Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Timeline Eons presents the history of the world from the Big Bang through current time on an interactive timeline. Additional events predict changes to the earth 22,000,000,000 years in the future. Scroll left or right to move through developments on the timeline or set the timeline to run automatically. Zoom in to view events or use the search feature to find specific events. Many events feature an illustration or photograph; others include a short video. When viewing, choose the link with three dots on the upper-left side of the screen to see information on the timeline's features.

tag(s): climate change (99), conservation (102), geologic time (12), space (222), timelines (56)

Anyplace America provides an extensive resource of free topographical maps of the United States. Choose maps by water, land or man-made features, or browse maps featuring each state. Maps include local information as well as nearby points of interest, weather statistics, and photographs. Most also have a link to download a color PDF of the featured map. Google and the U.S. Geological Survey provide the maps used on this site.

tag(s): bridges (11), glaciers (17), landforms (39), maps (220), mountains (10), national parks (29), natural resources (37), rivers (16), volcanoes (55), water (102)

This short, but informative, site shares information about the grasslands biomes. Learn about the differences between savannah and temperate grasslands. Explanations include detailed information on locations, climate, and vegetation found in each biome.

tag(s): biomes (110), climate (84), environment (252)

Explore the grasslands biome in-depth with this article from Encylopedia Brittanica. Read through to learn about the origins of grasslands, the type of environment necessary to maintain a grassland, and common uses such as grazing and agricultural production. Be sure not to miss links near the top of the page to View All Media, and to Print, Cite, and Share the article.

tag(s): biomes (110), ecology (103), environment (252)

Find a guide to understanding our planet through the ways human impact has changed ecological patterns and processes. Choose from the six biomes for a broad overview of information, then dig deeper by selecting one of the subtopics within a biome to view facts as related to climate, population, and land use.

tag(s): biomes (110), earth (184), ecology (103), environment (252)

Increase your knowledge of the world and geography in an entertaining way with GameOn.World. Select from one of the nine categories (Sports, Entertainment, Science, Cities, Facts, People/Things, and more), and challenge others to join in using the Game I.D. and their name. Play GameOn.World on any device with Internet access; No registration is required! Switch the audio on or off at the bottom of the screen.

tag(s): famous people (19), game based learning (205), sports (82), trivia (19)

Explore over 5,000 years of art in three exciting ways at this vibrant, interactive site from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Along the menu at the top find Explore the Map, where you choose and double click red or yellow markers to explore fun facts and videos about art worldwide. Next, hop into the Time Machine to learn more about specific times, geography, and big ideas such as inventions or creatures. Also, find Videos that teach about celebrations, share art made by kids, or provide detailed directions for creating your art, all on the menu bar across the top.

tag(s): africa (148), art history (103), artists (85), asia (116), china (81), europe (84), inventors and inventions (80), japan (57), middle east (50), myths and legends (37), russia (36)

Discover what is happening all around the world, live, as it takes place. EarthCam's network includes live webcams featuring weather, traffic, animals, and more. Discover webcams by topic or explore popular offerings. Scroll further down the home page to choose webcams on a clickable map by location. Because webcams may feature streaming from inside homes or contain other personal information, do not have young children access them without supervision. Previewing all videos before sharing with the class would be wise.
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tag(s): cultures (180), globe (12), maps (220), webcams (19)

The Open Parks Network offers over 900,000 digitized images of cultural heritage objects and 1.5 million pages of literature from the National Park Service. Use the keyword search to find specific information, or scroll through the home page to browse by parks or collections. Also, use the Explore tab to find resources located on maps. Use the "Draw Bounding Box" option to narrow your search to any particular boundary.

tag(s): images (263), national parks (29), primary sources (117)

Follow National Park Rangers on a remarkable journey in these 360-degree videos. Guides take viewers into the most interesting, yet unknown, places in six different park locations. Choose a park to begin your journey, explore locations dragging the mouse or cursor around to view these sites from every angle.

tag(s): alaska (21), florida (12), hawaii (9), landforms (39), national parks (29), states (124), utah (2), video (266), virtual field trips (128)

The True Size of...uses Google Maps and drag and drop technology to allow you to compare the size of any two countries. Because normal maps have a certain amount of distortion, sometimes it's hard to see real size differences on a standard map. Just type in the name of any county. Once highlighted, drag the country to any location on the map to compare. Hover over the country to view statistics with the actual size. When finished, right click and start over.
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tag(s): area (53), countries (73), map skills (63), maps (220)

ABMC Education's Understanding Sacrifice takes you beyond the facts and figures of World War II battles and provides activities based on the stories of fallen American heroes. Browse the site to find Northern Europe and Mediterranean battle sites or learn about individual fallen heroes. Choose the Activities link to view lessons correlated to Common Core Standards for grades 6-12. Search options also allow you to find lessons by grade level or subject. The videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): battles (18), heroes (24), veterans (27), world war 2 (161)

This CNN interactive takes an in-depth look at vanishing species around the globe along with the reasons for their disappearance. Scroll through to discover how humans are causing species to go extinct at a rate 100 times faster than normal. Watch videos as scientists describe physical changes occuring on the earth's surface, view interactives demonstrating animal habitat changes, and more.

tag(s): animals (295), conservation (102), earth (184), earth day (60), endangered species (27), habitats (92)

Find open source pictures from around the world with Pic4Carto. Zoom in on the map until you view grids positioned over each area, then choose a cell to display available images. Play all images as a slide show or scroll through pictures one at a time. Images are imported from sites such as Flickr and Wikimedia Commons and include attribution information. Upon finishing a set of slides, users are prompted to browse nearby areas or return to the map.

tag(s): images (263), map skills (63), maps (220)

Wall of Birds is a cool interactive map from Cornell's Bird Academy based on an epic mural Found at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The site features species found around the world spanning 375 million years using content from the All About Birds website, reviewed here. The colorful world map depicts 243 birds, one from each taxonomic family, showing where to find each on the globe. Find extinct species on the mural in black-and-white, and you can zoom in and out and pan to see the progression of evolution that led to modern birds. Click on each bird picture and a window opens with its name, family name, natural history, a sound file of its call, and a map showing where to observe it. A social media aspect lets you vote for favorites and check out a leaderboard.

tag(s): birds (46), evolution (89), map skills (63), maps (220)

Discover and learn about changes to forests from around the world with this interactive tool. Explore the data from three different perspectives - countries, ecosystems, and hotspots. The Global Forest Change Explorer also includes a downloadable curriculum and a four-page questionnaire for students to guide them around the site and test knowledge.

tag(s): conservation (102), forests (30), maps (220)

bioGraphic is a stunning multimedia magazine showcasing nature and solutions to sustaining life on earth. Scroll down the home page to browse through the latest articles and be prepared to be drawn in through the beautiful imagery included! Browse by specific topics such as wildlife, places, or people, or use the keyword search. Be sure to click on the three dots next to the search icon that enables you to choose from specific types of content such as videos, photos, or immersive experiences.

tag(s): animal homes (57), animals (295), deserts (16), habitats (92), multimedia (53), natural resources (37), oceans (149), rainforests (18)

American Panorama includes interactive maps demonstrating changes in the United States since the 1800's. This ongoing project will be adding additional maps; explore the current ones that provide information on The Forced Migration of Enslaved People, The Overland Trails, Canals, Foreign-Born Population, and many more topics. Click on any map to explore the many features including keyword searches and interactive timelines.

tag(s): african american (115), immigrants (34), immigration (68), maps (220), migration (45), slavery (79)

Geopedia incorporates maps with Wikipedia to show Wikipedia articles for any location. Enter a location in the search bar to view a map with placeholders indicating Wikipedia articles in different areas on the map. Click on the placeholder to read the article. Change preferences for the search radius, number of results, and language using the settings link.

tag(s): continents (33), countries (73), earth (184), landmarks (22), maps (220)

National Geographic offers this kid-centric site as a companion to National Geographic Kids magazines and Little Kids magazines. The focus is on information about animals, geography, and the natural world presented in a fun and engaging format. Use this busy interactive site for free, register to gain access to more content. Buttons on the home page lead to short videos, images, stories, polls, news bites, games, and activities. The site includes heavy advertising for the magazine subscriptions. A search box at the top right allows for exploration of the extensive content.
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tag(s): animals (295), blended learning (37), countries (73), endangered species (27), environment (252), plants (146), reading comprehension (149)