Are Fireflies Disappearing? This participatory site explores this question and more. At this site students can join and volunteer to help the “cause,” make observations in their own backyards, track progress, help scientists map fireflies, and more! Check out the “Learn More About Getting Involved” link. Joining this site does require an email address. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.
In addition to the project, there is also a lot of reference information about fireflies (see the “Understanding Fireflies” link. Topics include types of fireflies, identifying gender, flashing facts, environmental factors, beware of imposters, and others.
In the Classroom: What a fantastic class project or summer challenge. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have cooperative learning groups investigate various areas of this site and create multimedia presentations. How about an online book about Fireflies using a tool such as Tikatok. reviewed here. Or have students create online posters using a tool such as Project Poster (reviewed here.
Teacher’s First Edge Review: For moderately adventurous technology users. This site allows users to create online scrapbooks including photos, video clips, and music. Users can “Start with a Theme” or “Start with a Blank Page.” Add stickers, backgrounds, text boxes, and more. Be aware many of the themes are free, but some are for a fee. The ones for a fee say "purchase" at the bottom of the screen. This site requires Flash. You can it both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10061
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: This site is fairly easy to navigate. Users must be able to access photos (from several websites or personal computers) to use in the scrapblog. View the short introduction tutorial to learn more about site. Learn how to edit photos, add stickers to your pages, add backgrounds, add text, add videos, and more! There is the option to view the scrapblogs on full screen (see the box on the top right side of the screen). If you want to control the speed of the blog, you must have it on full screen. Once on full screen, look for the turtle and hare slider to slow down the speed. When completed, you can share your scrapblog via URL, on many social networking sites, or by printing out the pages. You don't need to register to USE this site, but you do need to register to save or share your scrapblog.
Safety/Security Concerns: an email address is required for sign up to use this service. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.
Classroom Uses: This amazing site has countless possibilities in the classroom. After a field trip, use this site to share the experience with families and as a review for the class. Can't take a field trip? Create a scrapblog of a fictitious "visit" to the historical site, showing what you have learned without even visiting. Rather than having students create traditional "book reports" or reports about famous people or events, use this site to create a multimedia presentation with photos, text, music, and more (include attribution for the Creative Commons images they may use). What would Jefferson have included in a scrapblog about his time in Philadelphia in 1776? Elementary classes could make whole-class scrapblogs about the important people and places in your school or community, using digital pictures you take yourselves. At Thanksgiving, have students make a scrapblog about the things they are grateful for. Share this link on your class website for students to access both in and out of the classroom. This is a perfect site for students to use to make free "homemade gifts" for Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Grandparent's Day.
Here is a sample of a scrapblog created by the TeachersFirst Editors
Be smarter and use smarter flashcards! Browse, use, or create flashcards for studying in a variety of courses from basic to advanced. Take flashcard creation one step further with this free site that not only uses collaboration in the creation of flashcards, but also chooses the next cards based upon correct/incorrect answers in order to move information from short to long term memory. Add explanation, links, and mnemonics to the flashcards. Create and join groups for creation and study of the flashcards. For an overview, watch the video tutorial to learn how best to use Funnelbrain. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10100
In the Classroom: Skills needed: For moderately advanced technology users. Create an account with an email address and password. Verification of email is not necessary. Create a new group by finding an already listed school or adding your own. Create flashcards easily by entering the question, answer, explanations, and mnemonics in the appropriate tabs. Students can create a profile and join or create a group.
Safety/Security: You may want to prohibit or point out the links to advertising located along the side. This site allows others to comment on created flashcard sets. Some school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school's Acceptable Use policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety or establish specific written class rules and consequences for inappropriate comments given or received. Students must have individual accounts (email required). Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. Alternatively, create a class account that has a global login and password that all students can access. Students would need to be cautioned against deleting or changing flashcards created by other students. Students would not be able to join groups using this option. All projects are public. Check your school policy for posting student work online. Written permission is always a good idea.
Possible uses: Create flashcards for students to study or have students create them as an assignment. Create the original questions of the flashcards and assign students to determine the answers, find links for additional information, and add hints and mnemonics to complete the deck. Have groups of students use the flashcards for study time and for critique of the flashcard deck creator(s.) No matter the topic or subject, this flashcard site has great uses for student learning. Use flash cards for terminology, test review, or reinforcement. Have students create and critique sets as the actual assessment, replacing traditional tests and quizzes.
Have students that are not sure what they want to be when they grow up? Do many students think that there are not many job opportunities in Math or Science? Share this site with students. Answer the quiz to uncover possible interests for future careers. Students can choose categories such as Music or Sports to view additional possible careers that many students would not think about. Click on Teachers and Instructors to view Lesson Plans and other activities, Resources, or Career Counseling. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10108
In the Classroom: Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students explore this site independently. Many students are not aware of careers associated with Math, art, music, technology, and Science. Create a greater awareness through use of the quiz and lesson plans/activities. Interest in careers may create a spark of interest in topics by your students.
Confused about copyright issues? Use this site to understand the rules and how they apply to the classroom. Download the Educators' Workshop to assist school leaders in learning about copyright or the Educators' Guide for use by all teachers regardless of subject or grade level. View videos about copyright in the classroom. Don’t miss the Library of Classroom Curricula, there are lessons for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Subjects include social studies, language arts, fine arts, math, science, technology, computers, research skills, and parent information! This site requires Adobe Acrobat and Flash. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10105
In the Classroom: This site is a must-see for your own understanding of these challenging concepts. Share the interactives on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Divide middle and high students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Identify what is considered fair use and teach students what is considered acceptable use in the classroom before assigning, creating, or posting student projects. Use the free curricula on this site to teach your students about copyright and fair use beginning at a young age. Share this link on your class website or blog for students (and parents) to access at home.
Inquire about a variety of diverse species with this fantastic site. View the critter catalog of animals found primarily in Michigan. Use the field guides to identify common tracks, identify invertebrates, and learn about habitats and conservation. Download resources for setting up experiments and analyzing data about biodiversity as well as curriculum resources. This site requires Adobe acrobat. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10101
In the Classroom: Create your own biodiversity experiments or analyze data using the downloaded documents. Learn about organisms from the State of Michigan and find organisms from your area that fill the same niche. Compare and contrast these animals to find commonalities in the food chain and learn about the different habitats that organisms can be found in. Use an online Venn diagram tool to make your comparisons. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here).
Play interesting word, math, and other activities with this free site. Membership is not required though members receive additional benefits. Find an interesting challenge to try. On its page, click to play the game, read the directions for play, bookmark the specific game, or generate a link for embedding in a website, wiki, or blog. Printable game worksheets that can be customized can also be found on this site. Some of the specific topics include magic squares, attributions, hangman, strategy games, and more.
Note: Ads appear along the side and students should be cautioned in clicking on these ads. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10102
In the Classroom: Share this eclectic site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these activities for problem solving drills and interest in words or numbers. Use this site for review. List the link on your class website for students to practice both in and out of the classroom. This is a great find for gifted students!
Looking for simple interactives to use on your interactive whiteboard or projector? This site offers various tools that can be used with your entire class or with individual students at stations or on independent computers. Use "Number blocks" to teach addition to a group of students or the whole class. Use the "Show me the time" application to rotate the handles of the clock to set the correct time. Other applications include "Music keyboard" to play music with different instrument sounds and "Chain letters" to make new words from the letters shown. Check out all of the apps listed on the pages for interesting options for your class. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10099
In the Classroom: Use many of these interactives as a whole class activity (projector or interactive whiteboard) or for use with small groups. Practice showing time by having a student show the time given on the clock. Have that student choose the next time and another student to display on the clock. Use any of the other activities on this site for students to learn and explain why the answer is correct. Groups of students having difficulty can also use these applications with a student who has mastered it for additional help sessions.
This site delves into forensic science and offers students a chance to solve a crime. Students begin to understand an underworld science by collecting clues of things left behind, namely bugs, maggots, and other disgusting creatures! The lesson plan includes readings, steps to solving the crime including collecting evidence, creating a DNA profile, evaluating the evidence, and listening to an expert. Standards are provided.
In the Classroom: Project this site on your classroom projector or interactive whiteboard to provide stimulation for the students about to embark on the crime solving. Divide your class into teams to collect, analyze and assess the clues left behind. Challenge students to create their own CSI investigation story or scene. Have students create an online book (story) about their mystery using a tool such as Tikatok reviewed here. Or have the groups create a video of their “forensic file” case using a sharing tool such as Teachers.TV reviewed here.
This website serves as a support element for the Meth Project, an organization determined to educate the public about the dangers of methamphetamine usage, to change current attitudes particularly among teens about meth use, and to have an influence on public policy concerning drug use prevention. Besides basic information (the facts are startling!), it collects news releases and offers things people can do to help in the fight. Since it started as a project in the State of Montana, it offers continual updates on which states are joining the project. It collects data on many aspects of meth use, and best of all, it offers the news of its positive results. One of the most interesting parts of the website is the ads section where viewers can see and hear television and radio ads portraying teens in the duplicitous behavior meth use often leads to. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10092
In the Classroom: Save this site in your favorites. This site could easily fit in health class, science, current events lessons, and more. Use the site in social studies classes to provide factual information about this very difficult problem. Use it as a jumping off point for students researching similar issues for other types of addictive behaviors. Have your students make their own ads based on the videos and radio transmissions they can view here. Share the videos using a tool such as Teachers.TV reviewed here. Keep the reference information from this site for students who want to do further reading, research, and self-education. List this site on your class website for students (and parents) to explore both in and out of the classroom.
After a detailed introduction about HOW to use this site, students are challenged to build a train (a math train that is). What a perfect site for those train lovers! Students click to roll the dice, and a number and operation appear (+2 or -4, for example). Next, students click on the train cars (however many the dice requested) to move (remove) them up behind the train engine. The goal is to end up with the correct number of train cars, and no leftovers! Be aware: while this activity is free, other activities at this site are for a fee. This site requires Adobe Shockwave. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10094
In the Classroom: Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow students to try this site on their own, they can play again and again. This is a great site to list on your class webpage.
This site presents median, mode, and range in an engaging way (using playing cards and SHARKS). After detailed audio instructions, students are ready to "play." You can click "Skip Directions" if you have visited before. Students are dealt 5 cards; they are able to exchange up to 3 cards to try to improve their score. Students are asked various questions about the cards (find the mean of the 5 cards, what is the mode, what is the range between the highest and lowest, and others). This is an excellent resource to practice these challenging concepts.
While this activity is FREE, there are other activities at this site for a FEE. This site requires Adobe Shockwave. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10095
In the Classroom: Share the introduction on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then allow students to navigate this site on their own. This is a wonderful addition to a unit on average, mean, mode, etc. Why not have students create their OWN similar challenge on a class wiki. Have groups take turns asking and answering questions on the class wiki. Not sure what a wiki is? Check out the TeacherFirst Wiki Walk-Through (reviewed here).
This interactive site is a MUST-HAVE for anyone who teaches reading. To get started, simply type in your name and you will be given a user ID (for example, Melissa might be Melissa0039). *BE SURE to SAVE the user ID provided. The site saves your work and you can log-in with the user ID to go right back to where you left off! The site includes sections for both students and teachers. You can click and choose which section on the top right corner of the site.
The "Teachers Section" includes a treasure of information (see the tabs on the LEFT side). Some of the information on other sections of the Teacher Page involves an online course. But there is enough FREE stuff on the left side to make this site phenomenal: podcasts, videos, and many lesson topics. Find lesson plans, videos, teaching tips, research, and more about Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating, Synthesizing, and Using Other Strategies. The Student portion offers interactive, technology-based activities for each of the comprehension concepts. Check out the student-created Visualizing activities, including drawing pictures and adding music using the online tools. This site requires both Flash and Adobe Acrobat. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 7236
In the Classroom: Share the tools (podcasts, videos, and other interactives) on a projector or interactive whiteboard to introduce students to this site. Then have students try some of the interactives on individual computers or at a learning center! Take advantage of these ready to go lesson plans, printables, and teaching tips. What a fabulous site to integrate into your language arts classes! Have students use this site to create multimedia presentations. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts demonstrating their understanding of one of the concepts. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).
TeachersFirst Edge Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. ePals, a global community, offers students the chance to connect with other students around the world (200+ countries). The free student email feature is one of the most useful features of ePals, since complete teacher moderation is available. You may be able to convince a more conservative school administration to permit student email using this tool. This site is the largest worldwide community for global collaboration. Don't worry about the language barrier, there is built-in language translation! This content-rich site also offers lessons, interactives, printables, and more. The "Focus Areas" include Biodiversity, Black History, Election/Inauguration, Geography Central, and Human Rights. In addition, you can click on the "Projects" link to find several ready to use projects (Habitats, Maps, Natural Disasters, Water, and others). Click on "ePals Tour" to view an informative video clip about the site, downloadable brochures, and more. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10090
In the Classroom: Skills Needed: Navigating this site is rather simple. Simply click on one of the tabs across the top of the website: Home, Focus Areas, Projects, Connect, Forums, How-To, and ePal Tours. Parts of this site require log-in. Registration does require an email address. The site does offer SchoolMail, the leader for FREE "kid-safe" email.
Safety/Security Concerns: A lot of safety features are already put into place at this site. The SchoolMail (email service offered at this site) offers monitored mail, instant translations, spell-check, anti-spam filters, and virus protection. To learn more about the safety features at this site, check out the ePals Tour link.
Possible Uses: This site offers an amazing assortment of class activities and possibilities. Collaborate with schools in Africa (or 200 other countries) for a geography project. Have your students find ePals to correspond with and practice writing skills in English or in a language you are studying. Use the ready to go lessons and interactives at the "Focus Areas" and "Projects" links. Get additional ideas for projects, by visiting the "Projects" link or propose one of your own based on ideas from TeachersFirst suggestions you read in other reviews, lesson plans, and articles. After viewing one of the informative videos, challenge your students to study one of the topics available at this site and create their own videos. Use a tool such as TeachersTv to share the video clips reviewed here.
Looking for a way to integrate literature into your math lessons? Check out this site featuring three famous pieces of children's literature: A Light In The Attic, Counting on Frank, and How Big Is a Foot?. These stories are used to teach and reinforce math skills such as geometric figures, estimation, volume, measurement, and more. Some of the lessons include exploring the size of humpback whales, creating "beds" using their footprints, and other creative ideas. Many of these lesson plans and coordinating activities require Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10070
In the Classroom: Take advantage of these FREE lesson plans! Read the stories together as a class. Have students create their own math stories (about geometry or another topic you are teaching). Challenge cooperative learning groups to create online math-based stories using a tool such as Tikatok (reviewed here).
This simple site, generously illustrated with videos, explains the basics of plant life to elementary students, including information on how seeds germinate, plant parts, photosynthesis, pollination, seed dispersal, and plant adaptations. Terms are defined in clear sidebars, and text is well-illustrated in the silent video clips. Watch a seed germinate in time lapse or seeds blow into the wind. The videos require Quicktime. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10088
In the Classroom: The reading level for the simple text on this site is mid-elementary, so many students will be able to navigate it on their own or with a reading buddy. Introduce the site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. If your projector can zoom into the videos, you can share them in large groups. You can also have students explore the site as a science center or for review/reinforcement of plant terminology. Have students or small groups make their own illustrated plant life cycles on paper, PowerPoint slides, or in an interactive book using a tool such as Tikatok, reviewed here.
This entertaining interactive teaches young children and families about water safety. Intended for Texas residents, the content is appropriate anywhere there are homes, pools, or lakes. Rolling your mouse over items in the cartoon pictures pops up text explanations of the dangers that can come from leaving a tricycle next to the pool or other unsafe activities your students might see. Make your students advocates for water safety and vocal protectors of themselves AND their siblings by sharing this site. This site requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10089
In the Classroom: Include this activity during safety units or before you send students home for summer. Share it with non-readers on your interactive whiteboard or projector, or have reading buddies explore the site at a learning center. Be sure to share the link on your class web page for students to share with mom or dad at home, as well. Have students create safety posters on paper or do it together as a class using a tool such as Project Poster (reviewed here or PicLits (reviewed here or make an online graphic to share using Tabblo reviewed here.
This blog post, written by a graphic designer, shares ideas and basics about color theory in very user-friendly language. The full blog holds many other ideas on graphic design principles, as well. Note to teachers: there are links to off-topic posts, but the discussions of design principles apply to web pages, print projects, 2D artwork, and more. There are also posts and discussions about computer design programs such as InDesign and Quark. Whether you teach art or advise the school newspaper, this "real world" blog by a professional can help students make connections between theory and authentic tasks. 10083
In the Classroom: With younger students, share the discussion on an interactive whiteboard or projector to teach basic color terminology in art class, then have them design their own color schemes for a traditional art project, class wiki (great for portfolio sharing), or multimedia project in PowerPoint. You could even use basic shapes and colors on the whiteboard to create and "drag and drop" color swatches to illustrate the ideas. Middle and high school student groups could use this blog as a reference in designing brochures or web pages or critiquing publications in print or on the web. Have students take "screenshots" of web pages and analyze the colors used, posting the images and analysis to a wiki. Better yet, have more techie-students embed web content such as flickr photos within their wiki and analyze it in a caption below the "live" content. Assign an authentic graphic design task such as some of those mentioned in this blog. Teachers of advanced art students will want to share this link on their class web page for students to access both in and out of class as a reference and discussion starter.
How does an artist find inspiration, even in less likely places? This collection of four videos draws on real artists to open our eyes to inspiration from a library building and its contents. The New York Public Library inspires this series of four videos about real artists and how they find new artistic ideas within the Library: from its books, its map collections, its light fixtures, and more. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10084
In the Classroom: Share one or more of these videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard as you talk about artists and art history, and-- perhaps more importantly -- about what "inspires" your students to their own creations. Share digital pictures of a local library or landmark on a projector as inspiration for in-class artwork after watching one of these videos. As you study famous artists, compare the experiences of these New York artists, talking about their own creative process, with accounts by Van Gogh's diaries or authors' writing journals. As your art students prepare portfolios, use these videos as a model for blog entries (or videos of their own) sharing students' thoughts on their own creations and what inspired them. Have students make whole-class or individual wiki portfolio pages with digital pictures of their art projects and reflecting on the ideas behind their work in written text or embedded video clips. Use a safe video sharing site such as SchoolTube reviewed here to post student video; then "embed" them in a class wiki collection.
This design blog from a team of contributing designers and New York-based editor Grace Bonney features multiple daily posts of design ideas from homes, thrift stores, and occasional traditional artwork. There is also information about student design competitions and shows worldwide. Be sure to explore the various categories, from DIY projects to city design "guides." The visual inspirations and discussion starters will elicit reactions from, "What's such great design about that piece of junk?" to "Wow, what a creative idea!" The rapidly-growing collection can inspire ideas for invention, writing, artwork, and formal design projects. There are also video clips that require Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. 10085
In the Classroom: Share images and posts from this blog on your interactive whiteboard or projector to illustrate basic principles of color, line, and other art elements (use those whiteboard drawing tools for students to highlight and label!). After sharing a trend from this blog, ask your art or design students to take digital pictures illustrating that trend in their own home or local mall. Create a class wiki connecting what YOUR students see with what professional designers see. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries – check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here.
As an environmental awareness project, focus on recycled goods and their use as "design elements" in chic homes. Challenge visual/spatial intelligence and engage your visual learners by using this blog as a writing prompt option for student blogs, descriptive writing, or persuasive essays on America materialism or the environment. In science class where you may be studying the laws of motion or the nature of light, allow your "artsy" students to use objects from this blog as illustrative examples of curriculum concepts, connecting something they care about with the science curriculum. Ex. Why is this kind of metal better suited for a lamp? Offer this site as one of many optional links from which they may choose examples, along with more traditional "scientific" sources.
World language students will find the city design guides a wonderful way to study culture in other lands -- and practice describing it in the language of study!
Are Fireflies Disappearing? This participatory site explores this question and more. At this site students can join and volunteer to help the “cause,” make observations in their own backyards, track progress, help scientists map fireflies, and more! Check out the “Learn More About Getting Involved” link. Joining this site does require an email address. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. 
Teacher’s First Edge Review: For moderately adventurous technology users. This site allows users to create online scrapbooks including photos, video clips, and music. Users can “Start with a Theme” or “Start with a Blank Page.” Add stickers, backgrounds, text boxes, and more. Be aware many of the themes are free, but some are for a fee. The ones for a fee say "purchase" at the bottom of the screen. This site requires Flash. You can it both from the 
Inquire about a variety of diverse species with this fantastic site. View the critter catalog of animals found primarily in Michigan. Use the field guides to identify common tracks, identify invertebrates, and learn about habitats and conservation. Download resources for setting up experiments and analyzing data about biodiversity as well as curriculum resources. This site requires Adobe acrobat. Get it from the 