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Digital Dialects - Craig Gibson
Grades
2 to 12
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Want to learn just a little or a lot of a new language? This is a great place to start learning vocabulary and basic phrases. The reviews and games are ...more
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Want to learn just a little or a lot of a new language? This is a great place to start learning vocabulary and basic phrases. The reviews and games are in cute interfaces, but there aren't many sound files. Since the description says the developer is adding more to the site each day, hopefully, more pronunciation will be added. The scope of the site is amazing: 44 languages. The languages include Albanian, Bosnian, English, Filipino, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and MANY others. The sound files, few as they are, feature native speakers pronouncing the basics. The games allow the student learner to guess and practice as much as possible by presenting the same words several times. The advanced feature provides more advanced vocabulary, and the geography features the geography of the language group.
tag(s): arab (9), arabic (11), chinese (38), french (72), german (49), greek (45), hebrew (17), italian (32)
In the Classroom
Try a few words in another language with your class as you study world geography and history! This site is especially useful in ENL/ESL and world language classrooms. Have your students plan a pretend vacation and study a few words of the target language before they go. Ask students to go beyond the games by guessing the answers before they appear on the screen.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Profile Publisher - ReadWriteThink.org
Grades
3 to 12
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Reading literature with complex characters worthy of analysis and individual profiles? Do your students need practice creating their own polished "profiles"? This tool creates professional...more
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Reading literature with complex characters worthy of analysis and individual profiles? Do your students need practice creating their own polished "profiles"? This tool creates professional looking profiles of students or for a character in a book, historical figure, animal, or scientific object/concept. Amazingly, you may choose to set up a profile for nonliving creatures or even abstract concepts. You simply type in the requested information into the boxes, and immediately, you have a perfect profile layout, ready for photocopy publishing. (Saving your profiles is not an option, so all must be printed immediately.) This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..
tag(s): literature (214)
In the Classroom
Teach Internet safety by having students create a mock profile to use on social networking sites. Printing out those profiles makes editing in small groups a breeze. Yearbook or newspaper staff may want to use this Profile Publisher to gain more information about people of interest. History comes alive when you profile historical figures or interview veterans and generate profiles of local heroes. Imagine students creating a blog entry by George Washington. Or ask students to profile a type of cell, an endangered animal, or a science concept such as climate change. With this tool and some creative thinking, anything is possible.Be SURE to warn students to PRINT before closing. The site does NOT save work. You may want them to draft their work in a saved document before pasting it into the profiler, just in case work is interrupted by a fire drill or the bell.
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The Gift of Gatsby - Anissa Hambouz & Javaid khan
Grades
8 to 12
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This site requires students to read a New York Times article about Gatsby (accessed through the site) and respond with a quiz and writing assignment. The entire activity ...more
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This site requires students to read a New York Times article about Gatsby (accessed through the site) and respond with a quiz and writing assignment. The entire activity is geared for comprehension of Gatsby in the urban classroom, but makes interesting discussion and learning in any classroom that teaches The Great Gatsby. Standards are included with the lesson plan.
tag(s): literature (214), new york (23)
In the Classroom
The article and the accompanying interactive quiz are online, so it is essential for students to do this in a computer lab or an Internet-ready classroom. The plan includes classroom discussion of the quiz after students take it, homework as follow-up, evaluation, vocabulary, extension and interdisciplinary activities, as well as links to related sites on great books and F. Scott Fitzgerald.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Biography Maker - Jamie McKenzie and the Bellingham Public Schools.
Grades
4 to 12
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Writing biographies is a staple of English and history classes. This site takes students through the process in a way that will make reading them more palatable. It will also ...more
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Writing biographies is a staple of English and history classes. This site takes students through the process in a way that will make reading them more palatable. It will also help students delve deeper into a person's life , making it memorable for them. Divided into four groups (Questioning, Learning, Synthesis, and Storytelling), it helps students understand how to take facts and apply them to a real live person. It wraps up with the six effective traits of writing, reminding students that biography writing shouldn't just be a recitation of facts. The "learning" section does link students to Yahoo encyclopedias and Google (with search hints included), so be aware of that feature. This site serves as a guide for writing a biography of anyone (including students themselves).
tag(s): questioning (37), writing (307)
In the Classroom
All material at this site is copyrighted, so it must be viewed online. For students who do best with step-by-step instructions, this site is a gem! You might have one group research authors from a particular country while others do artists, musicians, scientists, etc. A class report from each of these groups would do a good job of encapsulating a country or area of the world within any given time period. Teachers seeking independent projects for students who "test out" of a unit can assign this site's step-by-step instructions as a meaningful alternate activity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Presidential Election Interactive Map and History of the Electoral College - 270 to win
Grades
6 to 12
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If it's a college, why doesn't it have a football team? Unfortunately, that's about the level of understanding about the Electoral College among many students. Once students learn that...more
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If it's a college, why doesn't it have a football team? Unfortunately, that's about the level of understanding about the Electoral College among many students. Once students learn that we don't really elect presidents by popular vote, many are also quick to condemn the Electoral College as "stupid" or "unfair." This site might help teachers put the Electoral College and the process we use to determine our president into sharper focus. The interactive map is fairly simple, but can be adapted to show the peculiar way that "all or nothing" Electoral College voting state by state can affect the outcome of an election. We need look no further than the most recent 2008 election to see its impact in real terms. You can highlight a particular state and get a historical view of electoral votes for the republican or democratic candidate in past presidential elections. Although the site will have usefulness beyond the 2024 election, it is currently featuring the progress of that race through the straw polls, then primaries and beyond with polling data.
Be aware: during election season, this site opens slowly. But it is well worth the wait.
This site includes advertising.
Be aware: during election season, this site opens slowly. But it is well worth the wait.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): college (41), elections (87), electoral college (24)
In the Classroom
Use the site on an interactive whiteboard to illustrate the impact of Electoral College voting on the election of the US President, both today and in the past. Perhaps we will finally raise a generation who completely understands the Electoral College and how it works!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mysterious Places: Ancient Civilizations Modern Mysteries - Mysterious Places
Grades
4 to 12
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Students are always fascinated by the mysteries of the past, and wondering how those in ancient history managed feats of construction that would be difficult even today. Perhaps nothing...more
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Students are always fascinated by the mysteries of the past, and wondering how those in ancient history managed feats of construction that would be difficult even today. Perhaps nothing sparks student interest more than the phrase, "no one knows". This site seeks to explore several "mysterious places" in the world--places whose origins or purposes are lost to antiquity. Currently, the featured locations include Easter Island, Stonehenge, Chichen Itza, and the Maya. Each section contains stunning photography, and a variety of resources on the history and mystery of the site. A section entitled "educator link" promises lesson plans and other teachers' resources, but is not finished. The site offers great potential, some of which has already been realized.
In the Classroom
This site might be offered to students doing independent research or included as "real" mysteries during a reading or literature unit on mysteries. The information could augment a lesson plan from a standard text with its lovely photos. It could be an option for exploration by accelerated students who have completed a unit on ancient history. Teachers should be aware that there is an on-line forum as a part of this site which requires registration. Its content is completely peripheral to the site, and students should simply be instructed to avoid it.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Building Big - PBS
Grades
6 to 12
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From PBS, this site is associated with the series "Building Big." Unlike many sites that relate to a TV program, however, this site contains a number of excellent "stand-alone" features...more
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From PBS, this site is associated with the series "Building Big." Unlike many sites that relate to a TV program, however, this site contains a number of excellent "stand-alone" features that can be integrated into more general lessons, and do not require students to have seen the series. The site is generally organized around five types of super sized engineering projects: bridges, domes, skyscrapers, tunnels, and dams. There are lesson plans tied to national standards, a neat searchable database of structures, some career-development content related to engineering, and information about the related television series. The highlights of this site are the flash-enabled interactive labs. They are outstanding. Illustrating basic principles of physics and engineering, students can experiment with building materials and see the impact of their choices on virtual buildings. Some activities at this site require Flash; however there is a lot to learn from the features that don't require Flash.
tag(s): bridges (9), engineering (141)
In the Classroom
Use the database of structures to search out local engineering masterpieces, or to get information about important buildings that are associated with historical or geographic areas that the class is studying. For students considering a career in engineering, there is good information about the real lives of professionals in the field. The labs are perfect for an interactive whiteboard, and can illustrate physical properties in a visually powerful way. The short simulations could be used by students individually, or by teams of students investigating the principles of "building big."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Online Newspapers - Web Wombat Pty Ltd.
Grades
5 to 12
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Never again wonder where to find a newspaper. This site provides access to thousands of newspapers with a simple sign-in from the drop-down information search page. There are newspapers...more
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Never again wonder where to find a newspaper. This site provides access to thousands of newspapers with a simple sign-in from the drop-down information search page. There are newspapers included from Southeast Asia, Central America, the Middle East, and nearly every country worldwide. There are some minor advertisements on this website.
tag(s): africa (162), asia (138), australia (28), central america (26), europe (83), middle east (51), news (221), newspapers (86)
In the Classroom
Students can update reports and research by accessing newspapers from around the world. Any of your favorite newspaper learning activities can transfer to a newspaper in another part of the USA or world. Foreign language teachers and students will enjoy using the foreign presses for authentic learning. Social Studies teachers can assign students to compare points of view on world issues or perceptions of the U.S. via various newspapers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MLB.com - MLB Advanced Media
Grades
4 to 12
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Major League Baseball has its own home page, an entry point for information on teams, player, statistics, and history. Keep up to date with current baseball news, video clips, and ...more
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Major League Baseball has its own home page, an entry point for information on teams, player, statistics, and history. Keep up to date with current baseball news, video clips, and more.
tag(s): baseball (28), statistics (126)
In the Classroom
Get your students excited about statistics, using this baseball website. Share the video clips on an interactive whiteboard. Talk about the current events in baseball. Visit the stats page for some mathematical fun!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Baseball Reference - Sports Reference, LLC
Grades
4 to 12
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Come to this website for one-stop learning about baseball. Some of the many activities and links at this website include "Stathead," "Teams," "Players," "Seasons," and more. ...more
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Come to this website for one-stop learning about baseball. Some of the many activities and links at this website include "Stathead," "Teams," "Players," "Seasons," and more.
tag(s): baseball (28), sports (87), statistics (126)
In the Classroom
Use the information at this website in math or history class. This is great supplemental material for statistics, U.S. history (since 1880s), African-American history, and others. Have students use this site for individual research projects about topics provided at this website. Use the "Stathead" information as an anticipatory set for a math or statistics lesson.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Baseball Stats 101 - Baseball Almanac
Grades
4 to 10
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This content-rich website, from the Baseball Almanac, offers definitions of some of the more common - and also more obscure - offensive, defensive, and pitching statistics. There are...more
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This content-rich website, from the Baseball Almanac, offers definitions of some of the more common - and also more obscure - offensive, defensive, and pitching statistics. There are links to learn more about abbreviations, a baseball stats calculator, the history of baseball, players of baseball, quotes about the game, and several others. This site does include some small advertisements.
tag(s): baseball (28), statistics (126)
In the Classroom
There are lots of class possibilities here: let students create formulas from the definitions, compare stats for the favorite teams, research the history of the sport or a specific player, or try to write their own original quotes about baseball.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Scratch - Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab
Grades
1 to 12
12 Favorites
0 Comments
Want to get in touch with your inner child? Get Scratch! Warning: The use of this application is quite fun and engaging! Scratch is a downloadable program that creates interactive ...more
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Want to get in touch with your inner child? Get Scratch! Warning: The use of this application is quite fun and engaging! Scratch is a downloadable program that creates interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art. This application can be used for bringing simple ideas and projects to life. It has great use as a paint program without using the animations. Download/install files are available for Mac or PC. Menu tabs include an Idea tab where you will find a Getting Started Tutorial, Activity Guides, Coding Cards, and Starter Projects. FAQs and support pages are also available for help in using the application.
Material created can only be viewed within the program. Drawings are not saved as a JPG or pic file. However, a "snapshot" of the screen can be created by using these keys in Mac: apple, shift, and 4 and click/drag to surround the portion to save. In PC use: control/print screen. These snapshots can be uploaded or used as a picture in other applications.
Material created can only be viewed within the program. Drawings are not saved as a JPG or pic file. However, a "snapshot" of the screen can be created by using these keys in Mac: apple, shift, and 4 and click/drag to surround the portion to save. In PC use: control/print screen. These snapshots can be uploaded or used as a picture in other applications.
tag(s): animation (62), coding (109), computational thinking (45), critical thinking (180), design (76), drawing (57), problem solving (273), STEM (368)
In the Classroom
Be sure to "play" with this program before you present it to students; or, you could have computer savy students in your class pair up with not so savy students to investigate together. There are many tabs, folders; and icons to investigate. You (or students) could click Create and in the center pane, click on the tutorial. To begin your creation follow the steps in the tutorial. Once you have the idea, choose your own features from the menu on the left, and on the bottom right are two more menus; Look for the cat icon and the backdrops. Different colors, pens, and materials can be used to create the background or an image can be brought in from your computer. Objects in Scratch are called a Sprite and can be added in by choosing the folders below the screen. By clicking the script tab, blocks can be moved in to create motion, add sounds (even record your own message), and change the look of the Sprite. Blocks are linked on to each other to create a series of events. A control block dragged to the top of the blocks control which key starts the event. Advanced options include adding variables and other controls.Be sure to check with your Technology Department, as many districts require authorization to download or install new applications. Projects can be shared online; however an account is required.
Work is saved to the computer itself and only shared online via an account. To avoid problems concerning content made by outsiders or issues with sharing, save the work locally and either create your own gallery on a supervised class website/wiki or set up a single account where you share the "best" projects online via your own log-in. Remind students of the school's Acceptable Use Policy and consequences of violations, if you do allow them to join/share. Images used should adhere to all copyright rules. Use pictures taken in class or those with Creative Commons licensing (and provide attribution!).
Practical tips: Students quickly catch on to this program when allowed to play and easily see what they can make from it. Provide a simple assignment with defined rules/tasks to learn the tools. Younger students may familiarize themselves more easily working with a partner. Have students use a storyboard to write down what they will do/draw/say in their creation in order to keep tabs on what students and their creations.
Possible uses: For the lower grades, Scratch provides unlimited possibilities. Use as a new way to show vocabulary usage. Use the paint program to add information to a picture from your class field trip or science experiment. Use Scratch to help in storytelling a concept in a new and unique way, such as how rocks are formed. In the upper grades, use Scratch to show complex material in a new way. For example, students can draw DNA and show replication, etc. through their drawings and storytelling. Draw the different movements of landforms in plate tectonics. Draw or illustrate solutions to Math problems.
Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
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
Requires download/installation of software
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Exploratorium - Science of Baseball - Exploratorium
Grades
4 to 10
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The Science of Baseball is the Exploratorium's collection of activities and descriptions involving physics, biomechanics, and baseball. This website takes a topic that students love...more
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The Science of Baseball is the Exploratorium's collection of activities and descriptions involving physics, biomechanics, and baseball. This website takes a topic that students love (baseball) and puts it into scientific terms to enhance the educational experience. What makes a curve ball curve, anyway? How quickly does a batter have to react to hit a ball thrown at 95 miles per hour? There's lots of real-world physics at this site, and the presentation is engaging as well as instructive.
In the Classroom
Treat your students to this content-rich website using your interactive whiteboard or projection screen. Take your class outside to try their hands at some of the experiments. Or have cooperative learning groups explore different sections of this multi-faceted website. What a fantastic way to excite your students about learning science.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Paper Models of Polyhedra - Gijs Korthals Altes
Grades
6 to 10
1 Favorites
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This simple, "hands-on" website offers PDF files of numerous paper models of Polyhedra. The files are ready to print and share with your students. The various geometric solids include...more
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This simple, "hands-on" website offers PDF files of numerous paper models of Polyhedra. The files are ready to print and share with your students. The various geometric solids include platonic solids, Archimedean solids, Kepler-Poinsot Polyhedra, and numerous others. The files are available in PDF format and require Adobe. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox.
tag(s): paper folding (3), visual thinking (13)
In the Classroom
Why not print a pattern onto cardstock or other thick paper. Then project the image (that you printed for your students) onto a projection screen or interactive whiteboard, while students work independently at their seats. Before you pass out the paper copies, have them view the projected image and predict what it will be. These shapes can also serve as creative study aids for all subject areas, especially for students who need engaging ways to review. Have students write key terms and questions on the "faces" before assembling the figures, then "roll" them as a study game, testing each other to define or explain terms.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Credit and Debt - Federal Trade Commission
Grades
8 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
This is the FTC's (Federal Trade Commission) consumer education page focused on credit and debt topics. This site explores the ramifications of using credit cards by showing how much...more
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This is the FTC's (Federal Trade Commission) consumer education page focused on credit and debt topics. This site explores the ramifications of using credit cards by showing how much they cost users. It provides free educational resources and guidance to help consumers understand and manage their credit. Other topics covered include scams, losing a purse or wallet, identity theft, and credit fraud.
tag(s): financial literacy (90), money (112)
In the Classroom
Use this as part of a unit on managing finances or applied math, or when studying computer hacking and identity theft. Have students work with a partner to create a computer spreadsheet, including formulas, to compare the total price of certain purchases using credit and cash, including various interest rates, for specific items they select out of the newspaper or online ads.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Guns Germs, & Steel - PBS
Grades
9 to 12
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Jared Diamond's book Guns Germs & Steel won a Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction. This website presents an overview of some of the major threads of Diamond's thesis as ...more
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Jared Diamond's book Guns Germs & Steel won a Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction. This website presents an overview of some of the major threads of Diamond's thesis as presented in the PBS special based upon the book. Diamond suggests that geography may have been the single most important factor in the rise and fall of civilizations over the course of human history. The site examines some of the variables that have contributed to the success or failure of societies through history, including crops, animals, technology, and climate. There are lesson plans tied to national standards associated with each of the televised episodes. While viewing the series is an option, much can be gained by examining the lesson plans even without watching the series.
tag(s): cultures (289)
In the Classroom
The information contained here will be most helpful in planning lessons on the interdependence of culture, geography and technology. Students may find information here for research purposes, but this site should be considered mostly for its usefulness to teachers in advance of unit planning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Yale University Art Gallery - Yale University
Grades
5 to 12
2 Favorites
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Art and world history come alive through this dazzling collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. The collections span time and continents: African art, American painting, sculpture,...more
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Art and world history come alive through this dazzling collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. The collections span time and continents: African art, American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts, ancient art, art of the ancient Americans, Asian art, coins and medals, and early European, modern, and contemporary art. Each collection is easily viewed in an individual picture format with detailed descriptions, combining art and history. Scroll to the bottom of each collection to find a video about the collection. The videos range from 3 minutes to over an hour. The "Kids and Families" section of the website has stories, activities, coloring books, and online jigsaw puzzles that could also be used in the classroom. The website includes resources for K12 educators, including information for professional development, after-school programs, and classes.
tag(s): art history (104), artists (99), coins (5), painting (49), photography (136), sculpture (17)
In the Classroom
Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to take your students on a virtual field trip using the videos. Be sure to turn up the volume! For the longer videos consider watching portions in class using ytCropper, reviewed here, to show just the clips you want. If you use the Chrome browser you could use ReClipped, reviewed here, to clip the sections you want and annotate them.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Africa Focus: Sights and Sounds of a Continent - University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Grades
3 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Africa Focus offers a wealth of digital images and sound recordings from contemporary Africa. This collection from the University of Wisconsin contains more than 3000 slides, 500 photographs,...more
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Africa Focus offers a wealth of digital images and sound recordings from contemporary Africa. This collection from the University of Wisconsin contains more than 3000 slides, 500 photographs, and 50 hours of sounds from 45 different countries. Click Search the Collection to see image categories which include artisans, buildings and structures, cities and towns, education, landscape, religion, and women. Sound recordings include drums, greetings, rites and ceremonies, songs, and signing. The site is easily searched by keyword or by subject heading.
tag(s): africa (162), architecture (83), black history (131)
In the Classroom
Teachers will find this site rich in resources for units on science, social studies, geography, architecture, music, art, and culture. Make Africa a "real" place by sharing on a projector as you share stories or learn about homes ("Structures") and habitats or landforms ("Landscape") with younger students. Use the sound recordings for lessons on oral history, myths, languages, and music. Assign student groups a topic area, which they can research and present to the class as a PowerPoint or another multi-media format using an interactive whiteboard or projector.Images, text, or other content downloaded from the collection may be freely used for non-profit educational and research purposes under Fair Use. That means that you may NOT put them on the web in a public site, blog, or wiki, since you would not be limiting access to class members. If you want students to create blog or wiki pages, create passworded access for class members only to areas displaying these images and resources. Check the website for instructions on how students can cite this source in their bibliographies.
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Dangerously Irrelevant: Internet Democracy - Scott McLeod
Grades
9 to 12
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"Dangerously Irrelevant" is the blog of education professor Scott McLeod from Iowa State University. He is interested in the interplay between technology and education, and his blog...more
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"Dangerously Irrelevant" is the blog of education professor Scott McLeod from Iowa State University. He is interested in the interplay between technology and education, and his blog brings together a number issues and ideas that teachers ought to be thinking about. This section of the blog provides resources for social studies teachers who are including content related to the upcoming Presidential elections. Organized by candidate, McLeod provides links to YouTube videos about each candidate. He also provides instructions for downloading YouTube videos through a secondary program so they can be emailed and accessed by teachers whose school districts block access to YouTube. Social studies teachers need to teach students how to critically assess the huge volume of information on the internet about candidates for political office. Campaign strategists spend enormous amounts of energy and money trying to "market" voters, and if students are to be informed voters in the near future, they need to recognize these tactics and learn to access concrete information.
In the Classroom
Teachers can use these videos to demonstrate political tactics and help students navigate election promises and propaganda. Because these videos come from YouTube, which does little to monitor its content, content should be carefully previewed before using. Share the site or specific videos on a projector or interactive whiteboard as part of class discussion. If your network permits it, provide a local copy of specific videos for students to critique and compare. They could embed the videos in a wiki and write the critique as a collaborative project with small groups. Or have them present a video to the class as if they were on a campaign staff analyzing the opponent's tactics for a campaign staff meeting.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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English Renaissance Drama - Anniina Jokinen
Grades
9 to 12
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Students know something about Shakespeare, but they tend to think he was the only playwright of his day. This site helps them realize that he was only one of many ...more
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Students know something about Shakespeare, but they tend to think he was the only playwright of his day. This site helps them realize that he was only one of many in the Elizabethan period and that there was a Tudor period before and a Jacobean period after him. This is an exhaustive, albeit entertaining, and authoritative look at English drama as it moved from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. The articles are written by professors and they all contain links with explanations for all the referenced allusions. While rather encyclopedic in nature, having all the resources in one place is extraordinarily handy for the teacher of this period.
tag(s): elizabethan (12), renaissance (38)
In the Classroom
Have students "become" one of the rival playwrights after researching the times and the playwright might be interesting. Perhaps students could do a panel discussion or write a blog entry as their "playwright." Don't miss the Introduction section to get valuable information about the theaters and the staging conventions of the time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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