Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Sumo Paint is a free, web-based painting and photo editing application. Without even having to create an account, you can edit images from a URL or personal desktop file. Simply go directly to the site and begin editing images or creating work directly from a web browser, or download the app to your desktop. The painting tools included are layering, cloning, blur effects, a magic wand, shape tools, paint bucket, lasso selecting, filters, and the ability to add text. The photo editing tools allow for the adjusting contrast, hue saturation, and color balance. The application works with JPGs, GIFs and PNGs and saves work as a JPG and PNG format. The support tutorials provide tips on how to use these various features. Sumo Paint also serves as a global network of artists and is available in over fifty different languages. Without an account, you can view work but cannot share or post comments. Signing up for a free account will provide artists an opportunity to share their work, comment, view, and rate the work others artists. A free account also grants access to features such as the ability save the layer data incomplete artwork, back up files, and participate in collaborative image creation.

tag(s): design (83), editing (93), painting (56), photography (131)

This wonderful collection of interactive whiteboard activities is designed for students ages 3 to 18. Topics include Math, Literacy, Science, Physics, History, Art, Music, and Religion. Within each topic are categories to help narrow down search results. Activities contain a short summary, a link to the resource, and some have objectives. Because this is a British site, be aware that some vocabulary and content may be unfamiliar to American students, so preview carefully before using.

tag(s): descriptive writing (38), energy (130), environment (240), forces (37), grammar (133), literacy (107), literature (217), map skills (56), maps (208), novels (31), persuasive writing (55), poetry (188), preK (253), religions (75), rhythm (20), rivers (13), seasons (36), shakespeare (93), speeches (18), spelling (95), water cycle (22), weather (163)

The goal of this site is to educate youth about philanthropy and giving their time and knowledge for the global good. To do this, they offer over 1400 free lesson plans for teachers, parents, and community leaders. Lessons are coded to state standards and can be searched by grade level, keyword, subject, or academic or philanthropy standard. Some lessons are geared toward private or religious schools and are clearly labeled as such. Lessons include subject, key concepts, vocabulary, objectives, materials needed, approximate time, procedures, extensions, handouts, and much more. An example of a grade 3-5 lesson would be Cool Kids Compost which explores responsible use of resources by gathering data about lunchroom waste. Don't let the concept of philanthropy keep you from exploring the site, there are many great classroom lessons available for all subjects.

tag(s): african american (109), animal homes (56), animals (280), character education (76), charts and graphs (169), colonial america (95), communities (36), data (146), diversity (38), ecology (100), environment (240), heroes (22), money (119), recycling (46)

Give students a taste of the Victorian celebration with this site showing greeting cards from the Victorian era, and explaining the Victorian origins of many of today's Christmas traditions. We wish the images were bigger, but this is a nicely designed introduction to Victorian celebrations.

This site includes biographical information and images of a large number of murals and other works by Diego Rivera. Useful as examples for students studying contemporary art, or as an art history resource. This site is also available in Spanish.

tag(s): painting (56)

This site includes Odyssey Online (a cooperative project with Memorial Art Gallery of University of Rochester), a Website-based series of lessons with activities to teach a "tour" of the art of the Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Elsewhere in the site are images from the museum's collections, emphasizing art of several ancient cultures worldwide.

tag(s): museums (44)

The San Diego Museum of Art offers this online gallery of art collections, that can searched by subject, artist, collection or encyclopedia. Each painting is accompanied by a short text that provides more information on the artist, movement and the painting itself. Excellent site to tie art history into social history. Searching through the encyclopedia section allows the user to find movements in history, such as the Counter-Reformation, and art that reflects upon it.

tag(s): artists (78), painting (56)

This beautiful French site documents the discovery and preservation of the ancient cave paintings discovered in caves outside Lascaux. The site contains explanations of the ancient people who likely created the artwork, its symbolism, and the science behind its preservation. It's an interesting blending of science and art.

tag(s): painting (56)

This site offers an extensive collection of art lesson plans for young students, as well as places for teachers to exchange art education ideas and for students to submit their work. Try it out for specific lesson ideas, or just for artistic brainstorming.

tag(s): crafts (50)

This site provides an excellent introduction on how to experience contemporary art which could help prepare any family or class for any contemporary art field trip, wherever you are. There are also online exhibits formatted to feel as though you are walking through the actual museum! The valuable art links included within this site are user-friendly.

tag(s): art history (86), artists (78), museums (44)

This is a nicely constructed collection of art and art appreciation activities. Well illustrated ideas and concepts could be used in a variety of settings and grade levels. If you're looking for art projects, there are dozens of ideas here.

tag(s): artists (78)

This site offers suggestions and examples of different types of questions to include in classrooms. Each type of question is explained and sample questions are included. For a visual explanation of how questions work together, choose the Essential Questions link and scroll down to the diagram showing that this is center of all questions, then all other types of question serve to illuminating the Essential Questions. Links are included to additional information on each of the topics.

tag(s): critical thinking (112), questioning (32)

Students are ordinarily much more familiar with the signing of the Declaration of Independence than the signing of the Constitution, even though the signing of the Constitution may arguably be the more important event. A painting by Howard Chandler Christy documents the event, and this site provides an interactive look at the characters depicted in the painting. There is also a link to more information about the painting, which is one of the most historically accurate paintings of the founding of our country, despite the fact that it does not actually depict all of the signers. A number of other resource links may be worth pursuing for further information.

tag(s): constitution (87)

The British Museum presents this visually stunning site about the "cradle of civilization," Mesopotamia. Approach your study from one of several perspectives: geography, time, gods and goddesses, or writing. Each module has information, some extension narrative, and a challenge game (with requires Shockwave). For teachers, the best part is the Staffroom section which offers step by step information about using the site in the classroom. Start there to quickly discover how you can best use this resource.

tag(s): architecture (64), mesopotamia (4), middle east (43), writing (315)

This site offers several templates to make a variety of shaped boxes, bags, stars, and more from folded card stock or paper. Create a pyramid, hexagonal, matchbox, takeout, trapezoid, flap, candy, bon-bon, or puffy box with these printable templates and directions.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): angles (51), area (52), crafts (50), geometric shapes (136), holidays (159), perimeter (20), printables (37), volume (34)

Write your own original books, add images and artwork as illustrations, and read your published books in interactive, online form. There is no fee for the online publication and sharing. This is the ultimate in "digital storytelling." Take advantage of the free apps that make Bookemon even easier to use with any device! Use Bookemon Reader to READ books you created in Bookemon or Bookemon edCenter (available for both iOS and Android). BookPress for iOS devices only allows you to CREATE books from scratch, including using photos from your iPad/iPhone. InstaPress (for iOS only) offers options to make books from documents, pdfs, etc. to be shared on mobile devices as eBooks. Here is an example of a book created by the TeachersFirst Edge editors. Once you set up free membership on this site, students (or teachers) can select to create from a blank start or to use the templates provided. You can also create a book starter of your own as an example so students can follow the prompts you have created. The book creator allows you to upload your own images and to create books from a Word document or PowerPoint file you have already made. EdCenter users can collaborate on books.

After you save and publish the work, share the URL so people can read the entire book online, either among an audience of "just my friends" or publicly. They also offer the embed code to place your books on a class or school web page, wiki, or blog. The easiest option is to copy the address of the new window displaying the interactive book. There is an option to have the book printed for a fee, but this is not required. You can also read books created by others (if they make them public). Use the fully-public option to create learning materials for classes to access year to year for at-home review or reading practice.

This site requires a simple registration. Teachers can set up an edCenter for their school or class in accordance with school policies. See more detailed suggestions "In the Classroom" below and in our sample book! Newer mobile device options include players to view your books on iPads and more.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): creative writing (122), digital storytelling (141), writing (315)