Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The goal of this site is to educate youth about philanthropy and giving their time and knowledge for the global good. To do this, they offer over 1400 free lesson plans for teachers, parents, and community leaders. Lessons are coded to state standards and can be searched by grade level, keyword, subject, or academic or philanthropy standard. Some lessons are geared toward private or religious schools and are clearly labeled as such. Lessons include subject, key concepts, vocabulary, objectives, materials needed, approximate time, procedures, extensions, handouts, and much more. An example of a grade 3-5 lesson would be Cool Kids Compost which explores responsible use of resources by gathering data about lunchroom waste. Don't let the concept of philanthropy keep you from exploring the site, there are many great classroom lessons available for all subjects.

tag(s): african american (110), animal homes (56), animals (281), character education (76), charts and graphs (169), colonial america (95), communities (36), data (147), diversity (38), ecology (100), environment (240), heroes (22), money (119), recycling (46)

This early literacy site contains many video clips to assist parents and teachers in getting students ready to read. Rhymes and songs are modeled for use with younger children. Each aspect of literacy is explained before you hear the targeted text. Materials are available in both Spanish and English.

tag(s): literacy (110), poetry (189), rhymes (21), songs (44)

See fascinating questions contributed to Discovery by actual people. View the multimedia answers to understand the facts about to the question. Apply to become an expert to help answer questions. Select subject topics along the bottom to view questions. Warning: there are sexually related questions. You will want to preview before sharing in class. And you may also want to make this site a teacher-lead activity only.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): questioning (32), sexuality (15)

Looking for more information on Project Based Learning (PBL)? Find videos, information, and examples on this site. Though some material on this site is for sale, there are plenty of free materials. Read about PBL, watch videos, or download word or PDF documents found under the Tools section. Sign up to participate in the forum for more interaction with the content and other educators using PBL. Click the PBL Do-It Yourself bar along the right side for more information and links. Be sure to check out the tweets on the bottom of the front page for great ideas and links to use.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): assessment (146), Project Based Learning (25), Research (83)

This mystery reading game helps increase reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in an innovative way. The basic game is free. You can sign up to have two mysteries a week sent to you, or you can use their archive. There is an indepth "How to Play" section, on the top menu bar, where you can read the instructions. After reading a mystery you select the correct sentences that are clues, and select a character that the clue either exonerates or implicates. Points are awarded for each clue you get correct. You can set up a leaque or several leagues to track students' performance and progress.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): critical thinking (112), mysteries (19), reading comprehension (143), short stories (18)

Create graphic murals on the computer. DeviantART muro's drawing tool runs in a web browser. It will introduce students to a slightly more complex art making process. DeviantART muro has six free drawing tools, color wheels, erasers, fill bucket, eyedropper, and cropping features. This drawing site also provides various tool sizes, allows for opacity adjustments, and color gradation. There are also wonderful online tutorials that range from how to use Photoshop to advanced 3D modeling.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): design (82), drawing (59), graphic design (50), painting (56), photography (126)