Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Bring the forest into your classroom with these educational interactives. Match animal tracks, learn how to use a compass, and create leaf rubbings. Download and print the "Book of Stuff To Do" outside. Find Educator Resources (including lesson plans) under Get Involved on the top menu. Sound can be turned on or off along the bottom of the site.

tag(s): animals (280), climate change (87), environment (240), forests (28), natural resources (37), wetlands (6)

Use Over the Top to explore life as a World War I soldier in the trenches. This interactive adventure is in the form of a story. An introduction page sets the stage for the site as well as providing helpful hints and an overview. Click "Begin Your Adventure" to start. For connections with slower speeds, click on "Low Graphics Version" for a faster alternative. Enter a first name, last name, friend's name, and city to begin. Check your school policies on whether student names may be displayed online and what information is permitted (perhaps initials are suggested), then enforce that policy with your students. The pop up shows an animated cartoon, written narrative below, and audio that reads the narrative. The scene can be replayed for any information missed. Audio can be adjusted in the upper right hand corner and the narratives can also be displayed in French. Turn to the next frame using the arrow to the right. Go back to the previous screen with the left arrow. Click on words that are underlined as they are live links that bring up definition boxes for understanding of key vocabulary terms. At points in the story, students can choose one or more options for more detailed stories. Students and buddy names as well as the name of the town appear throughout the story.

tag(s): europe (75), world war 1 (72)

This site allows FREE access to a number of books, newspapers, and magazines, all using adaptive technology. After a free registration (available to participants with documented limited vision), members can download books, textbooks, and newspapers in a compressed, encrypted file. They then read the material using adaptive technology, typically software that reads the book aloud (text-to-speech) and/or displays the text of the book on a computer screen, or Braille access devices, such as refreshable Braille displays. The advantage to this site is that it offers newer books and other written materials than many other online digital libraries. Besides written items, a number of videos are available which assist or focus on typical Bookshare users, many featuring them as success stories. A special page of information for teachers with limited vision students includes information such as other resources, reading lists, and handouts.

tag(s): digital reading (16), disabilities (29), vision (45)

Create different scenarios for disasters in this easy to use interactive for learning about disaster prevention. Stop Disasters is free and plays in the browser window without download to a computer. Each scenario has different skill levels (easy, medium, or hard) and choices that appeal to a wide range of ages. Each time a scenario is played; results continually vary just as natural disasters in the real world. Choose from the following disasters: "Hurricanes," "Earthquakes," "Tsunamis," "Wildfire," or "Floods." Scenarios run in under twenty minutes and scores can be saved by entering a name. Replay of games update top scores. Click on "Information" for materials for both students and teachers. Materials include additional links for information as well as downloadable fact sheets.

tag(s): disasters (36), earth (185), earthquakes (44), fire (22), fire prevention (16), fire safety (16), floods (10), hurricanes (35), natural disasters (16), sun (69), tsunamis (15)

This site is filled with study tools to help students learn information in a variety of subject areas. Stacks of topics related to geography, history, math, languages, medical, tests (SAT, ACT, etc.), science and more are linked with collections of learning tools that include virtual study cards, matching games, word search puzzles, and hangman games. There really is something here for nearly all subject areas and grade levels! Students can select the tool that works best for them and work at their own pace until they are satisfied with their progress. If you can't find a stack to fit your needs, you can edit existing lists or create customized study stacks. The site also allows you to print out study cards, or export flash cards to study them via cell phones, PDA, or iPod. Email the stacks to peers or connect with Study Stack through Facebook. Some of the activities require Java. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

tag(s): flash cards (42), greek (33), hebrew (16), latin (22), test prep (66), vocabulary (235)