3451 science results | sort by:
return to subject listing
Earth & Space Science Resources - Kids Astronomy - kidsknowitnetwork
Grades
2 to 10
1 Favorites
0 Comments
This site provides answers to many questions about the solar system, including information about planets, constellations, deep space, space exploration, and the universe. Click on any...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
This site provides answers to many questions about the solar system, including information about planets, constellations, deep space, space exploration, and the universe. Click on any category to begin an in-depth explanation that goes several levels deeper. The site also includes an astronomy dictionary and links to news about space related topics.
tag(s): earth (192), planets (124), solar system (125), space (249)
In the Classroom
This site contains in-depth portions on planets and space exploration. Refer students to this when natural events like eclipses and comets are occurring. Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects or as a major resource for your astronomy unit. Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to create an anticipatory set for a new lesson. Once this site is introduced, set up a science learning station for students to explore assigned areas of the site on individual computers.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Spore Creature Creator - Electronic Arts, Inc.
Grades
2 to 12
7 Favorites
0 Comments
Use Creature Creator to make interesting and imaginative animals. Your students may recognize it as a tool for making characters for the Spore video game, but it is actually a ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Use Creature Creator to make interesting and imaginative animals. Your students may recognize it as a tool for making characters for the Spore video game, but it is actually a useful tool for learning, as well. Use a pre-made creature or create your own custom creature. Add carnivore features to your creation that include mouths, ears, eyes, arms, hands, feet, and legs. Weapons such as horns, spikes, and clubs can also be added to the creature as well as wings. Change the position of the features and alter them through unbelievable joint changes which then alter how your creature walks and moves. Paint your creation when done and place it in its woodland environment. The creature can walk, show emotion, have offspring, and make sounds. Use the software to take a picture, record a movie, and make an avatar. By adding a description and tags, your creation can be uploaded to the spore website or to a You Tube account. Here is the first Spore tutorial , which is hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, it may not be viewable.
Creature Creator is a free download but is a limited version of the original purchased program. The purchased program provides many more choices for the features and environments used to make the creatures. The download is available for both PC and Mac.
Creature Creator is a free download but is a limited version of the original purchased program. The purchased program provides many more choices for the features and environments used to make the creatures. The download is available for both PC and Mac.
tag(s): adaptations (19), animals (279), animation (62), classification (20)
In the Classroom
User needs to be able to download and install the free program. Easy to use interface. Start with a blob, which you manipulate into a shape, pulling its spinal cord in any direction with the mouse, before adding a head, limbs and various optional extra body parts. Choose your part by using the onscreen catalog. Manipulate it further by changing the position of joints or through adding or deleting segments. Add a background and move your creature by dragging your mouse for it to follow. Continue to alter your creature to get the movement or features needed.Pressing "H" brings up the spore guide which includes topic categories such as "Welcome to Spore," "Getting Started," "Build Mode," "Test Drive," and "Paint Mode."
Check your district policy on downloading and installing of programs. Check with your IT department. Teachers who must request software installation by tech staff may want to try this tool at home and create some sample projects to convince administration of its educational value.
Uploading pictures and videos of creations to You Tube or the spore site may expose students to advertising as well as inappropriately created creatures. You may want to send students directly to URLs for their own projects, maintain the creatures on the classroom computer itself, or use Teacher Tube to upload the creations. Uploading creatures enables outsider comments without teacher control. Outsiders can interact or mark the creations as favorites. Many school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety or establish specific written class rules and consequences for interacting with outsiders. Student work can be saved as a picture and printed, as well, for sharing and showing. Check your school policies on whether student work may be displayed online and what information is permitted, then enforce that policy with your students.
The tool does not show which work is attributable to each student. You may want to require student initials on projects in order to get credit.
Use Creature creator to create an unusual creature as a class project. Create a classification system of all the class creatures to demonstrate biology classification skills. When discussing the groupings in the Animal Kingdom, use Creature Creator to create a new organism for that group. Use the tool to create a class creature with adaptations to a specific environment. Have students create a creature and then write a story or poem about it and how it lives. Have students create a creature as a self-portrait of personality or other traits the students possess. Students can design and draw habitats that would house their creation including the calculation of the volume and area the housing would require. Use a classroom projector or white board to share/create creatures in class and discuss specific features of the creatures.
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Olympics Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Winter or summer, the Olympics provide teaching opportunities across the curriculum for students of all ages. Browse these options for curriculum connections to light the Olympic flame...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Winter or summer, the Olympics provide teaching opportunities across the curriculum for students of all ages. Browse these options for curriculum connections to light the Olympic flame in your classroom.
In the Classroom
Use these Olympics resources to plan an entire unit during the Olympics or make them available as links from your teacher web page for enrichment if the Olympics fall during school breaks. Not enough time for an Olympics unit? Perhaps students can use these links to generate ideas and projects to share on an Olympics extra credit wiki. Teachers of gifted will find many ways to spark new projects usig these links.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
bubbl.us - Kirill Edelman and Levon Amelyan
Grades
K to 12
15 Favorites
1 Comments
This simple and free online tool allows you to brainstorm ideas and create concept maps with no special software! Bubble.us offers several highly interactive features: saving your mind...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
This simple and free online tool allows you to brainstorm ideas and create concept maps with no special software! Bubble.us offers several highly interactive features: saving your mind map as an image, sharing (emailing) your work with a friend, printing your organizer, creating colorful mind map organizers, embedding your work on a website or blog, and collaborating with friends. You can "play" on this site without registering; however, registration is required to save, embed, email, and use other features. NOTE: The free version only allows you to SAVE three maps, so you will want to save your completed maps as images, then delete them from your membership to make room for more freebies.
tag(s): brainstorming (19), graphic organizers (58), mind map (33), noregistration (74)
In the Classroom
Click "Start Here" to type the subject of your concept map. Hitting your Enter key creates a new level (branch) within the map. Tab creates an additional branch on the same level as the current topic. Experiment with the small icons on each "element" to change colors, drag, make new connections, etc. Save and set sharing (read-only or open access) in the area at the right. You can "send" a read-only link via email or copy the embed code from the Menu at lower right), but you cannot find the URL directly from your map. "Send" it to yourself via email to copy the actual URL.There are countless possibilities at this mental mapping site. Demonstrate the tool on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and then allow students to try to create their own graphic organizers. Use this site for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics of study. Use this site to create family trees. Have students collaborate together (online) to create group mind maps or review charts before tests on a given subject. Have students organize color-code concepts to show what they understand, wonder, question; map out a story, plotline, or LIFETIME; map out a step-by-step process (life cycle); map a real historical event as a choose-your-own-adventure with alternate endings(?) based on pivotal points; plan a "tour" for a "thought museum." Use this mapping website as an alternative to a traditional test, quiz, or homework assignment in literature or social studies: have students demonstrate their understanding by completing a graphic organizer about the main points. To minimize the number of maps on a free account, have students screenshot or print their results to turn them in. See more ideas in the linked example above!
Comments
david, TX, Grades: 9 - 12
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Map Collections Home Page - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
The Library of Congress offers this searchable database of historical maps, which includes a large collection of city maps, maps of military battles and campaigns, maps related to transportation...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
The Library of Congress offers this searchable database of historical maps, which includes a large collection of city maps, maps of military battles and campaigns, maps related to transportation and communication, and maps focused on exploration and discovery. Within each category, you can search geographically or by time period. Each map accessed can be navigated using a zoom feature for better viewing. Maps cover a wide range of national and international subjects.
tag(s): battles (18), environment (249), maps (221), transportation (31)
In the Classroom
Teachers with interactive whiteboards or projectors will find these maps a natural companion to lessons involving history, geography, and cultural changes. Sometimes seeing a map drawn at the same time as the event under discussion can lend a whole new understanding of the culture of the people being studied. It's far more dramatic to imagine sailing into the unknown on a voyage of discovery while you look at the only maps available to those aboard.Be sure to have students use the whiteboard tools to draw in their own "corrections" or annotations showing the movement of people or strategies used in battles. Since these resources are in the public domain, you are allowed to copy them into your whiteboard software and keep the student annotations atop the maps, as well. The maps also make good visuals for "mock" blog entries by historical figures!
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Google Mars - Google
Grades
1 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Experience past missions to Mars, including landings of probes and pictures collected in the missions. Choose layers based upon elevations of the Mars surface, infrared imaging, and...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Experience past missions to Mars, including landings of probes and pictures collected in the missions. Choose layers based upon elevations of the Mars surface, infrared imaging, and visible pictures. Click on points of landings to learn about the past missions. Search the structures of the surface of Mars: mountains, canyons, dunes, plains, ridges, and craters. Search through regions, spacecraft, and stories.
tag(s): mars (25), plants (142), solar system (125)
In the Classroom
This is a great site to share on a projector or interactive whiteboard, especially if your school's limited bandwidth prevents you from having multiple computers using it at once. As the new Mars probe generates scientific data, view the past failed and successful Mars missions in detail. Compare landforms and elevations between Mars and the Earth. Use the mission dates and data to create a time line of space explorations. Even young ones can "see" Mars and write space stories imagining visits to another planet.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Google Moon - Google
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Use Google Moon to explore the Apollo moon landings. Explore the lunar maps and charts from past missions that include visible images and lunar terrain maps that show elevations. Find...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Use Google Moon to explore the Apollo moon landings. Explore the lunar maps and charts from past missions that include visible images and lunar terrain maps that show elevations. Find the placemarks of the Apollo landings that include stories, quotes, images, panoramas, audio clips, and links to videos of past mission adventures on the moon. Click on a landing mission to access the many placemarks in each mission.
tag(s): moon (87), solar system (125), space (249)
In the Classroom
Google Moon is a great way to show what we understand about the moon even though it has been decades since the last moon missions. Even younger students can share the experience on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Discussions of changing technologies and advancements in space missions can easily occur following viewing of the missions. Students can create a time line using conventional or multimedia resources to show the different Apollo missions. Google Moon can be used in history classes as well as literature classes by creating or reading poems and stories about the Moon. Students can generate art and writing to showcase information learned.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
There is nothing twicky about a wiki. Learn about this online collaboration tool: what a wiki is, how you might use it in your classroom, how to explain it to ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
There is nothing twicky about a wiki. Learn about this online collaboration tool: what a wiki is, how you might use it in your classroom, how to explain it to parents and administration, and how to get started. There are over 50 examples of activities you can do with a wiki and links to a free tool to get started. A fresh revision of the Walk-Through in 2008 includes comparison reviews of the top three wiki tools for education. We even give you the downloadable handout to send home.
tag(s): wikis (15)
In the Classroom
This is listed as a TeachersFirst "edge" entry, but our step-by-step walk-through takes the edge off and makes your wiki a walk in the park. Check it out now, while there is still FREE classroom wiki space available from the three wiki tools we review in detail.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
CEOP Education - Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
CEOP Education provides a wide range of free online safety resources for children, teens, teachers, and families. The site features age-appropriate activities, videos, games, and interactive...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
CEOP Education provides a wide range of free online safety resources for children, teens, teachers, and families. The site features age-appropriate activities, videos, games, and interactive lessons that help students learn about topics such as online privacy, cyberbullying, digital relationships, social media safety, gaming, and recognizing online risks. Resources are organized by age group, making it easy for educators to find materials suited to their students' developmental levels. Teachers can access lesson plans, classroom activities, assemblies, and discussion guides that support digital citizenship and online safety instruction. Parents and caregivers will also find helpful resources for starting conversations about safe and responsible technology use at home.
tag(s): chat (41), internet safety (121), safety (63)
In the Classroom
Click on Parent and Teachers resources to access lesson plans and resources that teach alongside the Cyber Cafe. You must register to access these, but it is painless. Interact with the content of this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector with your entire class to generate a class discussion on this important topic.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
American Airlines: CR Smith Museum - learningbox.com
Grades
4 to 10
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Use this site to learn about Cyrus Rowlett Smith, a pioneer aviator and patriarch of American Airlines. See this website, ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Use this site to learn about Cyrus Rowlett Smith, a pioneer aviator and patriarch of American Airlines. See this website, here, that offers a simple timeline of his life and accomplishments. The time line stretches from 1899 - 1990. There are graphics, historical and scientific information, information about World War II, and biographic information about C. R. Smith. The site and timeline are very simple to use and offer some little known information.
tag(s): air (28), aviation (51), world war 2 (168)
In the Classroom
Use this website as a resource for a research project about inventors. Share the timeline on an interactive whiteboard or projector during a unit about inventors, engineers, or aviation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles - Alexander Bogomolny
Grades
3 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Although we don't usually highlight a site thatis just a list, this one is worth mentioning. There are literally hundreds of math activities at this site (all Java applets). The ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Although we don't usually highlight a site thatis just a list, this one is worth mentioning. There are literally hundreds of math activities at this site (all Java applets). The activities are divided up into the following categories: Arithmetic, Math Games & Puzzles, Logic, Fractals & Chaos, Fallacies, Calculus, Combinatorial Games, Algebra, Visual Illusions, Computer Math Magic, Combinatorics, Geometry, Eye Opener Series, Social Science, Mathematical Droodles, and Analog Devices. Each category includes numerous interactive activities. The site is frequently updated. There are some small advertisements at the site. This site is simple to use and offers a wealth of options for students of all grade levels. The activities are not time-consuming and provide simple explanations with the applets.
tag(s): angles (52), logic (165), money (112), puzzles (167)
In the Classroom
Use these applets on an interactive whiteboard or projector as an anticipatory set for a math lesson. Have students work independently on the logic and puzzle activities. These activities are ideal for gifted students (for advancement and/or enrichment) or extra practice for struggling students. Provide this link on your class website, so students can explore at home or as a review.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
ecology center - Ecology Center
Grades
5 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Find information about building a sustainable environment for the future of your community. Though this site is geared for the east bay area in California, many of the tips and ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Find information about building a sustainable environment for the future of your community. Though this site is geared for the east bay area in California, many of the tips and fact sheets are helpful in any area of the world. Get articles and fact sheets (PDF) about plastics, climate change, recipes for healty living, seed saving, and more. Type Lesson Plans in the Search box to find 16 lesson plans on a variety of topics from How to Grow a School Garden, to Global Oneness Project. For those who have used the Terrain lesson plans the site says they will be archived and available soon. Until then, type Terrain into the search, the second entry will take you to their blog about terrain.
Notes: Links on the site ask for donations to the organization and suggest places to volunteer. A store link is also included. This site is best suited for teachers, as it contains lesson plans. Links to articles can be provided directly from your class web page.
This site includes advertising.
Notes: Links on the site ask for donations to the organization and suggest places to volunteer. A store link is also included. This site is best suited for teachers, as it contains lesson plans. Links to articles can be provided directly from your class web page.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): consumers (16), earth (192), earth day (61), ecology (116), molecules (43), Project Based Learning (28)
In the Classroom
Use the information on the site to enhance lessons on sustainable topics. The background information is extensive and easy to follow. The following idea would work perfectly for a project based learning unit: Form students into small groups, based on their interest, for learning about one of the sustainable concepts. Students can create a multimedia presentation of their concept in order to improve awareness for others in the community. Great tools for creating a multimedia project are Venngage, an infographic tool, reviewed here, Padlet, a poster tool, reviewed here. Use these in conjunction with Earth Day to create local change.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Teachers' Guide: internet Field Trips - Scholastic, Inc.
Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
This is a great site for teachers with limited experience working with students on the internet. It simply walks teachers through the step of taking an "internet field trip" with ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
This is a great site for teachers with limited experience working with students on the internet. It simply walks teachers through the step of taking an "internet field trip" with students, advising on the best way to set one up, giving tips for evaluating the site, and sharing it with students.
tag(s): field trips (6), virtual field trips (142)
In the Classroom
This is a good practice site for working with students, particularly younger ones; and it advises you on how to accommodate the different skill levels students have with the Internet.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Test Maker - Help Teaching
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Test Designer allows teachers to quickly and easily create multiple-choice, true or false, fill-in-the-blank, and open-ended questions for tests and worksheets. Browse through thousands...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Test Designer allows teachers to quickly and easily create multiple-choice, true or false, fill-in-the-blank, and open-ended questions for tests and worksheets. Browse through thousands of previously-created tests in subject areas such as Algebra, Earth Science, Geography, U.S. History, and Vocabulary. Test Designer also provides simple graphics that can easily be added. Teachers can e-mail tests and worksheets to students, teachers, and parents. Make sure to allow plenty of time to read directions and maneuver the site prior to creating tests. There are some minor unobtrusive advertisements at this site. The required membership is free!
tag(s): quiz (64), quizzes (89), vocabulary (254)
In the Classroom
Use this website to create personalized quizzes and tests for your students. You could also ask students to design their own tests for each other to review using your teacher log-in or appoint a student "quizmaker" each week for the content your class has covered, making this an assignment that each student does once per semester.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Seashell Identification Guide - Seashells.com
Grades
2 to 10
5 Favorites
0 Comments
If students ever wonder exactly what seashells they managed to collect at the beach last summer, this is the site to use. Clear photos click to an even larger and ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
If students ever wonder exactly what seashells they managed to collect at the beach last summer, this is the site to use. Clear photos click to an even larger and distinct picture of many varieties. Along with the larger picture are the common name, scientific name, region found, and maximum size. Links on the page include more information about identifying shells, cleaning, preserving, and using as decorations.
In the Classroom
Use this site as a kick-off when students return to write their "What I Did on my Summer Vacation" papers. If you're teaching research skills, this site is a good place to start, since it is highly visual but definitive. ESL and ELL students can independently use this site since the vocabulary is limited to names, regions, and sizes. Biology teachers can use this site as a reference when teaching about classification.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
AstroViewer - Dirk Matussek
Grades
3 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
AstroViewer is an interactive night sky map that allows you to pinpoint constellations and planets. The online interactive sky map is free. You can also download the trial version of...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
AstroViewer is an interactive night sky map that allows you to pinpoint constellations and planets. The online interactive sky map is free. You can also download the trial version of the sky map for free or purchase the license key to unlock a full download. The free online sky map uses controls for time of night, month, or year, or position on the globe to easily find objects in the night sky. A 3-dimensional view of the night sky provides details even for beginners of Astronomy to find stars, constellations, and planets. View constellations see from other parts of the globe. Forecast constellations that will be seen months from now or those from past months. The frequently asked questions answer the most common questions when using sky maps or looking at celestial objects. Download a PDF manual for using AstroViewer. Other functions available include a mini-night sky button or night sky view that can be added to your existing class website. The site requires Java.
tag(s): planets (124), solar system (125), stars (80)
In the Classroom
Use an interactive whiteboard or projection screen to share this interactive "sky map" with your class. Identify the changes in constellation location through the months of the year. Track motions of planets across the sky as well as the differences between Southern and Northern Hemispheres. Use these in a presentation about the mythology or significance behind constellation names. Or turn down the lights and use the "night sky" as a writing prompt during a poetry unit.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Footprints Science - Footprints Science
Grades
4 to 12
10 Favorites
0 Comments
Footprints Science consists of simulations and interactives on many key concepts that are difficult to visualize and understand in Science. The site offers purchase of different modules...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Footprints Science consists of simulations and interactives on many key concepts that are difficult to visualize and understand in Science. The site offers purchase of different modules or the complete collection. Samples, however, are free to use. Biology samples include "DNA drag and drop," "Kidney animation," "Fertilisation animation," and "Breathing animation." Chemistry samples include "Periodic Table interactive activity," "States of matter animation," and "Atomic structure activity."Physics samples include "Forces animation," "Power Station animation," and "Phases of Moon animation." Coursework includes "Variables," "Planning," "Graph," and "Line of best fit." More animations and interactives for each subject are available. The items are designed to be used with instruction to make the concepts more engaging. Interactives use drag and drop labeling with immediate feedback and allow pausing to stop the animation. Quizzes and games are also available. Graphics are very well done and easy to see, making difficult concepts much easier to understand. Interactives can be viewed as a large screen.
tag(s): charts and graphs (181), dna (52), forces (48), matter (52), moon (87), periodic table (47), variables (21)
In the Classroom
The resource is an exciting add-on to teacher lessons and exceptional when used on an interactive whiteboard or projector. The samples can be used as a pre-lesson for students to obtain the general gist of the concept and brainstorm key points that they recognize from the simulation or interactive. Teachers can then use the student insights to discuss the content being presented and piece together the information. Teachers can also use the samples after original discussion of the content to reinforce material that students should learn and offer a visual representation of the topic. The simulation can also be used as reinforcement. Students can watch the simulation and then "explain the experiment" by putting the concept into their own words to demonstrate understanding.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
The Biography Maker - Jamie McKenzie and the Bellingham Public Schools.
Grades
4 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Writing biographies is a staple of English and history classes. This site takes students through the process in a way that will make reading them more palatable. It will also ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
Writing biographies is a staple of English and history classes. This site takes students through the process in a way that will make reading them more palatable. It will also help students delve deeper into a person's life , making it memorable for them. Divided into four groups (Questioning, Learning, Synthesis, and Storytelling), it helps students understand how to take facts and apply them to a real live person. It wraps up with the six effective traits of writing, reminding students that biography writing shouldn't just be a recitation of facts. The "learning" section does link students to Yahoo encyclopedias and Google (with search hints included), so be aware of that feature. This site serves as a guide for writing a biography of anyone (including students themselves).
tag(s): questioning (37), writing (308)
In the Classroom
All material at this site is copyrighted, so it must be viewed online. For students who do best with step-by-step instructions, this site is a gem! You might have one group research authors from a particular country while others do artists, musicians, scientists, etc. A class report from each of these groups would do a good job of encapsulating a country or area of the world within any given time period. Teachers seeking independent projects for students who "test out" of a unit can assign this site's step-by-step instructions as a meaningful alternate activity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Hunkin's Experiments - Tim Hunkin and Shane Frazer
Grades
3 to 8
0 Favorites
0 Comments
This website, created by cartoonists, offers countless experiments (written in the form of cartoons). There are over ten experiment categories including Food Experiments, Mathematical...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
This website, created by cartoonists, offers countless experiments (written in the form of cartoons). There are over ten experiment categories including Food Experiments, Mathematical Experiments, Biological Experiments, Electrical Experiments, Experiments in the Office, Sound Experiments, Hobbies Experiments, Science Experiments, Clothes Experiments, Experiments with Light, Experiments with Objects, Experiments with Materials, & Miscellaneous Experiments . Some specific examples include "How to make a Moebius band and how to double the length of a Moebius band," "How to make your tongue into a battery," "How to test an electric fence," and many others. This is not an interactive website, but does offer some very creative ideas for experiments.
tag(s): electricity (63), experiments (68), light (61), sound (74)
In the Classroom
Take a look at this site and determine some experiments that correlate with your curriculum. Then set up a computer learning station based on the topic. Provide a list of experiments for your students to try at the learning center. Most cartoon experiments require very simple supplies (if any). Have students groups create a wiki page explaining why their assigned experiment works and the underlying principles. You will have an instant student-generated "text."Share this link on your class website for some at-home experimentation.
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
The Wilderness Classroom - The Wilderness Classroom Organization
Grades
3 to 8
2 Favorites
0 Comments
The Wilderness Classroom Organization brings educational adventures into the classroom through on-line expeditions. Students can follow expeditions through the Amazon, Peru, Bahamas,...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:
The Wilderness Classroom Organization brings educational adventures into the classroom through on-line expeditions. Students can follow expeditions through the Amazon, Peru, Bahamas, and even dog sledding through Manitoba. The site provides archived experiences along with photos, expedition maps and notes from the trail. There are lesson plans, printable pages, standards, podcasts, and more.
tag(s): amazon (11), mississippi (5), peru (6)
In the Classroom
Use the downloadable lesson plans, printable pages, standards, and kid libraries to organize the unit in conjunction with the expedition. Follow upcoming expeditions in real time live in the classroom. Project the expeditions on an interactive whiteboard or screen. Allow students to participate in scheduled live chat sessions with the expedition members or e-mail them personally, using a class email account or student email within school policies.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Rating (click star to set rating):
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Close comment form