Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

We all know about endangered plants and animals, but what about endangered sounds? The Museum of Endangered Sounds offers a collection of sounds unfamiliar to many young people. Click on any thumbnail to hear sounds such as the ka-ching of a cash register, dialing a rotary phone, the sound of dial-up Internet, or the click and winding of a film camera. Although the collection is quite small, it is worth a visit for a trip back to the past! Warning: the clip with TV Snow features a provocative photo. You may want to avoid that example with an immature audience.

tag(s): 1960s (26), 1970s (10), 1980s (7), inventors and inventions (80), sounds (43)

MapFight is a clever tool for comparing the physical area of different countries and states. Use the dropdown boxes to select from countries and states available and then click compare. View an image with the two locations overlaid on each other with a short sentence comparing the sizes in kilometers. If you click on the name of the state or country you will be taken to a Wikipedia entry about the location.
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tag(s): area (53), countries (73), map skills (63), maps (220), states (124)

Remember Pearl Harbor is a lesson plan for teaching about Pearl Harbor using historic articles and social media. The complete lesson includes many ideas for deep student learning such as creating a gallery walk, a Twitter project, and a historic headlines project. Click on highlighted links to get access to all resources included on the site including Common Core Standards. If your district blocks YouTube, some links may not be viewable.
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tag(s): japan (57), pearl harbor (14), roosevelt (15), world war 2 (161)

Celebrate 25+ years of the World Wide Web with this retrospective in interactive form. Scroll through to read about the first ideas and learn about the explosive growth and important events throughout the years. Choose auto-play to watch the timeline unfold or scroll at your own pace. As you progress through the story, watch for links to web stories. Viewers of the site share their personal memories each step along the way. Hover your mouse over the right side of your screen to link to the entire report in PDF format.

tag(s): computers (109), internet safety (114), inventors and inventions (80)

Join the National Park Service and become a Junior Ranger Online! Don your ranger hat and go for a virtual tour and watch videos. Explore the online interactives, including visits to the Everglades and Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico. Choose from over 150 printable activities that offer opportunities to explore careers, build monuments, and learn about national parks across the United States. Learn how to complete activities and receive a Junior Ranger Badge and Certificate from the National Parks Service. The National Park Service also offers materials for educators, although they are a little difficult to find. Select the Menu icon with three bars and click on Educators or go here. Find lesson plans and activities using a keyword search and filters by subject, grade level, and Common Core Standards.

tag(s): animals (295), landmarks (22), national parks (29), plants (146), virtual field trips (128)

Visit Cool Kid Facts to find information for just about anything in this world or even out of this world! Select from Geography, History, Science, Animals, and Human Body. There are also topics in the right menu on the home page that range from Albert Einstein to Volcanoes and nearly everything else you can think of (alphabetically) in between. There are articles, videos, pictures, and quizzes, too. The videos are from various outside sources and are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): animals (295), australia (28), brain (56), china (81), deserts (16), earth (184), egypt (56), greek (47), heart (27), human body (93), italy (30), magnetism (36), mars (26), mexico (37), moon (73), newton (21), photosynthesis (21), rainforests (18), rome (37), sun (71), tornadoes (14), tsunamis (15), volcanoes (55)

Homeroom is an online tool and mobile app to share your class photos privately with parents, students, and others. Create an album and invite people to view it. Each time you update it, the members will be notified. When you populate your album with photos, you can also add a comment. Access Homeroom and upload photos on any device. For Initial registration you can use the app (iOs or Android) or register using your Google or Facebook account, or manually using email. Once registered, you can access the tool using any device using your username and password. Invite others from any device or computer by phone number or email address. They will become members and will be able to update your photo albums. You will be alerted about the new content. Albums are private. Only the people with the invite have access to the photos.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), images (263), photography (130)

Time and Date is your one-stop resource for anything concerning time zones, calendars, and weather. View current time for any place in the world, explore time zone maps, and create and print personalized calendars. Explore the short news articles. Calculators and timers offer countdowns to any date. Find the number of days until a chosen date or tell the date in X number of days. Other options allow you to find the weather anywhere in the world, explore sun and moon phases, and browse through upcoming holiday events. There are also many free apps available to specific sections of this site (see the Apps link). There is a LOT here to explore!
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tag(s): calculators (36), calendars (37), DAT device agnostic tool (147), moon (73), sun (71), time (91), time zones (7), weather (160)

Classic Cat is a free classical music catalogue. Search for music by composer, performer, instrument, and more. Browse through the Top 100 or view Visitor's Favorites for ideas of popular music. Follow links for each page to view information such as the length of the piece, download size, and if it is complete or a just portion of the work. Click the download (disk) icon to go to the webpage that offers the download. Pay attention next to the download icon for an "R" in bold letters; this indicates that you need to register for free at that site before downloading music. Free registration on Classic Cat allows users to save items to a personal play list. Read the description carefully as a few of the downloads are not free.
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tag(s): composers (14), musical instruments (52)

Learn the story behind the year with two U.S. Thanksgivings from this simple, yet interesting site. The short article tells the tale of President Roosevelt's journey to declare the official date for all states to celebrate Thanksgiving. View several documents, including letters and telegrams to the president voicing opinions on setting an official date for Thanksgiving.

tag(s): primary sources (117), roosevelt (15), thanksgiving (24)

Form Time Ideas offers a constantly changing selection of daily quick activities in many subjects. (For American teachers, "form time" is roughly equivalent to "homeroom" time.) Choose the Home Page to view a mix of topics such as Brainteasers, In the News Today, and Word of the Day. Select links to choose activities for only specific topics such as literacy, numeracy, or news. Easily print any page using the link in the top right corner of each section. If finished early, refresh the page for a new set of activities! You can also click on the button under each question to only refresh that particular question/statement. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English. This is a perfect site for you to leave for your substitute for early finishers!

tag(s): grammar review (31), literacy (122), news (229), numbers (120), riddles (16), substitutes (25), vocabulary (238)

What does your zip code tell you about the demographics and lifestyle of your community? Find out with Zip Lookup. Type in any zip code for quick information on the "Tapestry" of your area. View the top three demographic segments of the community such as "Boomburbs" or "Savvy Surbanites." Use the drop-down box for an explanation of each segment. Click on tabs to further narrow down information such as income, age, and population density comparing each zip code to the county, state, and the entire United States.

tag(s): communities (35), demographics (13), population (51)

Earth Null School is a visual compilation of winds plotted at many, many locations around the globe, updated every three hours. In addition, the globe shows ocean surface currents updated every five days and ocean temperatures, updated daily. Click and rotate the globe to view any area in the world. Scroll in and out to zoom in on any location. Choose the word "earth" at the lower left side of the screen to view controls and additional data. Controls allow you to view data from previous days, adjust from air to ocean currents, and add overlays for temperature, humidity, and more.

tag(s): climate (84), oceans (149), temperature (35), weather (160)

Take a visual tour of 90,000 historical US photographs (many related to agriculture) taken between 1935 and 1945 via this interactive map. Browse and find photos several ways: click on any highlighted map area to find images; use the sliding bar to narrow down the time frame for available images; or choose from selected photographers. Use the top menu for many more search options. Most of the images are in the public domain so can be used as part of multimedia and other projects. Click on the "call number" on an individual photo page to see whether there are any limitations.

tag(s): 1930s (20), 1940s (14), agriculture (49), maps (220), photography (130)

The Parenting Guides provide informative guides to child development from preK through High School. Choose from grade-level charts to view academic, health, and social guidelines with benchmarks and tips. Articles by noted experts offer up to date information and advice for parents and teachers of all grade levels. Don't forget to browse through the National Resources for local help with Mathematics and English, searchable by state.

tag(s): child development (24), learning styles (18), parent conferences (21), parents (57), preK (271), social skills (22)

Just the facts, ma'am. Knoema's World Data Atlas provides a dizzying array of data about the countries of the world. Sort either by country (from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe), or by topic (agriculture to water). Look at zoomable, color coded maps, and analyze rankings by topic. The interface is simple and direct, so if you are just looking for a statistic, you will find it quickly and easily. If you are looking at masses of authentic data to analyze or compare, you'll find that too. Click to create comparisons among any 2 to 3 countries. There is an introductory video available, hosted on YouTube. If YouTube is blocked at your school, you may need to view this video at home.

tag(s): atlas (5), data (151), infographics (56), map skills (63), maps (220), natural resources (37), resources (84), united nations (6)

We know our own lifetimes are but a tiny hiccup in the long history of the Earth. But what HAS happened since we were born? The BBC will tell you. Simply enter your date of birth (using the day/month/year format) and some other information (you can choose either metric or Imperial/US measurement), and a wonderful series of charts appears! How many times has your heart beat? How old would you be on Venus? How has the Earth changed since you were born? How has humankind changed the Earth since you were born? How many volcanoes have erupted? What's happened to the sea levels? How many endangered species have become extinct? This site is created by the BBC (United Kingdom). American English speakers may notice some slights spelling differences. It is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer 10 and above.
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tag(s): climate change (99), earth (184), earth day (60), earthquakes (46), planets (113), writing prompts (61)

LunaPic is an easy to use, online photo editor that doesn't require registration. Upload your picture from any computer, website, or social media option to begin. Choose from many photo effect options such as red-eye removal, vintage, dark, or pencil strokes. Use options within each photo effect to create your desired image. There is even an effect to insert your picture as the image on a dollar bill! Choose from save options to save to your computer, email, or add to other sites.
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tag(s): editing (93), images (263), photography (130)

Organize YOUR way with Legend (was Moo.do). Just begin typing to create lists. Mark to set priority options and highlight important text. Drag and drop items at any time to place in order. Use @date to automatically add items to your calendar and instantly add names from your contacts for email or phone access. Be sure to watch the video (requires YouTube) and follow tutorials to quickly learn how to organize your life with Legend. If your school blocks YouTube, you may want to view the tutorial at home.

tag(s): calendars (37), DAT device agnostic tool (147), organizational skills (88)

Cartoons for the Classroom offers over 400 one-page downloadable lessons featuring two or three political cartoons related to current events and several questions for discussion that relate to those cartoons. Alternatively, download the cartoons alone along with space to "draw" your own conclusions. Also find an evaluation form for you and your students use. Click "Home" on the top left of the list to go to the home page and "Interactive Lessons - Updated Every Monday" (usually a political comment). A picture is worth a thousand words, and editorial cartoonists have been boiling down the foibles of politicians and public figures throughout history. One needs only to know about Thomas Nast and his cartoons of Boss Tweed during the 19th century to know that cartoons have a deep impact on political discourse.

tag(s): comics and cartoons (55), politics (118), satire (6)