Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

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 (188), assessment (146), cross cultural understanding (178), differentiation (86), rubrics (36), social and emotional learning (110), Teacher Utilities (201), vocabulary (241)

The MLA Digital Escape Room, developed by the John S. Bailey Library at The American College of Greece, is an interactive online tool designed to help students master MLA citation style in an engaging and fun manner. Through a series of challenges, participants learn to navigate the MLA Citation Guide, distinguish between various in-text and works cited citations, and identify the components of an MLA-formatted paper. Upon completing the escape room, students receive a score and a downloadable certificate, making it an effective resource for reinforcing citation skills in the classroom.

tag(s): citations (33), digital escapes (17)

Take your students on a citation scavenger hunt with this engaging activity designed to enhance students' research and analytical skills. In this exercise, students are challenged to locate and cite textual evidence supporting specific details about characters, plot points, or themes within a text. This interactive approach reinforces the importance of backing assertions with concrete evidence and aids in developing critical thinking and comprehension abilities. Accompanying resources, such as the Citation Hunt Printout, are provided to facilitate the activity and guide students in recording their findings.

tag(s): character education (82), critical thinking (137), plot (15), reading comprehension (152), themes (16)

The Plagiarism Game from Lycoming College's Snowden Library is an interactive online tool designed to educate students about academic integrity and proper source citation. Through engaging scenarios and quizzes, students confront "plagiarism goblins" aiming to undermine academic honesty. This game helps students understand the importance of citing sources, recognizing common knowledge, and paraphrasing correctly, thereby reinforcing essential research and writing skills.

tag(s): evaluating sources (30), plagiarism (34)

Monah offers lessons on the First People, including the Black Kettle and the Washita River Massacre, The Sterilization of Native American Women in Oklahoma, The Tonkawa People: A Retracing of Steps from Texas to Oklahoma, Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I, Quapaw Nation Food Sovereignty, and Osage Massacres and Gender Roles. Lesson plans include an introduction, materials, learning objectives, slides, quizzes, websites, primary sources, and map activities.

tag(s): native americans (116)

Facing History & Ourselves Indigenous Rights and Controversy over Hawaii's Maunakea Telescope offers a free lesson on why the Native Hawaiians opposed its construction. The lesson gives a historical context for understanding the protests against constructing the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea. The site includes two activities, a handout, articles, and videos. The lesson itself is adaptable and can be shared on Google Classroom.

tag(s): hawaii (9), native americans (116), telescopes (11)

Remini AI is a photo and video enhancement tool that uses advanced AI technology to restore old or blurry images, sharpen details, and improve resolution. The website offers a free version where you can enhance photos by watching ads, making it accessible for occasional use or small projects. This platform can be a useful resource for educational projects involving historical photos or creative presentations.
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tag(s): artificial intelligence (188), photography (131), Teacher Utilities (201)

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 (208), gamification (86), puzzles (148)

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 (123), architecture (84), black history (138), branches of government (64), civil rights (221), civil war (142), conservation (101), energy (133), engineering (137), environment (250), foreign policy (13), hispanic (46), industrialization (12), jews (52), latin (21), literature (221), middle east (50), native americans (116), nutrition (140), photography (131), politics (118), population (51), religions (113), Research (88), sports (85), statistics (120), Teacher Utilities (201), 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 (221), cultures (226), journalism (74), news (226), podcasts (118), 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 (119), 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 (188), assessment (146), classroom management (118), Formative Assessment (73), questioning (36), Teacher Utilities (201), teaching strategies (52), thinking skills (17)

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 (208), problem solving (233), puzzles (148)

View this cool tool that offers educators a suite of free tools to enhance classroom engagement through virtual escape rooms. These tools include a customizable Virtual Escape Room Timer for tracking game progress, a Random Group Generator to facilitate team assignments, a Team Name Generator to inspire creative team identities, and a Secret Agent Name Generator to add an element of intrigue to activities. Additionally, the site provides an Emoji Secret Message Maker and a Caesar Cipher Creator, enabling teachers to incorporate coded messages and puzzles into their lessons. These resources are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing curricula, fostering problem-solving skills and student collaborative learning.

tag(s): collaboration (94), digital escapes (17), game based learning (208), problem solving (233), puzzles (148)

The Getty website offers the English as a Second Language (ESL) Curriculum: Learning Language Through Art, a resource designed to help mulitlingual students build language skills while exploring art. The curriculum includes engaging lesson plans integrating visual art with vocabulary building, listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities. Lessons focus on analyzing artworks to develop descriptive language, storytelling skills, and cultural awareness. Students are encouraged to interact with art by describing visual elements, creating narratives based on artworks, and participating in group discussions. With adaptable materials and clear instructions, this curriculum supports teachers in fostering language acquisition through meaningful, creative, and culturally enriching activities.

tag(s): art history (107), cross cultural understanding (178), enrichment (13), listening (92), multilingual (78), speaking (26), stories and storytelling (63), vocabulary (241), vocabulary development (96), writing (323)

The Getty website "Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: Mythology in European Art" is designed to help explore the intersection of mythology and art with their students. This resource includes detailed lesson plans that guide students in analyzing artworks inspired by Greek, Roman, and other cultural myths. Lessons cover topics such as identifying mythological characters, interpreting stories depicted in art, and understanding the cultural significance of myths. The curriculum features engaging activities like comparing myths across cultures, creating visual representations of mythological tales, and exploring the symbolism in famous artworks. With printable resources, discussion prompts, and project ideas, this curriculum supports teachers in fostering a deeper appreciation of mythology and its influence on art.

tag(s): europe (84), greek (46), myths and legends (42), romans (52)

The Getty Education website offers extensive curricula and classroom resources designed to integrate art into various subjects. Teachers can explore ready-to-use lesson plans, activities, and multimedia content tailored for diverse grade levels and subjects, such as history, language arts, and visual arts. The resources emphasize critical thinking, creativity, and cultural understanding, featuring topics like ancient civilizations, photography, and visual storytelling. These materials align with academic standards and include educator guides, worksheets, and interactive experiences, making them an invaluable tool for enriching classroom instruction through the power of art. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): critical thinking (137), interactive stories (22), multimedia (55), photography (131), stories and storytelling (63)