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Climate Time Machine - NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory/CIT
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): antarctica (28), arctic (34), carbon dioxide (9), carbon footprint (8), climate (99), climate change (112), temperature (32)
In the Classroom
Want to get students' attention? Begin with the Average Global Temperature on an Interactive Whiteboard or projector. Start the slider slowly at 1884, and be sure to pause and back up when global temperatures cool. However, be sure to point out to students that although temperatures cycle a bit over time, as you progress to the present day, much warmer temperatures persist. Follow this demonstration. How does this visualization compare to Carbon Emissions? Spend time in class looking at the Sea Level changes and list the areas that will be affected the most because of sea level rise. Create reports or posters on the facts about those areas (population, points of interest, culture, and history) to understand what will be lost. Have students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here. Create a campaign to halt climate change, starting with simple actions that EVERYONE can take. Take time to determine each student's carbon footprint and changes that matter.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Time and Date - Steffen Thorsen
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): calculators (39), calendars (37), DAT device agnostic tool (134), moon (87), sun (87), time (98), time zones (8), weather (170)
In the Classroom
Bookmark (or save in your favorites) Time and Date on your classroom computers for students to use throughout the year. Find out the local time and temperature in countries as you study them, and count down the number of days until spring break or the end of the school year. Use the stopwatch or timer/alarm for timing class activities. Create a personal classroom calendar. This is a perfect addition to your Calendar Math lessons in elementary school. Share the site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as you count how many days you have been in school, daily weather, or a countdown to a special occasion. The possibilities are endless using all of Time and Date's features! Include time/date conversions for online conferences you will hold with parents who are deployed or traveling in different time zones. Share meeting dates/times for Skype sessions using the time conversions so everyone is "on time." Humor your fellow teachers by warning them of the upcoming full moon and its supposed effect on student behavior!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What is Ebola? - KidsHealth
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Discuss together when you are answering children's questions regarding the Ebola virus. This site is perfect for use with weaker readers and ESL/ELL learners. Allow them to listen to the article on classroom computers or read in Spanish. Share this link on your classroom website for parents to use when discussing Ebola with their child. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. Have students create true/false quizzes using information from this site. Use an online poster creator, such as Padlet, reviewed here. Challenge older students to share what they know about Ebola before reading this article then research information on misconceptions using Snopes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Red Ribbon Campaign - National Family Partnership
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): drugs and alcohol (29), red ribbon week (10)
In the Classroom
Be sure to take advantage of printables and information from this site. Have students sign Red Ribbon pledges and display them on a classroom bulletin board. Challenge students to participate in the Red Ribbon photo contest (if using this site during the yearly contest). Be sure to share a link to the adult pledge with parents through your class website to make them a part of Red Ribbon week too!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Geographic and the Common Core - National Geographic
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): charts and graphs (183), guided reading (31), reading comprehension (146)
In the Classroom
Use this National Geographic site to find high quality, high interest, non-fiction reading material for your students. Ask students to visit sites found through your search. Challenge students to share what they learned by creating multimedia presentations using one of many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Use this site as an anticipatory set to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Start.me - Arjen Robijn
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bookmarks (34)
In the Classroom
Create a classroom Start.me with frequently used websites and resources for classroom computers. Add pages for specific subjects or topics such as math and science, or for curriculum topics like explorers. If you work with students in several different grade levels or subjects, Start.me is the perfect organization tool for your online resources. Share login information with students for access at home and school. Students working on a group project could put the resources they find on Start.me so everyone in the group can access them. Encourage your gifted students to use this tool to curate and collect resources for extensions of the curriculum beyond the classroom, such as articles and connections with real world applications of science or resources about current events. World language teachers can collect a home page filled with cultural sites and publications in the new language so students can immerse themselves.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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The Free Dictionary - Farlex, Inc
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): dictionaries (40), quotations (18), thesaurus (21), vocabulary development (112), word choice (12)
In the Classroom
Set this site as the home page on classroom computers for students to read and find interesting articles and games. Create an account to customize the page to display information to suit class needs. Use information found on this site for quotes, interesting trivia, and much more. Display on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) and discuss articles and information with your class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Totally History - totallyhistory.com
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): american revolution (99), art history (110), civil war (148), presidents (153), religions (119), vietnam (41), world war 1 (88), world war 2 (169)
In the Classroom
Totally History offers a starting point to find basic facts and information on many topics. Use material from the site to introduce any topic such as presidents or events in World or American History. Share with students to use as a resource for classroom projects and reports. Have students create timelines using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Timeline JS also offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps making it interactive. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president or any person or event in history.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Planet Nutshell - Joshua Gunn
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): climate change (112), financial aid (9), internet safety (117)
In the Classroom
Include videos during your Internet safety or climate change unit and view on your interactive whiteboard. Embed on your class website or blog and have students create animated movies online using CapCut, reviewed here. Consider sharing one of the short Internet safety videos with parents during an Open House or Meet the Teacher night.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NCES Kids' Zone - NCES
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): charts and graphs (183), probability (134)
In the Classroom
Strike an interest in your school and community by finding out where you rank. Investigate college choices. After short quizzes, have a daily comparison of your students to see how they compare in civics, economics, geography, history, mathematics, and science at multiple grade levels. Inspire students to collect data and make their own graphs about school wide topics. Have students create an online graph using ChartGizmo, reviewed here. Dig into probability problems to discover the odds.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Random Acts of Kindness - Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
Grades
K to 12tag(s): charactered (87), classroom management (154), emotions (78), empathy (80), service projects (16)
In the Classroom
Become a "RAKTIVIST" and start a kindness raid on unsuspecting communities, classes, or schools! Give children power and voice through their actions. Partner this with character education programs to make a difference in all the lives you touch. For example, you may want to use the Ripples of Kindness activity included in the Empathy videos at the Big Ideas Video Series, reviewed here. During social studies, find ways kindness has changed the world. Look for times in which kindness was thwarted, such as during civil wars, dictatorships, or wars. Start a research project on world leaders who have changed the world through nonviolence, education, or generosity. Explain the power of nonprofit organizations and all the lives affected. Look into your own community and school to find needs that are waiting for active, caring participants. Create school or classroom rules to promote the power of kindness. Show your students how to embed media transforming their work and enhance their learning by challenging students to create "kindness" commercials and share their knowledge with their peers in a multimedia presentation using Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Alternatively, students could create a video using FlexClip, reviewed here. Share them using a tool such as SchoolTube, reviewed here. Emotional Support or Autistic Support teachers may find some of the ideas here helpful for talking about how others feel and ways to show kindness in a very deliberate way.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching NGSS Engineering Design Through Media - PBS LearningMedia
Grades
K to 12tag(s): architecture (81), energy (137), engineering (136), problem solving (284), robotics (29), STEM (382), structures (14)
In the Classroom
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of many different STEM-based topics. Use this site for enrichment or to help non-readers understanding concepts through video. Include it on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Enhance learning and have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. To extend learning have students create a multimedia infographic sharing their findings using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Texas Law Related Games - Law Focused Education, Inc
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): bill of rights (45), branches of government (68), civics (137), declaration of independence (27), game based learning (337), presidents (153), safety (64), symbols (22)
In the Classroom
Several games require significant reading, so partner weaker and stronger readers if students work independently. Create a link to specific games on classroom computers as a center to use on President's Day, Constitution Day, or any class day studying U.S. Government. If studying your state's laws, use an online tool such as the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast differences between your state and Texas.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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News for Kids - News for Kids.net
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): news (222)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for current events. The reading level of the stories is generally upper elementary, but the topics are of interest through high school. These short articles would be great for practice with informational texts. Keep this site as part of a list for students to access, including weaker readers and ENL/ESL students. Have students research whats going on via this news site, and present a small presentation at the beginning of class. Students can either present orally or, for the technologically inclined, create a short video summarizing the same information. Consider using a bookmark site such as Diigo, reviewed here, to share newsworthy items that correlate with your class curriculum.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Flipboard - Flipboard
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (134), news (222), social networking (55)
In the Classroom
Create a class Flipboard account and create magazines for each unit studied throughout the year. Add information that is useful for student understanding, application of concepts, or materials to be used for projects. Create a magazine of great articles and information to read or search through. Consider creating a Flipboard magazine for student current events or happenings. Use this for reports on various topics such as food issues, diseases, political information, cultures around the world, and more. Make a customized "feed" for more advanced information on a topic for your gifted and advanced students. Students can curate a Flipboard of pictures or videos from the web on a specific topic to share with their classmates. Create a Professional Development Flipboard with other teachers. Teacher-librarians may want to collaborate with classroom teachers to create magazines focused on specific content for students to use during research units. Challenge your middle and high school gifted students to curate a magazine for themselves on a topic of individual interest, creating a "PLN" they can use for years. For example, a student interested in rocketry can locate and add blogs from rocket scientists, NASA feeds, and other relevant sources. Talented writers may want to collect feeds from literary publications and author blogs. They will probably also discover related Flipboards created by others. As gifted students' interests change, they can curate other topical "magazines" to keep learning, even if the topics do not fall within the traditional curriculum. You may find that the personalization of learning is something ALL your students want to do.Comments
There are amazing collections on this site.Cindi, NC, Grades: 0 - 6
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K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum - Common Sense Education
Grades
K to 12tag(s): cyberbullying (53), digital citizenship (112), identity (48), internet safety (117), media literacy (136), social networking (55)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this website as your first stop for any lessons related to responsible digital behavior. Share a link to videos on your classroom website or blog for students (and parents) to view at home. Download and use lesson plans and materials as part of your digital safety planning. Many lessons include suggestions for modifications to use as a quick activity instead of a complete lesson. Enhance learning and have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as Mentimeter, reviewed here. Enhance learning and ask students to collect ideas on a collaborative bulletin board like Padlet, reviewed here demonstrating information presented from these Digital Literacy & Citizenship lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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STEM Behind Hollywood - Texas Instruments
Grades
4 to 10This site includes advertising.
tag(s): diseases (59), forensics (12), space (249), STEM (382)
In the Classroom
Pair this information and the related activities with classroom content, video clips, and data about related events (spreading of disease, space travel, etc.) Create discussions about various technologies, discoveries, and more to engage your students in the topics you are studying. Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share this link on your class website for students to explore at home and learn more about how Hollywood uses science and math in film, television, and beyond. Include this site in a careers unit so students can see how science can lead to many different careers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nelson Mandela Biography - bio.com
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 20th century (170), black history (133), civil rights (227), heroes (22), Nelson Mandela (29), south africa (31)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to your Civil Rights, Black History, or Heroes unit. To allow students to explore on their own, you may want to create a guided reading activity using eMargin, reviewed here. Ehance learning by using an online tool such as the interactive Two or Three Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here to compare Nelson Mandela to other Civil Rights leaders such as Martin Luther King. Have students create timelines about Civil Rights (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Find music for this period in history using Radiooo, reviewed here. Challenge students use Fakebook, reviewed here to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Civil Rights leaders.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Who Was Nelson Mandela? - BBC
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): biographies (103), civil rights (227), heroes (22), Nelson Mandela (29), south africa (31)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson for Black History Month or about heroes in Civil Rights. As you discuss Martin Luther King, Jr, include discussion of major Civil Rights leaders from other countries. Enhance student learning by having them choose one of the following projects. Have students create an annotated image of Nelson Mandela 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. Have students collaborate to create maps of Mandela's journeys using Maphub, reviewed here. Students can add icons, text, images, and location stops! Have students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nelson Mandela - Facts - Nobel Media
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): 1960s (54), 1970s (30), 1980s (21), 20th century (170), biographies (103), black history (133), civil rights (227), cultures (301), heroes (22), Nelson Mandela (29), south africa (31)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then, students can explore this site independently or in small groups. This site is perfect to include with Black History Month activities or in a unit on Civil Rights leaders. Enhance student learning by using one of the following suggestions: have students create a simple infographic with words used to describe Mandela, sharing their findings using Venngage, reviewed here, have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here, use an online tool such as an interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare South Africa at the time of Mandela's arrest to current South Africa, or ask students to use Fakebook, reviewed here to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Mandela during his time in prison or after his release.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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