TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jun 12, 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
Data USA - Deloitte, Datawheel, and Cesar Hidalgo
Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Data USA provides a comprehensive and in-depth look at data across the United States using public government data. Search for data using cities, states, or topics such as education...more
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Data USA provides a comprehensive and in-depth look at data across the United States using public government data. Search for data using cities, states, or topics such as education or occupations. When searching for locations, Data USA provides an exhausting overview of demographics, economy, health, and more for the locations. In addition to searching for data, this site also offers many maps demonstrating statistics for population, median age, workforce, and much more. Choose the stories link to read stories written using the data found on the site.
tag(s): cities (17), communities (36), data (147), demographics (13), population (47), states (122), statistics (114)
In the Classroom
Bookmark Data USA to use as a resource for finding and comparing U.S. statistics. Explore information about your city or state and compare to other locations. Show students a purpose for these facts by assigning different articles from the Stories section. Dig deeper into current events using this site. Explore the demographics and economy of any place in the news to help understand local issues. If your class has a partner class in another part of the country, Data USA is a perfect resource for sharing and comparing community information. Depending on the topic of study, after exploring this site, Redefine learning by challenging students to make a multimedia presentation such as a poster using Marq (was Lucidpress), reviewed here, infographic with Infogram, reviewed here, or a slide show using Google Slides, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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SciTech Daily - scitechdaily.com
Grades
8 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
SciTech Daily is a digest of the latest science news from around the globe. Information comes from major magazines, international newspapers, and more. Browse through the site by topic...more
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SciTech Daily is a digest of the latest science news from around the globe. Information comes from major magazines, international newspapers, and more. Browse through the site by topic or choose links to view the latest or most popular articles. Use the search bar to look for specific information on the site. Subscribe using your email to receive a daily digest of all of the latest site additions.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): news (229), newspapers (91)
In the Classroom
SciTech Daily is a great addition to science classrooms as a source of current information. Bookmark this site on classroom computers and allow students to explore and find information of interest. Share pertinent articles on your interactive whiteboard to discuss together. Use SciTech Daily in your English/Language Arts classroom as an excellent resource for non-fiction reading. Have students extend their learning by creating a newspaper with science news using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here. Have students modify their learning by collecting media (videos and more) from multiple online sources including SciTech Daily to show their research findings using a tool such as Dragontape, reviewed here. If articles are too long for some readers, consider using Skim.it, reviewed here, a Chrome extension that reduces articles into a 100-word summary.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Global Conflict Tracker - Council on Foreign Relations
Grades
8 to 12
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This interactive provides up-to-date information about global conflicts, and specifically the impact on U.S. interests. Colors display the impact on the U.S. with red being more critical...more
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This interactive provides up-to-date information about global conflicts, and specifically the impact on U.S. interests. Colors display the impact on the U.S. with red being more critical and green as limited. Hover over any highlighted area to learn the area affected. Click to find out more such as the number of people affected, recent developments, and background about the conflict. Use filters to view information by region or different types of conflict.
tag(s): conflict resolution (9), cross cultural understanding (157), cultures (132), journalism (72), maps (209), terrorism (41), terrorist (12)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this interactive for use throughout the year when discussing current events or studying different regions around the world. Share the locations using Google Earth, reviewed here, to get a first-hand look at the geography of the region. This tool is a great find for gifted students. Have them explore different regions of conflict and research the background of events in the area. Challenge students to make a multimedia presentation using information found in their research. Use a tool like Vevox, reviewed here. Vevox offers interactive features such as real-time polls and comments to keep viewers interested and involved in the presentation. Vevox allows adding polls, videos, embeds, web links, and PowerPoint. Have students create & embed a timeline to their presentation using Time Graphics Timeline Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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In the Swim eGuides - Make a Splash in the Classroom - In the Swim
Grades
K to 12
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Maintained by a company that sells pool accessories, this collection of links on swimming, swimming pools, and water-related topics helps teach students about being safe around water....more
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Maintained by a company that sells pool accessories, this collection of links on swimming, swimming pools, and water-related topics helps teach students about being safe around water. Scroll down the page to see resources organized by grade levels and content areas. The links include research articles, videos, lesson plans, worksheets, experiments, activities, and games for science, math and history classes. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): chemicals (39), safety (71), sports (77), water (101)
In the Classroom
Follow these links for some supplemental materials to enliven lessons that could include water as a recreational resource. Science teachers will find real world applications and information about chemicals. Use interactive boards to show videos and activities as whole group lessons. Have students read articles for informational reading practice. Use the resources for flipped or blended learning links on your class website for individual or small group work.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Rock the Vote - Jeff Ayeroff
Grades
8 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization dedicated to getting young people out to vote. Their home page includes information for voters across the country about voter registration,...more
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Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization dedicated to getting young people out to vote. Their home page includes information for voters across the country about voter registration, where to vote, and election information. Other links direct you to contact information for local and national elected officials. Are you registered to vote? It's easy to find out through Rock the Vote, enter your address and date of birth and find out your registration status.
In the Classroom
Include a link to Rock the Vote on your class web page for eligible students to access voter registration and other information. Include Rock the Vote as part of any election unit. Have students learn about the latest voting news, explore requirements for voter registration, and discover reasons why it is important to be part of the voting process. Have students create an annotated image including related links describing the voter registration process for your state using a tool such as Image Annotator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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America's Heritage: A History of Immigration - immigrationcouncil
Grades
6 to 12
5 Favorites
1 Comments
Explore America's History of Immigration through the thirty-two interactive events on this timeline beginning in 1492. Scroll the timeline bar to any area on the timeline to view events...more
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Explore America's History of Immigration through the thirty-two interactive events on this timeline beginning in 1492. Scroll the timeline bar to any area on the timeline to view events for that period. Click the arrows on each box to read more about that event.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): immigrants (33), immigration (64), timelines (49)
In the Classroom
Share this timeline on your interactive whiteboard as an introduction to your unit on immigration. You could show the history of immigration and discuss the U.S. as a nation of immigrants. Use a tool such as Thinkalong, reviewed here, for students to debate about this topic, or any hot topic. It is interesting to note that there are many more events for the most recent twenty-five years than there are for all the previous years. Use this as a starting point for students to research and find additional information to add. Have students transform their learning and create their own timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here.Comments
This is a comprehensive, yet kid-friendly, overview of US immigration policy in an interactive timeline. It ends with an Executive Order in November 2014. I hope the Heritage foundation continues to update this resource.Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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Global Trend Map - Paul Bourke
Grades
6 to 12
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Discover what is trending on Google with the interactive Global Trend Map. Use the drop down box on the right to choose a country and change the visual appearance of ...more
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Discover what is trending on Google with the interactive Global Trend Map. Use the drop down box on the right to choose a country and change the visual appearance of the map if desired. The top Google searches for that country appear in a list with the top trend written across the chosen country. Click the Translate button to translate into English. Get the embed code to share this on your website or blog.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (157), maps (209), news (229)
In the Classroom
This site is excellent for enrichment during current events lessons. World language classes can keep up with hot topics in the countries where the language they are learning is spoken. Include this link on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Challenge students to compare and contrast trends across different countries using an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. Have students create a presentation on any of the trending topics using Swipe, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Grasswire - Grasswire
Grades
8 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
You are the reporter on Grasswire, a collaborative Internet newsroom! Scroll through to read the most current, most popular stories, or view recent submissions on the right-hand side...more
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You are the reporter on Grasswire, a collaborative Internet newsroom! Scroll through to read the most current, most popular stories, or view recent submissions on the right-hand side of the screen. Create an account and sign in to submit your own stories, comment on articles, or up-vote newsworthy items. Since these are user-submitted, take caution in allowing students to explore on their own. Some grammatical errors were noted in a few of the articles. Challenge your students to be the editors and see if they can find any errors.
tag(s): journalism (72), news (229), newspapers (91)
In the Classroom
Share Grasswire on your interactive whiteboard or projector as part of any current events discussion. Since the readers submit the articles on Grasswire, have students browse articles to find information that may be untrue, misleading, or opinion instead of facts. Use articles as examples, and then have students write their own current events submissions. ELA teachers may want to have students correct articles with grammatical errors as a lesson in proof-reading. Have students make a multimedia presentation for the topic of the article they will submit using Zeemaps, reviewed here, where they can include text, audio and images on an interactive map.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Science of the Summer Olympics - NBC and the National Science Foundation
Grades
5 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
The ten videos on this site highlight events and people that captured the public's imagination during past Summer Olympics. The series of film clips are part of a larger site ...more
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The ten videos on this site highlight events and people that captured the public's imagination during past Summer Olympics. The series of film clips are part of a larger site in which some parts require payment, but this part is free.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Share these short clips on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Challenge students to research an athlete in the current Olympics or the science of their favorite sport. Have students present their findings using Swipe, reviewed here, or Powtoon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PBS Newshour Classroom - PBS NewsHour Productions LLC
Grades
7 to 12
3 Favorites
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Find news and resources for grades 7-12 at PBS Newshour Classroom. Search the site by Subject Area, Videos, Arts and Media, Science, and more. Explore news articles written for students...more
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Find news and resources for grades 7-12 at PBS Newshour Classroom. Search the site by Subject Area, Videos, Arts and Media, Science, and more. Explore news articles written for students with the background and context needed to understand complex topics. The Daily Videos are ad-free and have related stories along the right side of the page. Read the current events news stories and follow the Extra Twitter feed. Don't miss the many free lesson plans including current events, American history, health, government, holidays, and more. Lesson plans are all aligned to the Common Core standards. Lesson plan topics vary from "Personal reflections on the poetry of Maya Angelou" to "Selma to Montgomery: An introduction to the 1965 marches" and countless others! Look for the Student Voices and Student Reporting Labs for those who would like to be published or to help a local PBS station produce the news.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): civil rights (194), elections (80), holocaust (41), memorial day (12), news (229), pearl harbor (9), poetry (189), veterans (20), video (257), women (137), world war 2 (149)
In the Classroom
Watch the news together on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow students to watch independently on laptops or at a learning station. Use any video or article as a current events writing prompt. Challenge students to create blog posts about them. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, replace pen and paper and have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Webnode, reviewed here. Don't forget the many free lesson plans (already aligned to Common Core standards). Click on the Lesson Plans link to explore the countless topics available (Poetry, Veterans, Elections, Ebola, Civil Rights, and more). For articles and videos about conflicts and tension, extend student learning by having your students engage in a debate using a tool such as Virtual Debate, reviewed here, which has online examples and resources for conducting virtual debates. Keep your class up-to-date on the news using this site. Provide this link on your class website for students (and families) to access both in and out of your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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