TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Aug 11, 2013
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
Responsible Use Guidelines of School E-mails for Elementary Students - Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano
Grades
2 to 8
2 Favorites
0 Comments
View visual guidelines for proper email etiquette. We all need to develop e-mail writing skills for an academic setting with classmates, teachers, administrators, and members of the...more
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View visual guidelines for proper email etiquette. We all need to develop e-mail writing skills for an academic setting with classmates, teachers, administrators, and members of the community in the 21st century. Download the PDF visual guidelines to guide you and your students on the manners and responsibilities associated with communicating through email. Be sure to provide credit to the author in your classroom, website, or blog if you post the PDF.
tag(s): digital citizenship (89), writing (315)
In the Classroom
A great visual to share with your students to develop quality communication skills. Discuss rules, rights, privileges, and responsibilities of a digital citizen. Create your own guide using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here, with your students for their use of their own school email address. Print your guide, have the class sign it, and post it in the classroom as a visual reminder to their commitment to digital citizenship. Share the printables or the links to the students' guides with parents at open house or conferences. Have students create online posters individually or together as a class.
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Infographics Only - Infographics Only
Grades
3 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Find a colorful, creative Infographic for just about any topic on this sharing site. Use one of the forty-plus categories or type your keyword in a search box. There are ...more
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Find a colorful, creative Infographic for just about any topic on this sharing site. Use one of the forty-plus categories or type your keyword in a search box. There are so many cool Infographics at this site that you won't have to create one of your own. But if you do, you can upload it and have it displayed on Infographics Only. What is an Infographic? Learn more about Infographics here. Be sure to take time to preview the Infographics on this site as some may not be suitable for young people. It would be best to link directly to the Infographic you want to share.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): charts and graphs (169), data (147), graphic design (50), infographics (56)
In the Classroom
Common Core emphasizes "reading" of visual sources of information, and this is the perfect source. Why not use an Infographic as an introduction to a unit or lesson in your classroom? Create open ended questions about the Infographic to use as a formative assessment tool. Ask students to create questions about the topic of the Infographic. Reading teachers could choose an Infographic on a daily/weekly basis for teaching/practicing how to interpret informational graphics within a text. If they are mature enough to ignore some topics, consider having students go to the Just for Fun category and choose an Infographic. Then ask students to report out the "main idea" of the graphic and give three supporting details as evidence. For any subject, as a form of summative evaluation, consider assigning students to create an Infographic about a topic covered in class as a way to show understanding. If your students are new to creating infographics, have them view Creating Infographics: A Screencast Tutorial reviewed here. For more examples of how to use infographics in your classroom, view the recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session found here. This session is 75 minutes in length.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PaperZip - Free Printable Teaching Resources - PaperZip
Grades
K to 5
3 Favorites
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Find free elementary printables and teaching resources at PaperZip. Items include writing paper, calendars, post cards, and templates. Search by specific topics such as literacy, numeracy,...more
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Find free elementary printables and teaching resources at PaperZip. Items include writing paper, calendars, post cards, and templates. Search by specific topics such as literacy, numeracy, or seasonal to find available offerings. After choosing a resource, read a short description as well as view the file size, type, and age suitability. Download using the button provided. Click tags in red boxes under item descriptions to find similar downloads. The Classroom menu has useful templates for organization and rewards.This site was created in the United Kingdom. American English speakers may notice some differences in the pronunciations and spellings from those in American English. Be aware that some of the ads appear to be part of the site, but are not.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): alphabet (51), christmas (37), halloween (30), multiplication (122), numbers (119), preK (255), printables (37), seasons (36), spelling (95)
In the Classroom
Download and use templates for classroom centers, games, and homework options. Be sure to check out the iPad template to use for spelling practice! Be sure to bookmark this site for use throughout the year. Take advantage of the free printables and share a few with parents for a little extra help at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Shakespeare Uncovered - WNET
Grades
8 to 12
1 Favorites
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Teaching Shakespeare? Make sure to check out this educator's site for the PBS series Shakespeare Uncovered. There are ten lesson plans and a "Teachers Viewing Guide" for the...more
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Teaching Shakespeare? Make sure to check out this educator's site for the PBS series Shakespeare Uncovered. There are ten lesson plans and a "Teachers Viewing Guide" for the six video segments. In case you haven't heard of the delightful Shakespeare Uncoveredseries, never fear, clicking on the video tab will take you to all 6 episodes. The different celebrity hosts for each episode help make Shakespeare relevant and accessible to the students of the 21st century. The episodes also present rare footage from some renowned productions, including the 1963 adaptation of As You Like It starring Vanessa Redgrave as Rosalind. The series is built on interviews with actors, directors and scholars, clips from screen versions of the plays under consideration, and live performance segments filmed at today's Globe, and staged specifically for Shakespeare Uncovered. The teacher's guide and lesson plans contain video segments from Shakespeare Uncovered, comprehensive instructions for classroom implementation, printable student handouts, links to online resources, and suggestions for extension activities to enhance reading, viewing, and an appreciation of Shakespeare's works.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): hamlet (8), macbeth (8), plays (27), shakespeare (93)
In the Classroom
Enjoy the wealth of material put together for you and your students! Share the videos with your students on your projector or whiteboard. Flip your classroom and assign students to view the video at home and be prepared to discuss the next day in class. (Most videos are between 45 - 60 minutes.) Use this program as a "background knowledge" builder before having the students read the play. Whether choosing your favorite play or the one that your district requires, you and your students are sure to enjoy this current, relevant look at Shakespeare.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Times Tables Test - tablestest.com
Grades
3 to 7
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Practice basic multiplication facts at this interactive site. There are six levels that test your knowledge of times tables as well as speed. Earn points for correct answers and speed....more
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Practice basic multiplication facts at this interactive site. There are six levels that test your knowledge of times tables as well as speed. Earn points for correct answers and speed. Use the drop down box to change the language to Spanish, French, and other options.
tag(s): multiplication (122)
In the Classroom
Demonstrate on your interactive whiteboard for a quick five minute introduction. Create a link on classroom computers and have students challenge themselves to increase speed, accuracy, and skill levels. Share a link on your class website or blog for student practice at home. This is a great site to include for students to use to practice during the summer months. It is also useful on BYOD tablets, since it does not require Flash and uses a simple "click" interface.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Coggle - coggle.it
Grades
2 to 12
4 Favorites
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Coggle is an online, collaborative mind mapping program. Sign in using your Google account or other email to begin. Click "create" to begin a new diagram. Click to edit text, ...more
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Coggle is an online, collaborative mind mapping program. Sign in using your Google account or other email to begin. Click "create" to begin a new diagram. Click to edit text, or choose the + icon to add a new branch. Drag elements anywhere on your screen to rearrange. Invite others to view, add, or edit your Coggle using the share button. Allow other users read-only access or read-and-edit access. Download finished Coggles as a PDF file or a PNG image. The introduction/explanation video is hosted on YouTube. If YouTube is blocked at your school, you may want to view the video and familiarize yourself with the website from your home computer.
tag(s): brainstorming (16), charts and graphs (169), collaboration (87), graphic organizers (49), mind map (26)
In the Classroom
Coggle's ease of use makes it easy to focus on the process of creating a mind map, rather than learning how to use the program or playing with its features to make it pretty. Have your class create organizers together, such as in a brainstorming session on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Assign students to "map" out a chapter or story. Assign groups to create study guides using this tool. Use this site for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics. Use this site to create family trees or food pyramids in family and consumer science. Have students collaborate (online) to create group mind maps or review charts before tests on a given subject. Have students organize any concepts you study; color-code concepts to show what they understand, wonder, and question; map out a story, plot line, or plan for the future; map out a step-by-step process (life cycle).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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