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When Tragedy Hits - NewseumEd
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): journalism (74), media literacy (130), news (223)
In the Classroom
Read all materials before presenting this simulation to the class. You may decide participation may be too difficult for some students - those with a personal connection to this or similar tragedies. Make a copy of Setting the Scene and Scenarios for each student. Project the PDFs with the projector and ask students to volunteer for a read-aloud - read-around with all listening to one person and then another. Use the accompanying discussion questions. Consider giving all students a chance to voice their opinions (even the shyest and quiet ones) by using a tool like Backchannel Chat, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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World Press Freedom Map - NewseumEd
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): freedom of speech (15), journalism (74), media literacy (130), news (223), newspapers (86)
In the Classroom
Begin by showing students the Freedom House interactive map and read the information in the right column about what a genuinely free press is. Compare that info to a partly free press (explained just under it). Then have students work in small groups or with a partner to fill out the worksheet/chart. Complete a class discussion of the chart, and then have the small groups or pairs choose one of the countries with partial freedom of the press and research what other freedoms the U.S. enjoys that are restricted or repressed for the citizens of that country. Add these to the chart. Challenge students to convert their paper worksheet/chart to an online digital infographic to present their findings using Visme, reviewed here, or to set up their own graphic organizer to show the comparisons using an online tool such as TUZZit, reviewed here. TUZZit allows you to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Vanishing: The Extinction Crisis is Far Worse than you Think - CNN
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): animals (278), conservation (110), earth (191), earth day (60), endangered species (29), habitats (105)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use on interactive whiteboards as an introduction to any unit on animals, habitats, or earth conservation. Explore together, then allow students to explore in depth on their own. Have students either individually or as groups choose a topic found on this site to research further. If you are new to integrating technology you may want to have students create a presentation using Visme, reviewed here. Looking for something different? Have students use Microsoft Sway, reviewed here, to create an interactive presentation including charts, videos, and images.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World of 7 Billion - Population Connection
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): conservation (110), environment (249), population (53)
In the Classroom
Encourage students to take part in World of 7 Billion's annual video contest. Benefit from the free lessons for middle and high school students as well as the ideas for school-wide events. Provide time for students to browse through the site and to generate questions about it. Brainstorm not only questions but what students learned from it. Allow groups time to research the economic and social issues that have caused such a change in population and how people live. Challenge students to create a presentation with their findings using Prezi, reviewed here. Have students use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of population changes around the world (with audio stories and pictures included)!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pic4Carto - Adrien Pavie
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): images (271), map skills (67), maps (221)
In the Classroom
Use any part of this map for your school projects. Share the maps on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students create stories about visiting in these places to share with others. Challenge students to create a digital presentation on a map location rather than write an essay or present a paper poster. If you're just beginning the process of integrating technology in your classroom, use Prezi, reviewed here, which is much like PowerPoint or Keynote but allows for "zoomable" content. If you are more experienced in the integration of technology, try Lucidpress, reviewed here, where students could produce a variety of products. If you teach geography, Pic4Carto is a must; it is also helpful for showing students WHERE a story or news event takes place. If you have a new road in your area, share the difference between this map and older ones found online.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Born Free USA - Belton Mouras and Ken Guerrero
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): animals (278), service projects (17)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and more to include with your animal unit. After introducing the site with a projector or on an interactive whiteboard, allow older students to explore on their own then choose a topic of interest for further research. Have students make a multimedia presentation or create a digital story about their animal topic using Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Younger students could create a digital story around their animal topic using Book Creator, reviewed here. Consider bringing in a local animal advocate to speak to your class about issues in your area. Post a link to this website for students to share with parents at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Lowdown - KQED News
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): commoncore (62), journalism (74), multimedia (63), news (223), newspapers (86)
In the Classroom
Achieve two goals with this very people-friendly site: provide quality non-fiction reading materials and the latest in current events. Use this site to differentiate reading materials by student interest. Encourage students to explore the site on their own. Be sure to include a link on classroom computers and your class website for students to access at any time. Flip your class and assign the reading to do at home. Then, have students create a simple infographic sharing findings from The Lowdown with their classmates using Infogram, reviewed here. Have cooperative learning groups create weekly podcasts with news from around the world. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iCivics, Win the White House - iCivics
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): civics (129), elections (87), presidents (151)
In the Classroom
Start out using this site with your projector or interactive whiteboard with the whole class. Walk through the beginning of the game and demonstrate the built-in help which is useful for students who might need additional guidance. Have individuals play or create small group teams of campaign staff to guide the candidates. Students or groups may play multiple times. After registering, the site will save games and students can send messages. Use the Achievements badges and points for student assessments. Have students research the debate topics and compare the different aspects of the game to real-life examples in the news. An easy to use Extension Pack for Teachers provides more activities and assessments.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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STEM in 30 - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Grades
5 to 10tag(s): aviation (50), earth (191), earth day (60), ecology (115), ecosystems (108), flight (33), mars (25), molecules (43), space (251), STEM (374), world war 1 (86)
In the Classroom
For your blended or flipped classroom, share webinars on your class website for students to view at home. Replace pen and paper writing journals by writeing a blog entry that shares their learning and understanding. Use a tool like Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. 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. Check the site's homepage for upcoming webinars, then participate with your class. Check X (formerly Twitter) to see if your class can follow any of the presenting scientists. If you are lucky enough to live in the Washington, DC area, contact the museum to attend a live taping. After viewing a webinar, have students enhance their learning by creating a multimedia presentation using Visme, reviewed here. Visme allows you to narrate slides. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. STEM in 30 is also a great resource for gifted students to get involved with their own challenges and pursuits.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Weather Underground - Hurricane and Tropical Cyclones
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): disasters (35), hurricanes (36), weather (173)
In the Classroom
Introduce the class to the most current hurricanes forming with a projector or interactive whiteboard. Challenge students to find similar hurricanes from the past and ask them to make a prediction about the current one. Have them prove their predictions using a tool like the interactive Venn Diagram Three Circle, or the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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'What's News?' Video Lesson - NewseumED
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): journalism (74), news (223), newspapers (86)
In the Classroom
Using the Activity lesson plan/viewing guide, share the before viewing discussion with the class. Consider giving all students a chance to voice their opinions (even the shyest ones) by using a tool like Backchannel Chat, reviewed here. Then, show the video to the whole class, or "flip" the class and have students watch it at home. Either way, the viewing guide questions could be inserted into the video using a tool such as edpuzzle, reviewed here. After the video, use the discussion questions and Backchannel Chat again. Next, have students (or small groups) choose one of the extension activities to complete and share with classmates. Lastly, have students (or small groups) choose one of the extension activities to complete and share with classmates.The reviewers at TeachersFirst have some suggestions for online tools to use for those final (extension) projects: Items 1 and 2 suggest creating a video newscast or newspaper. Consider starting with Copy Edit This!, reviewed here, to give students in the a look at newspaper editing. Possibly follow these up with Pulitzer Center Lesson Plans, reviewed here, that shows students how to identify global issues.
If you don't feel comfortable showing student faces on the Internet via video, you may want to have them create a radio show instead; for that, use Acast, reviewed here, provides free podcasting tools.
Item 3 includes a timeline. Have students create an interactive timeline (it can include text, images and collaboration) using Sutori, reviewed here. Items 4, 6, and 7 suggest making a collage. An easy online tool such as Fotojet, reviewed here, will make beautiful collages for your student projects. Item 5 suggests you use Facebook. If your district blocks Facebook, use Fakebook, reviewed here. For managing projects like #8-10 use a tool like Google Keep, reviewed here, and an animated, multimeda presentation tool like Animatron Studio's Presentation Maker, reviewed here.
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National Geographic Kids - National Geographic
Grades
K to 7This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (278), blended learning (28), countries (70), endangered species (29), environment (249), plants (142), reading comprehension (148)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for interactive whiteboards or projectors. Display the site on your whiteboard to use as a learning center for students. Select videos for lesson introductions for flipped or blended learning activities. For language arts, practice finding the main idea or summarizing stories using these interesting informational texts. ENL/ESL learners can also find accessible news stories here. Choose words from stories to include with weekly spelling tests or as vocabulary builders. Assign different stories to groups of students to summarize and present to the class. Enhance learning by challenging cooperative learning groups to create videos about any article on the site. Upload images (use Creative Commons or other copyright-safe pictures) and use Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here, for this project. Then share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Use the site for learning games that will appeal more to younger students. Preview all videos since some feature animals hunting, which may upset some students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World Population History - Population Connection
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): advanced placement (24), conservation (110), environment (249), population (53)
In the Classroom
Try using this website in science class during environmental science units on human population growth. Start the class by sharing this site on an interactive whiteboard (or projector) for students to see. Provide time for students to look at the material and to generate questions about it. Brainstorm not only questions but what students learned from it. Allow groups time to research the economic and social issues that have caused such a change in population and how people live. Challenge students to make a multimedia presentation using Sway, reviewed here, about what they learned from the different time periods or themes. With Sway, you can have music, photos, videos, and even make it interactive.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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USA Today Rio Olympics Guide - YouTube - USA Today
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): olympics (49), south america (80), sports (88)
In the Classroom
Share videos with your students as you follow the Summer Olympic games from your classroom. Use the "how to watch" sports videos as a model, then have students create their own videos describing how to watch their favorite sport. Share their videos on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Research Olympic athletes and their countries, then have cooperative learning groups create podcasts sharing news about the Olympics. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here to complete a podcasting project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Protecting Children's Privacy Guide - Paul Bischoff
Grades
K to 12tag(s): internet safety (121)
In the Classroom
Share information from this article with students as part of your ongoing lessons in cyber safety. Share a link on your class website as a resource for parents. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts sharing online safety tips and suggestions. Use a site such as PodOmatic, reviewed here, for a podcasting project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Filming a Beluga Whale - National Geographic
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): climate change (110), migration (44), oceans (140), whales (12)
In the Classroom
Share this video on an interactive whiteboard or projector, or ask students to watch at home as an introduction to a unit on ocean animals or climate change. Challenge students to research whales further and learn more about their migrations and interactions as a unit. Have students create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here, to show locations of whales around the world and their migration patterns. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map to show the locations of the whales.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Rio 2016 Olympics - International Olympic Committee
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): olympics (49), seasonal (47), south america (80), sports (88), summer (50)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard and allow students to explore on their own. Create a bulletin board to display the latest medal counts, have students update daily with information from the Olympics site. Have students create a simple infographic on their favorite sport using Venngage reviewed here. Have cooperative learning groups create daily podcasts to share the latest news from the Olympics. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Data USA - Deloitte, Datawheel, and Cesar Hidalgo
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): cities (14), communities (40), data (210), demographics (14), population (53), states (128), statistics (128)
In the Classroom
Bookmark Data USA to use as a resource for finding and comparing U.S. statistics. Explore information about your city or state and compare to other locations. Show students a purpose for these facts by assigning different articles from the Stories section. Dig deeper into current events using this site. Explore the demographics and economy of any place in the news to help understand local issues. If your class has a partner class in another part of the country, Data USA is a perfect resource for sharing and comparing community information. Depending on the topic of study, after exploring this site, Redefine learning by challenging students to make a multimedia presentation such as a poster using Marq (was Lucidpress), reviewed here, infographic with Infogram, reviewed here, or a slide show using Google Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Making the Grade - PBS NewsHour
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): news (223), newspapers (86), professional development (323)
In the Classroom
Use information from this site as part of your ongoing professional development and discussion within your school and district regarding educational issues. Have debate students use this site as a resource for topics or to find information for their viewpoint in a debate. Challenge students to read articles and write about how they would address the issues if placed in a position of power. Challenge students to create a multimedia presentation representing their viewpoint using Vevox, reviewed here. Vevox offers interactive features such as real-time polls and comments to keep viewers interested and involved in the presentation. Vevox allows adding polls, videos, embeds, web links, and PowerPoint.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover at Namib Dune (360 view) - NASA
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Share this video (or the images) with students using your projector or an interactive whiteboard as you explore the surface of Mars together. Have students use Twitter Fictional Account Template, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Twitter, or X, about an astronaut traveling to Mars. Challenge student to modify their learning and create a newspaper using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here, with all the latest news on the exploration of Mars. Be sure to check out the NASA YouTube channel for additional videos from Mars and the Curiosity Rover.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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