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Consumer Reports News - Consumer Reports
Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites
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Teens spend a lot of money. And they influence the spending of a lot more. Marketing companies know this and pitch their products mercilessly to the teen age demographic. With ...more
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Teens spend a lot of money. And they influence the spending of a lot more. Marketing companies know this and pitch their products mercilessly to the teen age demographic. With their high need for acceptance and affiliation, teens are also very susceptible to these marketing pitches. This site, part of the well-respected Consumer Reports site, offers commentary in several areas of interest to teens: electronics, cars, money, and shopping. There are also links to news, forums, and videos. Offered without the hype, these reviews and observations may help teens cut through the marketing to learn to make intelligent consumer decisions and learn to manage their money responsibly.
tag(s): advertising (23), business (50), safety (63)
In the Classroom
Family and consumer science, business, or "Life 101" classes might ask students to research common teen purchases using this site as a resource. Similarly, economics or psychology classes might consider the impact of marketing on purchasing, and how advertisers target and influence their audience. Follow up by having students generate their own blog entry on a product comparison they do as a project.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Literary Webquest: Shakespeare's Othello - Russ McDonald
Grades
10 to 12
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This webquest grabs student interest by examining the character of Othello as a man set apart from his peers by his race. The task, process, resources, and evaluation are all ...more
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This webquest grabs student interest by examining the character of Othello as a man set apart from his peers by his race. The task, process, resources, and evaluation are all clear and provide ample fodder for interesting class discussions on homeland security, racial profiling, and societal pressure. The quest casts the student in the role of a CIA agent, a proposition most students would find attractive!
Note: the first link relating to how to write a report is not working and neither is the Horizon Magazine, but all of the other article links and MLA source links are fine.
Note: the first link relating to how to write a report is not working and neither is the Horizon Magazine, but all of the other article links and MLA source links are fine.
tag(s): othello (2), shakespeare (98)
In the Classroom
This is a great activity to meld literature and social studies or humanities-based curriculum. Students can choose different areas to search for information and this can be tailored to the students in a given class. Using the information found will spark new interpretation as students then read the play Othello. As a writing activity, have students write a blog post as one of the investigators, reflecting on what he/she has learned!Since the webquest was made, 3 of the links have ceased working, so teachers need to be sure to take the time to test all of them and find replacements if need be.
In regards to the final product, consider using a tool such as Google Docs,reviewed here, to have students digitally share the end product, vs having a stack of papers on your desk at the end of the day.
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ProProfs Quizmaker - Proprofs QuizSchool
Grades
1 to 12
16 Favorites
0 Comments
This site allows you to create and customize online quizzes. Once registered, create quizzes using the shared templates or make your own from scratch. Current templates for educators...more
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This site allows you to create and customize online quizzes. Once registered, create quizzes using the shared templates or make your own from scratch. Current templates for educators include quizzes in several subjects, including geography, math, and language arts. This site also consists of an extensive database of ready-made questions to use. Customize your quizzes by adding images, changing backgrounds, and more. Use the preview feature to review your quiz before sharing. Share quizzes with a link, use the embed code to embed onto a website, print, or share with social media links.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): quiz (62)
In the Classroom
Use this site to create online quizzes. Create a quiz as a review to share on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students take the quiz independently or in cooperative learning groups. Have students create their own quizzes to use for review or as a final project. Embed your quiz (or provide a link to it) on your class website.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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After the Deluge - Smith Magazine
Grades
6 to 12
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This issue of Smith Magazine features an online graphic novel of the events of Hurricane Katrina and its effects on New Orleans and related communities. Since there are very few ...more
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This issue of Smith Magazine features an online graphic novel of the events of Hurricane Katrina and its effects on New Orleans and related communities. Since there are very few words, it's perfect for students of all ages and English ability levels. The drawings are in chronological order and include weather pictures and before and after pictures, as well as specific events of the hurricane.
Warning: Be sure to PREVIEW each section before you show it to the class since there is some profanity in the speech of some characters.
Warning: Be sure to PREVIEW each section before you show it to the class since there is some profanity in the speech of some characters.
tag(s): graphic novels (3), hurricanes (36), novels (34)
In the Classroom
In light of the increase of hurricane activity, this is a wonderful resource to introduce this weather topic. Use it also in art class, graphic design, and with ESL and ELL students learning to tell stories. Use this site to introduce the world of graphic novels to students who are reluctant readers. Have your class make their own graphic novel about another catastrophic or historical event, either in groups or individually. Check with your administration to be sure it's OK to use this site at student computers since there are spaces for students to respond and also to submit their own work. If that's a problem, use it with your classroom computer and project the novel on the whiteboard (avoiding scenes with questionable vocabulary). Extend the lesson by having students create their own collaborative graphic account of a local history event or fictional tale in small groups.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brief Timeline of American Literature and Events - D. Campbell
Grades
8 to 12
1 Favorites
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Are you looking for a way to connect literature to cultural and historical elements? Making connections between the arts and humanities and the social atmosphere that spawns them is...more
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Are you looking for a way to connect literature to cultural and historical elements? Making connections between the arts and humanities and the social atmosphere that spawns them is invaluable and this site will help students see how it all "fits." The site offers a great interactive timeline from 1500-1920's. Clicking on a year lines up the political and social history next to the literature of the time. Beginning with the 1890's you can match literature with music and movies as well. This is a great tool for use with the whole class or as a resource for individual students.
In the Classroom
Students could use this as a starter for more specific comparisons, including specific regions or states. Use this site as an example for students to create a similar timeline for literature and art from other countries or other cultural areas, such as dance or theatre.Be sure to share the music and sounds from the time periods. Have students analyze what they think is the meaning behind the songs. What historical names do they hear? Then have students create their own songs or video clips about the literature and/or culture of that time period. Record and share the video clips on TeacherTube (explained here).
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How the President Gets Elected - Factmonster
Grades
4 to 12
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This simple seven-step users' guide is a great refresher for older students and an easy-to-understand introduction for those just learning about the election process. The site explains...more
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This simple seven-step users' guide is a great refresher for older students and an easy-to-understand introduction for those just learning about the election process. The site explains common election terminology (caucus, Electoral College, primary) and outlines requirements that must be met to vote and to run for public office. Use this guide to frame discussions and chart the progress in this year's presidential election.
tag(s): elections (87), electoral college (24), politics (124)
In the Classroom
Have your students follow this guide to create a fictitious candidate. Enhance learning by using a blog tool like Blogger, reviewed here, and challenging students to create a blog about their mock candidate. What issues are important to your students? Do any of the IRL (Internet lingo for "in real life") candidates share the same views as the students' mock candidate?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Renewable Energy Laboratory - US Department of Energy
Grades
9 to 12
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Learn about alternative technologies such as "Advanced Vehicles and Fuels," Basic Sciences," "Biomass," "Buildings," "Energy Analysis," "Geothermal," "Hydrogen and Fuel Cells," "Solar,"...more
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Learn about alternative technologies such as "Advanced Vehicles and Fuels," Basic Sciences," "Biomass," "Buildings," "Energy Analysis," "Geothermal," "Hydrogen and Fuel Cells," "Solar," and "Wind." Use the site for some great background information on alternative technologies as well as links to other information. View publications in Adobe pdf that can be downloaded for additional information. Adobe Acrobat is available at the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
tag(s): ecology (118), energy (139), environment (253)
In the Classroom
Divide the class into groups to read and decide information that should be presented in class. Use the information to make recommendations to their families, school district, or the community for future energy change. Use these discussions to determine how they can best meet energy needs of the future. In government class, ask student groups to prepare a policy statement on energy for a hypothetical political candidate.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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SchoolTube - Lightspeed Technologies
Grades
K to 12
7 Favorites
0 Comments
You can be as adventurous or not as you wish! This safe, free site lets students and teachers show off their talents by sharing their appropriate videos to be viewed ...more
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You can be as adventurous or not as you wish! This safe, free site lets students and teachers show off their talents by sharing their appropriate videos to be viewed all over America. With a simple registration, you can upload your classroom video, which then goes into a "holding" area. That video then awaits approval by the website's moderator before becoming available. Because of the layering of approval, this site poses no security concerns to students or schools. Not only can teachers and students upload videos, but administrators may also want to post welcome or informational videos to be viewed by parents and students. You may also wish to share some of these videos with your class. Teachers will find videos suitable for classroom instruction (and lesson plans). Use the search box at the top of the webpage to look for topics that relate to your current units of study. Searching the site and simply viewing the videos does not require any registration or log-in. There is a link to SchoolTube Games , as well.
In the Classroom
If you wish to upload your own SchoolTube video, you must register as a user at the site. Registration is free. Create and save your edited videos where you can find them on your computer. (Windows Movie Maker or iMovie are great, free tools for video). Then upload to SchoolTube. You can share the video via link or by embedding it in another web page. See our editor's SchooTube video here. If the teacher is the one uploading, the only potential concerns include posting videos with identifiable information or images about your students, school, or class. Check your school policies about posting pictures of your school. If you post student videos, obtain written parent permission to post student work, again within school policies. Any student visible in a video should also have parent permission in accordance with school policies. Students can use SchoolTube to share videos with sister schools, or to broadcast weekly news from their school or classroom. Students can also produce project videos on any curriculum topic. Try making "You Are There" videos about different events in history! Teachers may want to use this site to share ideas and lesson plans with other teachers across the nation. Make "how to" videos to share with parents and friends. Embed SchoolTube's video player into your school's website and encourage parents to view school news or clips from events they were not able to attend.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Remember The Milk - Remember the Milk.com
Grades
K to 12
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Your busy life needs a manager. Now you have one: RememberTheMilk.com (also known as RTM). Don't worry about missing a date; any or all of these applications or programs will ...more
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Your busy life needs a manager. Now you have one: RememberTheMilk.com (also known as RTM). Don't worry about missing a date; any or all of these applications or programs will send you a reminder. Set up a free account in minutes. Secondary students will embrace this tool to remind them of tests, assignments, or sporting events. List-making has made it to a whole new level.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (129), organizational skills (90), time (94)
In the Classroom
Read the Blog at this site to learn many cool ways to interact with your personal computer and devices using RTM. Learning support teachers and teachers of disorganized gifted students may want to "model" using such an online tool to help middle and high school students learn better personal organization. Make a demo account for a "mythical" student and organize him/her together so students can see how it works. You will need to check your school's policies and access to some messaging tools; however, some may be prohibited in your school. Learning support and gifted teachers will welcome this online tool as an engaging way for students to become better organized.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Frederick County: A Crossroads of History - The Museum of Frederick County History
Grades
4 to 12
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Heritage Frederick (formerly the Historical Society of Frederick County) is a valuable resource for teaching local, state, and national history through the lens of Frederick County,...more
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Heritage Frederick (formerly the Historical Society of Frederick County) is a valuable resource for teaching local, state, and national history through the lens of Frederick County, Maryland. The site features museum exhibits, historical archives, digital collections, research materials, walking tours, and educational programs that help students explore topics such as colonial America, the Civil War, African American history, immigration, architecture, and community development. Teachers can access historical photographs, documents, stories, and artifacts that support inquiry-based learning, primary source analysis, and place-based history instruction. The website also highlights current exhibits and digital history resources that connect the past to present-day issues and experiences.
tag(s): african american (130), architecture (83), civil rights (219), civil war (145), immigration (85), maryland (7), primary sources (133), transportation (31)
In the Classroom
Have students examine historical photographs, letters, maps, or artifacts from the digital collections. They can identify clues about daily life and make inferences about the past. Have students select an artifact from the website, imagine its history, and write a first-person narrative describing the artifact's journey through time. Have students research a historical event featured on the site and create a newspaper article or video news report using Adobe Express for Education, reviewed here. They can include key facts, interviews, and images to inform their audience.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Web Poster Wizard - 4Teachers.org
Grades
K to 12
8 Favorites
0 Comments
Use this terrific online tool for your students to create posters or short reports in a poster format. Create lessons, worksheets, or class pages and instantly publish them online using...more
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Use this terrific online tool for your students to create posters or short reports in a poster format. Create lessons, worksheets, or class pages and instantly publish them online using this free Web Poster Wizard. The teacher sets up an account (for free), and follows simple directions so students can upload images and write about their project or pictures. The site even includes management tools so you can keep separate classes of students and see their work by class.
Plan to spend some time reading through the directions and trying out this tool before you assign it to students. Teachers and students must register and login each time they use this tool. Students can share the URL for their posters with grandparents or parents to show off their good work!
Students will need to know how to locate and upload a file for an image (such as a digital picture) to place it in their poster. If you allow them to use images from the web, the tool asks them to give information on their image source, as well (hooray for ethical use of the Internet!). If you use digital pictures of students, be SURE that you do NOT use full names on the site. You should get parent permission for uploading any student images, even if anonymous.
This site includes advertising.
Plan to spend some time reading through the directions and trying out this tool before you assign it to students. Teachers and students must register and login each time they use this tool. Students can share the URL for their posters with grandparents or parents to show off their good work!
Students will need to know how to locate and upload a file for an image (such as a digital picture) to place it in their poster. If you allow them to use images from the web, the tool asks them to give information on their image source, as well (hooray for ethical use of the Internet!). If you use digital pictures of students, be SURE that you do NOT use full names on the site. You should get parent permission for uploading any student images, even if anonymous.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): posters (44)
In the Classroom
Some uses for this simple tool: book reports (take a digital photo of the book cover), biographical posters of famous people (images from the web), "all about me" posters, posters about community members such as veterans of World War II whom students interview and photograph, author posters, fictitious character studies, science posters on processes or terms with accompanying digital pictures to illustrate, etc. The possibilities are endless. Once students know the tool, they can use it over and over.Teachers, make sure you select the archive option to keep student projects live online for more than a month. Use the Teacher Feature option to create one web page of your class' archived projects. You will want to put your created web page link prominently on your class homepage.
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Pics4Learning - Tech4Learning,Inc.
Grades
2 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Pics4Learning offers free, safe images for educational use. Find pictures using the search feature or by choosing from the categories listed on the home page. Download selected images...more
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Pics4Learning offers free, safe images for educational use. Find pictures using the search feature or by choosing from the categories listed on the home page. Download selected images quickly using the included links to download to computers or Google Drive. Although it isn't required, each image also includes the citation for attributing work to the source.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative commons (28), images (267)
In the Classroom
Use images from this site with any classroom activities including research papers, blogs, and multimedia presentations. Have students create a simple infographic using images from this site using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, or Venngage,reviewed here. Include images from Pics4Learning when creating screencast explanations. Use a tool like Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Picasso - Maryland Electronic Fieldtrips - Thinkport
Grades
3 to 12
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If you are teaching your students about Picasso, visit this website for some new ideas. This site focuses on the years of 1892-1906. There are links to learn more about ...more
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If you are teaching your students about Picasso, visit this website for some new ideas. This site focuses on the years of 1892-1906. There are links to learn more about point of view, reflection, focus, and more. The site includes a timeline of Picasso's life. Teachers, be sure to visit the "for educators" link to find math, social studies, and language arts activities to coincide with teaching about this amazing artist. Several of the paintings allow you to zoom in on certain features of the painting. Be aware, at the time of this review, the forums were closed to additional comments.
tag(s): picasso (4), point of view (8)
In the Classroom
Start out at the "for educators" link for some great ideas to create an interdisciplinary lesson using Picasso in art, social studies, language arts, or math class. Use this site for research projects. In art class, use your interactive whiteboard or projector to show students an up close look at several of Picasso's paintings. Analyze and notate the paintings' composition using the whiteboard tools!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Humane Society Careers - Humane Society Youth
Grades
6 to 12
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Explore the Humane Society Career page to learn all about animal protection issues like puppy mills, fighting animal cruelty, the fur trade, factory farms, pet homelessness, cosmetics...more
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Explore the Humane Society Career page to learn all about animal protection issues like puppy mills, fighting animal cruelty, the fur trade, factory farms, pet homelessness, cosmetics animal testing, and other sensitive topics and what you can do to stop these tragedies. If you don't see your topic on this main page, type it in the search bar. This site features a FREE online webinar, printable PDF pages on HOT topics, and a podcast section cleverly titled Humane Voices. Other resouces interesting for teachers and students are from Nose to Tail, which has 5 lesson plans, a Farm Disaster Kit, and the Puppy Mills issue has a terrivic resource "7 ways to stop them." There is also an abundance of information in the category for animals, from alligators to zebras, including why they are important to our environment. Be sure to investigate the blog for current issues.
tag(s): animals (274), careers (196), service projects (17)
In the Classroom
Use this eye-opening site in many subject areas. Share the issues on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Present this site and an opposing one as part of a discussion of web sites and even or slanted presentation of information. Ask students to decide whether they see any "bias" on this site. Use this site for research projects. Show students the list of protection issues and suggest they choose one as a service project to earn credit in community service. Use the site as one of several sources for a class debate on animal rights or charge students to explore alternate points of view on animal issues, such as from the AKC or the meat industry. Then invite students to create a multimedia "position" infographic of both sides with supporting facts to share with their peers. Suggested easy infographic creation tools are Canva for Education, reviewed here, and Genially, reviewed here.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Food Fight - Tourist Pictures
Grades
9 to 12
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Food Fight is a five minute film illustrating the history of American warfare from World War II until the present. Using stop-action photography, the film uses food products emblematic...more
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Food Fight is a five minute film illustrating the history of American warfare from World War II until the present. Using stop-action photography, the film uses food products emblematic of each culture to represent the conflict. For example, the U.S. is represented by hamburgers and french fries; the Germans by pretzels and bratwurst. Quite simply, the effect is brilliant, albeit a little gross. Included is a separate "cheat sheet" revealing which countries or cultures are being represented by which food product and an overview of the conflicts portrayed.
tag(s): world war 2 (169)
In the Classroom
The film is embedded in the site as a link to YouTube, so systems that block YouTube access may not be able to access this without a work-around.While there is no real content to this site other than the film itself, it would be a great addition to a modern U.S. history course or a discussion of current world politics. However, teachers will need to set the context carefully and provide discussion questions afterwards. Watching pretzels and bratwurst mow down a line of matzo, or hamburgers flattening a hundred sushi will spark laughter; it is our responsibility to translate that into a discussion of the Holocaust or the use of atomic weapons. Younger students will just giggle, but older students, with prodding, will find the film thought provoking. You might want to use it mid-unit after mastering the basic facts of WWII so you can raise the level of discussion to a more nuanced approach.
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Plurk - Plurk
Grades
9 to 12
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Plurk is a microblogging platform for quick 140 character "plurks" about what you are doing, thinking, or mentally asking. Plurks show as a timeline along with those of your friends....more
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Plurk is a microblogging platform for quick 140 character "plurks" about what you are doing, thinking, or mentally asking. Plurks show as a timeline along with those of your friends. Comments to plurks are attached to the original and conversations are easy to track and continue. Plurk brings interconnectivity between friends and is more like a social network than a blog. Registration with an email is required and managing login and password is necessary. Instant messaging and mobile blogging options are possible. As a reminder to always view content ahead of time.
tag(s): chat (39), communication (122), microblogging (14)
In the Classroom
This site is not difficult to navigate. Left click on the timeline to drag it to earlier posts. Unread plurks and replies appear as a number beside each plurk and in the timeline. Along the top of the timeline are user controls. "My profile" contains your contact information and details. Upload a photo, customize the colors of your outline, or add a widget to your blog or site that contains your plurks. Use "My friends" to invite friends, create cliques that allow you to segregate who sees certain plurks, and blocking other users. "Alerts" contain friend requests sent to you. Click on "Interesting plurkers" to see plurks from everywhere which you can customize to gender, age, city, state, or country. Use "My account" to change privacy settings and set up instant messaging. Create your plurks below the timeline and use the dropdown to change your verb from "is" to "says," wishes," "feels," and many others. Hover over a person's picture or name to send a private plurk. Plurk messages can be edited but replies cannot. Pictures, images, and links can be added as well. Also below the timeline are tabs to see plurks from you and your friends, your plurks alone, and private plurks. View your Karma -- which increases with plurks and friends and unlocks new features. Use "Embed your Plurk widget" easily to your blog by simply entering your login information.Create a written and signed classroom policy that outlines necessary privacy settings and actions that would be considered misuse. Check these regularly and take appropriate actions to enforce rules when needed. Students need to be guided in how to safely blog and share information. Students may come across questionable content if reading through the "interesting plurkers" tab. As with all social networking sites, students need to be aware of proper ways to communicate at school and at home. Teachers should be a part of all student groups to monitor use.
Students can use Plurk to discuss group work on a project, create study groups, ask for help, or communicate with those who can mentor their class or subject they are learning. Many students will find success with sending bits of information at a time and letting the conversations evolve from there. Literature teachers may want to require students to plurk their thoughts within small groups as they read chapters or acts of longer works for homework, generating discussion and active reading. Social studies teachers could assign a similar task as students read about history. Math teachers may want to encourage "plurking" as students work on longer, more complex problems. Those writing lab reports for science class may find that plurking will help them collaborate in interpreting data. Consider setting up a regular class "plurk time" in the evening on certain nights of the week or for snow days.
Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
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Teen Safety Blueprint - Bill Belsey
Grades
2 to 12
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This portal site is loaded with links, information, and resources to use in your classroom to teach about this timely issue. Although it is a Canadian affiliated site, information applies...more
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This portal site is loaded with links, information, and resources to use in your classroom to teach about this timely issue. Although it is a Canadian affiliated site, information applies to all youth around the world. Highlights of this site include fact sheets (in PDF format), examples, warning signs, links to more resources, and others. Especially take note of the Resource tab on the top menu. Sliding down to Students find Tik ToK, Digital Dating Abuse, Cyberbullying Fact Sheet: Identification, Prevention, and Response, an several others.
tag(s): artificial intelligence (303), bullying (40), cyberbullying (44), internet safety (121)
In the Classroom
This is a great site for computer teachers (and regular education teachers using computers in their classrooms) to share with their students and parents. Please review the "What Can Be Done" section with students. Cut and paste, then laminate the rules into small posters to be hung near all computers. Create a notebook of cyberbullying facts, and include the fact sheets at this site. Be sure to share the link with parents and your PTO/PTA, as well.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Google Lit Trips - Google Earth
Grades
3 to 12
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Google Lit Trips collects annotated maps on Google Earth to illustrate the travels found in great works of literature. The site presents the work of teachers and others and continues...more
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Google Lit Trips collects annotated maps on Google Earth to illustrate the travels found in great works of literature. The site presents the work of teachers and others and continues to add maps and content. Literary works are divided by grade level. Each map also provides links to other online material related to the work illustrated, and some trips are accompanied by related podcasts.
"Lit trips" can be reviewed by users so teachers can see comments left by other users. This site uses Google Earth which must be downloaded first. Find full info on Google Earth in the TeachersFirst review, including the link to download.
"Lit trips" can be reviewed by users so teachers can see comments left by other users. This site uses Google Earth which must be downloaded first. Find full info on Google Earth in the TeachersFirst review, including the link to download.
tag(s): earth (194), literature (215), maps (224)
In the Classroom
Each "lit trip" is extensively annotated and linked to further content, making this an incredibly rich resource for teachers to use in conjunction with teaching works of literature. Students can see graphically the travels of such characters as the Joads in The Grapes of Wrath , or Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey . Using these lit trips on an interactive whiteboard or projector will greatly enhance a class study of the associated work of literature. Alternatively, students might be encouraged to explore these lit trips independently, at home, or in a computer lab, so they can follow links that are of particular individual interest. As a really ambitious project, make it a class task to create a lit trip for a work of literature you are studying, assigning student groups to choose locations and create the placemarkers, then submit it to the Lit Trips site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TeacherTube - Teacher Tube, LLC
Grades
K to 12
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Move over YouTube! Teachers now have their own place to learn and to teach: TeacherTube.com. Since this site is designed specifically for education, there is not as much concern about...more
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Move over YouTube! Teachers now have their own place to learn and to teach: TeacherTube.com. Since this site is designed specifically for education, there is not as much concern about "public" contributions and appropriateness for school! Teachers will find videos suitable for classroom instruction, such as Ben Franklin chatting with a group of students, or there are also professional videos ideal for staff training (such as Classroom Strategies for Differentiated Instruction). Search and view videos or click on the subject area that interests you, and then click on a video to view. To leave comments, save your favorites, or upload your own video, you will need to register. It's all free. Obviously, this isn't a site for students; however, there are many educational videos suitable for all subject areas that you could share with your students. If your school blocks streaming video sites, consider accessing this site and choosing videos at home, or they may not be viewable.
In the Classroom
If you are looking for a specific topic, save time and use the search option If you wish to add comments or upload your own Teachertube video, you must register as a user at the site. Create and save your edited videos where you can find them on your computer. (Windows Movie Maker or iMovie are great, free tools for video). Then upload to TeacherTube. You will also receive comments on your uploaded videos. If the teacher is the one uploading, the only potential concerns include posting videos with identifiable information or images about your students, school, or class. Check your school policies about posting pictures of your school. If you post student videos, obtain written parent permission to post student work, again within school policies. Any student visible in a video should also have parent permission in accordance with school policies. The most common classroom use would be viewing many videos that match curriculum content. Rap math, visit Anne Frank's historical locations, or view a grammar lesson--these are just a sampling of videos that you may want to use to enhance your curriculum lessons. Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to share the videos with the class. Use the site's videos as an anticipatory set to a new unit or lesson on a specific topic. Have your students create their own TeacherTube video together as a class on any lesson/topic that you are teaching. Have a contest for the best videos and upload the winners to the site (within school policies, of course). Once the class has videos hosted at TeacherTube, you can also embed them in your class bog or wiki for easy sharing with those in your extended online "community."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ben's Guide to U.S. Government - Government Printing Office
Grades
1 to 12
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Here's an introduction to American government that even the youngest students can appreciate. Divided into four grade levels, the site explains the structure and purpose of American...more
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Here's an introduction to American government that even the youngest students can appreciate. Divided into four grade levels, the site explains the structure and purpose of American government in age-appropriate terms for everyone from Kindergarteners to high school students. For example, there are four interactive games for your primary students (grades k-2)that make learning about our government fun. Have students learn states' locations by placing them on the map. Color the USA flag, help Ben Franklin out of a maze, or find your way around the liberty bell. There are also age-specific activities divided into grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
tag(s): constitution (105), franklin (12), states (128)
In the Classroom
With younger grades, use an interactive whiteboard or projector to learn the states' locations with the entire group. This simple site would be great to use in your computer center for individual learning or for some indoor recess enrichment fun. Secondary teachers looking for more than the basics will want to supplement this site with other resources. There is a link for parents and teachers, be sure to take a look!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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