Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The Student Writing portal of One World Education shares exemplary writing examples from One World Student Ambassadors. Each piece models grade-level writing and includes a reflection experience. Based on the One World Program, articles feature information based on student research of a social justice issue important to them. In addition to the featured student writing, the site also includes a research portal for students categorized by grade levels and issues. Sign up to become a partner and access curriculum materials based on Common Core Standards.

tag(s): persuasive writing (58), sociology (23), writing (325)

MSN Kids features content and search features geared toward elementary and middle-school aged kids. In addition to news stories around the world of interest to kids, the site also includes crafts and videos that appeal to students. Use the links to different categories including animals, science and tech, and more to narrow down features. One very nice feature for classrooms is that this site does not include any advertising or sponsored content.

tag(s): bookmarks (43), cross cultural understanding (173), search engines (48)

Plum Pudding Illustration Agency features the work of leading children's illustrators. Scroll through the home page to choose from images sharing the work of each artist. After selecting an artist, browse through their work to view the pictures shared. Be sure to click the illustration to see thumbnails of additional images and a biography of the artist.

tag(s): artists (84), literature (221)

Unhangout is a free platform for connecting community-driven learning opportunities. Participants gather in the site's lobby at the time of the event, introduce themselves, and possibly view a short presentation or video together. After introductions, participants choose breakout rooms based on their interest. Breakout rooms hold up to ten participants at a time and open in a new tab so they can continue to add to the main chat if desired. Within the breakout rooms, conversations focus on a common topic and include options for members to use their webcam to discuss topics, view videos together, or work on a shared document. Following the event, participants receive an email with a transcript of the event and email contacts of fellow participants. Create your event by logging into your account and adding information including date, time, and additional hosts if desired. Other options enable you to set privacy options, allow follow-up emails, and provide for a custom URL.

tag(s): chat (41), collaboration (93)

YoTeach! is a free backchanneling app created for teachers and students. Create a room and set a password then provide the URL to your students. Once in the platform, the site's features allow you to share chat discussions, use the online whiteboard, and upload images. Additional options include a simple polling tool, a "like" button, and student participation statistics. When finished, download the conversation to your computer as a PDF. When creating your room, use settings to control privacy and moderate participants. Students can now engage using anonymous mode.

tag(s): chat (41), communication (129), social networking (61)

Choice of Games includes tools for creating and playing text-based games (think of it as similar to a choose your own adventure story). Try making games by following the directions to download the script source. Include simple commands using text options for players. This site includes tutorials to get started and add more complex commands. Explore the games archive to play games created by other users and to get inspiration for your creations. Note: you will need to download and install Node.js (free), then download and install the ChoiceScript source from GitHub (free).

tag(s): coding (85), creative writing (124), DAT device agnostic tool (147), gamification (83), interactive stories (22), STEM (297), writing (325)

ERDPlus is a free and simple diagram maker that includes options for creating several different types of schema models. Create your diagrams with or without free signup. Free accounts offer you the ability to save documents onsite and options to easily share documents with others. Once you begin using the diagram maker, use the dashboard to choose the style of diagram to create or import a document from your computer. Use the tools to add information, connect items, and move information around to suit your needs. When finished, save to your account or your computer.

tag(s): charts and graphs (171), mind map (27)

Create interactive family trees or hierarchy representations using the drag and drop features of PeoplePlotr. Features include options for embedding images, videos, and text within plots. After registering using your email, use your dashboard to begin. In addition to the visual tree, options include adding and viewing information in a timeline format. Follow the steps to fill in the information (only the title is required) and choose the link to create your plot. From this step start adding information to your family tree. Share with others using your unique URL. PeoplePlotr limits free accounts to one plot with 15 people and no embedding on your website.

tag(s): family (51), graphic organizers (48), timelines (56)

Learn tips and tricks for building student confidence in test taking for any grade with the advice found on this site. Articles and blog posts provide advice for test prep throughout the year, calming student nerves, test-taking skills and vocabulary, and more.
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tag(s): test prep (69)

Pikwizard provides an extensive collection of beautiful, high-quality stock photos. Use the search feature to find images of nature, people, technology, and more. Scroll through the home page and use filters to find trending photos, the latest uploads, and favorites. Click on any image to download or save. Also, each image includes licensing and attribution information. Pikwizard also links images to Design Wizard, reviewed here, an online app that includes filters and tools for editing images. Sign in isn't required; however, it allows you to add favorites to find later.
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tag(s): creative commons (28), images (263)

Develop mindmaps and concept maps with this easy to use tool that works both on and offline. Follow the tutorial to start and learn the basic tools within the app. Use the site's dashboard to select and change font size and color, add and move branches, and move your mindmap anywhere on the grid. When finished, save your mindmap to your computer or cloud storage sites like Google Drive using the provided links. Choose the Export as Image option to download your mindmap as a PNG file.

tag(s): charts and graphs (171), mind map (27)

Create crossword puzzles or word searches, or browse through the variety of free options available on My Crossword Maker. Complete the crosswords online or use the provided links to print or save as a PDF. Browse to find crosswords by grade level, subject, holidays, and more.
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tag(s): addition (129), african american (115), american revolution (82), civil war (139), cold war (30), colonial america (95), colonization (21), crosswords (19), cultures (180), darwin (13), division (98), fractions (160), french (75), grammar (137), holidays (187), latin (23), literature (221), martin luther king (45), multiplication (122), musical instruments (52), poetry (193), presidents (135), puzzles (149), religions (95), shakespeare (99), spanish (109), spelling (98), sports (82), states (124), subtraction (110), vocabulary (238), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161), writing (325)

Create interactive digital stories with Elementari. Features include drag-and-drop text, illustrations, shapes, and integrating coding. Start by setting up your classroom to integrate storytelling with coding. Click Lessons from the top right menu to find interactive literacy lessons that combine coding with your curriculum. On the left is a column for choosing your grade level and topic. Each lesson includes an Introduction, Objectives, Coding Concepts Covered, Student Directions, and a Project Example. There are plenty of lessons to choose from to help your students become familiar with Elementari's features. Once students know how to use Elementari, let them create their own stories. After creating your account, select the option to write your story. Follow the prompts to add Elementari's free images, backgrounds, audio, and more. When finished, preview your story, then publish. After publishing, share using social media links or the provided embed code. You can also create 1 class with 35 students. Students do not need email to use Elementari. Students with existing accounts can also connect to your classroom. Students can choose an avatar from the ones provided and cannot upload any pictures. Teachers must approve stories before they can be published. In the Help Center, be sure to search for Curriculum Guide!

tag(s): coding (85), creative writing (124), digital storytelling (154), writing (325)

For the Teachers contains an incredible number of lesson ideas, differentiation tips, instructional strategies, and much more for all teachers. Search for specific content using the keyword search or scroll down the home page to find some of the site's most popular content. There is a great deal of useful content on the site to explore, of note is the Reading Skills for Big Kids and Differentiation links. The Reading Skills for Big Kids includes skill-based lesson plans for use with the many included leveled articles. The Differentiation portion of the site provides specific ideas and tools to differentiate content, assessment, and lesson activities and materials.
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tag(s): characterization (19), charts and graphs (171), constitution (96), differentiation (84), graphic organizers (48), inferencing (7), mean (19), measurement (122), median (16), mode (13), multiplication (122), patterns (61), place value (34), plot (15), reading comprehension (149), rubrics (37), sequencing (17)

Do you want to share just a portion of a YouTube video? ytCropper is your solution, no registration required. Enter the URL of the video and select Crop! to begin. Use the handles on the timeline bar to adjust your video stop and start times then select Crop! again. When finished, ytCropper provides a direct link to your shortened video along with an embed code for use in websites or blogs.

tag(s): conversions (37), movies (54), video (266)

Do you need inspiration for art and technology-rich STEAM lessons? Take a look at the many ideas on this site created by art teacher Tricia Fuglestad. Lesson topics include ideas based on famous works of art like Edvard Munch's The Scream and Gilbert Stuart's George Washington portrait. Each lesson consists of a link to the blog post describing the lesson; many of these also include a video overview of the activity. Several ideas are also offered for Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat. Editor's Note: Some links in the lessons go to a paid site to purchase lesson materials such as PowerPoints. The free lesson ideas and suggestions on this site are sufficient for creating and teaching these ideas without buying anything additional.
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tag(s): black history (133), coding (85), creativity (86), digital storytelling (154), dr seuss (12), drawing (61), environment (252), graphic design (49), great depression (30), literacy (122), nutrition (140), photography (130), poetry (193), problem solving (233), qr codes (18), read across america (9), STEM (297), stories and storytelling (58), symmetry (26)

Make sure your headlines and titles are capitalized correctly with this fantastic tool! Type or paste in your title to convert to the correct capitalization of all words. Even better, this site highlights changes made. Also, hover over each word in the correct title to see a pop-up explanation explaining why each word is or isn't capitalized. Modify the results to meet your needs using Associated Press, Chicago, MLA, or Wikipedia formatting.

tag(s): journalism (74), writing (325)

Stay Safe Online offers resources to help keep yourself, others, and your computer safe online. Visit the Resources page to find short reads and resources for topics such as Online Safety and Privacy Basics, Theft, Fraud and Cybercrime, and Career and Education.Ypu may need to use the search box for the following - The tips and advice include Safety Tips for Mobile Devices (in many languages), doing a Digitial Spring Cleaning (with a checklist), What LGBTQ Communities Should Know About Online Safety, and many other practical tips about taxes, shopping online, Cyber Trip Adviser, etc. Before doing a task online, double check with Stay Safe Online and fight off the dark side of the web by using good cyber habits!

tag(s): digital citizenship (85), internet safety (114)

The ESCEI is part of the Air Force Associations CyberPatriot program. On this page find and download a kit with everything you need for teaching your K-6 students about digital safety! Fill out the registration form and submit. You will quickly receive a link for downloading the kit which needs to be un-zipped and takes about five minutes. You'll find cover letters to parents, guardians, and educators, three interactive learning modules about online safety and cybersecurity principles, slides for classroom instruction, and a complete instructors guide (with descriptions for each module, vocabulary, games to print, and more). Students will learn basic computing skills to how to deal with complex issues like phishing and malware. Be sure to see the supplemental activities and videos. Though the lessons are labeled up to sixth grade, they are adaptable for eighth grade and ninth grade.

From this landing page also find the home page with all the information about CyberPatriot and check out the competitions that are for middle school, high school, and beyond. CyberPatriot brings you these real-world competitions in conjunction with the Cisco Networking Challenge. There is online training for competitors. Videos on this site reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): computers (109), cyberbullying (40), digital citizenship (85), internet safety (114), STEM (297)

Create learning games for use on any device using oodlu. Sign up for a free account to begin creating question sets. Take advantage of many different question formats including sequencing, multiple choice, and fill in the blank. Optional features provide the ability to add different forms of feedback to guide students when making incorrect choices. When finished, share the code with students to access the learning games. Students sign in using their username, password, and the code provided. As students complete activities, they earn award badges. Use the teacher dashboard to review and monitor student achievements. Free accounts include an unlimited number of students and questions.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), flash cards (44), game based learning (205), gamification (83)