238 current-events results | sort by:
Kidscoop - Kid Scoop
Grades
1 to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): news (219), newspapers (89)
In the Classroom
Find classroom follow-ups for leading news stories. Have your children write their own stories and create their own activities using these as models. Use the writing prompts to help children better grasp important news issues. Why not create an online newspaper for your class on a wiki? Learn more about wikis at "TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-ThroughYou must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Banned Books Week - American Library Association
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): book lists (154), reading lists (75)
In the Classroom
Compare the banned book list with your curriculum. Find out how many of your students' favorite books (like To Kill a Mockingbird) have been on the list.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google News - Google
Grades
K to 12tag(s): news (219)
In the Classroom
Set up specialized Google News searches for topics relevant to what you teach: biodiversity, current events topics that connect to your curriculum, or even your school name. Set Google News as the computer's home page and you have an instant "connection" to the real world right in your classroom. You can also customize Google News to education topics of interest to you for professional growth, such as special education, autism, NCLB, etc. Social studies teachers will also want to compare news articles collected on Google News for a current topic to help students see that news coverage is not always balanced. Ask students to compare articles from within the U.S. and those on the same topic written in other countries or by varied sources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TeachersFirst: Lesson Ideas for Lincoln - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): civil war (142), debate (39), lincoln (66), presidents (150)
In the Classroom
No matter what subject you teach, you can find something to fit in your plans for Presidents Day or the Lincoln Bicentennial. Use these ideas and adapt at will. You can even email an idea to your teacher colleague to save a friend time!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ScreenPal - ScreenPal
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): communication (115), noregistration (81), tutorials (47)
In the Classroom
You will need to know how to use whatever computer software, website, or skill you are demonstrating. Following basic directions and managing browser windows or tabs are a must, as well as the managing settings of the computer being used. There are plenty of tutorials to explore for PC's, Chrome Books, Mac's, and downloading their apps.Click the Create button in the upper right corner of the page to start. You will find a selection of activities there like Capture Screenshot, Record Screen/Cam, Upload Content, Create a Quiz, and several others. Select Capture Screen Screenshots. As a first-time user files for the Screen Recorder will need to be downloaded to your computer. Follow the prompts as they appear. Choose the screen size when played and whether audio will be needed (audio can be tested here as well, which is recommended: settings may need to be adjusted for different microphones.) Open a new tab or browser window and enter the web address of the site (or software) that will be the subject of your screencast. Drag the black frame by clicking the line and dragging it in order to choose what will be recorded during the screencast. The microphone icon has a green bar that shows recording levels. A green arrow showing instead of a green bar denotes that sound is not being captured. The red button is used to start recording while the black "X" stops the recording. Once you stop recording, click on your screencast tab or browser window and preview your recording. You can then either upload or discard your screencast. At this point you can create an account easily. Save your screencast to a channel of your own. Use the embed code to place your screencast into a blog, wiki, or other site. You can also use a widget code to embed the screencast player into a website. Screencasts can then be made from your other site and will save directly to your screencast channel. Screencasts can be set to different levels of privacy and comments can be turned on or off.
Teachers who must request certificate approval by tech staff may want to try this tool at home and create some sample projects to convince administration of its educational value. Unless checked to turn off comments, this site will allow comments on your work. Many districts prohibit such interaction and steps should be taken to prohibit commenting from others. When using the widget, the tool does not attribute work to specific students. You may wish to have the students identify their work while creating the screencast. Screencasts will only be able to be viewed when using an embed code in a site, wiki, or blog. By marking the screencast "searchable," it can be available to the public. Recently created screencasts do not appear on the home page of screenPal. Students are able to self-register, but you may want to keep a record of logins and passwords for students who forget.
Make how-to demos for communicating instructions on using and navigating your class home page, class wiki or blog, or other applications you wish the students to use in creation of classroom content. By narrating how you want students to navigate through a certain site or section, you can eliminate confusion, provide an opportunity for students to use the information as a refresher for the future, and maintain a record for absent students. Software demonstrations add an increased flexibility with helping students who need it while allowing students to begin and work at their own pace. Added audio is a great asset for many students including learning support and those who might need to access the material in smaller "chunks." Use this site for students to give "tours" of their own wiki or blog page. The presentation of their web-based projects and resources can be more engaging. Use screencasts to critique or show the validity of websites, identify a resource site they believe is most valuable, or explain how to navigate an online game. Challenge your gifted students to create a screencast as a final project rather than a more traditional project. Social studies teachers could assign students to critique a political candidate's web page using a screencast. Reading/language arts teachers could have student teams analyze a web site to show biased language, etc. For a powerful writing experience, have students "think aloud" their writing choices as the record a screencast of a revision or writing session. You will probably need to model this process, but writing will NEVER be the same! Math teachers using software such as Geometer's Sketchpad could have students create their own narrated demonstrations of geometry concepts as review (and to save as future learning aids). Teachers at any level can create screencasts to demonstrate a computer skill or assignment, such as for a center in your classroom or in a computer lab. Students can replay the "tutorial" on their own from your class web page and follow the directions.
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)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Requires download/installation of software
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Season Sequence Stories - Crayola
Grades
K to 4tag(s): drawing (58), seasons (55), sequencing (17)
In the Classroom
Use this activity in response to a field trip or outdoor excursion around the school. This lesson allows ESL and ELL students who can't express themselves as well as the rest of the class to be full participants. Teachers might want to review pertinent meta-questions before taking a trip, such as "What is the name of that?," "How do you spell that word?," and "Can you repeat that?" before going outside the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OnGuard Online - U.S. Government
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): internet safety (114), safety (65), social networking (53)
In the Classroom
Survey students about their online usage and behaviors. This can be done informally as a class discussion or as an online survey that is filled out by students. Create a quick poll using SurveyPlanet, reviewed here. Use a projector and or a whiteboard to display the results and discuss the results of the survey with the class. Emphasize the importance of online safety and introduce the OnGuard Online website as an important resource for accurate and current information. Why not have cooperative learning groups investigate one of the topic areas provided (such as identity theft). Then have the groups make a multimedia presentation to present their findings to the class. Use one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Younger students can be introduced to the online games that teach appropriate and ethical online behavior. A scavenger hunt or questionnaire can be created for older students to explore the many issues that arise while online. As an extension activity students can role play different scenarios that they are confronted with when they are online and how they can respond in a safe ethical manner.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Social Studies for Kids
Grades
1 to 8Note: an annoying audio ad plays when you first enter the site. Turn OFF your sound!
tag(s): holidays (241), maps (214), presidents (150), renaissance (38), timelines (57)
In the Classroom
Use the current events segment as weekly discussion starter or assignment in your social studies class. Share this link on your teacher web page for students to access outside of class. To really build a stronger sense of current events, start a class year-long current events "log" on a wiki and have a differnet student write a "week in review" each week throughout the year, based on the current events provided here or others he/she may know about. Reading teachers may also want to use the articles on this site to teach informational text reading skills on an interactive whiteboard. Reading levels are challenging for grades 1-3. Teachers will need to provide help by reading aloud or partnering readers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World News - WN Network
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): news (219)
In the Classroom
Share this site with your school's foreign language teachers. Have students do comparisons between English and foreign language versions of the news. If you teach writing, you can find controversial topics as writing prompts for persuasive writing among the articles, as well, and have students find facts to support their positions. Make this site available from your teacher web page for current events assignments. Reading teachers will want to use the articles on an interactive whiteboard to teach main idea and summarizing: highlight key words to use in a main idea or summary sentence you write together below the article.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Common Sense Media - Common Sense Media Inc.
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): internet safety (114), movies (50), parents (53), safety (65)
In the Classroom
Let your students' parents know about this site via your teacher web page or class newsletter. You may also want to share it with your school PTO or PTA.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Iraq - BBC
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): iraq (26)
In the Classroom
If you do current events study or have students with family members in Iraq, be sure to include this site as a link from your teacher web page. As the 2008 U.S. elections approach, you may want to begin a "current events" collection of resources for students to use to develop better understanding of election issues.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Islam - BBC
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): middle east (51)
In the Classroom
If you are teaching your students about the religion of Islam or trying to introduce world cultures, this is one resource that you simply cannot do without. Include it as a resource for students trying to understand currenet events in a broader context.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Middle East - BBC
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): iran (8), iraq (26), israel (15), middle east (51)
In the Classroom
Include this link on your teacher page for middle and high school students to use as a reference and build better understanding of this tumultuous region. It will help even younger students understand the region, but parts of this website are not appropriate for elementary students. Preview before you take your elementary class on a virtual field trip to the Middle East.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Children of Iraq - BBC
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): iraq (26)
In the Classroom
Use an interactive whiteboard to introduce your students to the children of Iraq, share the video, and take the quiz to find out what your students know about Iraq.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Africa - BBC
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): africa (150), climate (94), climate change (110)
In the Classroom
Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to take your students on an African visit. The main topic of this website is the drought in Africa, however there is a great deal of information on many African subjects. Include this on your teacher web page as one of several links on different continents as you study world geography, cultures, or climate change.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Antarctica - BBC
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): antarctica (25), arctic (32)
In the Classroom
With Global Warming issues being discussed frequently, use this website as a simple guide to group discussions on the topic or to introduce the lesser-known continent to your youger students. Don't forget to use a projector or whiteboard to share this authentic footage with your class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Father's Day Crafts and Children's Activities - DLTK
Grades
K to 3tag(s): fathers day (17)
In the Classroom
Share this link on your class website for families to access over the summer months. Why not suggest something interactive for the students to create, in addition to the paper craft. For example, have students create online books about their fathers using Bookemon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kids Press - Kid Reporters' Notebook - Scholastic, Inc.
Grades
1 to 8tag(s): news (219)
In the Classroom
Put a link on your teacher web page for parents and students to access Kids Press at home or in study times at school. Preview the site to determine which news stories best suit your curriculum and the age of your students. Younger classes may need help reading some of the articles: use a projector so the news story can be read aloud as students follow along. Have younger students create a simple word cloud using Word Cloud for Kids, reviewed here, and older students create an infographic sharing their "new" news knowledge using Venngage, reviewed here. Enhance learning by having students practice writing their own "News for Kids by Kids" for a classroom publication using Ourboox, reviewed here. Ourboox creates beautiful page-flipping digital books in minutes, and you can embed video, music, animation, games, maps, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Flash Earth
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use a projector or whiteboard to share a location as art of the background knowledge for a lesson. Be sure to add this link to your teacher web page as a reference tool, as well. Be aware that some world locations have much "fuzzier" satellite images than others. Always preview before your lesson to be sure you can show the features you want students to see. Show elementary students where their "neighborhood" is, perhaps even their streets!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World Flag Database - Graham Bartram
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): flags (17), maps (214), statistics (113)
In the Classroom
This is an easy-to-use fast reference tool for students. The site also sells flags, but you can ignore the sales portion. If your students do country reports, this is a one-stop site for them to find their country's flag. Perhaps they can use these ideas to design a flag for their own mythical country as part of a unit on government.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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