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FFFBI: Missions - WGBH
Grades
4 to 9
2 Favorites
0 Comments
FFFBI (Fin, Fur and Feather Bureau of Investigation) Academy is designed to help upper elementary and middle school kids -- especially those with attention issues -- manage the problems...more
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FFFBI (Fin, Fur and Feather Bureau of Investigation) Academy is designed to help upper elementary and middle school kids -- especially those with attention issues -- manage the problems they face with schoolwork, homework, and even managing their binders. Each interactive is designed to teach useful skills and strategies, while continually encouraging you to complete increasingly difficult tasks. To increase interest, the FFFBI Academy uses its humorous spy theme and frequent reinforcements for successful game play. National Geographic has partnered to help produce this series of geography-themed missions. In each, students are introduced to a new country and receive a dossier of documents to help complete a mission. Each dossier contains maps, forensic information, media and wiretap intercepts, background information, and images. Each mission requires students to exercise geography skills and basic problem-solving in six interactive challenges. Each mission follows National Geographic's geography standards. Upon completion, a short Coffee Guy quiz debriefs students about the knowledge they have gained. There is an excellent teacher's section of the site containing a summary of each activities with tips and an approximate time to complete.
tag(s): map skills (69), mysteries (27), problem solving (275)
In the Classroom
Share the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector; then assign a challenge each week for students to work on during centers or on laptops in geography/social studies class. Use activities from different countries as an introduction to the country before starting classroom activities. Special Education teachers may want to offer this active alternative to traditional lessons for students with attention issues.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Inspire My Kids - Mike Stutman and Kevin Conklin
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Find inspiring, age-appropriate, real-life stories, videos, and projects to share with children and teens. The site hopes to help these students take positive actions and become the...more
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Find inspiring, age-appropriate, real-life stories, videos, and projects to share with children and teens. The site hopes to help these students take positive actions and become the best people they can be. Stories offer great examples of values like courage, determination, honesty, humility, kindness, responsibility, and tolerance. The stories range from incredible kids inspiring other kids, to amazing animals demonstrating admirable qualities, to the invention of inspirational social causes. Stories are searchable in several ways - by values, topics, age range, and format. Formats include articles, podcasts, reference, and videos. Under Educators investigate the lesson plans categorized by grade levels. You can also sign up for the site's newsletter including updates and new article information.
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tag(s): behavior (49), bullying (40), charactered (86), disabilities (37), diversity (55), identity (39), school violence (9), service projects (17), tolerance (7)
In the Classroom
Share stories from the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector when learning about character traits such as sportsmanship, perseverance, and responsibility. Use the site as a resource when problems arise in the classroom such as bullying, intolerance, or special needs awareness. Have students use resources from the website as models for writing their own articles or enhance learning with the challenge to create a podcast. Use a site such as podomatic. Use the stories as models for writing activities and essays. Your students could also draw inspiration from this site to create values comics. Have students create printed comics (or rough drafts) using Canva Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here, or exchange paper for a digital online comic with one or two characters. Use ToonyTools, reviewed here, for a single frame comic, or Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here for multiple frames.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Plimoth Patuxet Museums - Plimoth Plantation
Grades
3 to 8
2 Favorites
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Plimoth Plantation (that's the original spelling) is a reconstruction of the Pilgrim settlement at Plymouth. Take a field trip to the Plimoth Plantation just in time for Thanksgiving....more
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Plimoth Plantation (that's the original spelling) is a reconstruction of the Pilgrim settlement at Plymouth. Take a field trip to the Plimoth Plantation just in time for Thanksgiving. From Learn at the top menu, find and slide down to Bring Plimoth Patuxet to Your School and take a virtual field trip to an English village and Wampanoag home site from 1627. Go inside a Wetu, or home, and look. Become a historian and uncover what really happened on the first Thanksgiving. Primary sources give accounts from the Wampanoag traditions to the English home of Pilgrim Mary Allerton. Each student will finish with a printed exhibition panel. Dig into your ancestry to find out if you are a pilgrim. Find actual genealogical profiles. Explore the museum collections of artifacts. Find these resources under the Learn tab at the top menu; slide down to Teachers Tools, and scroll down the page until your find the resources menu on the left. Besure to check out the Digital Resources!
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tag(s): colonial america (97), pilgrims (12), thanksgiving (25)
In the Classroom
Change the commercial traditions of tradition and bring on a study of history. Fascinating worlds of primary resources are at your computer! Virtual field trips, historical sleuthing, genealogy, and so much more. Challenge your students to take a closer look and decide for themselves. Debate information lines the pages of this website. Have students keep a virtual journal about what they are learning (that is new to them) from Plimoth Plantation. Use an easy virtual journaling tool such as Penzu. With Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. Study history not false information. Share this and other sections of the "http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/colony/index.cfm" TeachersFirst Colonial America tour as part of your study of the colonies so students can see what these historic locations look like today.
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Vi Hart's Math Videos - Vi Hart
Grades
5 to 12
8 Favorites
0 Comments
Vi Hart's math videos have become very popular. They have even been featured on various cable shows. She also includes her X (formerly Twitter) information, so you can follow her. ...more
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Vi Hart's math videos have become very popular. They have even been featured on various cable shows. She also includes her X (formerly Twitter) information, so you can follow her. In the link, "Math Doodling," are several videos on doodling in the math classroom sure to entertain Math teachers and students alike. Titles include Stop-Motion Silly Band Fight, Sick Number Games, Snakes + Graphs, Stars, Binary Trees, and others. Be sure to also check out the link to Mathematical Food which contains demonstrations of slicing apples into Platonic Solids, slicing a cubic apple to find a regular hexagon, and how to arrange candy corn into Sierpinski's Triangle. Another wonderful resource is the link on balloons. Directions for making tetrahedrons, icosahedrons, and other shapes are all included. If you like Vi Harts Vimeo site, check out her blog here.
tag(s): geometric shapes (153), humor (14)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for a Math fun day! Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector or set them up as stations on laptops. After catching students doodling during Math class, show one of the doodling videos to show students how their doodles can really be productive! Your visual learners will love it. Have fun with balloons creating shapes demonstrated on the balloon page. Challenge students to create the shapes after being shown a picture -- but before seeing directions. Use some of the topics when researching ideas for Math Fairs or Math Nights at school. Provide this link for student to explore outside of the classroom. Even girls may find they like math presented in such humorous ways.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Radio Lingua Network: One Minute Languages - Radio Lingua
Grades
3 to 12
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Find quick language lessons of 2 - 3 minutes each for a wide variety of languages: Portuguese, Japanese, Catalan, Danish, Gaelic, Greek, Irish, Luxembourghish, Mandarin, Norwegian,...more
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Find quick language lessons of 2 - 3 minutes each for a wide variety of languages: Portuguese, Japanese, Catalan, Danish, Gaelic, Greek, Irish, Luxembourghish, Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Turkish, and more. Each separate language site has a total of ten lessons. All the lessons have audio support. Most language packs cover basic conversational skills including greetings, counting, numbers, and common words and phrases. Although more advanced lessons are available for purchase, the 10 quick lessons are free.
tag(s): greek (45), japanese (53), portuguese (21), russian (25)
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 a specific country or new language. Mark this site on your classroom or lab computers so students can take advantage of the free lessons and use them for review. List this link on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom. In a world cultures class, have cooperative learning groups spend a class/period learning the basics of a new language. Have the groups create a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools and share their new language with the class. Gifted students would love to compare new languages discovered on this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Engineering Bones - Teach Engineering
Grades
5 to 8
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This lesson plan about engineering bones uses inexpensive materials and is engaging for students to complete. Beyond teaching about biology and health, this can also help students understand...more
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This lesson plan about engineering bones uses inexpensive materials and is engaging for students to complete. Beyond teaching about biology and health, this can also help students understand some of the problems with being disabled, especially disabled people who have lost limbs in the armed services or through tragic accidents. While teaching science concepts or health topics, students are developing a greater awareness and appreciation for differences in people.
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tag(s): body systems (45), engineering (141), medicine (53), science fairs (20)
In the Classroom
Try using this lesson plan as part of a health unit on accidents and amputations. Or, in biology class talk about the mechanics of the muscles in the leg and the advances that medicine has taken to help create better prosthetic devices. Link scientific inquiry to "real" problems. Consider inviting a guest who works with amputees to meet with your class via Skype as part of this lesson.This would also make a great extension activity for those students who love science and work well independently. Gifted students would enjoy the challenges of this very complete lesson package. If your school participates in a science fair, this would be an ideal project. Thinking about an after school science club? This would be a perfect activity to engage both male and female middle schoolers.
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Free Puzzles - Jimmie Dean
Grades
6 to 12
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This site offers many puzzles and math logic activities in an easy to use format. Puzzles are sorted by difficulty level and topic such as logic, geometry, or math. New ...more
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This site offers many puzzles and math logic activities in an easy to use format. Puzzles are sorted by difficulty level and topic such as logic, geometry, or math. New puzzles are indicated on the home page and is updated often. There is also a quiz of the day and that solution can be accessed without registration. Puzzles can be accessed without registering to the site; however, to receive solutions, you must register then solutions will be sent via email. You may want to consider setting up a separate email account (gmail) specifically for the site so that each student doesn't have to register individually.
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In the Classroom
Consider setting up a class email account so that students can use the site then have solutions emailed. If you plan to have students register individually, read tips for safely managing email registrations here. Use the problems for a problem of the week or day. Have students write problem-solving methods used in their math journals and share with other students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MathPuzzle - Martin Gardner
Grades
6 to 12
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If you are looking for many different variations of math puzzles, look here. This site contains many puzzles of all kinds, together with links to other puzzles and mathematical recreation...more
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If you are looking for many different variations of math puzzles, look here. This site contains many puzzles of all kinds, together with links to other puzzles and mathematical recreation pages. The puzzles are marvelous, though many are a bit hard to understand -- often the author starts talking about a group of puzzles without explaining what the puzzle is. You may also have to work your way through some other random thoughts by the author; however, the puzzles on the page are worth sifting through the page to find them. Puzzles are listed in order of being added to the site, it may be easier to find items by looking on the right-hand side of the page and following the links listed under "Math Games". Activities are listed here by title without any explanation or picture, it would have been easier if they were in alphabetical order; however, this is still easier to find than scrolling through the long page of activities.
tag(s): logic (166), problem solving (275), puzzles (163), trivia (16)
In the Classroom
Introduce the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector then challenge students to choose a puzzle to solve. Have students explain the solution to the class. Use puzzles as a Problem of the Week for homework or extra credit by posting on your classroom website or blog.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Puzzle Picnic - Johan de Ruiter
Grades
4 to 12
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This site offers well over 1000 logic puzzles to solve online. Puzzles are searchable by genre, level of difficulty, author, and date. Difficulty levels range from 1 to 5 stars ...more
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This site offers well over 1000 logic puzzles to solve online. Puzzles are searchable by genre, level of difficulty, author, and date. Difficulty levels range from 1 to 5 stars with 5 stars being the most difficult. Over 50 different types of puzzles are included from Sudoku, Battleship, Disconnect Four, and Diamonds. When searching by genre there is a link explaining the puzzle type included under that heading. Membership in the site is free and not necessary to solve puzzles; however, members can see puzzles they have already solved, statistics, and perhaps most interesting - can create their own puzzles to upload to the site. Membership does not require an email address.
tag(s): logic (166), problem solving (275), puzzles (163)
In the Classroom
Introduce the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then create a link on classroom computers or the computer lab for students to explore. Challenge students to create their own puzzles to share with other classmates.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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YouTube Play: Live from the Guggenheim - Youtube Play
Grades
5 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Join YouTube and the Guggenheim Museum in recognizing a biennial review of the best online videos from around the world. As a form of modern and contemporary art, celebrate free ...more
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Join YouTube and the Guggenheim Museum in recognizing a biennial review of the best online videos from around the world. As a form of modern and contemporary art, celebrate free access every day for your virtual field trip from a Webby award-winning nominee site for 2011. A panel of 20-25 experts chooses from a selection of over 23,000 videos submitted. Explore art, music, movement, poetry, and prose on this creative video site. The option of subscribing to recent uploads is available at no charge. Click "continue" to see thumbnails of all available winners. If your district blocks YouTube, then this site may not be viewable. Not all comments posted are appropriate and videos should be previewed before viewing in the classroom setting.
tag(s): computers (115)
In the Classroom
Capture your students' interest in the modern world of technology. Share this video on your interactive whiteboard or projector (be sure to use full screen mode). YouTube Play can be used in a variety of classroom settings; art, music, technology, language art, drama, science, or political science.In the art classroom, explore the emerging world of creative video. Determine elements of design, technology, photography, and movement. Discover the integration of music, sound, and movement in video in many creative ways. Use the site to demonstrate how to convey a message through creative animation. Express a creative editorial on a current events or important issues that challenge our world such as over-population, fossil fuels, or pollution. Have students create innovative political campaign videos. Take your technology classes to a new level of excellence. Add a visual component to poems, prose, or narratives as an additional interpretation device. Introduce storyboarding techniques to create videos with a tool like online sticky notes that can be move around such as Webnote, reviewed here, easily share Webnote using the URL. Have your students make their own videos using a tool such as Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here, and then share them via TeacherTube, reviewed here.
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Brain Teasers - Pedago.net
Grades
4 to 12
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This simple site offers hundreds of brain teaser problems along with answers. Categories include friends, math, logic, optical illusions, puzzles, and more. Some topics are NOT suitable...more
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This simple site offers hundreds of brain teaser problems along with answers. Categories include friends, math, logic, optical illusions, puzzles, and more. Some topics are NOT suitable for the classroom (such as dating.) Each brain teaser is fairly short and includes a link to click on the answer.
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tag(s): logic (166), optical illusions (12), problem solving (275), puzzles (163)
In the Classroom
Choose a problem to use for a problem of the day or problem of the week in your classroom. Students can explain the problem solving process in math journals. Use several problems in a math problem-solving center. Copy several problems and have students store them in math folders to complete when finished with other work.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Multicultural Canada: Wayang Kulit - Lynn Copeland, Simon Fraser University
Grades
3 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
This unique site by Multicultural Canada is part of a digitization project that aims to tell the stories of the cultures that make up Canada. Other modules include Chinese, ...more
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This unique site by Multicultural Canada is part of a digitization project that aims to tell the stories of the cultures that make up Canada. Other modules include Chinese, Japanese, Scottish, Indonesian, Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese, and Pakistani collections. Detailed lesson plans, related resources, and rubrics are included. In this module, Simon Fraser University shares its collection of Wayang Kulit, or Indonesian shadow puppetry. Wayang Kulit often portrays moral or political messages. The university featured the exhibit, Crossing Oceans, Crossing Cultures, which includes the shadow puppets and stories about good and evil, respect, duty, friendship, and loyalty. The website shows some Wayang Kulit shadow puppets and provides information on traditional stories. Photographs of several intricate shadow puppets are included. Ideas for projects using a variety of free downloads are suggested. There is also an introductory video.
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tag(s): canada (23), myths and legends (44), readers theater (11), stories and storytelling (75)
In the Classroom
In language arts classes, students study universal stories and myths while discovering Indonesian culture and shadow puppetry. Dramatize the elements of good versus evil, characterization, and plot. Discover a unique twist to Readers' Theater. Storyboarding opportunities allow for simpler construction of a story performance, with fewer background scenery or props required. Sound and musical accompaniment can enhance the creativity of the performance. Reluctant readers through gifted learners will enjoy the flexibility and creativity of shadow puppetry.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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BrainBashers - Kevin Stone
Grades
3 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
BrainBashers offers many different types of puzzles, riddles, brain teasers, and optical illusions. The site is updated daily so new material is always readily available. Each time...more
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BrainBashers offers many different types of puzzles, riddles, brain teasers, and optical illusions. The site is updated daily so new material is always readily available. Each time you open the site, find a new fun fact along with an odd word and its definition. The site is organized into puzzles, games, illusions, fun stuff, and logic games. Sudoku puzzles of different difficulty levels are also available. The link for teachers includes puzzles for schools and useful pages including optical illusions, memory tests, and logic puzzles.
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tag(s): logic (166), problem solving (275), puzzles (163), riddles (15)
In the Classroom
Use the odd words daily for students to learn new vocabulary. Share the fun fact on your interactive whiteboard or projector as a class discussion starter. Print and share Sudoku and other puzzles as challenge activities. Use logic puzzles in class for practice with problem solving skills. Share the site on your classroom website or blog for students to access at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TeachersFirst Brain Twister - TeachersFirst
Grades
3 to 9
46 Favorites
0 Comments
These ten question quizzes, written by Thinking Teachers, are changed each Friday and are ready to go with one edition for middle school students and one for elementary students. The...more
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These ten question quizzes, written by Thinking Teachers, are changed each Friday and are ready to go with one edition for middle school students and one for elementary students. The quiz presents ten questions, one at a time. You have only ONE try to pick the correct answer, so think carefully. You get points for each correct answer, totaling up to a possible 100. When you finish, you see your score and how long you spent. Questions are intended to stretch your thinking. Printable versions are available along with answers to the previous week's Twister. A new version of the Twister is mobile-friendly and adjusts to any screen size. Take the Twister with you wherever you go!
In the Classroom
Since elementary and middle school curriculum content varies from location to location, it is unlikely that every question will fall within the scope of your school's curriculum. High point questions may fall outside standard classroom fare. Five-point questions tend to be at the knowledge/comprehension/application level of Bloom's taxonomy and closer to "normal" content. Ten pointers are more likely cross-curricular application/analysis, and twenty pointers require analytical thinking and a wider experience level, such as knowledge of current events or information beyond normal curricula. Twenty pointers may require more than one student's input.Do the questions as a whole-class activity with a projector or interactive whiteboard with students contributing the portions of knowledge they do know toward solving the question. Using teamwork and thinking aloud can often help the group reach a conclusion that no single member could do on his/her own. They can each test different math answers to see which one is correct. This process will not only foster thinking aloud and group communication, but also model test-taking skills for multiple choice.
Alternatively, do the Twister in small groups, with one student an answer entry but others as researchers on neighboring computers to find out what the group does not know. It may be helpful to assign roles: moderator (assigns what to find out and helps the group reach consensus), keyboarder (enters responses, may conduct research in a new window), or researchers (find information as assigned). Use the Twisters to model and teach information literacy skills in a high-motivation activity. Or offer the Twisters as an enrichment challenge or extra credit option for students to do at home. Ask parents to be on the honor system to sign a note indicating the score their child achieved. Since parents may be overly interested in helping, you may want to simply give extra credit for anyone completing the quiz, no matter the score. Be sure to mark this ready to go exclusive in your favorites and share it on your teacher class web page.
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5 Minute Mystery - Mystery Competition, LLC
Grades
4 to 12
14 Favorites
0 Comments
This mystery reading game helps increase reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in an innovative way. The basic game is free. You can sign up to have two mysteries a ...more
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This mystery reading game helps increase reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in an innovative way. The basic game is free. You can sign up to have two mysteries a week sent to you, or you can use their archive. There is an indepth "How to Play" section, on the top menu bar, where you can read the instructions. After reading a mystery you select the correct sentences that are clues, and select a character that the clue either exonerates or implicates. Points are awarded for each clue you get correct. You can set up a leaque or several leagues to track students' performance and progress.
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tag(s): critical thinking (179), mysteries (27), reading comprehension (146), short stories (18)
In the Classroom
Use your projector or interactive whiteboard to show your students the directions for getting points by selecting the correct clues and solving the mystery. To begin with, as a class, read a mystery and discuss what the clues might be and whether they implicate or exonerate each suspect. Once the students have volunteered their ideas for which sentences are clues, submit them to see the score. The program will highlight the answers you should have had, if you got any wrong. Model for your students a discussion about why those are the correct answers and why the ones they submitted weren't. Eventually they can have this discussion by themselves in small groups. Those of you with multiple classes will want to create a league for each class. Eventually you can have small groups of students compete against each other by creating leagues. Have your students come to consensus about the clue sentences and who the real perpetrator is by voting using Tricider, or Vevox.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Welcome to the Planets - GLS
Grades
2 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Enjoy NASA's images of planets and spacecraft used in space exploration. This site is a great reference site for concise information about planets, and spacecraft. An online glossary...more
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Enjoy NASA's images of planets and spacecraft used in space exploration. This site is a great reference site for concise information about planets, and spacecraft. An online glossary contains space terms, and the origins of names for planets, moons, or spacecraft that are from Greek mythology, Latin, or famous people. Spacecraft information includes the assembly, lift off, and mission information. Spacecraft information comes in an audio format too. A CD is offered for sale from the National Space Science Data Center.
tag(s): earth (195), planets (123), solar system (124), space (248)
In the Classroom
In science, this site easily lends itself to planetary studies. Science classes can compare mass, density, atmospheric components, and surface materials. Math classes can use information provided for many real life math applications comparing distances, revolutions, temperatures, distance from the sun, mass, and diameter. Practice place value and estimation in a universal way. An extra challenge for gifted students can easily lend itself to mean, median, and mode as well as graphing possibilities. Consider Earth day activities to focus on the uniqueness of our planet and the qualities of our planet to maintain life as we know it. Include as a reference on your web site, or as an informational piece to web quests in math or science. Challenge students to create multimedia presentation highlighting one of the planets or spacecrafts. Have students narrate an image using a site such as Thinglink, reviewed here. For quicker projects, create electronic "posters" or word graphics for adopted word using tools such as Piclits, reviewed here,, or WordClouds, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Einstein's Secret to Amazing Problem Solving - Mr. Wach
Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites
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This site offers an excellent guide to problem solving with 10 definitive strategies that anyone can use for any type of problem. The article is easy to read and language ...more
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This site offers an excellent guide to problem solving with 10 definitive strategies that anyone can use for any type of problem. The article is easy to read and language is suitable for middle through high school level students. Included within the article are several links to further information on the problem solving process.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): critical thinking (179), logic (166), problem solving (275)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students help create a bulletin board display outlining the problem solving steps. Ask students to create journal entries describing how they used the steps in the problem solving process. Some of your visual students may even want to draw a map of the path they follow to solve problems or make an infographic of the process steps. Share this site with other teachers in all subject areas since this process applies to any type of problem.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brainyquote - Brainymedia
Grades
5 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Browse one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Sites to quickly find and display famous quotes by topics, keywords, authors, and even author types, such as poets, musicians, lawyers,...more
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Browse one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Sites to quickly find and display famous quotes by topics, keywords, authors, and even author types, such as poets, musicians, lawyers, or politicians. A quote of the day and a trivia game are also included. BrainyQuote is a free service that supports itself by revenue generated from a few advertisements on the site. However, they are not intrusive, and they are easy to ignore.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): authors (113), themes (16), writing (309), writing prompts (55)
In the Classroom
Save this site in your favorites on Teachersfirst. If you are not already a member, just click on "My TF" to join for FREE. When you are searching for a writing prompt or universal theme to connect with your curriculum area, a famous quote provides a springboard for students to reflect on the topic they just read or studied. After reading two or three literary works or studying historic figures, you might try changing the quote into a question. Have students compare/contrast how each of the characters would respond, and support their responses by citing specific examples. Then, students could answer the question from their own point of view to relate the meaning of the quote to their lives. Create a class wiki for the quotes of the day (and student responses). Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through. Or invite students to choose a favorite quote from this site and interpret it both visually and verbally by creating an online poster using ThingLink, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classroom Jeopardy - superteachtools.com
Grades
K to 12
17 Favorites
0 Comments
Looking for an easy to use free jeopardy game? Look no further than this site. Download the application for free or create the activity to be played online. View and ...more
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Looking for an easy to use free jeopardy game? Look no further than this site. Download the application for free or create the activity to be played online. View and try activities already created online. If you like your project you can save it to a folder on your computer. There is a short video in the "How To" section that will walk you through the process of making, saving, and playing a Flash Jeopardy game. Those of you who have used the PowerPoint Jeopardy will find this flash version much less time consuming to create and to recreate new Jeopardy games.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): grammar review (33), matching (8)
In the Classroom
Use this great resource to create Jeopardy games for any content area. This resource is perfect for use on an interactive whiteboard or projector with a student emcee. Use for vocabulary/terms, identifying parts of anything, and reviewing for any curriculum topic. Use as an opener to a unit to determine what students already know. Play as a review game to assist learning for all students. Encourage students to create the clues and answers to their own Jeopardy review games as a creative way to review and reinforce. Learning support teachers may want to have students create review games together.You or your students can copy and paste the HTML code for any game on your web page, wiki, or blog for easy access to any Flash Jeopardy Game.
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Bookemon - Bookemon, Inc.
Grades
K to 12
47 Favorites
1 Comments
Write your own original books, add images and artwork as illustrations, and read your published books in an interactive, online form. There is no fee for the online publication and...more
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Write your own original books, add images and artwork as illustrations, and read your published books in an interactive, online form. There is no fee for the online publication and sharing. This is the ultimate in "digital storytelling." Take advantage of the free apps that make Bookemon even easier to use with any device! Use Bookemon Reader to READ books you created in Bookemon or Bookemon edCenter (available for both iOS and Android). BookPress for iOS devices only allows you to CREATE books from scratch, including using photos from your iPad/iPhone. InstaPress (for iOS only) offers options to create books from documents, PDFs, etc., for sharing on mobile devices as e-books. http://www.bookemon.com/book_Here is an example of a book created by the TeachersFirst Edge editors. Once you set up a free membership on this site, students (or teachers) can choose to create from scratch or use the provided templates. You can also create a book starter of your own as an example, so students can follow the prompts you have created. The book creator allows you to upload your own images and to create books from a Word document or PowerPoint file you have already made. EdCenter users can collaborate on books.
After you save and publish the work, share the URL so people can read the entire book online, either among an audience of "just my friends" or publicly. They also offer the embed code to place your books on a class or school web page, wiki, or blog. The easiest option is to copy the address of the new window displaying the interactive book. There is an option to have the book printed for a fee, but this is not required. You can also read books created by others (if they make them public). Use the fully public option to create learning materials for classes that can be accessed year to year for at-home review or reading practice.
This site requires a simple registration. Teachers can set up an edCenter for their school or class in accordance with school policies. See more detailed suggestions "In the Classroom" below and in our sample book! Newer mobile device options include iPads and more for viewing your books.
This site includes advertising.
This site requires a simple registration. Teachers can set up an edCenter for their school or class in accordance with school policies. See more detailed suggestions "In the Classroom" below and in our sample book! Newer mobile device options include iPads and more for viewing your books.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative writing (123), digital storytelling (166), writing (309)
In the Classroom
SKIP the profile and friends areas to get to the book creator to play with the tools a bit. Before you get too involved, create an edCenter to minimize advertising and create books in your own teacher-friendly class environment. Use the edCenter to register students and establish privacy settings for your class. No student emails are required. On the Create Books page, choose to use a blank book, start from a file, or use a template. Choose "school" to see projects from other classes or a sample created by you or a student team working in advance, along with you. Explore ready-made themes (seasonal, topical, etc.) or use "open theme." Choose book dimensions (match the layout shape to any uploaded files, such as PowerPoint slides). Enter settings and description of your book (editable later), including who is allowed to "see" it: everyone, just friends, or private. Again, choose a "theme" - more of a category where Bookemon will list your completed book. A logical option is "school." Experiment with tools to upload files (within file limits), add images, add text, etc. Written help is offered as you go, but there is no video demo. SAVE often. Turn margins on to avoid chopping content. To share the book, you must "publish" it (i.e., finalize). Once published, locate the book under "My Books" and use options to share (by email--and see the URL to copy from there), "Make a new edition" to create a new version--also useful for treating the original as a template for later books. Post to Other Sites offers embed codes. The BEST option is to click the book COVER, which opens a new window without ads or "stuff," and copy the ADDRESS of that window to paste into email, etc. You can also mark that clean window view as a Favorite on a classroom computer. Use your edCenter settings to manage social networking features. This will avoid the "public" Bookemon features, such as opportunities to share address books and to use social tools like Facebook to share your books. Teacher-controlled edCenter accounts are probably the easiest option for managing within school policies. With younger students, have them begin their work in PowerPoint, then upload for whole-class books. See an example, created by the TeachersFirst Edge editors. The example is full of ideas for classroom use from kindergarten to high school, including science concept tales, poetry books, general writing, math problem-solving, and more. ANY grade can use this tool, depending on the level of teacher direction. (By the way, the correct answer to the problem in the sample book is c. 27.) Another idea: have students create personalized books for their parents or grandparents for special occasions (Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Grandparents' Day). Use the mobile device features available in your BYOD classroom to create and share books, PDFs, and more. Tip: Use this site for a guided introduction to social networking as a class, an excellent teaching opportunity for digital citizenship in the context of a project.This is one of the best creative tools for gifted students to go above and beyond the regular curriculum. Don't let the "juvenile" appearance fool you. Even older students can write and include images to create and share books of any length. Any independent research or writing project can become an interactive book. Even advanced science experiments and lab reports can be shared online using this tool. Once you have one book, you can use that as a template for others. Inspire your gifted students to create a literary magazine or even a personal online "portfolio" of writing, artwork, or photography presented in interactive book form.
Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
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 (NO email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
Comments
This is one of my all time favorite creative tools. Very versatile. Great for making "buddy books" or for teacher-created learning "books." Make one as a whole class to summarize a science unit in primary grades. I even use it personally to make fee online "gifts" for children I know. I did purchase one print version, and it looked great.Thinking, PA, Grades: 5 - 10
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