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Virtual Field Trip Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
This collection of reviewed resources includes our best virtual field trips. Peruse the list of websites and many suggestions for ways to use them in teaching almost any subject or...more
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This collection of reviewed resources includes our best virtual field trips. Peruse the list of websites and many suggestions for ways to use them in teaching almost any subject or grade. Be sure to read the "In the Classroom" suggestions for examples of ways to use virtual field trips as part of a lesson or unit.
tag(s): virtual field trips (154)
In the Classroom
This collection includes virtual field trips for all grades. Each review includes several classroom use ideas. Get out your projector (or interactive whiteboard) and take your students on an adventure. Have students go on a "field trip" with a partner or independently on laptops or other devices. Explore the activities suggested.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Fake It To Make It Game - Amanda Warner
Grades
7 to 12
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Learn about how and why fake news is created and distributed with this game where players earn money by spreading false news. Begin by selecting a guide for the game ...more
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Learn about how and why fake news is created and distributed with this game where players earn money by spreading false news. Begin by selecting a guide for the game and choosing a financial goal. Follow the game to create your site and choose from different payment and options for monetizing information, while at the same time working toward optimum credibility. As the game continues, players select options for sharing their fake news to gain the maximum number of shares and likes. Throughout the game, follow your progress to your financial goal chosen at the beginning of the activity.
tag(s): journalism (73), news (221), newspapers (86), problem solving (284)
In the Classroom
More than ever, understanding the use of media to manipulate readers is a critical skill. Use this game as a supplement to lessons on verifying news sources and fact-checking. Help students discover trigger words found in fake news articles by creating lists of sensational words. Replace word lists with a word cloud creator like Wordsift, reviewed here, to help visualize the use of trigger words found in online news. Have students find fake news online to analyze for misrepresentations of facts. Instead of doing this as a pencil and paper project, ask students to transform their learning and use Image Annotator, reviewed here, to share an image of the article and add links, images, and videos to "debunk" false information. As students become more familiar with recognizing fake news, have them use a comic creation tool like ToonyTool, reviewed here, to modify their learning by creating single frame cartoons with tips for avoiding false information then share these comics on your class or school webpage.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Graphic Organizer Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
This collection of reviewed resources includes tools for creating graphic organizers and many suggestions for ways to use them in teaching almost any subject or grade. Be sure to read...more
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This collection of reviewed resources includes tools for creating graphic organizers and many suggestions for ways to use them in teaching almost any subject or grade. Be sure to read the "In the Classroom" suggestions for examples of ways to use graphic organizers as part of a lesson or unit.
tag(s): venn diagrams (14), mind map (31), graphic organizers (64)
In the Classroom
Whether you call them concept maps, mind maps, KWLs, or graphic organizers, these visual diagrams show relationships between concepts and provide a powerful tool for learning and connecting new ideas. Use graphic organizers to help your visual learners build reading comprehension. Find something for all grade levels in this collection.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Applied Digital Skills - Free Technology Curriculum - Grow with Google
Grades
7 to 12
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The Free Technology Curriculum from Google provides a series of units for middle school and up for practical problem-solving with digital tools. Select options from the site for learners,...more
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The Free Technology Curriculum from Google provides a series of units for middle school and up for practical problem-solving with digital tools. Select options from the site for learners, instructors, or the entire curriculum. Choose from within the curriculum by grade level. Each option provides a series of lessons that teach skills such as collaboration and problem-solving, along with rubrics for assessing projects.
tag(s): careers (186), communication (128), spreadsheets (23), data (215), visual thinking (17), collaboration (146), organizational skills (93), OER (54), computers (101)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to include with other resources in your technology curriculum. Share with teachers of other subjects to integrate content across topic areas. Use these units with gifted students as part of independent projects. Include finished projects in an online portfolio tool like about.me, reviewed here, to include with college applications. Take advantage of the videos in the learner's portion of the site to share with students and reinforce concepts such as collaboration, organization, and research techniques.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Media Literacy - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
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Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in all its forms, helping us understand who is behind a message, why it was made, and how ...more
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Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in all its forms, helping us understand who is behind a message, why it was made, and how it might shape what we think and do. Whether you're an educator, librarian, parent, or lifelong learner, this collection offers tools to help you question sources, analyze messages, and create media responsibly. You'll find podcasts, videos, lesson plans, interactive simulations and games, fact-checking guides, discussion prompts, and classroom activities, with options for a range of ages, subjects, and time commitments.
tag(s): primary sources (184), news (221), digital citizenship (113), professional development (317), internet safety (117), cyberbullying (52), social media (65), critical thinking (194), evaluating sources (61), media literacy (140)
In the Classroom
Today's messages come in many forms and literacy can no longer refer simply to the ability to read and write. Prepare your students to be literate citizens with this collection. Many are ideal for whole-group instruction, while others would work best on individual devices. Read the reviews to find classroom use ideas with each review. Although the list of tools is mainly geared towards grades 4-8, there are a few resources for the primary grades.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Credo Reference - Credo Reference
Grades
6 to 12
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Credo Reference is an extensive online research collection containing almost 900 online dictionaries, reference tools, and encyclopedias. Begin by entering your library card number...more
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Credo Reference is an extensive online research collection containing almost 900 online dictionaries, reference tools, and encyclopedias. Begin by entering your library card number and pin. Continue with a keyword search or by subject. Use the drop-down box to narrow search terms to include images, topic, books, or mind maps. Choose the advanced search option to limit searches to meet your defined inclusions.
tag(s): bookmarks (33), search engines (41)
In the Classroom
Bookmark Credo Reference to use on all classroom computers as a reliable and hearty search engine. Be sure to include a link on your class webpage for student use at home. Demonstrate on your interactive whiteboard different methods of searching and appropriate use of each method. Have cooperative learning groups research a certain topic and share their resources using this tool. Remind students that they will need to give proper credit for any resource they use in their research! To either teach about or give students a review of plagiarism and citing sources, use a tool like P.org, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Glean - Digital Literacy Teaching Tools - The Public Learning Media Laboratory
Grades
6 to 12
3 Favorites
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Small but mighty, this site has several lesson plans for the digital classroom. Use, share, and help create digital literacy lesson plans using Google Docs at Glean. Also, use the ...more
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Small but mighty, this site has several lesson plans for the digital classroom. Use, share, and help create digital literacy lesson plans using Google Docs at Glean. Also, use the hashtag #lessonhack on X (formerly Twitter) to follow the development of ideas and the lessons. Use the drop-down menu for Lessons to view plans for Media, Data, Information, Network Literacy, and also find Security and Privacy lessons. Find plans already created that include, To Teach Memes, Teaching Media Making, Terms of Service, and there are several others about the Internet and IPs. One lesson on Safer Sexting states, "This is not intended to condone sexting; rather it is designed to provide young people (at risk through their sexting behavior) with digital literacies and personal practices to mitigate negative impacts of the sexting they've done."
tag(s): internet safety (117), digital citizenship (113), computers (101), media literacy (140)
In the Classroom
Computer Literacy teachers and those responsible for teaching Internet safety in any course are sure to find a lesson they need. Take advantage of these free lessons to educate students about the basics of the Internet from safety to reading the terms of service to creating or sharing memes. After these lessons, challenge students to create a simple infographic about what they learned using Infogram, reviewed here. The lessons and (some of) the descriptions include resources you may want to share with parents and school counselors so they can have a conversation about the topics with their students. Discuss topics on this site as part of Internet safety lessons. Share this site with school counselors as a resource for teens facing online safety issues.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Noplag - Noplag LLC
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
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NoPlag is a plagiarism checker that compares your writing to online sources to detect possible cases of plagiarism. Complete five checks for plagiarism a day with up to 500 words ...more
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NoPlag is a plagiarism checker that compares your writing to online sources to detect possible cases of plagiarism. Complete five checks for plagiarism a day with up to 500 words without an account. With a free account, complete twenty checks per day with 500 words. You will get a report after pasting samples of work into an interactive box that highlights probable plagiarism along with links to the possible websites. The Noplag Blog has helpful articles on the importance of intellectual property rights and additional teaching ideas. There are premium features available, but this review is only for the free account. Educators and students at public and church schools and colleges can request an account through a contact form. At the time of this review, NoPlag wasn't working on Chrome.
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tag(s): writing (302), evaluating sources (61), plagiarism (33), copyright (39)
In the Classroom
Teach students about plagiarism and how to avoid it; it is a critical skill in all the content areas. Noplag is an easy place to introduce the concepts and have students check their writing without registering. Demonstrate how to use the tool to the whole class using a projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students register for additional options. Emphasize to students that they have the ability and the obligation to check their work for honesty.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Primary vs Secondary Sources - The Minnesota Historical Society
Grades
6 to 12
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Primary vs. Secondary Sources is an excellent YouTube video explaining the difference between these two types of sources. The video provides several examples of each type of source...more
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Primary vs. Secondary Sources is an excellent YouTube video explaining the difference between these two types of sources. The video provides several examples of each type of source and tells why it fits into that category. If your district blocks YouTube, then this video may not be viewable.
tag(s): Research (94), primary sources (184), evaluating sources (61)
In the Classroom
Share this video with students as they begin any research project. Be sure to add a link to this site on your class website for reference at home. Have students create a simple infographic with examples of both types of resources using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Have students upload a photo they have taken of a source and add an explanation about why it fits into a particular category using a tool such as Add Text, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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21things4students - Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan.
Grades
6 to 9
2 Favorites
2 Comments
This free interactive site is an extensive digital literacy curriculum that improves technology proficiency, builds information literacy and digital citizenship skills, and provides...more
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This free interactive site is an extensive digital literacy curriculum that improves technology proficiency, builds information literacy and digital citizenship skills, and provides 21st-century and project-based resources online. The 21 Things are 'big ideas' in technology and learning such as Visual Learning, Global Collaboration, Powerful Presentations, Search Strategies, Digital Footprint, and many others. The student activities use free web resources designed to address the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. The non-sequential Things, delivered as project-based Quests, provide links, resources, and activities for students to earn badges and awards. Registration for teachers is required and gives access to teacher resources and a downloadable Moodle version of the site; Moodle is not required to use this site. To access certain external activities and tools, students may need to register with an email. Each Thing contains a Teacher Lesson Guide, Student Checklist, Learning Objectives, and links to various web resources and apps. Choose a Thing and see that the Quests have roadmap documents for students to use for tracking progress. A Quest includes an introduction (frequently as a short, animated video), vocabulary, directions, tutorials, standards, apps, and a student checklist. Extensive teacher resources and support are provided. Assessments are through multiple-choice quizzes at ProProf with a provided password. You may want to choose MITECHKIDS, where you will find grade-level links and categories by curriculum.
tag(s): careers (186), consumers (15), media literacy (140), organizational skills (93), webquests (8), computers (101), digital storytelling (177), thinking skills (137), game based learning (294), social networking (54), digital citizenship (113), social media (65), cyberbullying (52), internet safety (117), evaluating sources (61), blended learning (30)
In the Classroom
Use the complete curriculum or selected Quests. Assign students individual Things to complete in school or at home as part of blended learning or flipped classrooms. Have students begin with the Basics and progress through selected skills. Use parts of the site to teach a particular skill to the whole class. Have students complete their work through an electronic portfolio like bulb, reviewed here, that is not included on the site. bulb includes links to some ideas and samples on the K-12 page.
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Comments
Tons of resources for all grades, love it!Ladisha, VA, Grades: 9 - 12
Lots of other links for using technology resources in the classroom.Ruth, AB, Grades: 0 - 12
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Radio Rookies DIY Toolkit - WNYC Public Radio
Grades
7 to 12
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Put students in the role of audio journalists with Radio Rookies' DIY Toolkit, a collection designed to help teens tell true stories using interviews, narration, and sound. The toolkit...more
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Put students in the role of audio journalists with Radio Rookies' DIY Toolkit, a collection designed to help teens tell true stories using interviews, narration, and sound. The toolkit combines a comic book, instructional videos, and worksheet handouts that students can use independently or teachers can incorporate into lessons. Topics guide young reporters through important parts of the production process, including choosing a story idea, interviewing, recording, writing, and assembling an audio story. Teachers can also draw on Radio Rookies' youth-produced stories as models for discussing how journalists communicate personal experiences and perspectives about contemporary issues. The larger educator collection includes a curriculum covering interviews, audio commentaries, montages, and narrated features. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
tag(s): podcasts (190), media literacy (140), radio (16), social skills (24), adolescence (9), behavior (51), emotions (82)
In the Classroom
Have students choose a school or community issue they care about and use the toolkit to develop a focused story idea before interviewing people who can offer different perspectives. Assign small groups a school-related topic and have them gather multiple perspectives before producing a short audio report. Students can record audio with Online Voice Recorder, reviewed here. Invite students to create a podcast episode about a curriculum topic using research, interviews, narration, and appropriate sound. For publishing a finished podcast, teachers can consider Spotify for Podcasters, reviewed here, or Podbean, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mr. Beat's Social Studies Channel - Matt Beat
Grades
5 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Mr. Beat's YouTube Channel provides educational Social Studies videos in a storytelling format. There are a few other topics: Primary and Secondary Sources, Guide to Critical Thinking,...more
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Mr. Beat's YouTube Channel provides educational Social Studies videos in a storytelling format. There are a few other topics: Primary and Secondary Sources, Guide to Critical Thinking, and others. Be sure to check out the music video and song for each president. Other topics include using Google Earth, Presidential Elections, and Story Time with Mr. Beat. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): civics (141), presidents (155), elections (92), alaska (22), explorers (64), gettysburg address (10), lincoln (65), washington (33), primary sources (184)
In the Classroom
Share these videos on an interactive whiteboard or projector. FLIP your classroom and have students watch the videos at home, then discuss and apply them the next day in class (this is an excellent option if your school blocks YouTube). Use the videos to introduce any topic and assign others from the series for homework. Be sure to include this link on your class website so students (and their families) can access it at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Creative Educator - Tech4Learning
Grades
1 to 12
13 Favorites
0 Comments
Creative Educator offers articles, lesson plans, and resources for many different ways to put creativity into the curriculum. Explore eight main topics: Creativity, Digital Storytelling,...more
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Creative Educator offers articles, lesson plans, and resources for many different ways to put creativity into the curriculum. Explore eight main topics: Creativity, Digital Storytelling, 21st Century Classrooms, Project-based Learning, STEM, and Teaching and Learning. At the bottom menu find Curriculum related areas such as Literacy, English Language Aquisition, and STEM resources will grab your interest. Find a variety of lessons in Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies to integrate technology and pique students' interest.
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tag(s): addition (136), creativity (95), Teacher Utilities (234)
In the Classroom
Creative Educator, designed for teachers, helps you move past stale worksheets to get inspired! Be sure to look at this site to help you discover ways to integrate technology and creativity into lessons. Work with a partner to make the lessons fit in your situation. Share at staff meetings and offer new ideas. Look for ways to bring a new focus to your gifted students. Give as a resource to students, so they can choose a multimedia product to share the content knowledge they are learning. Once you and your students are familiar with the site use Padlet, reviewed here, to list out student interests. Then use Nearpod, reviewed here to assign lessons to groups with the same or similar interests. Older students, once they have determined their interests, can select their projects/lessons. After several selections, ask older students to choose the topic they were most interested in, find resources to learn more about the topic, then extend their learning by presenting their findings using a multimedia tool such as (click on the tool name to access the review): Canva Infographic Maker, Marq (formerly Lucidpress), Powtoon, and FlexClip.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TeachThought - Teachthought
Grades
1 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
TeachThought challenges teachers to think beyond the norm and explore new, exciting ideas, such as learning in a digital world, flipped classrooms, project-based learning, and simulations....more
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TeachThought challenges teachers to think beyond the norm and explore new, exciting ideas, such as learning in a digital world, flipped classrooms, project-based learning, and simulations. A few examples of the articles include: 10 Team Building Games that Promote Critical Thinking, 25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area, 55 Free Apps For iPads, 249 Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs for Critical Thinking, 14 Brilliant Bloom's Taxonomy Posters For Teachers, and 20 Things You Can Do in 10 Minutes For A Smoother Running Classroom. Join in the conversation, add your opinion, or ask a question. Sign up for TeachThought's newsletter.
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tag(s): professional development (317), reading strategies (85), flipped learning (9), critical thinking (194), blooms taxonomy (7), classroom management (155)
In the Classroom
Think beyond your everyday lessons to something that makes you a teacher that kids always remember. Interesting ideas challenge you to do what you want most in your teaching, inspire you, and motivate you. Subscribe to the newsletter and follow the latest articles. Use the resources for enrichment or information. Share with colleagues, and the collaboration begins. Share at a professional development meeting for many relevant ideas.
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Zoom In! - Education Development Center
Grades
5 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Zoom In! is a set of digital tools that support social studies teachers in aligning teaching with the Common Core Literacy Standards. In each lesson, students solve a historical problem...more
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Zoom In! is a set of digital tools that support social studies teachers in aligning teaching with the Common Core Literacy Standards. In each lesson, students solve a historical problem by analyzing and collecting evidence, organizing research, and creating a rough draft communicating the solution. Create your teacher account to begin. Browse through 10 lessons with topics as diverse as propaganda and Paul Revere, Labor on the World War II Homefront, Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, and music in the Vietnam War. Create a class within each lesson to receive a class code for student access.
tag(s): immigrants (49), immigration (85), slavery (82), lincoln (65), civil war (148), westward expansion (42), constitution (111), world war 2 (168), american revolution (99), vietnam (41)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free lesson plans for use in teaching social studies aligned to Common Core Standards. Even if you cannot use whole lessons, browse through to find resources to add to your current lessons. Create classes and assign different lessons to different groups of students based on ability and interest. After completing a unit, have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Common Core Conversations - Kristina Holzweiss
Grades
1 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Common Core Conversations is your place to find Common Core resources. The Standards, Resources from state education departments, free resources in all subject areas, using tech tools...more
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Common Core Conversations is your place to find Common Core resources. The Standards, Resources from state education departments, free resources in all subject areas, using tech tools for learning the standards, and a section for parent information provides a great basis for your Common Core needs. Resources include: ENL/ELL, library, careers, family and consumer sciences. Join the online community to join in the conversations.
tag(s): commoncore (63)
In the Classroom
Common Core Conversations provides ideas and resources to assure your lessons contain Common Core Standards necessities. Investigate a resource for yourself every week or to share at your professional growth development. Be sure to document your new ideas under professional growth for your evaluation. When hosting professional growth development, begin here.
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WikiWand - Lior Grossman & Ilan Lewin
Grades
5 to 12
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WikiWand is a browser add-on to enhance the look and use of Wikipedia. Follow links to add the extension to Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Once installed, WikiWand adds an easy ...more
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WikiWand is a browser add-on to enhance the look and use of Wikipedia. Follow links to add the extension to Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Once installed, WikiWand adds an easy to use table of contents to the side of the screen, easier to read typography and a handy preview-on-hover feature. Personalize your screen by changing fonts and size of fonts.
tag(s): writing (302), media literacy (140)
In the Classroom
Install WikiWand on classroom computers to improve student viewing of Wikipedia. Share on your interactive whiteboard to demonstrate and view features for student use. If you do recommend Wikipedia as a source for research, be sure to have the discussion about its unknown authorship and usefulness as a general information tool but not as a "scholarly" resource. As a challenge to your better writers, consider asking them to write entries that you can submit to this encyclopedia on classroom topics in simpler English. They will have to analyze their own language and writing style with far greater scrutiny than ever before. Or have the class create a two version wiki glossary of your own on curriculum topics in any discipline, using this as a model for the "easy reading" side.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus - Lyle Zapato
Grades
6 to 12
0 Favorites
1 Comments
This site is the perfect example of false information that you can find on the Internet! Learn all about the endangered tree octopus and efforts to keep them from extinction ...more
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This site is the perfect example of false information that you can find on the Internet! Learn all about the endangered tree octopus and efforts to keep them from extinction at this very realistic "fake" site. Read all about the characteristics of the tree octopus including habitat, reproduction, and why it has become endangered. View some of the activities such as a trick or treat box to collect candy to hang in trees for the octopus. Peruse pictures of rare sightings of the octopus. The falsehoods shown on the site, such as the inclusion of other hoax species and organizations (mixed with links to pages about real species and organizations) are sure to give you a chuckle!
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tag(s): media literacy (140), creative writing (122), satire (7), evaluating sources (61), internet safety (117), literacy (121)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on finding credible sources. Share this tool on a projector or interactive whiteboard. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning about analyzing Internet resources (and even fake news) using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. You may want to share the Wikipedia and Snopes articles about the Tree Octopus. What a great creative writing idea this is! Have your students try their hand at something like this. Use one of the web page making tools reviewed by TeachersFirst here, to publish the creative writing assignments. Invite other classes to vote on the one they think is true.Comments
I have used this site for years. It is well made and, once the students catch on, it provides the basis for great discussions and a lot of laughter. I also use the Dehydrated Water website where you, too can buy dehydrated water or, even buy a franchise to sell dehydrated water. My other favorite is Dog Island Free Forever where your dog can live stress free with other dogs without the stress that comes from living with humans.Sharon, PA, Grades: 0 - 8
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The World Cup of Everything Else - Wall Street Journal
Grades
6 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Discover "how the tournament would play out if 32 countries were competing in things other than soccer." This site compares countries' statistics across many topics and instantly draws...more
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Discover "how the tournament would play out if 32 countries were competing in things other than soccer." This site compares countries' statistics across many topics and instantly draws a "bracket" of the top 32 countries worldwide for each statistic. Find out which country "wins" in categories as diverse as milk consumption, population density, or ticket sales for the movie Frozen! Click the topic on the left to display the "bracket" instantly. Try predicting who will win as you check out all kinds of topics.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (163), statistics (127), demographics (12)
In the Classroom
This site fits well in a world cultures/social studies class or as part of an information literacy lesson. Math teachers can use it to show how useful statistics can be. World language teachers may want to include it as part of cultural study. Share this site briefly on an interactive whiteboard or projector to spark discussion about what statistics can tell you about a country. Then turn groups loose to predict the outcomes of the "competition" in various categories. Have them keep a record: What do they predict? Why? Were they right? What might explain the "winner" (or loser) in the category they chose? What other statistical competitions would they like to see to gain the best profile of a country? As a class, try to name the top ten most revealing statistics they would like to see that are not already listed here. Then have them look for sources where they might find that information! Extend the findings by having student groups create infographics about their chosen "world cup" topic. Use a tool such as Venngage reviewed here. In a government class, use this site to open discussion about the role of statistics in governing and meeting the needs of your citizens. For more demographics resources, try these or Knoema, a worldwide data source.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mental Floss - Felix Dennis
Grades
6 to 12
6 Favorites
1 Comments
Discover "random, interesting, amazing facts, quizzes, and trivia" at Mental Floss. This magazine-style offering features new posts daily on topics from science, history, culture, and...more
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Discover "random, interesting, amazing facts, quizzes, and trivia" at Mental Floss. This magazine-style offering features new posts daily on topics from science, history, culture, and more. For example, read about 6 Articles of Clothing That Caused Riots! Access the archives via the ALSO ON MENTAL FLOSS links near the bottom of the page for even more offerings. Any reader is guaranteed to learn something new and come away wanting to learn more. Find answers to imponderables or odd thoughts. Sections include Innovations, Words, Lists, and Quizzes with subareas for history, science, pop culture, etc. Click Videos to visit Mental Floss's YouTube channel or related videos. Articles are quick tidbits that invite you to share and learn. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): grammar (143), animals (281), trivia (17), quizzes (83), famous people (40)
In the Classroom
Share Mental Floss on your class web page in any science, history, health, or reading class in middle school and up. Use it as a place for students to discover research topics related to your subject or as prompts for blog posts to get kids writing about something that interests them. Make a regular extra credit offering for students to write a blog post responding to something they learn here. If you have trouble getting students to read informational text, use these factoids as introductions to draw their interest before offering a longer article. Use these articles as starters for information literacy activities. Have partners research to find a corroborating (or debunking) source for the trivia offered here. English teachers will love some of the quick articles on misused or frequently misspelled words. Invite your students in any subject to find an article related to your subject and to create a poster version of that tip or tale using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here).Comments
Awesome for so many topics. Blog post ideas! Love the layout and diversity.Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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