Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Native Voices takes an extensive look at Native Peoples' health and beliefs through several different media approaches. Begin with a video introductory message from the Director of the National Library of Medicine. The video explains content on the site and the background of the exhibition. Watch interviews of health professionals, healers, and other community leaders organized by theme, name, or region. An extensive timeline highlights key events searchable by time period, tribe, or keyword. The resources area provides links to lessons, online activities, suggested reading, and more. Explore the exhibition to view Native American art and stories about healing. This site is a must-visit for anyone interested in learning more about Native American's beliefs in regard to health and healing.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (157), medicine (55), native americans (91)

At its core, IWitness is a collection of over 1,000 audio and video interviews with Holocaust Survivors. That by itself would make it a worthy site. However, the site also permits you to search the interview database by keyword, and to edit the interviews to create your own video projects. Click Educational Resources from the top menu and then click Across the Curriculum to discover links to further resources about the Holocaust and suggested lesson plans or activities in conjunction with the site. Here you will also find links to Professional Development, with live webinars monthly and archived webinars, Tips and Tutorials which offers guidelines for teaching the Holocaust, and finally Resources that has graphic organizers to use with your students.

tag(s): digital storytelling (141), holocaust (41), jews (23), pearl harbor (9), world war 2 (149)

The FBI - SOS (Safe Online Surfing) Challenge offers activities aimed at learning about cyber safety. The site features six grade-specific "islands" for students in grades 3-8. Activities highlight various aspects of cyber security through educational games, videos, and other interactive features. Each island has either seven or eight interactive areas to explore--with a specific cyber safety lesson. Islands also have central characters and visual themes. For example, fourth grade features Ice Island, complete with falling snow and penguins. There is also a testing component to complete upon teacher sign-up of classes and completion of all grade level activities. Free sign up isn't required to use the online activities but is necessary to take the final exam as the site requires an access key.

tag(s): cyberbullying (41), digital citizenship (89), internet safety (113)

AirPano is a stunning collection of aerial panoramic 360-degree images of famous locations around the world. They incorporate Google map technology. Peer down at the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong harbor or the tranquil scenery of Fiordland in New Zealand. At the time of this review, there were well over 100 AMAZING images to view. Rotate any 3D image and zoom in to see the details in finer clarity. Click on links within images to view nearby sites of interest. Read articles included with panoramas for an overview of locations. Embed a rotating image on to your site using the link found at the top left corner of each panoramic photo. Zoom in and out of photos, read articles about each location, turn sound on and off using links included with images. Based on the device used for viewing, choose from high or low resolution and iPhone or iPad links to view panoramas. Panoramas open in a new tab/window.

tag(s): asia (68), australia (26), canada (23), china (62), england (50), europe (75), france (37), germany (25), images (262), india (25), italy (16), maps (207), new york (22), north america (14), pyramids (16), russia (33), south africa (11), south america (36)

Teach Your Monster to Read is a free early reading program built on the principles of synthetic phonics. Activities develop speed and accuracy of letter recognition by taking a fantastic adventure through a magical world where you meet island kings and collect letters to win prizes. The program also explores blending and segmenting, and introduces "tricky" words in a fun, interactive setting. Registration with email and a password enables you to save games and track progress. Get an overview of the game by playing the demo without registration. This site was created in Great Britain so some words may have British English spellings and pronunciation.

tag(s): alphabet (51), phonics (50), preK (255)

What is the impact of changes in sea levels? Use this tool to show various effects with different feet of sea level rise. There is plenty of data showing that sea levels have already risen eight inches since 1880. Most people are unaware of the areas of the world that are at risk, though hurricanes may make us temporarily aware. This interactive map gives incredible detail by zooming into neighborhoods and understanding the possible changes that can occur with sea level change. Enter a city, zip code, or click on the US map to begin. Use the slider to change the sea level from 1 to 10 feet. Choose various other data such as social vulnerability, population, income, and property values. The application is based upon two independently written, easily accessible, peer-reviewed papers.

tag(s): climate (80), climate change (87), earth (185), earth day (60), environment (240)

HHMI's BioInteractive five lab collection allows you to explore genetics, heart diseases, nerve cells, and the immune system without any mess to clean or supplies to buy! Learn about changing fly DNA or play the role of a doctor's intern to better understand how heart disease works. These activities have interactive lab areas with learning objectives, a notebooking area, quizzes, extra resources, and a help area. They are complete with teaching suggestions and learning objectives. The bacterial identification lab and immunology lab are even available as apps for your mobile devices. Some areas of this site require Shockwave.

tag(s): bacteria (21), body systems (40), flips (6), genetics (76), heart (27), human body (93)