Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Discover this comprehensive student reader designed for 5th-grade classrooms. It explores the histories, cultures, and achievements of the Maya, Aztecs, and Inca civilizations, providing detailed narratives, maps, and illustrations. The resource includes key vocabulary, discussion questions, and historical context, making it an excellent tool for building background knowledge in social studies and literacy. Teachers can use this text to support lessons on early American civilizations, critical thinking, and cross-curricular connections with geography and archaeology.

tag(s): critical thinking (135), literacy (123), maps (223), south america (77), vocabulary (241)

This PBS LearningMedia resource introduces students to the Mayan writing system, one of the most advanced in the ancient world. Through an engaging video and supporting materials, students will explore how the Maya used glyphs to record history, communicate ideas, and document daily life. The lesson includes discussion questions and activities encouraging students to analyze and create their own glyphs. Perfect for upper elementary and middle school classrooms, this resource brings history and language to life through interactive learning!
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tag(s): mayans (32), mexico (46)

Take Your Students on a Journey Through Ancient Egypt! The Twinkl Ancient Egypt Map Lesson is a fantastic resource for helping students explore the geography of this fascinating civilization. Students will learn about key locations like the Nile River, pyramids, temples, and ancient cities with detailed maps, interactive activities, and guided lessons, This ready-to-use lesson makes it easy to connect geography with history, helping students understand how the landscape shaped Egyptian life, trade, and culture. Perfect for an engaging and visual learning experience!

tag(s): asia (121), egypt (59), map skills (64), maps (223)

Discover this Tourism Jobs collection that provides a wide variety of free educational resources for grades K-12, including videos, audio clips, documents, lesson plans, and curated collections. Explore topics such as working landscapes, hospitality, tourism, and national parks, and the impact of tourism on local communities. Lesson plans include detailed summaries, objectives, time frames, procedures, preparation tips, and standards alignment. The platform allows you to filter resources by grade, subject, format, video/audio length, language, and accessibility features.

tag(s): careers (179)

Teacher Planet offers a comprehensive collection of lesson plans, worksheets, activities, and teaching resources to help students explore the Mayan civilization. Educators can find engaging materials on Mayan history, culture, achievements, and daily life, making it easy to integrate into social studies lessons. With printable worksheets, interactive activities, and creative project ideas, this resource supports diverse learning styles and helps bring ancient history to life in the classroom!
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tag(s): mayans (32), mexico (46), south america (77)

Visit the items shared in this group by BookWidget users to find and use several different SDG-related activities. After registering for a BookWidgets account, you can use all the items for free. Resources include an invention timeline, quizzes, flashcards, and more. Click on any link to view the resource. Share activities using one of the options to share items with students, including links to send activities to Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams.

tag(s): climate change (100), cross cultural understanding (176), energy (133), flash cards (44), nutrition (140), sustainability (51), timelines (58), women (151)

Geography.com is an engaging educational resource that helps teachers bring geography to life in the classroom. The site offers interactive maps, quizzes, articles, and videos covering physical geography, human geography, climate, and world cultures. It provides student-friendly explanations, real-world examples, and multimedia content to support lessons on global issues, ecosystems, and geographic concepts. With its interactive approach, Geography.com is a valuable tool for fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and spatial awareness in students of all grade levels.

tag(s): climate (85), critical thinking (135), cultures (200), ecosystems (83), maps (223), multimedia (53)

The Google Indoor Maps platform is a valuable resource for educators and students exploring spatial awareness, geography, and technology integration. It offers detailed indoor maps for airports, museums, shopping malls, and universities, providing floor plans and navigation tools. Teachers can use it to help students understand mapping technology, analyze layouts of complex buildings, or plan field trips. This tool also emphasizes the real-world applications of geography and technology, fostering digital literacy and practical problem-solving skills.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (146), digital literacy (8), map skills (64), maps (223), problem solving (233), virtual field trips (131)

Explore this valuable tool for educators; it offers curated collections of primary sources, historical documents, and research materials across a wide range of subjects. These guides help teachers incorporate authentic historical artifacts, government records, and literary works into their lessons, enhancing students' critical thinking and research skills. With ready-to-use teaching resources, topic guides, and bibliographies, this site supports interdisciplinary learning and provides rich content for inquiry-based projects in history, literature, civics, and more.

tag(s): african american (119), architecture (84), black history (134), branches of government (65), civil rights (215), civil war (140), conservation (102), energy (133), engineering (137), environment (252), foreign policy (13), hispanic (36), industrialization (12), jews (46), latin (23), literature (222), middle east (50), native americans (117), nutrition (140), photography (132), politics (117), population (51), religions (107), Research (88), sports (83), statistics (121), Teacher Utilities (203), women (151), womenchangemaker (37), womens suffrage (52)

NPR (National Public Radio) is a valuable resource for educators, offering high-quality news, podcasts, and articles on current events, culture, science, and history. The site features engaging audio stories, in-depth journalism, and educational content that can enhance classroom discussions and critical thinking skills. Teachers can use NPR's stories to connect lessons to real-world events, introduce students to diverse perspectives, and encourage media literacy. Additionally, NPR's student-friendly resources, such as NPR Ed and Student Podcast Challenge, provide interactive and project-based learning opportunities.

tag(s): civil rights (215), cultures (200), journalism (74), news (228), podcasts (112), scientists (68), space (221)

Bring Ancient Egypt to life with the power of the Nile! The Ducksters Ancient Egypt Geography page is a fantastic resource for teachers looking to explore how the Nile River shaped Egyptian civilization. This site provides clear, student-friendly explanations of the river's role in farming, trade, transportation, and daily life. With engaging facts, maps, and key vocabulary, it's perfect for sparking discussions, enhancing lessons, and helping students understand why the Nile was truly the lifeline of Ancient Egypt.
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tag(s): africa (166), asia (121), egypt (59), map skills (64), maps (223)

"Mr. Donn's Ancient Rome: Geography Lesson Plans" offers educators a variety of free resources to teach students about the geography of Ancient Rome. It includes engaging lesson plans, activities, and handouts to explore Rome's location, terrain, climate, and its impact on Roman civilization. The materials cater to different learning levels and feature interactive approaches such as map exercises and discussions on how geography influenced Rome's expansion, economy, and culture. This site is valuable for integrating hands-on and visual learning into history or social studies classes.

tag(s): italy (30), map skills (64), maps (223), romans (52), rome (37)

The YouTube video "Ancient Rome for Kids: Learn All About the History of Roman Empire for Kids" provides an engaging overview of the city's transformation from a small village to a vast empire. It highlights key aspects of Roman history, including the founding of Rome, the shift from a republic to an empire, and the rise of influential figures like Julius Caesar and Augustus. The video also explores the social structure, cultural practices, religion, and entertainment, such as gladiator battles. Additionally, it covers the decline of the Roman Empire and its lasting influence on the modern world, offering insights into Roman law, governance, and contributions to Western civilization. It's recommended to check if YouTube is accessible on school networks if you are planning to use this resource in the classroom.
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tag(s): italy (30), julius caesar (11), religions (107), romans (52), rome (37)

The Ancient Rome Map Activity resource is a downloadable PDF designed to help students explore the geography of Ancient Rome and its impact on the development of Roman civilization. This activity includes a detailed map for students to label key locations, such as the Tiber River, the Alps, and important cities like Rome and Carthage. It also features guiding questions that encourage critical thinking about how geography influenced Roman trade, military expansion, and cultural exchange.

tag(s): italy (30), map skills (64), maps (223), romans (52), rome (37)

Step into the wonders of ancient Egypt without leaving your classroom with the Smithsonian's Egypt Virtual Tour! This interactive resource takes students on a captivating journey through Egypt's most iconic landmarks, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Sphinx, and the temples of Luxor and Karnak. The tour brings history to life with stunning visuals and detailed descriptions, offering insights into ancient Egyptian architecture, culture, and daily life. Perfect for upper elementary through high school students, this virtual experience makes learning immersive and exciting, fostering curiosity and a deeper connection to one of the world's greatest civilizations.

tag(s): asia (121), egypt (59), rivers (16), virtual field trips (131)

The National Geographic Kids article on Ancient Egypt provides an engaging and age-appropriate overview of this fascinating civilization. The site highlights key aspects of ancient Egyptian life, including the importance of the Nile River, the construction of the pyramids, the role of pharaohs, religious beliefs, and daily life. The website also features colorful images, interactive elements, and fun facts to capture students' attention. This resource is ideal for introducing elementary and middle school students to ancient Egypt in a way that is both informative and accessible.

tag(s): africa (166), asia (121), egypt (59), pyramids (24)

Try this interactive escape activity to test your students' knowledge of flags worldwide. Click start to begin your tour of countries, making four stops to identify the nationality of the flags. Question types include multiple choice, true/false, and drag-and-drop identifications. Personalize the content of this escape activity by creating a copy of the template and editing text, images, and animated features. Share the escape room with your students using the URL link, embed code, or social media links.

tag(s): continents (33), countries (73), digital escapes (17), flags (19), mysteries (24)

The Ducksters "Explorers" webpage provides a kid-friendly introduction to famous explorers and their achievements, making it a valuable resource for elementary and middle school classrooms. The site features biographies of notable figures like Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama, and Hernan Cortes, along with key facts about their journeys and historical significance. The information is presented straightforwardly and engagingly, emphasizing readability and comprehension. Teachers can use this resource to support lessons on exploration, world history, and geography or to inspire student research projects and discussions about the impacts of exploration.

tag(s): explorers (64)

Google Arts and Culture combines the magic of AI with Google Maps to create an audio tour of cultural landmarks worldwide. After launching the experiment, you can click any pin on the map to begin the tour or select from options that include landmarks, nature, archaeology, and cultural institutions. After choosing a pin, the map opens in street view, and the AI-generated audio commentary begins. Use the arrow to move the panoramic image around, take a snapshot, generate a new commentary, or choose the blue button to record a question and receive an audio response.

tag(s): archeology (29), artificial intelligence (186), deserts (16), forests (30), landmarks (22), maps (223), museums (53), virtual field trips (131)

The BBC Bitesize website offers an engaging and interactive resource for teaching students about the Indus Valley Civilization. The page includes concise explanations, vibrant visuals, and quizzes to reinforce learning, making it accessible and appealing for middle school students. Key topics such as city planning, daily life, and trade are covered, helping students understand the significance of this ancient civilization. Teachers can use this resource to accompany history lessons with interactive activities, encourage independent research, and assess understanding through integrated quizzes. It's an excellent tool for blending learning with exploration.

tag(s): asia (121), cultures (200), india (32)