Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The Center for History Education offers this resource to teach a variety of topics in American History via an inquiry approach. Use the Resources Timeline to search by Eras (from beginnings to 1620 through 1968 to today); sample topics include Native Americans, Colonization, Civil Rights, Slavery, the American Revolution, and many more. All labs include central questions, source materials, and step by step explanations to implement the lab. The approach is well suited to social studies literacy standards of Common Core, as students explore and evaluate sources (informational texts) and eventually "Develop, present, defend, and refine their evidence-based answers." Choose from History Labs or Lesson Plans to find resources then scroll through the dates to view available materials. Use links to print materials in PDF format. Although the site title indicates materials for all levels of students, most resources are geared toward middle and high school grades. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): african american (110), american revolution (82), civil rights (194), civil war (134), colonial america (95), colonization (20), great depression (28), iran (8), jefferson (18), kennedy (19), native americans (91), roosevelt (12), slavery (75), washington (25), womens suffrage (44), world war 2 (149)

GR8CTZ - Great Cities of the World is a geoguessing game where you are transported to a world city and have to guess the location based on views from Google Maps street views. Look and walk around a bit before attempting a guess. You have three tries to get it right. Start the game after choosing options such as levels, language (English, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish), and city subset options. Although very simple looking, this is an intriguing option for exploring the world without leaving home!

tag(s): countries (69), cross cultural understanding (157), map skills (56), maps (207)

Learn to manage money while having fun living on a 20 "bean" salary using this printable game. Use the directions and discussion questions to play two rounds of the game. Although it is possible to play with individual players, the site recommends groups of between 2 and 5 players for optimal results. Even though this game is "low tech," it is a great teaching tool!

tag(s): financial literacy (92), game based learning (171)

The New Bedford Whaling Museum focuses on the impact of the whaling industry and specifically the interaction between whaling and the port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Of interest to those studying one of the 18th and 19th century's leading industries, the museum also offers insight into the material culture of New England, the life and habitat of whales, and the craft of ship building. The site offers a closer look at a number of current and past special exhibits, as well as a searchable database of artifacts in the current collection. Don't miss the special reading lists and other resources.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (72), colonial america (95), marine biology (25), whales (11)

Explore this collection of public domain, classic books for children and teenagers from the Library of Congress. They are organized in alphabetical order. There are 51 books for younger children, 6 books for teens, and 6 books for adults. Each has a short summary, a link from which to read the book, and a link to more information about the book. Enjoy these stories online. Although they aren't audio books, they could be very useful with all ages.

tag(s): book lists (161), independent reading (85), literature (217)

Science vs Magic offers four tools for exploring math concepts. Tools include Let's Play: Ancient Greek Geometry, Fractal Machine, Logic Grid, and Elementary Cellular Automata. Choose the "About" link with each activity to view the author's blog describing the different components and suggested uses. This is a neat mind-stretcher activity. Explore the site a bit before sharing with students.

tag(s): angles (51), fractions (159), geometric shapes (136), greeks (31), logic (164)

Develop your vocabulary and understanding of culture through words. The site offers a series of short videos presented by experts from the University of Nottingham's School of Cultures, Languages, and Area Studies. Each video takes an in-depth look at the story behind many words of the world, including where they came from, what they mean, and how the words have changed over time. Simply click on any word in the visual to view the video. Most videos are less than 5 minutes in length. This site was created in the United Kingdom, so you may notice some slight pronunciation (or spelling) differences from American English. Many of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (157), vocabulary (237), vocabulary development (90), word study (58)