TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jun 19, 2011
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
Democracy Kids - Duckster
Grades
2 to 8
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This site provides introductory information for both young and middle school-aged students about some facets of democracy and our legislators. The main topics addressed include the...more
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This site provides introductory information for both young and middle school-aged students about some facets of democracy and our legislators. The main topics addressed include the idea of democracy, types of democracy, the characteristics of a democracy, and more. Students can select any of the topics and read about them, or read and listen to them. At the bottom of the page find a quiz and links to many Duckster pages about the branches of the government, the constitution, and more.
tag(s): branches of government (62), congress (39), democracy (19)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a basic introduction to social studies lessons on the Houses of Congress and the judicial and executive branches by exploring the links at the bottom of this page. Encourage your students to write letters to senators or representatives after learning about their accessibility. Assign students specific government officials to research and prepare a multimedia presentation to share with the class. Have students create a Thinglink, reviewed here. This site allows users to narrate a picture. Have students create a simple online posters using PicLits (reviewed here). Rather than a traditional report, challenge students (independently or collaboratively) to create an online book using a site such as Mixbook (reviewed here).You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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TVA Kids - Tennessee Valley Authority
Grades
K to 12
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This site offers information about energy, including games and videos, for students and provides curriculum materials for teachers. Students can read and learn about the history of...more
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This site offers information about energy, including games and videos, for students and provides curriculum materials for teachers. Students can read and learn about the history of electricity, power safety tips, and learn about "green" power. Games include Power Bandit, a word search, crossword, and jigsaw puzzles. Beware of the Energy Vampire explains to students how to save energy and which appliances use a lot of energy. There is a large inventory of videos showing different types of energy production plants, explaining power production through the use of coal and nuclear reactors, and the history of the TVA. Teachers, be sure to check out the teachers section of the site which includes lesson plans and activities for elementary through high school.
tag(s): electricity (60), nuclear energy (19)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students on your interactive whiteboard or projector and allow students to explore on their own. Create a scavenger hunt with questions from the students and have students explore the site to find answers. Watch videos on your interactive whiteboard during lessons on energy production, conservation, or history lesson. After learning about a specific topic, challenge cooperative learning groups to enhance their learning by completing a presentation with "talking pictures" using Blabberize, reviewed here.
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Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery for Kids - Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Grades
3 to 8
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This interactive site is especially designed to give upper elementary students an introduction to ancient civilizations, World War 2, and the Victorian era. It contains interactives,...more
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This interactive site is especially designed to give upper elementary students an introduction to ancient civilizations, World War 2, and the Victorian era. It contains interactives, artwork, printables and quizzes.
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector and try the activities as a whole class. Or have small groups rotate to a whiteboard and manipulate the activities together. Put a link to the activities on your class website and let students use as a center. Use the quizzes as a pretest to see what students already know. When you have finished studying the unit have students retake the quiz to see how much they learned. Print out the provided activities and use for homework or to provide extension activities for more advanced students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pi Land - Eve Andersson
Grades
7 to 12
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Have fun exploring Pi with this math site! Play Pi Trivia to test your knowledge of Pi, use the Pi Trainer to test your memory, or discover poems, photos and ...more
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Have fun exploring Pi with this math site! Play Pi Trivia to test your knowledge of Pi, use the Pi Trainer to test your memory, or discover poems, photos and more all representing Pi. The site is divided into three sections - fun activities, aesthetics, and nerd stuff- making it easy to explore.
tag(s): pi (26)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector, then allow students to explore on their own. Use the poems, photos, and other aesthetics as examples, then have students create their own Pi aesthetics to share on your classroom website or blog. Have a class competition to see who can memorize the most digits in Pi after training with the Pi memory trainer.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History of Vaccines - College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Grades
8 to 12
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This site includes fascinating, interactive timelines that feature diseases and interesting stories about their preventions, results, and perceptions from the 15th century to the present....more
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This site includes fascinating, interactive timelines that feature diseases and interesting stories about their preventions, results, and perceptions from the 15th century to the present. Other timelines focus on scientists involved in disease prevention, and also timelines on how science interacted with disease to improve people's lifespans and lives. Related articles, activities, and great photos support the events of the timelines. Four lesson plans for teachers accompany features of each of the time lines.
In the Classroom
This site is ideal for an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have the students open the site and use the whiteboard tools to do a general overview of the history of vaccines. Students can then select specific areas of interest and go to the articles section to get more information on areas of their choice. Enhance learning by having students create an online poster project combining information from here and from their own research using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here), or PicLits, reviewed here, or modify learning by asking students create their own interactive timelines using a site such as Sutori, reviewed here, that can include images, text, and collaboration.
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The Big Read - The National Endowment for the Arts
Grades
6 to 12
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The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts endeavor aimed at increasing reading and literary discussions. This site's main initiative is to address communities and aims...more
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The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts endeavor aimed at increasing reading and literary discussions. This site's main initiative is to address communities and aims to provide cities and towns with local programs and opportunities to read and discuss books. The resources and study guides are well-suited for teaching and encouraging reading for enjoyment as well as study. Many middle and high school books of all genres, such as Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Great Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe are featured, and are often accompanied by an online documentary film about the author and the literary work, discussion questions and topics, and lesson plan ideas (click the book cover to find these). The Big Read is continually expanding and offers grants.
tag(s): literature (217), resources (88), writing prompts (58)
In the Classroom
You will want to save this website to your favorites to return to it often and implement materials to fit your curriculum. The materials may be projected on your classroom whiteboard or projector to enhance background information, comprehension, and critical thinking for the literary selection you are currently studying. Thought provoking questions could be used for both oral and written responses.
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The Economist - The Economist
Grades
9 to 12
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Find interesting graphs and statistics that are published daily on this site by The Economist. Check back daily for new charts to use as openers for discussion and writings in ...more
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Find interesting graphs and statistics that are published daily on this site by The Economist. Check back daily for new charts to use as openers for discussion and writings in your classroom. This site does include some minor advertisements.
tag(s): charts and graphs (169), data (147), statistics (114)
In the Classroom
Use the chart as a basis for writing prompts, fishbowl discussions, blog posts, and more. Create a wiki page about the background information of the chart. Consider using the topics here to conduct your own research and publish your own charts through a wiki or blog. Want to learn more about wikis? Check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-ThroughAdd your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tortoise and Hare Race - Shodor
Grades
3 to 12
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This site provides practice with patterns, relations, and functions through the tale of the the Tortoise and the Hare. The amount of the tortoise's head-start can be changed, then take...more
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This site provides practice with patterns, relations, and functions through the tale of the the Tortoise and the Hare. The amount of the tortoise's head-start can be changed, then take the racers through the various stages to find out who wins! Students will enjoy predicting the winner while watching the race unfold. The instructor's section provides detailed information on standards addressed, classroom questions, and links to similar resources. There is also a link to downloadable exploration questions that can be used in conjunction with the site.
tag(s): estimation (35), functions (52), measurement (126), patterns (64)
In the Classroom
Provide students with a copy of the explorations questions to complete alone or with a partner. Use on your interactive whiteboard for a quick 5 minute filler, change the amount of the tortoise's head-start each time to offer different outcomes each time. Ask students to predict the outcome of each race before beginning, allow changes midway, and discuss what is happening to change students' opinions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Exquisite Corpse Adventure - Library of Congress, Nat'l Children's Book & Literacy
Grades
6 to 12
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You would never guess by the name of this site that The Exquisite Corpse Adventure opens doors to an engaging way to explore the world of reading and writing a ...more
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You would never guess by the name of this site that The Exquisite Corpse Adventure opens doors to an engaging way to explore the world of reading and writing a class or group story, book, or even a poem. This project from the Center for the Book and the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance invites students to read, discover, and create fascinating characters, places, and events in a manner that might be as captivating as one of the many trendy, popular reality shows. The story takes on unexpected twists and turns because it is actually pieced together out of many parts created, put together, and expanded upon by the contributors. Anyone and everyone interested in helping kids read more, write better, and reach deeper into their own experiences, imaginations, and resources to create stories and art will become hooked. The actual original online book, Exquisite Corpse Adventure, is a recently completed, year-long project with episodes, (chapters), written by remarkable authors such as Jon Scieszka and Katherine Paterson, illustrated and posted with companion games, discussion questions, and activities every two weeks.
tag(s): stories and storytelling (40), writing (315)
In the Classroom
Explore new worlds in reading by introducing your students to The Exquisite Corpse Adventure. Children of all ages have played progressive story games for centuries, where one person begins a story, stops at a cliffhanging moment, and the next person picks it up and continues, and so on, until everyone in the group has the opportunity to contribute. Take a look at the website to become familiar with the episodes and then put your own spin on a similar project. It can combine the tradition of oral storytelling with the written form, and even include illustrations so that you can tap into students' range of strengths and weaknesses. Whether you choose to "tighten the reigns" by setting the parameters, such as including the use of vocabulary, grammar, and literary elements you are studying, or letting it evolve spontaneously, the possibilities are endless. Best of all, the contributors get to decide what happens next. Perhaps students could be involved in creating a similar ongoing story on a class wiki (learn more about wikis at the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through). The story can continue throughout the school year and culminate with a digital story presentation created with tools from Educational Uses of Digital Story Telling reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Education Eye - Futurelab
Grades
K to 12
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Discover a visual search engine that pulls in latest sites of today related to any topic, from professional to curriculum-specific. Enter your own search terms in the box at top ...more
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Discover a visual search engine that pulls in latest sites of today related to any topic, from professional to curriculum-specific. Enter your own search terms in the box at top right. See a map of the latest new sites. Use this site without registering, or register to customize the results. Education Eye maps the innovations and displays these visually. Once registered, view your history, a custom login page and widget, and receive email newsletters.
tag(s): maps (209), search engines (50)
In the Classroom
Stay current in the latest ideas, technologies, and pedagogy around the globe. Be sure to save this one in your favorites. Share a result on your projector or interactive whiteboard to spark interest in real world topics related to your current unit of study.
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