podcasts presenting their point of view. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Digital Citizenship Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (89), internet safety (113)
In the Classroom
Use this entire collection or simply select the best ones for YOUR students to continually model good digital citizenship. Share the links with parents and among your colleagues so you can promote positive action instead of fear about the Internet.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fair Dealing Decision Tool - Council of Ministers of Education, Canada
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): copyright (46), digital citizenship (89), ethics (21), plagiarism (33)
In the Classroom
Include this site as part of your digital citizenship lessons. Explore together what is the acceptable use, and what is not. Enhance classroom technology use by having students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as PicLits, reviewed here, or transform class tech use with a multimedia poster using Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or Adobe Express for Education, reviewed here, to demonstrate the acceptable use of published work. Be sure to include a link to this tool on your class web page for student use at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teach With Movies - TeachWithMovies.com, Inc.
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): difficult conversations (61), essays (21), movies (53), questioning (35), social and emotional learning (96), social skills (23), worksheets (70), writing (323)
In the Classroom
Movies offer an entertaining format for history and thematic studies. Use a video to add to the learning experience of students who are visual and auditory learners. Use this site to find videos in a wide range of topics to share on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Take advantage of the free lesson plans for classroom use. Preview the lessons before viewing and convert those that can be to a real-time discussion to engage students WHILE they watch a video! Enhance classroom learning and technology use and achieve this by setting up a backchannel chat using GoSoapBox, reviewed here. Alternatively, if you are distance or remote teaching or have a blended classroom, use VideoAnt, reviewed here, to ask questions and have students respond directly on the video.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SheHeroes - sheheroes.org
Grades
2 to 10tag(s): careers (140), mentoring (6), women (142), womens suffrage (46)
In the Classroom
Use SheHeroes as part of your Career Day or career unit resources. Add a link on classroom computers for students (male and female) to explore on their own. Take advantage of the further discussion questions to encourage students to think about the obstacles faced by women in business and society. Ask a prominent local business woman to speak to your class and discuss obstacles she has faced and how she was able to overcome those issues. Although the site is dedicated to girls from ages 8-14, share with both boys and girls from ages 8 and up as part of any unit on gender inequalites.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NewseumED - NewseumED.org
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): civil rights (200), elections (82), evaluating sources (28), freedom of speech (13), media literacy (106), politics (114), primary sources (119), sept11 (18), terrorism (42), terrorist (12)
In the Classroom
If you teach or even discuss civil rights, the First Amendment and its freedoms and ideals, current events, or the presidential elections be sure to look at the lessons provided here. The lessons will also help you show students how to tell facts from opinions in current events. Use ideas from the lesson plans to supplement your current teaching materials. Enhance learning and challenge small groups of students to create an infographic sharing their learning from the notes they took during a lesson. Use Infogram, reviewed here, to construct the infographic. If you plan on using one of the EdCollections ask students to enhance and extend their learning and develop a multimedia presention using Presentious, reviewed here, or an interactive poster with a tool like Genially, reviewed here, for one of the suggested Extension Activities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Charity Navigator - Charity Navigator
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): communities (37), problem solving (225), service projects (17)
In the Classroom
Inspire your students to find worthy causes to give back and help other people in need. Give character education programs real purpose by discovering the many ways people need help. Challenge students to become an active part of your community and help others. Each class can choose a favorite charity to support through time or donations. Throughout the year, find ways to volunteer, collect money, or make a difference. Keep a class blog documenting progress, plans, ideas, and experiences. Substitute pen and paper writing journals by having students create blogs sharing their experiences using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using Edublog, reviewed here. New to blogging? Check out TeachersFirst's Blog Basics. Challenge each class to enhance their learning by highlighting the journey of giving to your community through a video documentary using a tool like Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here. Share videos using a tool like Schooltube, reviewed here.Comments
This is a "gift" to those who are interested in having their students realize that where they donate can be researched. Furthermore it shows how many are working to improve the world across multiple categories. This helps foster critical analysis. My students will be selecting a charity and arguing for its support.Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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Thrively - Thrively
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): back to school (62), differentiation (89), multiple intelligences (7), social and emotional learning (96), Special Needs (56), Teacher Utilities (159)
In the Classroom
Begin your school year with a more personal touch, by knowing what your students' interests are. On the teacher dashboard, examine each student and match interest to activities to differentiate instruction. Students can explore careers, apps, and activities matching their profile. With interest and strengths targeted, you can sail smoothly into a highly engaged class of individualized learning. During career explorations, open up worlds of possibilities for students and families to begin planning a successful path. Add a link to this tool to your class website for possible enrichment activities for families. Offer suggestions to parents for enriching after school activities found around your area.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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International Dot Day - Reynolds Center for Teaching Learning & Creativity
Grades
K to 12tag(s): creativity (90), cross cultural understanding (167), literature (218)
In the Classroom
Although the official International Dot Day is in September, use ideas from the site to inspire creativity and collaboration throughout the year. Read The Dot to students and encourage them to brainstorm and collaborate ways they can make their mark in the world. Celebrate by joining the International Dot Day Virtual Event on Monday, Sept. 16 at 10am ET with a live stream featuring the author and his twin brother. Challenge older students to explore their place in the world through the use of a blog. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Penzu, reviewed here, with Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. Or, use Webnode, reviewed here. Take this a step further by joining the Connect with Other Classrooms and sharing your Dot Day activities with your global friends. Consider following International Dot Day on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) to stay in touch with all of the latest updates from around the world.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Happier - Nataly Kogan
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): emotions (48), mental health (36), psychology (67), social and emotional learning (96)
In the Classroom
With testing, social pressure, and the desire to do well use Happier in class to reinforce social-emotional learning (SEL) by celebrating the small steps and successes on which students should be focusing. Teach students to identify positives along the way, no matter what the test or situation's outcome. Consider asking what did you learn from the situation? Identify categories that encompass all of the student's lives and focus on finding happy moments in all areas. Be sure to use this yourself! Find the positives in every facet of your day building happiness day by day. Psychology and Sociology classes can use this as an experiment about happiness, collecting student or family data through the year.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Wonderment - Kidnected World
Grades
3 to 9tag(s): communication (138), cross cultural understanding (167), enrichment (9), gifted (65), listening (92), Problem Based Learning (12), problem solving (225), social media (54), social networking (64), social skills (23), speaking (22), sustainability (43)
In the Classroom
The Wonderment is a problem based learning adventure for each student around the world to communicate and collaborate with other students. This venue allows great lesson ideas for digital citizenship and digital footprints. Begin by choosing a path for the entire class and feature on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Have students work in small groups to choose their best response. Discussions can focus on creativity, problem solving, and collaboration between the group and others from around the world. In a gifted class, use as a way to challenge kids to break through the "right answer" and find the "best answer." Use this as a model for finding authentic needs in your community. Be sure to share a link to this tool on your class blog, website, or learning management system (LMS). Use this tool as the answer for the parents who always want more challenge and enrichment for their students at home. Be sure to share at a staff meeting to spread the wonder for other students and adults.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)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Andrew Carnegie's Story - Carnegie Corporation of New York
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): 1900s (73), biographies (95), business (51), railroads (14)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Include this resource with a study of the 19th Century, famous businessmen, or philanthropy. Have students create maps of libraries in your state funded by the Carnegie Foundation using MapHub, reviewed here. Students can add text, images, and location stops! Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Andrew Carnegie and his peers. Use this site as a starting point to compare Andrew Carnegie to current businessmen and philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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