TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Nov 6, 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

 

Less
More

Amelia Earhart - The Official Website - Family of Amelia Earhart

Grades
6 to 12
0 Favorites 0  Comments
 
The Official website of Amelia Earhart is an informational website intended to honor the life, the legend, and the career of Amelia Earhart. It contains a vast amount of information...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

The Official website of Amelia Earhart is an informational website intended to honor the life, the legend, and the career of Amelia Earhart. It contains a vast amount of information about her life and career. The most extensive part of the site is the "Biography." Other portions contain her achievements, quotes, and photos. An interesting portion of the site is the News section which has links to recent stories and news articles about Amelia Earhart. Scroll down the "Home" page to preview the movie Amelia, you may want to share this with your class - or not. Preview beforehand.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): aviation (38), careers (139), famous people (21), flight (31), women (136)

In the Classroom

Share this site with students when researching famous Americans, women, flight, or careers. Enhance learning by having students use a mapping tool such as Google Earth, reviewed here, to create an audio (and visual) tour of Amelia Earhart's journeys. Her story could also offer a powerful writing prompt for an essay about people who take on formidable challenges/adventures. Substitute a blog tool such as edublog, reviewed here, for paper and pen.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

65 History X Feeds (formerly Twitter) - Glenn Wiebe

Grades
8 to 12
0 Favorites 0  Comments
This site offers a wonderful list of X (formerly known as Twitter) feeds to consider if you are just starting out or if you are adding to your feed ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

This site offers a wonderful list of X (formerly known as Twitter) feeds to consider if you are just starting out or if you are adding to your feed related to history. The list is categorized by General, Media, Eductors and Students, Departments and Publications, Military, Historical Tweets, and includes the X (Twitter) name with a link and a short description. Feeds include the Library of Congress, quotes and sayings from Thomas Jefferson, and HistoryDay (see what happened on this day in history), and many more.

tag(s): congress (39), history day (40), social media (53), social networking (68), twitter (19)

In the Classroom

Create a classroom X (formerlyTwitter) account and choose feeds to follow that relate to classroom studies. Assign different students to follow the feed each week to summarize and review. Challenge students to find other X (Twitter) feeds to follow. Have students create an X (formerly Twitter) account as a historical figure as part of research projects. Looking for more ways to use X (Twitter) in the classroom? Read more about X (Twitter) from TeachersFirst's Twitter for Teachers page.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Playground Fun - Department of Culture, Media and Sport

Grades
2 to 5
1 Favorites 0  Comments
This site features both traditional and modern playground and street games for ages 7-9. It also aims to encourage students to take part in physical activity through education. The...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

This site features both traditional and modern playground and street games for ages 7-9. It also aims to encourage students to take part in physical activity through education. The site can be used in several ways. One is to explore different kinds of games such as chasing games, ball games, old school games, and more. See rules, items needed, and even a picture of what the game looks like. Be sure to check the tabs at the top of each game for other pictures that might be included facts or history of the game. The "build a game" section lets you upload your own games. Choose a background and one of two templates for how your page should look. Then enter information including rules, title, items needed, background information, and more. If you are just searching for ideas, try the link for Favorite Games where you will find favorites of other site users and a rating from one to four stars. Make childhood obesity a thing of the past by promoting positive play.

tag(s): fitness (49), obesity (9)

In the Classroom

As a healthy initiative, kids could choose games from this site and teach them to the class. Even better, have them write instructions ( and take photos) for their own game inventions and share them on a Playground games wiki or on the site. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Thinglink, reviewed here. This site allows you to narrate a picture. Find a classroom across the world to exchange ideas! This site is from the UK. How similar/different are their games from those in the U.S. or where you live? Interview a parent to find out what games he/she played at recess! Have students learn games, then add modifications that can be made to include students with disabilities.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Documentary Heaven - Documentary Heaven

Grades
6 to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
 
This site has embedded videos from over 1600 documentaries located all over the internet. These videos are not necessarily "short" clips. Some are longer than 15 minutes. Search the...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

This site has embedded videos from over 1600 documentaries located all over the internet. These videos are not necessarily "short" clips. Some are longer than 15 minutes. Search the videos via several methods: browse the library, most popular, recent videos, or by categories. The categories vary greatly and include the bullying of those with disabilities, 9/11, aftermath of the Japan Tsunami, import and export of oil, and countless other topics. Each video comes with a short explanation and ratings (out of 10 stars). Viewers can also leave their own rating. Many include suggestions for related videos. Be aware: some of topics may not be suitable for the classroom. Please preview before (or IF) you choose to allow students to peruse on their own. You may want to share only specific videos with the class. It has been noted that this website opens rather slowly at the busy times of the day. But it is WELL worth the wait. Note that videos are recommended for inclusion by the video creators, so there could be very strong bias in documentary presentations. What better way to challenge students to stop and ask, "What is the source of this information and can I trust it fully?"
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): archeology (24), biographies (93), bullying (49), disabilities (29), psychology (67), senses (20), sexuality (15), tsunamis (15)

In the Classroom

View videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector to correspond with classroom lessons. Be sure to discuss the source and possible bias of any documentary. "Documentary" does not necessarily mean "trustworthy" or "unbiased"! Link to specific videos on your classroom computer, website, or blog for students to view on their own. Assign different topics and allow students to choose a documentary to use as part of their research. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): PBWorks (wiki), Site123 (blog), Renderforest (newscast video), and Genial.ly (poster/bulletin board).

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Jotform - Interlogy, LLC

Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites 1  Comments
 
Use JotForm to quickly build a professional online form. Build contact forms, surveys, and many other forms in a matter of minutes. Customize to meet your needs. Use the large, ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Use JotForm to quickly build a professional online form. Build contact forms, surveys, and many other forms in a matter of minutes. Customize to meet your needs. Use the large, empty canvas by dragging and dropping elements. Generate and post your form online and receive an email for every survey response.

tag(s): polls and surveys (46)

In the Classroom

Use in the classroom for a survey, collecting student information, or any time you are looking for feedback. Use this site for checking student knowledge quickly and easily. Use in projects, including graduation projects. Students can collect data for analysis. Teachers can collect input from parents or students, including conference concerns to know about in advance or questions students have about current curriculum topics. Students who might never speak up in class may be willing to share their questions online, especially if it is anonymous.

Comments

Jotform is really easy to use! But there are some limits regarding how long and often you can use it without paying. I also use Google forms/ spreadsheets in my class to make forms. Google spreadsheets also have gadgets that let you graph the results! Elise, CO, Grades: 0 - 12

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Geometry: The Supplement - Dan Meyer

Grades
7 to 11
0 Favorites 0  Comments
This site contains 38 weeks of Geometry lessons provided in several formats to be easily used with interactive whiteboards. Dan Meyer is well known for his mathematics teaching methods...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

This site contains 38 weeks of Geometry lessons provided in several formats to be easily used with interactive whiteboards. Dan Meyer is well known for his mathematics teaching methods and much of the material is hands-on, problem-based activities appropriate for any classroom. Lessons are in slide format and can be downloaded in Keynote (Mac) or PowerPoint (Windows). In addition, each week's lessons can be downloaded as a PDF. Each lesson contains slide notes for the teacher and weekly handouts are available for use. Textbook assignments reference Discovering Geometry; however, these materials can be used with any textbook or materials. Each week's lessons are also tagged making it easy to find other similar content within the site.

tag(s): angles (51), functions (52), geometric shapes (135), patterns (63), problem solving (225), test prep (66), tutorials (51)

In the Classroom

Use the lessons provided on your interactive whiteboard or projector either on their own or as a supplement to current classroom materials. This could also be used as enrichment/advancement for gifted students or supplemental practice for struggling math students. Consider providing this link on your class website.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

BizKids - American Public Television

Grades
5 to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
  
Explore the many facets of the business world on this approachable site. All information is tied in to the T.V. show entitled "BizKids" which was created to teach kids about ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Explore the many facets of the business world on this approachable site. All information is tied in to the T.V. show entitled "BizKids" which was created to teach kids about money and business. The site is divided into several different sections - for teachers and for students. The teacher section includes lesson ideas that tie into videos available on the website. This can be found under the Teachers link along with lessons available in both English and Spanish. Visit Resources for a Sample Business Plan for Kids, Profiles of Young Entrepernuers, Get Money Smart, and Student Activities.

Students can sign up to receive a newsletter with money tips just for them. Also included is a blog with links to other financial sites for kids.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): business (47), college (45), financial literacy (91), money (119)

In the Classroom

Use the search bar to find newsletter on "How to Hold a Fundraiser" when planning a class economics project or before a school fundraiser event to get ideas on how to boost fundraising income. Click the colorful links in the newsletters to watch a few of the short videos for creative ideas before creating classroom presentations of information studied in class. Divide up the online shows between students in your class and have students view and report back on the information presented in the videos. To show what they have learned from this site, engage and challenge students to substitute paper posters with an online graphic to share using Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here. Enhance learning by using a multimedia poster maker such as Genially, reviewed here, where students can choose the type of interactive presentation they would like to share. Ask students to complete the simulation "Living on the Edge" with an economic plan using a budget worksheet. Business teachers, family and consumer science classes, and young entrepreneurs will appreciate the many offerings on this site. College counselors will also want to share the college planning information.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

ESL Bits - Skip Reske

Grades
5 to 12
3 Favorites 1  Comments
 
Don't let the title mislead you! Find listening and reading activities for any listener who enjoys audio stories at a teen and adult level, including the advanced English language learner....more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Don't let the title mislead you! Find listening and reading activities for any listener who enjoys audio stories at a teen and adult level, including the advanced English language learner. There are short stories, books, radio scripts, and songs to listen to and read, as well as English idioms, sayings, and slang. You'll also find a Reading Comprehension and Test Preparation area with interactive activities to help students read and understand English and prepare for reading exams. Unlike many audio book sites, this one includes recent and popular selections for almost anyone, including teachers and parents! Don't miss classic radio shows perfect for discovering life in 20th century decades past.

tag(s): listening (68), radio (20), reading comprehension (142), short stories (18), test prep (66)

In the Classroom

Project a story or song on an interactive whiteboard or projector for group listening, reading along, and discussion. Literature teachers can use the site for a class novel, so lower readers can have audio support at home for listening and review. You could have small groups of students listen to different short stories, and make up Bloom's type questions for the next group of students to answer, or they could turn the story into a Reader's Theater piece and video tape it, or perform it live for the class. Share the videos using a tool such as SchoolTube reviewed here. This is a terrific site to list on your class website for students to use for at-home practice or enjoyment. For elementary and middle school students, you will want to provide the specific url for the selection you want them to use so they are reading articles appropriate in content for their age group. If you supervise a study hall, keep this link handy as a listening option for students who "don't have any homework."

Comments

Excellent resource! alma grimaldi, , Grades: 7 - 9

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

WISC-Online - Wisconsin Technical College System

Grades
7 to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Looking for review materials for a variety of classes? Use for a wide range of curriculum topics. (A "learning object" is any kind of interactive activity, animation, video, ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Looking for review materials for a variety of classes? Use for a wide range of curriculum topics. (A "learning object" is any kind of interactive activity, animation, video, audio file, etc, that can be used for learning.) This site is great for introductory, reinforcement, or review materials. Find most of the relevant topics by using the search bar. Choose from many subjects such as biology, biochemistry, chemistry, math, sociology, world languages, and written communication, among others. Gifted students or those who learn well independently can study Chinese and other topics not easily available in their school using WISC-Onkine.

tag(s): animals (278), business (47), cells (80), chinese (44), grammar (133), grammar review (31), life cycles (21), microscopes (10), plants (141), psychology (67), sentences (21), sociology (22), speech (66)

In the Classroom

Find a variety of topics for each subject area. For example, use WISC-Online in biology topics: How to use a Microscope, Life Cycles of Animals and Plants, and Cell Division. Choose from many others. Use as an introduction to a new unit. Additionally, these topics can be used for reinforcement or as a review. Under the Written Communication subject you will find 50 activities from parts of speech, commonly confused words, to how to summarize, brainstorm, and many others. Share direct URLs to specific review activities to help students who need extra practice or as links on a class web page or wiki for all students to access outside of class. Encourage students to comment on your wiki about the activities they found most helpful in explaining tough concepts (use the discussion tab).

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

EasyDefine - Prabbav Jain

Grades
4 to 12
0 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Create definition lists easily and completely. Simply enter the terms, and click "generate" to create a list of words with definitions. View synonyms, download as a document, or email...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Create definition lists easily and completely. Simply enter the terms, and click "generate" to create a list of words with definitions. View synonyms, download as a document, or email your list to others. Be aware: there are no filters on this definition site, so ANY word (appropriate or not) can easily be searched by students. Use under teacher supervision with students likely to enter inappropriate terms for immature reactions.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): dictionaries (48), synonyms (17), vocabulary (235), vocabulary development (90), word study (58)

In the Classroom

You must know where you are saving downloads on your computer to save the list as a document. Pay attention and name files with meaningful file names, such as "chapter17vocab." Enter your list with one term per line or separated by commas, etc. Click on advanced options to add other options to the search: number or alphabetize the definition results, maximum definitions, and hiding parts of speech.

Create definitions easily for word lists in any subject area. Have students enter a series of similar words to see variations in connotations. For example, enter various words that mean "fat" and discover the variability in positive and negative connotations. Follow up with a ranking or sorting activity with the same words on interactive whiteboard to build word choice options. Have students generate individualized reading vocabulary lists for content are reading chapters or literature. Click on the synonyms tab to find related words. Save as a document for easy sharing in groups. Advise students to collect definitions and compare to those they write in their own words. As with any other reference, students should be cautioned to be sure these are accurate definitions needed for the context in which they are studying the words.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close