Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Surface Languages is free site to learn basic survival words and phrases on a variety of topics in 37 different languages. Learn phrases in Afrikaans, Slovak, Arabic, Spanish, Bosnian, Swahili, Bulgarian, Swedish, Catalan, Turkish, Chinese, Ukrainian, Croatian, Urdu, Czech, Welsh, Danish, Yiddish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, and Russian. Phrases are organized into topics so use is simple. In addition to reading and hearing the words and phrases pronounced, the site has the capability of creating flash cards for each lesson. You choose yes or no to indicate if the card has the correct meaning. It also offers multiple choice items to test listening skills for the language and translating from English to the target language.
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tag(s): arabic (13), chinese (45), cultures (180), french (75), german (49), greek (47), hebrew (16), italian (31), latin (23), phrases (6), portuguese (22), russian (26), spanish (109)

Ready to think big? How about an interactive timeline that covers all of time from the Big Bang to today? Chronozoom is an ambitious project, just launched (at the time of this review), that seeks to create zoomable, interactive timelines for the entire history of time. At present, the site is still under construction, but it is visually stunning and a little overwhelming. You will need to set aside some time to watch the video tour and to tinker with the site before presenting it to students. Every move of the mouse, every click, seems to create "explosions" of graphs and timelines; you'll need to be patient and get the hang of navigation.

The site's creators freely admit that they don't really know where the project will lead, and what technologies might emerge that will help them create more content for the site. There are some caveats for using the site. First, the site assumes a particular theory of the creation of the universe, and the timeline of its existence. Second, the site can lend itself to aimless "mousing," or the temptation to simply click and move the mouse to see how the site will react, with no attention to the content at all.

tag(s): charts and graphs (171), evolution (89), Microsoft (80), timelines (56)

What Happened When? This useful site allows you to aggregate a text timeline by date, theme or geographic area using links to Google searches, Google images and content from HistoryWorld (with which the site is affiliated). Enter a date or keyword(s) for the event(s). You will see a text list with icons that lead to related Google, images, and HistoryWorld info. Try exploring by themes such as performing arts and science and entering a year to see what occurred during the same year. While the overall visual impact is fairly bland, it's a great "quick and easy" utility for putting events into a chronological context. If you search two very diverse events, you can discover unusual convergences. Additionally, it can be the jumping off point for a more complex search by helping students make connections among ideas, characters and events that may seem unrelated. For example, this is a wonderful tool to explore decades of the twentieth century or periods in the arts.

tag(s): search engines (48), timelines (56)

FORA.tv's claim to fame is as the Web's largest collection of conference and event videos. These videos come from sources such as universities, think tanks, and other intelligent discourses. Videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

Please preview anything before you share it with your students. At the time of this review there was a subcategory "Sex" which may not be appropriate for most classrooms. But always preview! Teachers may want to share ONLY specific video links.
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tag(s): business (52), cultures (180), elections (82), energy (133), environment (252), evolution (89), genetics (80), investing (8), news (229), politics (118), psychology (65), religions (95), sexuality (15), stock market (11), sustainability (50), video (266)

Investigate the world of art history accompanied by two professors at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Smarthistory started as a a blog featuring free audio guides, podcasts, and videos. Later it became an interactive exploration of eras, styles, and artists. Smarthistory has recently merged with KahnAcademy utilizing the same concept: that high quality education should be free and available to all. You can watch Smarthistory videos on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable in class.

tag(s): art history (103), medieval (32), renaissance (38)

This ENL/ESL vocabulary site has words and related pictures organized into over 100 categories. Example categories include animals, body, birds, Christmas, camping, phonic, days of the week, Europe, Fruit, Work Site Problems, Medical Jobs, and much more! Click on a category and you get common vocabulary as well as review activities for that category. Each word has sound, and many of the review activities are based on hearing the word to complete the required work. An added benefit to the site is that it is easy to switch the target language from English to three other languages: Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish.
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tag(s): chinese (45), japan (57), japanese (47), spanish (109), vocabulary (238), vocabulary development (94), word study (59)

This site features a wonderfully specific pictorial database of "every day" images that define cultures. Images are Creative Commons licensed and can be used by download (three sizes) or direct link. At the time of this review, general topics included German, ESL (American,) French, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, and a few others. Besides offering a photograph (in three sizes) of something specifically Chinese or something only found in Japan, the vocabulary label for the object shown as well as its translation into its language of origin is available and indexed. There is also a detailed guide for teachers offering many wonderful suggestions of how to use CAPL in the classroom. The suggested activities include using images as objects, visual "texts," media illustrations, and narratives as well as ideas for using the images to teach vocabulary and culture. More is added to this site frequently, so be sure to check back!

tag(s): arabic (13), architecture (75), china (81), cross cultural understanding (173), cultures (180), france (41), germany (28), japan (57), russia (36), spanish (109)

This site, created by the Kennedy Center, offers a wealth of interactive lesson plans for grades K-12 dealing with a variety of topics, all with an "arts" spin. Search by subject, keyword, or grade level (K-4, 5-8, or 9-12). Some examples of topics include Native Americans, Civil War, Shakespeare, myths, melodrama, adjectives, monsters, baseball, and countless others! Be sure to check out the category "Our Best Resources Organized by Subject." After that click on the the top menu for Education and get even more resources. There are many interactive lessons: some with video, audio, or slideshows. The lessons provide an estimate of time required and complete, step-by-step instructions. There are printables included with some of the lessons.
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tag(s): african american (115), baseball (32), civil war (139), comics and cartoons (55), dance (31), folktales (34), greece (47), habitats (92), immigration (68), literature (221), mexico (37), musical instruments (52), myths and legends (37), native americans (109), painting (55), surrealism (2)

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 Pakistan collections are included in the learning modules. Detailed lesson plans, related resources, with rubrics are included. IN this module, Simon Fraser University shares their collection of Wayang Kulit, or shadow puppetry from Indonesia. 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 of the Wayang Kulit shadow puppets, as well as providing 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 (24), myths and legends (37), readers theater (12), stories and storytelling (58)

Find out what happened on any date in history with this informative site. Each event is listed with a short description. Historic events are listed chronologically from oldest to current times. (Some dates are several pages long, be sure to click the "read more" link to continue to newer dates.) Information includes birthdays, discoveries, events, and more. Searches by specific years, months, and famous birthdays. You are able to add events and comments. Note that the general public can also add comments, so preview before projecting in class!
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tag(s): calendars (37), timelines (56)

On line site for one of China's prominent newspapers

tag(s): china (81), news (229)

On line site for one of China's prominent newspapers
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tag(s): china (81), news (229)

This easy to use lesson plan is focused on helping students understand Chinese Mythology. The lesson suggests an informal discussion for assessment or to asses one of many activities suggested. The many recommended websites to look at and read, lend themselves to reading comprehesion stratigies.

tag(s): china (81), chinese (45), reading comprehension (149)

This site from "Mr.Donn," hosts lesson plans, interactives, and other resources to supplement a unit on Ancient or Modern China. The resources are grouped by historical period, touching upon topics such as the Song Dynasty, Marco Polo, and the Communist Revolution. Though TeachersFirst does not usually recommend lists of resources, this site has so many it made the exception!

tag(s): china (81), evolution (89)

Though we don't often recommend "lists" of links, this site hosts 19 links to games about or related to Ancient China. The games vary in age level and topic, ranging from Tangram squares, to review games and Calligraphy how-to's.

tag(s): china (81)

This site from PBS takes a look at Modern China, and the issues facing it regarding government, women's rights, the environment, and political freedom. This site accompanies a documentary, and has short clips on the site as well as lesson plans, and a U.S.-China quiz.

tag(s): china (81)

This site from PBS is an accompaniment to the documentary by the same name. There are several clips of the movie available by clicking "The Film" link. You may want to preview the film clips before sharing them with younger students, as some are rather graphic. In addition to information on the film there are also maps, essays, and primary sources from Tiananmen Square and the following Beijing Massacre. For teachers using the film, there is additional information about people in the film, transcripts, and behind the scenes information. For those not using the film, there is plenty of supplemental material that could benefit a lesson on Tiananmen Square.

tag(s): china (81), communism (3)

This webquest from Temescal Canyon High School looks at the conflict between Tibet and China. The project assigns students various roles, ranging from Human Rights groups to news teams, in an attempt to provide a more accurate picture of the events. Students research their various roles before putting together a presentation on their assigned perspectives. Standards are included with this activity.

tag(s): china (81)

This site from PBS provides in-depth information about the events of Tiananmen Square. There is a 90 minute documentary on the site, accompanied by timelines, witness interviews and discussion of how Tiananmen has impacted present-day China. There is also a teachers guide on the site, providing teachers with 4 lesson plans, utilizing the information on the site.

tag(s): china (81), communism (3)

This WebQuest asks students to consider "the truth about how children are treated in China" through looking at reports about the conditions in orphanages in China, about China's "one child" policy, and about human rights in general. The site does include a disclaimer on the opening page warning teachers to evaluate if this WebQuest is appropriate for their classroom.

This is a very sensitive subject, and teachers should consider the maturity of their students before proceeding with the activities on this site. In addition, teachers should be sensitive to the fact that there may be Chinese adoptees in their classes for whom this topic might be especially difficult.

At the time of this review, a few of the links were no longer active. We are keeping the listing because of the discussions that the site can produce. You may want to provide students with a corrected resource list without the dead links.

tag(s): china (81), population (51)