4404 social-studies results | sort by:
Maya Angelou - Learning for Justice
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): bias (33), charactered (86), identity (38), poetry (196), racism (80)
In the Classroom
Include this during character education lessons about racism, bias, and identity. You may first want to use parts of Discovering My Identity Lesson Plan, reviewed here, and then follow the procedures suggested for this lesson, including the Imagery PDF offered.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Parlay Genie - Parlay
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (297), Teacher Utilities (212), teaching strategies (68)
In the Classroom
Use Parlay Genie to quickly generate discussion questions for whole-class or groups for any topic. Easily differentiate questions for different groups of students by developing questions for different grade levels to match student abilities. If you are not sharing discussions through Parlay, use many digital resources to share questions and gather information from students. For example, engage students in the discussion activity by asking them to share a short response using Vevox, reviewed here. Use the students' responses to generate a word cloud in Vevox to highlight common responses. Then ask students to work in groups that explore the initial responses more in-depth to extend understanding. Have each group work on a collaborative document such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. As a final project, have student groups share their responses, including additional media resources, by creating a slide presentation with Google Slides, reviewed here, or Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OK2Ask: Building Background Knowledge with Reading Treks - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12Revolutionize literature instruction with Reading Treks--interactive maps that chronicle characters' journeys while building critical background knowledge and cultural connections. Whether you're working with limited resources or seeking to make literature more accessible to all students, Reading Treks offer a powerful way to contextualize stories, connect learning to real-world geography and cultures, and provide visual supports that enhance comprehension for every learner. In this workshop, we'll explore proven instructional strategies for integrating ready-made Reading Treks into your classroom to support multilingual learners and strengthen family engagement--perfect for immediate classroom application. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Implement Reading Treks to build background knowledge and support diverse learners. 2. Use existing Reading Treks to design differentiated lessons for varied student needs. 3. Create family engagement opportunities that bridge home and school learning. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.
tag(s): OK2Askarchive (87), professional development (318), reading strategies (93)
In the Classroom
The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Once registered, find additional reference materials, tutorials, and how-to information to help you review or extend your knowledge from the session in the handout posted on the session landing page. Resources may include additional ideas and examples on integrating the tools and strategies shared in classroom instruction. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Be MediaWise - Lessons to Teach Media Literacy - PBS Learning Media
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (179), media literacy (122), social media (61)
In the Classroom
Teach your middle and high school students how to critically evaluate information with each video's downloadable lesson plans, handouts, and slide decks. Lessons include evaluating actual posts on social media, video, and news sites. Create deeper understanding and extend learning by having your students create "social media" posts using tools such as Canva for Education, reviewed here, or Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, then, evaluate classmates' work.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The U.S. and the Holocaust - PBS Learning Media
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): 1900s (83), 1930s (40), 1940s (70), europe (82), germany (25), holocaust (42), primary sources (128), world war 2 (169)
In the Classroom
Engage students in learning about the many different stories behind the Holocaust by including materials found on the PBS site within your lessons. Enhance learning by asking students to work in small groups to analyze primary source documents related to the U.S. response to the Holocaust. For example, share The Timeline of the Holocaust at Teaching With Testimony, reviewed here as a resource for understanding the timeline of events that features many primary source images. Extend student understanding and reflection of the Holocaust through a debate activity. Divide the class into two groups and have them debate whether the U.S. should have done more to help Jews during the Holocaust. Encourage students to research and prepare arguments and provide opportunities for both groups to present their cases and respond to each other. Create and edit videos using an online tool such as FlexClip, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Civics Renewal Network - The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the Univ of Pennsylvania
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): branches of government (64), civics (128), constitution (101), democracy (28), elections (85), electoral college (22), media literacy (122), politics (124), supreme court (30)
In the Classroom
Include the Civics Renewal Network with your other resources for teaching civics content. Include activities on this site as part of self-guided lessons created using Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here, or add to classroom lessons created with NearPod, reviewed here. Extend student learning by asking them to become creators using a digital storytelling tool such as Elementari, reviewed here. Elementari includes features that bring students' stories to life, such as animations, font choices, and drag-and-drop text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zencastr - Zencastr
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Engage students in upcoming lessons by creating and sharing short podcasts as a preview for books to read or about historical characters featured in an upcoming unit. Use Zencastr to create videos for flipped or blended learning lessons. Enhance learning by asking students to create podcasts to share their learning and understanding of topics in a new way. For example, instead of writing a report about George Washington, ask students to create a multi-episode podcast that features important events in his life. Share student and teacher-created podcasts on your class website. Find several free and easy web page makers on TeachersFirst Edge.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Pinecast - Pinecast
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use Pinecast in a variety of ways in your classroom. First, let students become familiar with how to create audio files by practicing creating and sharing voice recordings of read-alouds. Then, as students become familiar with this tool, use it as a simple tool for uploading and sharing audio productions. For example, ask students to use Pinecast to record interviews with parents or other family members. For example, when studying immigration, ask students to record the story of a family member who immigrated to the U.S. Include student-created podcasts as a link within larger multimedia projects such as those created using Sway, reviewed here, or within an interactive map project made with Google My Maps, reviewed here.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Timeline Infographic Templates - Venngage
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): graphic design (49), images (266), timelines (60)
In the Classroom
Use timelines for various classroom activities beyond just sequences of dates and times. For example, engage students in retelling stories by asking them to create timelines that share the series of events or locations found within a novel. Ask students to create a timeline of the growth of plants or step-by-step procedures of a lab experiment. Extend learning by including student-created timelines as part of multimedia presentations shared by creating websites using Carrd, reviewed here, or video presentations made with Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Castbox Creator Studio - Castbox
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): communication (122), DAT device agnostic tool (129), digital storytelling (167), podcasts (159)
In the Classroom
Castbox is an excellent podcast-sharing option for simple podcasts or when sharing audio recordings that have already been edited, for example, using editing tools on your computer. Create regular or special podcasts to share on your class web page or wiki. Are you looking for even more ideas? Record class assignments or directions. Record story time or a reading excerpt for younger ones to listen to at a computer center AND from home, adding a touch of blended learning to your classroom! Have readers (perhaps older buddies) enhance their understanding and build fluency by recording selected passages for your non-readers. Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth-graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Challenge students to create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events. Make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News," encourage and extend learning, and have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!). Invite students to write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings. World language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages. Allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Challenge your Shakespeare students to record a soliloquy. Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person. If you have gifted students who lean toward the dramatic, this tool is simple enough for them to create dramatic mini-casts without needing any additional tools.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Poll Maker - Super Survey
Grades
K to 12tag(s): data (212), Formative Assessment (47), polls and surveys (43), questioning (37), quizzes (91)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this handy site for many different classroom uses. Engage students when introducing a new topic by creating a poll to assess learning quickly or find students' interest in a topic. Use a poll as an exit ticket or as a formative assessment. Enhance learning by adding a link to a poll as part of a blended or flipped learning activity. For example, when delivering a flipped learning lesson using Microsoft Forms, reviewed here, include a link to a poll that asks students to reflect upon their understanding of the content learned. Extend learning by sharing the Poll Maker with students and asking them to conduct polls to gather information when learning about graphing. After completing the polls, students create graphs to share the results using online graphing resources such as the Data Gif Maker, reviewed here, or PieColor, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Online OCR word recognition - Geekersoft
Grades
K to 12tag(s): conversions (38), images (266), noregistration (75), worksheets (70)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this conversion tool for many classroom needs. Convert worksheets saved as PDFs to Word documents to edit and easily make changes. For example, many student worksheets available with textbooks are in PDF format. PDF files are the most common document type available; take advantage of this conversion site to extract information and explore different scenarios using the original formulas. Science teachers can take lab activities and refine questions or add instructions as needed for their classroom. Save student grades in a PDF document and then convert it to Excel to understand individual assignments' impact on the overall grade.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Curipod - Curipod AS
Grades
K to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (297), assessment (144), blended learning (29), differentiation (92), Online Learning (34), remote learning (32), slides (38), social and emotional learning (196), Teacher Utilities (212), teaching strategies (68)
In the Classroom
Use Curipod as a starting point for creating lessons and student activities, then modify the content to fit your curriculum and students' abilities and needs. The Brain Break activities are an excellent starting point for using Curipod in your classroom. Select an activity from the Brain Break options, then choose a grade level and follow the prompts to share a short mental break with your students. Copy and paste standards when creating a lesson as a starting point to add content for the lesson. When using any AI technology, verify the information provided is accurate before sharing it with students. Use Curripod as a flipped or blended learning activity, share the join code with students, and ask them to complete the activities within a designated period before reviewing together as a class. Easily modify any template to differentiate instruction for different groups of students. For example, when introducing decimals, provide a basic introduction with vocabulary and instructional content to one group of students but add more challenging content, such as adding decimals for students already familiar with this topic. Coordinate with other teachers to create cross-curricular activities or when planning units together.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Geekersoft Free Online Image Compressor - Geekersoft
Grades
K to 12tag(s): conversions (38), editing (89), images (266)
In the Classroom
Use this site to make it easier to work with large image files or large quantities of images. Compress images for use on web pages to enable the pages to load more smoothly. Use when emailing photos for easier viewing. Saving smaller image files allows you to use storage space on devices and online sites more efficiently. Share this site with students working on collaborative multimedia projects as an excellent resource for efficiently sharing images to use on presentations; for example, when building websites using Site123, reviewed here, or other webpage creators.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Rumie - Byte Learning - The Rumie Initiative
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): noregistration (75), Online Learning (34), tutorials (50)
In the Classroom
Share Rumie with students as a resource for learning about topics and content not offered as part of your school's curriculum or as a supplement to current lessons. For example, Rumie offers many bytes discussing basic computer skills, such as how to save a JPEG file as a PDF and choose the right font for a project. In addition, create collections of helpful bytes to share with students on topics such as how to explore career options and problem-solving strategies or learn to code for free.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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25 Best Parks in the United States - Anna Smith, HTownBest
Grades
K to 12tag(s): geology (61), national parks (28), states (128)
In the Classroom
Share this article to engage students as they learn about the states and geographic features of the United States. Start with either the descriptions in the article or the interactive map as an introduction to your unit. Using the interactive map, take students on a virtual trip around the country by visiting the links shared to the national parks. If using the descriptions, use Google Earth, reviewed here, to locate each park. Many of the parks offer virtual tours provided by Google Earth. After introducing students to the parks, ask students to choose a national park that interests them as a starting point for a research project. Share resources with students on a curation tool such as Padlet, reviewed here. As students gather information, ask them to use Ideaboardz, reviewed here, to organize information. For example, have students create three sections on their Ideaboardz to organize information by animals, plants, and geography facts about the location. Extend learning by asking students to become national park project creators and share information from their research. Offer various multimedia options for student presentations, such as creating an interactive image using Genially, reviewed here, or video presentation created with Clipchamp, reviewed here. Once students' national parks projects are completed, use Google My Maps, reviewed here, to create a virtual class visit to the featured parks.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Exploring Chronicling America Newspapers - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (85), 1900s (83), journalism (74), news (224), newspapers (88), primary sources (128)
In the Classroom
Use this map to find historical primary source information by location for various classroom uses. Use the data to supplement your current curriculum; for example, see articles from different sites that discuss Civil War events to engage students in understanding and learning about varying perspectives of life during that period. Ask students to use images (including proper use of copyright) and annotate information to explain the featured events. Class Tool's Image Annotator, reviewed here, is an easy-to-use resource for adding hotspots to images that include a title, description, and links if desired. As an extended learning activity, ask students to share their understanding of the topic by creating an interactive timeline using templates found at Canva Timeline Infographic Creators, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cornell Notes - teachthought.com
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): note taking (34), reading comprehension (146)
In the Classroom
Teaching note-taking skills using Cornell notes will help students study and process information throughout their school careers. Teachers can begin teaching the concept using paper and pencil, then start to translate the note-taking skill onto digital tools such as OneNote, reviewed here, and Google Docs, reviewed here. This note-taking method would also be helpful while using tools such as Nearpod, reviewed here, and playposit, reviewed here, which includes a section for note-taking in lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Juneteenth - The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): civil rights (219), emancipation proclamation (14), Juneteenth (32), slavery (79)
In the Classroom
Include the resources found on this site with your current Juneteenth resources. Consider organizing and curating your resources using Wakelet, reviewed here. Create a Wakelet collection for your professional use and a collection to share and collaborate with students. Engage students in learning using Perusall, reviewed here, to digitally annotate and discuss the primary source documents shared on the Juneteenth site. Use Perusall to create a flipped learning activity and have students view shared documents and provide comments and questions about the information. As students learn more about emancipation and Juneteenth, encourage them to learn about and share the stories of those featured in these lessons and their research. Enhance learning by having students produce podcasts that bring the stories of enslaved people to life using a free podcasting tool such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Buzzsprout includes many features that support easy use by students and educators, such as the ability to schedule the release of episodes on your choice of date and time and the option to add links to show notes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Break Your Own News - Jon Cresswell
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): digital storytelling (167), images (266), newspapers (88)
In the Classroom
This site contains some ads that may be distracting; however, a quick lesson on avoiding them and engaging with only the desired content is all that is needed to keep most students from following advertising links. Add a link to the Break Your Own News Generator to your lists of other tools to use with images for many different purposes. One excellent tool for organizing and sharing resources with students is Padlet, reviewed here. Create columns in Padlet to organize different resources and then add links to make it easy for you and your students to find what they need. For example, engage students at the beginning of a new lesson or unit by creating a breaking news image to introduce the content. One example might be for a science lesson featuring simple machines with a headline sharing a runaway object that leads into your study of inclined planes. Extend learning and ask students to become creators and share breaking headlines to discuss new information they learned, share important information about story characters, or create a made-up headline about historical events. Include breaking headline images as part of multimedia presentations built using Google Slides, reviewed here, or Canva Edu, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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