Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

ABCDee Learning offers a collection of 15 easy and adorable Mother's Day crafts specifically designed for young students. These crafts are tailored to be simple and engaging, making them ideal for young children to create heartfelt gifts for their mothers or grandmothers. Notable projects include the Handprint Flower, where children use their handprints to craft colorful blooms; the Shrinky Dink Keychains, allowing kids to design personalized keychains that shrink when baked; and the Picture Flower Craft, which combines a child's photo with a handmade flower for a personalized touch. Each craft includes detailed instructions and material lists, ensuring educators can easily implement these activities in the classroom. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): crafts (76), mothers day (23), preK (289)

The Yellow Birdhouse offers a collection of 18 free printable Mother's Day crafts suitable for children, providing teachers with accessible and engaging project ideas. These crafts are designed to be simple and heartfelt, allowing students to create meaningful gifts for their mothers or other important adults. Examples include printable Mother's Day cards, decorative items, and personalized gifts students can easily assemble in a classroom setting. These resources enable educators to facilitate creative activities without requiring extensive materials or preparation.

tag(s): crafts (76), holidays (194), mothers day (23)

School Pages is a free site that offers various lessons already created in many subject areas. Lessons can be sorted by grade level (grades 1 through 10) and subject - English, environmental studies, Hindi, math, physical education, science, and social studies. You can access both AI Tools and AI chat if you create a free account. AI tools include a Quiz Generator, a Similar Question Generator, a National Curriculum Framework Assistant, a Lesson Plan Generator, an Opening Hook Generator, an Assignment Generator, and Bloom's Question Generator. The AI chat is similar to a chatbot in that it can assist with teaching strategies, topic explanations, or any other teaching-related questions.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), Teacher Utilities (202)

The Smithsonian Institution website is a valuable resource for educators, offering access to a vast collection of digital exhibitions, lesson plans, and interactive learning tools. Teachers can explore history, science, art, and culture topics through virtual tours, online activities, and curated educational materials from Smithsonian museums, research centers, and libraries. The site includes resources for all grade levels, including printable worksheets, videos, and inquiry-based lesson plans designed to engage students in critical thinking and discovery. It is an excellent tool for supplementing classroom instruction with high-quality, museum-based learning experiences. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): aircraft (17), critical thinking (137), inquiry (30), museums (52), space (220), virtual field trips (131)

Creating effective and engaging blended learning lessons requires time and professional knowledge. The Blended Learning Planner uses AI to increase productivity by providing ideas and learning activities based on your input. Start by following the steps to create a class, then add the lesson topic, length of class time, and the blended learning components to include. Use the request changes and Beans, the chatbox, to request modifications and additions to the completed plan.
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tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), blended learning (36), flipped learning (9), Teacher Utilities (202)

Create learning games with the AI-based Learning Game Generator for any topic or grade level. Begin by adding vital information, including grade level, learning outcome or objective, and the game's length. The Game Generator provides a document with instructions for playing the game, any required materials, and setup instructions. Use the provided tools to request changes to create a game that works for your classroom. Copy or download the document using the Manage Content Dropbox options when satisfied.
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tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), assessment (146), Formative Assessment (73), game based learning (206), gamification (86), Teacher Utilities (202)

Planning lessons that provide engaging activities and meet curriculum standards can be challenging. The Plan My Lesson Tool uses AI to match both objectives in just a few seconds. After selecting start, complete the form by adding grade level or band, subject, and learning outcome and selecting to generate the result. After creating the document, use additional features to edit and adjust the activity to fit your needs. You can also choose sections of the document to request changes by chatting with Beans, this site's chatbot. Find options to download or export the finished document by visiting the Manage Content dropbox at the top of the page. You do need to create a free account to access this feature.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), professional development (393), Teacher Utilities (202)

WorldCat is a global library catalog that allows teachers to search for books, articles, and other educational resources available in libraries worldwide. By entering a title, author, or keyword, educators can locate materials in nearby libraries, access digital resources, and discover new teaching materials. WorldCat is beneficial for finding hard-to-access texts, historical documents, and academic research. Teachers can use it to expand their classroom library, recommend reading materials to students, or enhance lesson plans with diverse sources.

tag(s): authors (108), book lists (168), digital reading (18), Research (88), resources (83), Teacher Utilities (202)

Yourway offers a suite of AI-generated tools for educators. Choose from many generators to create lesson plans, assessments, and classroom activities. After selecting a generator, follow the prompt to access a form to add information such as grade level, topic or learning objective, and other directions. After the tool generates a response, you can request changes, edit the information manually, or save the document. Choose the Manage Document dropdown box to copy the document to your clipboard, save it as a PDF file, export it to Google Docs, or download your activity as a Microsoft .docx file. As you create activities, they are saved in the My Content area to revisit and reuse as needed.
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tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), assessment (146), cross cultural understanding (178), differentiation (85), rubrics (36), social and emotional learning (110), Teacher Utilities (202), vocabulary (242)

The YouTube Kids platform provides teachers a safe, engaging tool to incorporate kid-friendly video content into the classroom. The site offers a simplified and safer experience for children exploring videos, with customizable parental controls and personalized student profiles. There is also a free app available. Teachers can tailor content to specific age groups (4 and under, 5-8, or 9-12), ensuring that videos align with students' developmental levels. The platform also allows educators to share relevant content directly with students, manage screen time, and block inappropriate videos when necessary. With its smaller, curated content library and protections like automated filters and human reviews, YouTube Kids offers a secure way to enrich lessons with videos while fostering responsible media consumption habits in students.
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tag(s): enrichment (13), internet safety (116), personalized learning (10), playlists (8), video (267)

PBS Kids Work it Out Wombats contains games, videos, activities, and podcasts. One game featured, titled Road Repair, is an interactive game in which you repair a road with shapes. The other game, Story Emporium, allows you to create a story to read. The story asks you to select a who, what, and where. The Toy Maker enables the creation of a toy. The site also features the Wombats video series, printable activities, and podcasts. The podcasts run about eleven minutes long and include topics like campout playdates, detective playdates, snout party playdates, and cloud ship playdates. English and Spanish are available for both the games and activities.

tag(s): game based learning (206), interactive stories (22), podcasts (117), video (267)

Genially's Escape Room Game Templates provide educators with interactive and customizable digital escape room experiences. These templates allow teachers to create engaging, gamified learning activities where students solve puzzles, answer questions, and unlock clues to progress. The platform supports multimedia elements such as images, animations, and clickable objects, making lessons more immersive. Teachers can use these escape rooms for review sessions, team-building exercises, or subject-specific challenges across various grade levels.

tag(s): digital escapes (17), game based learning (206), gamification (86), puzzles (149)

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

tag(s): african american (119), architecture (84), black history (135), branches of government (64), civil rights (219), civil war (141), conservation (101), energy (133), engineering (137), environment (251), foreign policy (13), hispanic (46), industrialization (12), jews (52), latin (23), literature (221), middle east (50), native americans (116), nutrition (140), photography (131), politics (118), population (52), religions (114), Research (88), sports (85), statistics (121), Teacher Utilities (202), women (154), womenchangemaker (39), womens suffrage (52)

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

tag(s): civil rights (219), cultures (226), journalism (74), news (226), podcasts (117), scientists (71), space (220)

Britannica's main website is a comprehensive and reliable resource for teachers seeking accurate, well-researched information across a wide range of subjects. It offers encyclopedia articles, biographies, timelines, images, videos, and primary sources, making it a valuable tool for classroom instruction and student research. The site includes Britannica School, which provides leveled content for different grade levels, and Britannica Kids, designed for younger learners. With its fact-checked, up-to-date content, Britannica helps educators enhance lessons, support inquiry-based learning, and promote critical thinking skills.

tag(s): biographies (94), primary sources (118), Research (88), resources (83), timelines (57)

The Do Now Activity Generator uses AI to create five-minute activities that engage students of any grade or content area. After selecting to start, enter the learning objective and grade level to generate activities. The Do Now generator provides students with questions based on a possible scenario. Make changes and find additional ideas by selecting the Request Change button and providing details on changes.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), assessment (146), classroom management (118), Formative Assessment (73), questioning (36), Teacher Utilities (202), teaching strategies (52), thinking skills (17)

The "Ancient Roman Myths" page on Mr. Donn's website provides a collection of Roman myths and legends tailored for classroom use. It includes engaging retellings of popular stories, such as the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus, and myths about Roman gods and goddesses. The site also offers teaching resources, activities, and links to explore how Roman mythology influenced Roman culture, religion, and daily life. This webpage is perfect for upper elementary and middle school students and is ideal for integrating mythology into social studies, language arts, or cross-curricular lessons. It's an excellent tool to help students explore the storytelling traditions of Ancient Rome while making connections to broader historical themes.

tag(s): italy (30), myths and legends (42), romans (52), rome (37)

The Nearpod blog post "How to Make a Digital Escape Room for the Classroom" provides educators with a step-by-step guide to creating engaging and interactive digital escape rooms. Learn how these activities can enhance critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills while making learning more immersive. The guide walks teachers through backward design planning, setting learning objectives, crafting clues and puzzles, and using digital tools like Google Forms, reviewed here and Nearpod, reviewed here to create an interactive experience. By following these strategies, teachers can design customized digital escape rooms that align with their curriculum and keep students actively engaged.

tag(s): collaboration (94), digital escapes (17), game based learning (206), problem solving (234), puzzles (149)

The Festisite Rebus Generator is an online tool that enables educators to transform text into engaging rebus puzzles, where words or phrases are represented through images and letters. This interactive resource supports multiple languages, including English, German, Danish, and Dutch, allowing diverse classroom applications. Teachers can input text, and the generator instantly creates a rebus puzzle, which can be customized further by using emoji characters or adding hints. Print the generated puzzles or share digitally, making them versatile for various educational activities, including digital escape rooms. Incorporating rebus puzzles into lessons can enhance students' problem-solving skills, reinforce vocabulary, and add fun to language learning.

tag(s): digital escapes (17), game based learning (206), puzzles (149)