Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Gardening is more than just planting seeds--it's a hands-on way for students to explore science, sustainability, and the environment. This website offers a variety of engaging resources, including videos, lesson plans, interactive activities, and articles that bring gardening concepts to life. From plant life cycles and urban farming to sustainable gardening and ecosystem health, these materials help students connect with nature while developing valuable STEM skills. Whether you're teaching about soil, pollinators, or food production, these resources make learning hands-on, meaningful, and fun!

tag(s): careers (182), ecosystems (85), insects (68), nutrition (140), trees (19)

Discover the world of marketing and career opportunities! The Marketing Careers resources on PBS LearningMedia offer engaging lesson plans and activities that introduce students to key marketing concepts like branding, advertising, consumer behavior, and digital strategies. Through interactive lessons, real-world examples, and career-focused discussions, students gain insight into the creativity and skills needed in the marketing industry. This collection is valuable for integrating business, communication, and career readiness.

tag(s): careers (182)

This video collection offers educators a valuable resource for introducing students to various career pathways. Through engaging videos and interviews, students gain insights into different professions, the skills required, and real-world experiences from working professionals. Using this collection helps teachers facilitate career exploration discussions and inspires students to think about their future goals.

tag(s): careers (182), social skills (23)

Visit this site to find a variety of educational resources on forestry for teachers and students. It includes videos, lesson plans, interactive activities, images, and articles covering forest ecosystems, conservation, sustainable forestry, and careers in the field. These resources help students explore the importance of forests, their role in the environment, and the day-to-day management of resources. Teachers can use these materials to enhance science, environmental studies, and career exploration lessons with engaging, standards-aligned content.

tag(s): careers (182), ecology (105), ecosystems (85), forests (31), habitats (93), sustainability (51)

"Use, Understand & Engage: A Digital Media Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools" is a comprehensive guide designed to help educators teach critical thinking, digital citizenship, and media literacy in today's technology-driven world. The framework focuses on three key areas: "Use" (developing technical skills for digital tools), "Understand" (analyzing and evaluating digital content), and "Engage" (responsible and ethical participation in digital spaces). It provides lesson ideas, discussion prompts, and assessment tools to help students navigate online information, recognize misinformation, and become responsible digital citizens. This resource is ideal for integrating media literacy into various subject areas across K-12 classrooms.

tag(s): critical thinking (137), digital citizenship (93), digital literacy (16), media literacy (113)

"The Horticulture and Landscaping Jobs" collection on PBS LearningMedia introduces students to careers in plant science, landscape design, and environmental sustainability. This site includes over 1600 engaging videos and real-world job profiles and highlights professions such as horticulturists, landscape architects, and greenhouse managers. It helps students connect biology, ecology, and design to rewarding, hands-on careers in the green industry. This collection supports STEM learning, career exploration, and environmental education.

tag(s): careers (182), ecology (105), plants (148), STEM (310)

Visit this site to find many educational resources for teachers and students on fashion design. It includes videos, lesson plans, interactive activities, images, and articles that explore different aspects of fashion, from design principles to industry trends. These materials support classroom learning by providing engaging, multimedia content that helps students understand fashion history, careers, and creative processes. Teachers can use these resources to enhance their curriculum and inspire students interested in fashion and design.

tag(s): careers (182)

Coolmath Games-Simulation Games offers interactive, strategy-based games that challenge students to think critically, solve problems, and make decisions in real-world scenarios. These games cover topics like resource management, logic, and planning, making them a great tool for reinforcing math, economics, and problem-solving skills in an engaging way. Teachers can use these games as a fun classroom activity, a reward for early finishers, or a way to develop strategic thinking through play.

tag(s): game based learning (206), logic (160), problem solving (234), simulations (23)

Discover this collection of engaging video resources that introduce students to various STEM careers. Each video features real professionals discussing their jobs, skills, and career paths in fields like engineering, robotics, healthcare, and environmental science. The resources aim to inspire students by showcasing diverse career opportunities and the real-world applications of STEM concepts. Teachers can use these videos to spark career exploration discussions, connect lessons to real-world professions, and encourage students to consider future STEM pathways.

tag(s): engineering (137), environment (251), robotics (26), STEM (310)

The Video and Animation Production Jobs Collection features thousands of searchable resources, including videos, audio, documents, lesson plans, and collections for grades kindergarten through twelfth. Videos on the animation process, favorite animation projects, production roles, common audio mistakes, and many more are available. Lesson plans include pre-, during, and post-production, video editing, telling a story, using a storyboard, and more. Lesson plans contain a summary, time allotted, learning objectives, preparation, procedure, and standards. Filters are available to sort by grade level, subject, resource type, length of video/audio, language, accessibility, and additional features. Everything in the collection can be shared via Google Classroom, a link to students, and social sharing. Lessons can also be built upon once you log into the site.

tag(s): animation (66), video (267)

Discover this Tourism Jobs collection that provides a wide variety of free educational resources for grades K-12, including videos, audio clips, documents, lesson plans, and curated collections. Explore topics such as working landscapes, hospitality, tourism, and national parks, and the impact of tourism on local communities. Lesson plans include detailed summaries, objectives, time frames, procedures, preparation tips, and standards alignment. The platform allows you to filter resources by grade, subject, format, video/audio length, language, and accessibility features.

tag(s): careers (182)

PBS LearningMedia's Education and Teaching Careers collection features various resources, including videos, audio, documents, lesson plans, and collections for grades kindergarten through twelfth. There are over one thousand resources available to search. Videos on exploring, IT instructors, education in Fiji, desegregation in education, and many more are available. Lesson plans on comparing education worldwide, strategies for equal education, progress in education, and more are posted. Lesson plans contain a summary, time allotted, learning objectives, preparation, procedure, and standards. Filters are available to sort by grade level, subject, resource type, length of video/audio, language, accessibility, and additional features. Everything in the collection can be shared via Google Classroom, a link to students, and social sharing.

tag(s): careers (182)

STEM Careers highlights five videos. Videos featured include: an acoustics professor, a professor of fuel science, an environmental lawyer, a construction manager, and a civil engineer. The videos are, on average, less than 3 minutes in length. Lessons can also be built upon once you log into the site.

tag(s): careers (182), STEM (310)

Learn about Media and Video Game jobs at this collection that includes various resources, including videos, audio, documents, lesson plans, webpages, and collections for grades kindergarten through twelfth. There are thousands of resources available to search. Videos are available for future jobs, such as how to make a video game, lighting technicians, and more. Lesson plans on video editing, pre-production, during, and post-production, microphone tips, and more. Lessons plans featured contain a summary, time allotted, learning objectives, preparation, procedure, and standards. Filters are available to sort by grade level, subject, resource type, length of video/audio, language, accessibility, and additional features.

tag(s): careers (182), coding (87)

The What's So Cool About Manufacturing lesson collection features STEM-based lessons with supplemental videos from the What's So Cool About Manufacturing student video contest. There are twelve lessons designed for grades 3-5 featured including: Bottle Cap Art Activity, Design a Scale Model of Your Ideal Study Space, Engineering Building Activity, Engineer a Better Airplane, Communications in Manufacturing, English and Literacy Activity, History Exploration 1, History Exploration 2, Math Building, House Building, Play-Doh Activity, and Green Science Activity. The lesson plans include the learning objectives, supplies, videos, procedure, guiding questions, and culminating activity. This lesson addresses the Common Core Standards, College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education, and ISTE Standards.

tag(s): STEM (310)

The PBS Mechanics collection features various resources, including videos, audio, documents, lesson plans, and collections for all grades. There are over one thousand resources available to search. Videos are available on exploring jet engine mechanics, aircraft mechanics, career connections, mechanical engineer manager, and many more. There are also mechanics featured that answer questions such as "Why did you become a mechanical engineer?" and "Why did you become a scientist?" Along with individuals discussing their jobs. Lesson plans on communication, history, math, science, and more are posted. Lesson plans contain a summary, time allotted, learning objectives, preparation, procedure, and standards. Filters are available to sort by grade level, subject, resource type, length of video/audio, language, accessibility, and additional features.

tag(s): careers (182), engineering (137)

The Play-Doh Science lesson plan shows students how to combine various ingredients to make Play-Doh. Like manufacturing, students must follow specific steps to create their finished product. The lesson plan includes the learning objectives, supplies, videos, procedure, guiding questions, and culminating activity. Everything in the collection can be shared via Google Classroom, a link to students, and social sharing. This lesson addresses the Benchmark for Science Literacy.

tag(s): creativity (87)

View the Green Science Lesson Plan, which shows students how different industries employ sustainable methods and approaches in their work. Students will learn why it is essential to be sustainable and create an eco-friendly product. As in manufacturing, students must follow a specific list of steps to make their finished product. The lesson plan includes the learning objectives, supplies, videos, procedure, guiding questions, and culminating activity. This lesson addresses the Benchmark for Science Literacy.

tag(s): careers (182), sustainability (51)

Engineering a Better Airplane Lesson Plan allows students to create their paper planes using the engineering design process. Students have to follow a specific list of steps to create the finished product and design, test, evaluate, and redesign to make the most efficient plane. The lesson plan includes the learning objectives, supplies, videos, procedure, guiding questions, and culminating activity. This lesson addresses the NGSS, ISTE, Benchmarks for Science Literacy, and National Core Art Standards.

tag(s): aeronautics (12), engineering (137)

"PBS Media: Engineering Building Activity: Lesson Plan" allows students to create a housing structure with various materials. For example, in manufacturing, students must follow a specific list of steps to make their finished product. The lesson plan includes the learning objectives, supplies, videos, procedure, guiding questions, and culminating activity. Everything in the collection can be shared via Google Classroom, with a link to students and social sharing. This lesson addresses the NGSS, ISTE, Benchmarks for Science Literacy, and National Core Art Standards.

tag(s): architecture (84), engineering (137)