Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Earn, issue, collect, and display digital badges with Open Badges. Set up a Mozilla Backpack to earn your first badge. Once registered, follow to create and issue your badges with documentation features. Share with those seeking to earn the badge; they upload evidence of accomplishment. Once achieved, awarded badges are displayed on an individual's profile and can easily be shared online.

tag(s): assessment (146), behavior (43), classroom management (128), game based learning (171), gamification (74), organizational skills (90)

This interactive based on the Ken Burns film, The Dust Bowl, takes you on a journey showing what life was like during the Dust Bowl of the southern Great Plains. Make decisions affecting your farm along the way as you "play it safe" or strive for greater profit. Take advantage of the other portions of this site, including videos, a photo gallery, and biographies of Dust Bowl survivors. The video about the Dust Bowl with Ken Burns as a guest resides on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable.

tag(s): 1930s (20), agriculture (49), roosevelt (12)

Study Jams offers engaging instruction and review activities in both math and science. Some sample science topics include plants, human body, the solar system, weather, matter, and more. Math topics include numbers (place value, number lines, estimation), algebra, addition/subtraction, problem solving, and others. Don't miss the "Jams" sure to excite your students to learn new skills in a musical and entertaining manner. Key vocabulary is presented along with a short video explanation of each topic. In addition to the video, there is an option to test your own ability. Each topic can also be printed to use in the classroom and there is a link to related "jams."

tag(s): addition (128), animals (281), climate (80), decimals (84), differentiation (84), division (98), ecosystems (73), energy (130), estimation (35), forces (37), fractions (159), game based learning (171), human body (93), landforms (37), light (52), matter (47), measurement (126), minerals (14), multiplication (122), number lines (33), percent (58), place value (34), plants (145), probability (96), problem solving (226), rocks (36), solar system (108), sound (74), subtraction (109), weather (164)

StoryBots is a collection of classroom learning tools for pre-K and kindergarten children, their parents, and teachers. There are plenty of free videos and activity sheets to use without registration. Register to create an online classroom and assign learning materials to individuals, small groups, or your whole class. Assign videos or games aligned to Common Core Standards. Upload your own lessons or assign StoryBots' lessons teaching math and reading skills. Share your class code with parents for at-home use.

tag(s): commoncore (75), preK (255)

All-inclusive student response is what Plickers is all about. Students do not need to have Internet access. Responders use individualized QR Code cards (print a set FREE from Plickers), to answer questions. You use your mobile device to read the QR Code cards that students hold up. Create an account and get started immediately. No need to wait for an email response. There is a demo to use, or see the Support page on the bottom menu for detailed instructions for adding classes, students, questions (with or without images), and folders to organize your questions by unit, topic, lesson and more. You can save student responses to your online Plicker account.
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tag(s): assessment (146), DAT device agnostic tool (143), game based learning (171), gamification (74), qr codes (17), questioning (32), quiz (66)

Looking for a quiz tool that is better than all the rest? Quizizz is a free tool. It works on any device: web browser, iOS, Android and Chrome apps. You can access hundreds of ready-made learning quizzes or create your own. Join as a teacher, pick a quiz, and use the code for a virtual room to give to your students. Alternatively, you can create your own quiz on Quizizz, even importing questions from excel/CSV files with just a click of a button. Students use the code to enter and submit a nickname, code name, or numerical name (students do not have to register). Quizziz now has to be marked as trusted by an administrator to be able to use it with your Google Classroom account, even if you have been using it. With Google Classroom students can join by signing in with their Google Account; just one click. Even better, if you assign a Quizizz through Google Classroom, all your data gets updated in your Classroom dashboard. You will get notifications when students complete assignments, and their responses and grades show. Teachers can choose to make their quiz public or private. Embed images with your questions. Check or uncheck the settings including music. You can even duplicate an existing quiz to save into My Quizizz. A created Quizizz can have randomized or non-randomized questions.

Don't miss the memes that are displayed when students answer a question; these are sure to be a hit with students. You can also customize your Quizizz by creating your own Memes. Use images of the school mascot, students pets, or favorite game characters to create a set of ten or more memes. Click the My Memes from the top menu, then the plus symbol. You are now ready to start. Be sure to Click "Start Game" after students have entered the code. Send the game link to students (or other teachers to use with their classes) by email, website, or social media. Set time limits of 30 seconds to 5 minutes for students to answer each question. This allows more time for more complex questions. Students earn points for speed and accuracy. Unlike other sites, both teacher and students can see the questions, answers, and the leader board throughout the quiz. Most other tools require the teacher to project the answers and leader board on a whiteboard. The leader board can be turned OFF in this tool as well. And, what is the best part of this tool? Two separate classes can play together using this tool. Quizziz works on any web enabled device including smartphones and tablets, and has an iOS app.

You can now email student reports to parents (even send the student reports to multiple/all parents at once), the main navigation bar has moved from the top to the left, and there is a search bar that you can access on all pages, and now you can search both your quizzes and your reports. Quizizz is now available in Spanish and will soon be adding other languages. Don't miss their new Jungle theme with music, backgrounds, and GIFs... oh my!

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (143), game based learning (171), gamification (74), polls and surveys (46), quiz (66), quizzes (89), spanish (105)

PBS Kids offers a large selection of interactive whiteboard activities exploring different curriculum topics. All activities are related to their popular TV characters. Scroll through to find resources sorted by math, language arts, social science, and the arts. Each activity includes a short description and suggested grade level. Find activities for sight words, vocabulary, estimation, measurement, civics, gravity, and much more. Click on any link to go directly to the activity or download.

tag(s): design (82), environment (240), estimation (35), game based learning (171), gravity (42), literacy (110), measurement (126), operations (72), painting (56), patterns (63), reading comprehension (143), sight words (23), suffixes (9), vocabulary (237), vocabulary development (90)

Bioman Biology offers engaging interactives and virtual labs for learning biology content based on national standards. Find virtual labs and activities sorted by topics such as cells, body systems, and ecology. Use the search bar to look for specific content. In addition to the interactives and virtual labs, Bioman Biology offers online multiple choice quizzes over most topics. Optional teacher registration on the site provides the opportunity to assign quizzes and view student scores for games, quizzes, and virtual labs. Registration also has the advantage of students being able to directly submit their scores to you via email. Several activities are also available as downloads at iTunes. Bioman is available as an iOS app and on any device with a modern web browser and Internet access.
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tag(s): body systems (40), cells (80), classification (22), dna (44), ecology (100), evolution (85), game based learning (171), genetics (76), human body (93), meiosis (7), photosynthesis (20), respiration (10), scientific method (47)

Learn computer coding using simple and easy activities, lesson plans, and an interface sure to please all ages! Sign up for your free account and once your dashboard is displayed choose from several helpful videos to get started. To find the Hour of Code click Courses from the left menu and find several including Lesson Plans and Teacher Guides. Learn to code by dropping blocks of commands into sequence on the left side of the screen and seeing the results along the right. The lessons provide step by step instructions, missions, and other materials to learn to code. Teachers can create a class and add students to the class. Click on student view of each lesson to see the tools and student tasks. Follow the instructions along the right panel. Note the tools that are along the top including undo and redo! This tool also features a question bar along the top. Note: This free portion of the resource offers four Coding Courses, weekly STEM Projects, Hour of Code Activities, Project Templates, Coding Tools (Block & Text), Unlimited Student Accounts, Student Progress Metrics, and Professional Development. Sign up for a free account by selecting Teacher and using Google, your email, Apple, Microsoft.
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tag(s): animation (62), coding (88), computational thinking (42), computers (106), critical thinking (112), design (82), game based learning (171), gamification (74), problem solving (226), STEM (263)

Annenberg Classroom Civics Games offer a small but excellent selection of games about the Constitution and related topics. Topics include Citizenship, Civil Liberties, Freedom of the Press, Free Speech, Guns, and many others. You can try to be the leader of the Legislative Branch. Choose three main issues and the most productive way to succeed in your cause. Most activities begin with a short video followed by questions. Most activities also include a glossary of terms used.

tag(s): bill of rights (28), branches of government (62), constitution (87), game based learning (171), supreme court (27)