TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Apr 16, 2017

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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2 Minute Geology - Nick Zentner and Tom Foster

Grades
6 to 12
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2 Minute Geology is a YouTube playlist featuring short, informative videos discussing geological features from around the world. Topics include petrified wood, the Seattle earthquake...more
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2 Minute Geology is a YouTube playlist featuring short, informative videos discussing geological features from around the world. Topics include petrified wood, the Seattle earthquake fault, and more. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): earthquakes (44), floods (10), geology (64), rocks (36), volcanoes (55)

In the Classroom

Flip your classroom and use a video as homework. Have students take notes on the material and write down questions they still have and topics that confuse them. Or, use a tool like EdPuzzle, reviewed here, for students to pause videos and ask or answer questions right on the video. These activities can uncover misconceptions. Show the video to the class, and then discuss the concept at length. Use these videos to introduce geology concepts, then have students choose an idea to research further. For more advanced classes, provide time for students to choose a video to view and research the underlying concept. Challenge students to make a multimedia presentation of their findings using Sway, reviewed here, or Vevox, reviewed here. Vevox offers interactive features such as real-time polls and comments to keep viewers interested and involved in the presentation. To share a single video from this site without all the YouTube clutter, use a tool such as View Pure, reviewed here, and create a shortcut to the View Pure page directly on the desktop.

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TL! Kids - Pledge and Activities - Tread Lightly! Inc

Grades
K to 8
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TL! Kids offers stories and information to teach young children how to enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly. Download the Elementary Curriculum PDF with lessons and activities,...more
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TL! Kids offers stories and information to teach young children how to enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly. Download the Elementary Curriculum PDF with lessons and activities, a coloring book, take the Tread pledge, or check off items on the hiking checklist. There is also a link to Tread Lightly's! partner Agents of Discovery, which is a free game to be used on a mobile device. The game is for ages 6-14 and sends kids on adventures to recover the agents robotic bees that store knowledge about the world. Be sure to visit the Education tab on the top menu portion that includes videos, infographics, on-line courses, and more.

tag(s): conservation (82), environment (238), forests (28), game based learning (171), preK (254)

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lesson plans and coloring activities for use during Earth Day activities or with any unit on the environment. Enhance classroom technology use by having students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here, for older elementary students, or Word Clouds for Kids, reviewed here , for younger students. Have students create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here of how to be environmentally responsible. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use it: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.
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Plum Landing - WGBH Educational Foundation

Grades
1 to 3
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Join Plum, an alien video game designer from another planet, and explore the natural world through interactive games, videos, adventures, and real life activities. Live videos feature...more
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Join Plum, an alien video game designer from another planet, and explore the natural world through interactive games, videos, adventures, and real life activities. Live videos feature kids exploring different biomes and recording data for Plum. Before each game, learn about the environmental focus that will help you win the game. Ideas for exploring and investigating outside bring environmental concepts to your own community. Post images, thoughts, and ideas to share with Plum in the gallery. A parent section offers activities to do online and outside. The educator section provides curriculum for Afterschool programs, Clubs, or Camps. Lesson plans designed for after school enrichment, clubs, and camps give curriculum topics, standards, video links, conversation starters, and related activities.

tag(s): conservation (82), earth (185), earth day (60), environment (238), game based learning (171)

In the Classroom

Capture student interest in environmental science, zoology, conservation, and ecology with Plum and her human friends! Use this site in science as a way to introduce the study of the Earth, biomes, or food chains. Share the videos on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Add to computers for center time. Use Plum's adventures to inspire further adventures involving the students. Use videos as a multimedia resource to supplement the science textbook. Use the adventures to inspire either narrative or expository writing. During Earth Day, students can explore your school community. Explore other science topics and modify student learning by challenging them to create comics using a tool such as Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here, or a digital storytelling project with their own images, observations, and stories using Presentious, reviewed here. Presentious allows narrating and adding text to a picture. ENL/ESL and learning support students will find this site useful with reading support, video, and demonstrations. Have students research topics mentioned in the videos for deeper understanding. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, replace pen and paper by having students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Seesaw, reviewed here. Share research and stories with other classes in your school, students' families, and on your class website or wiki.

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National Environmental Education Week - National Environmental Education Foundation

Grades
4 to 12
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Join Environmental Education Week which is held the week before Earth Day. Get involved in Education Week programs by registering your school and classrooms. Scroll down the page to...more
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Join Environmental Education Week which is held the week before Earth Day. Get involved in Education Week programs by registering your school and classrooms. Scroll down the page to find resources and activities from past EE Weeks. Educational materials include links to more resources that might be of interest such as Greening STEM Biodiversity Activities for the Classroom, The Power of Citizen Science, the previous year's Webinars, and others. Be sure to subscribe to their monthly newsletter. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): animals (278), climate change (87), earth (185), earth day (60), ecology (99), environment (238), national parks (27), resources (87), water (101)

In the Classroom

Use this resource to plan great activities, lessons, and events for students leading up to Earth Day. For example, use the search function locateed under the menu symbol in the upper left corner and search Greening, STEM, video, for videos and information about water shortages, drought, climate change, and resources. Use the articles and reports to pique student interest, use short videos in the classroom, and find great websites and programs linked from the page. Use these resources not only for a greater understanding of issues but to create awareness campaigns for change in the home, school, or community. Exchange pen and paper and enhance learning by asking students to keep a digital journal sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. This blog creator requires no registration. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, replace pencil and paper and challenge your students to create a blog using Seesaw, reviewed here. Partner with local groups (conservation or not) to create action plans and events, and provide opportunities for change in the community. Enhance and transform student learning by challenging them to create interactive brochures, magazines, or posters of information learned using Lucidpress, reviewed here, or Genially, reviewed here.
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Discover the Forest - Discover the Forest

Grades
K to 8
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Bring the forest into your classroom with these educational interactives. Match animal tracks, learn how to use a compass, and create leaf rubbings. Download and print the "Book of...more
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Bring the forest into your classroom with these educational interactives. Match animal tracks, learn how to use a compass, and create leaf rubbings. Download and print the "Book of Stuff To Do" outside. Find Educator Resources (including lesson plans) under Get Involved on the top menu. Sound can be turned on or off along the bottom of the site.

tag(s): animals (278), climate change (87), environment (238), forests (28), natural resources (35), wetlands (6)

In the Classroom

Discover the forest from the classroom. Find nature sounds and create your own nature podcast or audio recording. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here. Collect leaves from around the area to create your own leaf rubbings and posters. Create animal tracks of domestic animals to view the difference in tracks. Take advantage of the Educator Resources and free lesson plans!
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