TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Mar 6, 2016

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

 

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Iditarod Teacher on the Trail - Teacher on the Trail Program

Grades
3 to 8
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Iditarod Teacher on the Trail includes posts for the current Teacher on the Trail detailing their journey from selection through participation in the Iditarod. Posts include classroom...more
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Iditarod Teacher on the Trail includes posts for the current Teacher on the Trail detailing their journey from selection through participation in the Iditarod. Posts include classroom lessons correlated to Common Core Standards about the Iditarod in all subject areas. Choose links to particular parts of the curriculum to view videos, classroom images, download printables, and complete lessons. This site focuses on each new teacher of the year; be sure to see archives and information from previous years' teachers.

tag(s): alaska (20), iditarod (4)

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site as you and your class learn about the Iditarod and follow the Iditarod as it takes place each March. Sign up to receive email notice of the latest blog entries. Take advantage of the many free lesson plans for use in your classroom. Have students create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here, to follow the journey of the Iditarod. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map where the route takes place. Create a quick poll (with no membership required) using SurveyRock, reviewed here, before the race begins to let students predict the winner of the Iditarod. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about the participants in the Iditarod.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Helping Writers Become Authors - K. M. Weiland

Grades
6 to 12
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Helping Writers Become Authors is an award-winning blog by an internationally published author focusing on tips and suggestions for improving writing. The author recommends starting...more
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Helping Writers Become Authors is an award-winning blog by an internationally published author focusing on tips and suggestions for improving writing. The author recommends starting with the three core series contained within the blog: The Secrets of Story Structure, How to Structure Scenes in Your Story, and How to Write Character Arcs. Be sure also to check out the Story Structure Database containing detailed looks at story structure in popular books and movies. Other sections worth a look include Writing Inspiration and Most Common Writing Mistakes.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): characterization (16), creative writing (122), descriptive writing (39), expository writing (31), letter writing (18), paragraph writing (15), persuasive writing (55), process writing (38), writers workshop (31)

In the Classroom

This site is a must-see for anyone who teaches writing! Use information from the site on your interactive writing board or projector as part of writing lessons. View the Story Structure Database together with students and have students use this as an example to take a detailed look at the structure of the current reading or viewing materials they are using. Be sure to include a link to this site on your class website for students to use at home.

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Compound Interest - Andy Brunning

Grades
8 to 12
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Take a look at chemical compounds encountered every day through interesting infographics and blog posts. View weekly posts for "This Week in Chemistry" detailing the latest news and...more
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Take a look at chemical compounds encountered every day through interesting infographics and blog posts. View weekly posts for "This Week in Chemistry" detailing the latest news and information from the world of chemistry. To see all infographics, choose the infographics index and select by topic. For information about sharing graphics, go to the About & Contact link that contains the fair use guide.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): chemicals (39), medicine (55), molecules (40), periodic table (44)

In the Classroom

Bookmark Compound Interest as an excellent resource for chemistry classes throughout the year. Share infographics on your interactive whiteboard or projector and discuss the This Week in Chemistry posts with your students. Follow acceptable use guidelines and share infographics on your class website. Use this site as an example and have students modify their learning by creating a simple infographic sharing their findings using Infogram, reviewed here.

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Classroom Freebies - Charity Preston

Grades
K to 8
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The Classroom Freebies Resource Library contains thousands of free materials for grades K-8. Many different kinds of resources are included such as task cards, classroom management...more
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The Classroom Freebies Resource Library contains thousands of free materials for grades K-8. Many different kinds of resources are included such as task cards, classroom management charts, coloring sheets, worksheets, and posters. Use the search bar to find specific content or browse using links to grade level content and topics such as the End of the Year and Common Core Freebies. Follow links for directions about downloading materials.

tag(s): back to school (63), book reports (28), classroom management (128), commoncore (75), posters (47), preK (254), substitutes (27), worksheets (70)

In the Classroom

Bookmark Classroom Freebies as an excellent resource for teaching materials throughout the school year. Take advantage of the free printables for use on bulletin boards, for classroom management, and centers. Choose materials from the site to use in substitute folders. Be sure to share this site with your fellow teachers! You might consider finding snow day and vacation day activities to post on your class website for parent and student use.
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Adobe Creative Cloud Express - Adobe

Grades
K to 12
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Create beautiful visual designs with Adobe Creative Cloud Express (was Adobe Spark). First, follow prompts for creating an account, then select a creation you will work on; those include...more
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Create beautiful visual designs with Adobe Creative Cloud Express (was Adobe Spark). First, follow prompts for creating an account, then select a creation you will work on; those include flyers, banners, posters, business cards, social graphics, advertisements, YouTube thumbnails, and a few others. The canvas where you will create has a right and left menu. Choose a template, text, photos, shapes, backgrounds, and design assets from the left menu. Next, you can select colors, animation, background, resize, or design from the right menu. When complete, share using email or with the social media links provided, or you can download.

tag(s): blogs (66), communication (136), creative writing (122), design (83), digital storytelling (141), microblogging (18), posters (47)

In the Classroom

Possible uses are only limited by your imagination! Create your own flyer, poster, business card, etc. for parents and students where they can learn a little you and what is happening in your classroom. Enhance or extend student learning (depending on the project requirement) by having students create a visual to accompany books read in class, tell about social studies events, or display images for different science terms. Flip your classroom using Adobe Express presentations. Adobe Express is perfect to use for presentations, digital storytelling, or a gift (think Mother's Day) in any subject!

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Highbrow - Artem Zavyalov & Jane Limanskaya

Grades
7 to 12
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Learn something new each day with Highbrow's unique course delivery system. Sign up for a course, then receive an email each day with a five to ten-minute lesson. Each course ...more
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Learn something new each day with Highbrow's unique course delivery system. Sign up for a course, then receive an email each day with a five to ten-minute lesson. Each course is completed in ten days making learning quick and easy! Choose from many different course options in subjects such as art, literature, languages, history, tech and coding, photography, and several others. Highbrow only allows one course per user at a time to encourage complete focus on each topic. If you don't see what you like, choose the Create Course option and create your own learning experience using your expertise!

tag(s): 20th century (59), architecture (64), authors (103), business (47), differentiation (84), endangered species (28), equations (119), financial literacy (92), greeks (31), human body (93), inventors and inventions (71), logic (164), medicine (55), mental math (18), numbers (119), photography (130), poetry (189), psychology (67), short stories (18), surrealism (2), weather (163), women (137)

In the Classroom

Highbrow is perfect for differentiated learning. Allow students to choose their own topic and sign up for a course. When complete, choose another topic and start a new course. Modify classroom technology by having students create commercials for finished courses using Powtoon, reviewed here, and share them using a tool such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Challenge students to create a course after a unit of study as a final assessment. Be sure to include this site on your class webpage for students to access both in and outside of class for personal use.

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Robo Boogie - Code Club & Nesta

Grades
6 to 12
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Create a dancing robot and learn code at the same time! Begin by choosing a robot dancer, and then click "Let's Dance!" Edit your robot's dance moves using the toolbars ...more
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Create a dancing robot and learn code at the same time! Begin by choosing a robot dancer, and then click "Let's Dance!" Edit your robot's dance moves using the toolbars to change the head, arm, and hip movements. If you don't like the music, no problem, choose from four different music genres for your robot. Switch to Code Mode to view and change current settings. When finished, save and share your dance.

tag(s): coding (88), computational thinking (42), computers (106), critical thinking (112), engineering (119), STEM (262)

In the Classroom

Demonstrate how to use this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Show students how to switch back and forth between Code Mode and toolbars. Ask one student to change a dance move and other students to adjust the code to match the change. After school clubs and activities can use Robo Boogie to learn to code. Use this tool with gifted students for an interesting challenge. Set up a coding activity center for interested students when they finish class work or for rainy days and snow days. Share this link on your class website for students to access both in and out of the classroom.

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Blended Learning Implementation Guide - John Bailey, Scott Ellis, Carri Schneider, & Tom Vander Ark

Grades
K to 12
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The Blended Learning Implementation Guide is an interactive resource for planning, implementing, and evaluating blended learning in the classroom. The guide takes you through the basics...more
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The Blended Learning Implementation Guide is an interactive resource for planning, implementing, and evaluating blended learning in the classroom. The guide takes you through the basics of blended learning with infographics, links to videos, and specific instructions for blended learning instructors. Other topics include suggestions on purchasing devices for use, questions to consider when lecturing, and resources for funding. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. Though some of the videos have a 404 message and some links don't work, the PDF itself still has a lot of information.

tag(s): professional development (393)

In the Classroom

Print and share this guide as an excellent resource when implementing blended learning in your classroom or school. Be sure to save a link to the online version to access the videos linked within the guide. Use the guide as part of your professional development sessions. Discuss and work with different portions of the guide throughout the year as you learn about blended learning. Consider using this guide as a book study with your peers for one year, then implementing blended learning the following year.
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