Ideas and Resources for Substitutes from TeachersFirst
This collection of ideas and reviewed resources is selected to help both substitute teachers and regular teachers leaving instructions for a substitute. The list includes useful time-fillers for when plans are not a perfect fit as well as teacher-friendly suggestions to make subbing a positive learning experience for all. Be sure to check "In the classroom" suggestions for practical tips and ways to use these offerings.
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English Lessons on American Presidents - Sean Banville
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
This American Presidents website contains lesson plans for teaching about each of the US presidents all the way through Barack Obama. The site uses the informational text about each...more
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This American Presidents website contains lesson plans for teaching about each of the US presidents all the way through Barack Obama. The site uses the informational text about each president to teach, reinforce, and review English language concepts. The site is directly geared toward ESL/ELL students. However, all users will benefit from materials provided. Choose any president to view a short biography. There are also language lessons such as fill in the blank and writing activities. Choose from links at the top of the page to print the lesson in PDF format, hear the article read in mp3 format, and view additional activities such as flash cards and word jumbles. Although heavy in advertising, this site is worth a look as a resource for activities and lessons about US presidents.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): jefferson (13), kennedy (10), lincoln (75), presidents (87), reading comprehension (68), washington (26)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource to accompany US presidents units or to supplement current materials used in teaching about the presidents. This is a great tool to use in English/language arts class for nonfiction readings. If you want to remove distracting advertisements, use a tool such as Readability (reviewed here). Print activities and biographies about several different presidents to add to your substitute folder. Share this site with ESL/ELL and Special Education teachers as a resource for materials.
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Famous People Lessons - Sean Banville
Grades
6 to 12
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This collection of over 150 lessons provides biographies and profiles of well known personalities for ESL/ELL (and other) students. The famous people range from 50 Cent to Walt Disney....more
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This collection of over 150 lessons provides biographies and profiles of well known personalities for ESL/ELL (and other) students. The famous people range from 50 Cent to Walt Disney. Scroll through the list of names. The main page shows each person's profession (or claim to fame), nationality, birthdate and date of death (when appropriate). Choose a name to go to the lesson. Lessons include a short biography (7-8th grade level reading) and activities to accompany it. Examples of activities include synonym match, cloze activities, spelling, and discussion questions.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): biographies (31), fluency (20), parts of speech (48), reading comprehension (68), spelling (142), summarizing (8), word choice (15)
In the Classroom
This is an excellent site to use as part of a biography unit to match biographies to individual student interests. Allow students to choose a person, then print activities for them to complete. Use this site to practice reading fluency, informational texts, and comprehension with any student, Use this site in your substitute folder. Choose several biographies and print accompanying activities for students to complete. Have students create an annotated image of a biographical character including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Share with learning support teachers as well as ESL/ELL teachers to use as a high interest activity for older students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Centers and Games - Shari Sloane
Grades
K to 4
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Find directions and printables for elementary math games. Scroll down the page to view directions for games such as "Shake and Share" and "Make a Train Race." Most activities use ...more
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Find directions and printables for elementary math games. Scroll down the page to view directions for games such as "Shake and Share" and "Make a Train Race." Most activities use items already available in classrooms such as dice, cubes, or money. Print worksheets using the link to the PDF printable, if needed.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (180), money (154), preK (164), probability (85), substitutes (18), subtraction (145)
In the Classroom
Use ideas provided on the site for math centers in your classroom. Share this link (or specific activities) on your class website). Choose a game or two to included in your substitute folder for an easy math activity while you are gone.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Art Lessons and Lesson Plans - Ken Rohrer
Grades
K to 12
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FInd an extensive collection of art and drama lesson plans for use in all grade levels. Choose a grade level from categories on the left side of the page. Pick ...more
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FInd an extensive collection of art and drama lesson plans for use in all grade levels. Choose a grade level from categories on the left side of the page. Pick from sub-categories such as type of medium, art period, or artist. One particularly useful category is by integration: ideas you can choose for lessons in subjects such as health, science, or language arts. Once you choose a lesson title, specific details include materials used, appropriate age levels, instructions, and images of projects. Many, but not all lessons also include correlation to national standards. Click on the printer friendly link to print lessons without all the clutter on the page.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (197), artists (47), colors (56), geometric shapes (73), insects (52), japan (57), native americans (48), origami (13), painting (58), preK (164), recycling (45), symmetry (38)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource for art projects throughout the year, especially if budget cuts have taken away your art teacher! Be sure to check out the link to Sub Lessons. Print and save a couple of these to have in your substitute folder for use if necessary. Share with your art teacher (if you have one) as a resource.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classroom Jr. - Wendy Piersall
Grades
K to 3
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Find teacher resources, lesson plans, creative ideas and more at Classroom Jr. Explore the site guide to find bulletin board ideas, book guides, holiday ideas, worksheets and many other...more
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Find teacher resources, lesson plans, creative ideas and more at Classroom Jr. Explore the site guide to find bulletin board ideas, book guides, holiday ideas, worksheets and many other resources for elementary students. Be sure to browse through the printable mad libs located in the worksheet section that are available for everyday use and holidays. This site is a useful resource for ideas and activities throughout the year, despite the annoying ads.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (180), alphabet (76), bullying (44), christmas (58), columbus day (10), earth day (104), easter (18), fathers day (12), halloween (33), handwriting (13), holidays (117), july 4th (8), memorial day (6), mothers day (14), phonics (63), poetry (193), preK (164), presidents (87), printables (27), subtraction (145), thanksgiving (25), vocabulary (289), vocabulary development (75)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource for lesson plans and activities for your classroom. Share specific activities such as reading, handwriting, or science worksheets on your classroom website for parents to use at home with their student. Provide this link on your class website for students to use at home on a rainy/snowy day. Substitutes might find some of the activities useful as take-alongs in case lessons do not last a full period.
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Mrs. Meacham's Classroom Snapshots - Jessica Meacham
Grades
K to 4
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Come to Mrs. (Jessica) Meacham's Classroom Snapshots to find elementary ideas and materials that are organized and ready to share! Choose from many downloads and teaching ideas all...more
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Come to Mrs. (Jessica) Meacham's Classroom Snapshots to find elementary ideas and materials that are organized and ready to share! Choose from many downloads and teaching ideas all organized by alphabetical order. Sample topics include: assessment, classroom management, organization, graphing, 100th Day, and many more. Learn about math tubs, download files, print emergent reader books, and so much more! Visit Jessica's page/site on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and other social media and/or organization sites.
tag(s): alphabet (76), behavior (33), copyright (43), dr seuss (12), graphic organizers (35), guided reading (21), handwriting (13), iwb (27), literature circles (3), organizational skills (51), preK (164), professional development (36)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and use this site throughout the year for downloads and classroom ideas. Explore the site for ideas that can be modified and used in your classroom. This site is ideal for a new teacher, substitute, or seasoned professional.
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Planboard - Lesson Planning Organizer - Vetica
Grades
K to 12
10 Favorites
1 Comments
Plan and view your academic year using this online lesson plan organizer. Integrate standards by choosing from Common Core, Ontario Curriculums, or your own custom-created standards...more
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Plan and view your academic year using this online lesson plan organizer. Integrate standards by choosing from Common Core, Ontario Curriculums, or your own custom-created standards (or IEP goals?). Select your own schedule by choosing days of the week and time periods. The site also supports custom rotations up to an eight-day length. Attach files, edit, set off days, or share schedules easily with links in the software. Print finished plans or save as a PDF. You can also email plans at any time. The free version of this application supports up to 100 lesson plans and 25 MB of storage.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (34)
In the Classroom
Create your lesson plans using this application easily from anywhere you have computer access. Share lesson plans with other teachers when team planning. If you need a printed copy of lesson plans, easily print them in PDF format upon completion of planning. Use this tool to email "last-minute" substitute lesson plans into school.Edge Features:
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Comments
david, TX, Grades: 9 - 12
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HHMI - BioInteractive - Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Grades
8 to 12
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HHMI's BioInteractive five lab collection allows you to explore genetics, heart diseases, nerve cells, and the immune system without any mess to clean or supplie to buy! Learn about...more
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HHMI's BioInteractive five lab collection allows you to explore genetics, heart diseases, nerve cells, and the immune system without any mess to clean or supplie to buy! Learn about changing fly DNA or play the role of a doctor's intern to better understand how heart disease works. These activities have interactive lab areas with learning objectives, a notebooking area, quizzes, extra resources, and a help area. They are complete with teaching suggestions and learning objectives. The bacterial identification lab and immunology lab are even available as apps for your mobile devices. Some areas of this site require Shockwave.
tag(s): bacteria (23), body systems (42), genetics (77), heart (34), human body (68)
In the Classroom
Spice up your life science or biology curriculum with these activities. Use them as dry labs prior to the hands-on or classroom "wet lab." Alternatively, they could be used as a substitute laboratory when supplies are low, if students are learning online or from a distance, or if students have ethical objections to using live specimens. Thinking about flipping your classroom even just a little? These activties are great because they can take some of the practice typically done in class to the home setting, allowing you to further delve into student driven experiments and inquiry in the classroom.
This resource requires Adobe Flash.
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Snapguide - Heavy Bits
Grades
2 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Looking for an easy to use "how to" guide? You must visit Snapguide! Find various topics: Sports & Fitness, Technology, Cooking, Music, Arts & Crafts, Gardening, and countless others....more
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Looking for an easy to use "how to" guide? You must visit Snapguide! Find various topics: Sports & Fitness, Technology, Cooking, Music, Arts & Crafts, Gardening, and countless others. You can view all of the content of this site without joining. Create your own "how to" guide on any topic. It's a "snap" to create the directions with pictures. You must have an iOS device to create a guide. Download the app onto your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to create a guide for explaining anything! Each page contains a picture and text to explain the parts for your guide.
tag(s): computers (28), crafts (29), directions (16), fitness (40), photography (113), sequencing (29), speeches (13)
In the Classroom
Share the ready-made snapguides in various classes: family and consumer science, music, art, photography, science, computer, and more! Create your own snapguides to share with your class on any subject matter. ESL/ELL and other special needs students will learn better seeing the photos along with the instructions. Use Snapguide to explain a lesson or a project that has multiple directions. Use Snapguide for directions for parents. Create a snapguide for your students when leaving plans for a substitute teacher. Students can also create their own snapguides to use as presentations and even for sequencing practice. These re the perfect prompts for writing and giving informative, how-to speeches. Students can explore the guides available and follow directions or even evaluate their effectiveness. Have cooperative learning groups create their own snapguides to share a new topic with the class.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Requires download/installation of software
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Portfoliogen - Create a Free Teacher Portfolio Webpage - CG Solutions LLC
Grades
K to 12
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PortfolioGen is a platform where teachers and pre-service teachers can build simple webpages to highlight their professional portfolios. Write "about me" pages, highlight certifications,...more
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PortfolioGen is a platform where teachers and pre-service teachers can build simple webpages to highlight their professional portfolios. Write "about me" pages, highlight certifications, upload documents, and provide links. Use the included forms for potential employers to contact you. Create an account by choosing a username and inputting basic email and contact information. Choose from available templates or create your own using your own background image and colors. Upload documents such as resumes, lesson plans, transcripts, and more. Use of the site is free; however, the free version does have limited document uploads and file sizes.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): portfolios (17), professional development (36)
In the Classroom
Use this site to create an online portfolio even if you are not looking for a new job. Share it with your principal or administrator as part of your evaluation process. Share it with parents from a link on your class web page. Model a positive, professional online image so your students can see how important this is in the 21st century. Use this tool to create a URL for substitutes to use with pertinent information including: lesson plans, student background, websites to use for enrichment, recordings of songs sung daily, etc.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sub Hub - Rachel Friedrich
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
This blog offers ideas and resources to help substitute teachers make the most out of every day. It includes practical ideas such as what to bring to school as a ...more
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This blog offers ideas and resources to help substitute teachers make the most out of every day. It includes practical ideas such as what to bring to school as a substitute (who would have thought to bring your own "teacher-friendly" pencil sharpener?). There are also free k-5 lesson plans. The best part is all of the tips, support, and stories provided for substitute teachers "in the trenches." Although geared toward elementary teachers, ideas and suggestions are appropriate for any grade level.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (34), newbies (17), substitutes (18)
In the Classroom
Regular classroom teachers might want to share this in their emergency lesson plans for subs. Substitutes, don't go into the classroom empty handed. Bookmark this useful website (or make it a TeachersFirst Favorite so you can find it anytime) and be prepared for the unexpected! New teachers and student teachers can learn from the many tips. If you are mentoring or working with a student teacher, share some of these ideas. For even more, be sure to check out Teachers First's Ideas and Resources for Substitutes here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iBioSeminars - iBioSeminars
Grades
10 to 12
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iBioSeminars features lectures and videos about biology, ecology, health (and more) that begin with broad introductions and progress to specific research. Most videos require QuickTime....more
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iBioSeminars features lectures and videos about biology, ecology, health (and more) that begin with broad introductions and progress to specific research. Most videos require QuickTime. Search by top picks or category. You can also try entering a biology term in the search box. Click on Teaching Tools to find related materials for use with the lectures. Many lectures are as long as an hour. Don't miss the "short clips" menu for videos more applicable in high school settings. Subtitles in English, Spanish, and French are also available. You can subscribe to the lectures using iTunesU. There is also a link to view the video clips on YouTube.
tag(s): cells (74), ecology (124), energy (150), evolution (96), medicine (40)
In the Classroom
Use iBioSeminars to bring the human side of biological research to the classroom. Use the lectures as an introduction to a biology concept or when connecting the topic to students' everyday lives. Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Save this in your favorites as a possible tool for substitutes to share with the class (if the topic is applicable). Use this site along with other related sites for students to pick from when assigning current events in your science class. Challenge students to familiarize themselves with a topic by watching a video and then have cooperative learning groups create a multimedia presentation to share with the class using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Story Starter, Jr. - Joel Heffner
Grades
2 to 6
1 Favorites
0 Comments
If you are looking to satisfy your appetite for creative, meaningful writing prompts to suit any young writer, this is just the place to quickly find over 700 instantly generated ...more
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If you are looking to satisfy your appetite for creative, meaningful writing prompts to suit any young writer, this is just the place to quickly find over 700 instantly generated ideas. All that you have to do is click on the "click here for your story starter" button. If you don't like the one you see, keep clicking for different story starters until you find the one that suits your fancy. Then, start writing!
tag(s): creative writing (98), writing (298), writing prompts (63)
In the Classroom
Save this site in your favorites and link to it from your class webpage. For even quicker access, save this as a favorite on your Teachersfirst membership page to come back to whenever you are planning a pre or post reading/writing assignment. (If you are not already a member, join TeacherFirst for FREE.) These creative ideas are also great to file in your "emergency" lesson plan folder for a substitute teacher or when you are just looking for a spontaneous writing or journal assignment. Students may use it the traditional way by writing the story starter sentence on a piece of paper. With access to a class set of computers students could copy and paste into a word document or class wiki page and start writing their stories, poems, or journal entries. Challenge students to share their writing aloud on a podcast using a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Learning Network - The New York Times Company
Grades
6 to 12
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This New York Times site addresses many classroom needs. Scroll down the main section to find current event articles, photos, polls, and more. Find lesson plans by category, a student...more
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This New York Times site addresses many classroom needs. Scroll down the main section to find current event articles, photos, polls, and more. Find lesson plans by category, a student opinion section, contests, a daily news quiz, and timely articles connecting current events to thinking questions. Find many opportunities for a quick learning game or to express your opinion. There is even a student crossword. This site is frequently updated and includes a wide variety of subjects.
tag(s): news (148), vocabulary (289), writing prompts (63)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your class web page for students to find challenges or activities. Substitute teachers can always find an appropriate current events or vocabulary/writing activity if there are no lesson plans. English, social studies, and gifted teachers will want to explore the many lesson ideas that draw on current news stories. Find many prompts for student opinion blogs at this site. Have students create blogs using Instablogg ( reviewed here). This site allows you to create "quick and easy" blogs to be used one time only.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Speechable - Enluminari
Grades
K to 12
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0 Comments
Add a captivating or informative speech bubble to a picture from your computer or that you find (legally) online. Make the picture private and share with others. The public pictures...more
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Add a captivating or informative speech bubble to a picture from your computer or that you find (legally) online. Make the picture private and share with others. The public pictures on the home page change frequently, so be sure to check this just before SHARING with your students. Some of the captions could be considered offensive to some. . Be sure to make all of your pictures private.
tag(s): comics and cartoons (63), images (161)
In the Classroom
The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Caption the homework directions on your teacher web page. Ask your students to create captions for class photos for all sorts of reasons. Use photos or digital drawings from your classroom, such as pictures taken during any hands-on activity. Have students draw in a paint program, save the file, and then add a caption. Spice up research projects about historic figures or important scientists. Have literary characters "talk" as part of a project. In a government class, add captions to photos explaining politicians' major platform planks during election campaigns. Caption the steps to math problem solving. Even primary students can make captions of an animal talking about his habitat or a "community helper" talking about his/her role. Make visual vocabulary/terminology sentences with an appropriate character using the term in context (a beaker explaining how it is different from a flask?). Students could also take pictures of themselves doing a lab and then caption the pictures to explain the concepts. This would be a great first day project (introducing yourself and breaking the ice). Share the class captions on your class web page or wiki! Leave directions to your class (for when a substitute is there). Use at back to school night to show your humorous side to the parents. Have students make talking photos of themselves as a visual tour of their new classroom for parents attending back to school night.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
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Kadoo - Kadoo, Inc.
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Kadoo is a video sharing cloud used to share your videos privately or publicly. Once an account is created, the main page provides links to upload a video, invite a ...more
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Kadoo is a video sharing cloud used to share your videos privately or publicly. Once an account is created, the main page provides links to upload a video, invite a friend, create a group, or share a file. Different uploading options are available: flash, classic, and air. Air uploading is quicker for larger files and can be used once the account is activated by responding to an account confirmation email. Video file formats accepted are AVI, WMV, MOV, MPG, MPEG, ASF, MP4, FLV, M2TS, and M4V. The maximum file size for a Kadoo Basic account is 200MB and storage is 5GB. Files can be uploaded from smartphone devices through the app available on the site.
tag(s): video (113)
In the Classroom
Use this site to store and share classroom video projects and collaborate with other classrooms safely. Challenge students to create a culminating project using this site. Have students create projects on current events (Olympics, elections, weather trends, etc..). Create projects to share with your class when a substitute is teaching. Use this site for reviewing class rules on the first day of school, to "meet the teacher," or even at back to school night. Be sure to be aware of your school's policies on sharing student work.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Brainshark - Joe Gustafson
Grades
5 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Add narration to any of your PowerPoints, documents, photos, video clips, podcasts, etc. You simply upload your content and add the audio by phone, microphone, or an MP3 upload. ...more
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Add narration to any of your PowerPoints, documents, photos, video clips, podcasts, etc. You simply upload your content and add the audio by phone, microphone, or an MP3 upload. Brainshark has a patented system that will guide you through the process. Instantly you will have voice-enriched online video presentations. You'll receive your presentation link via email. You and your students will be able to view the presentations on a computer or by using the free Brainshark App on your Android, iPhone, or iPad,
tag(s): podcasts (36)
In the Classroom
Consider adding your voice to your PowerPoint, Keynote, or Prezi (reviewed here) lectures and posting them online for students to use as a review before a big unit test. Or, use Brainshark and add your voice to your PowerPoint or Keynote lectures for substitutes to use when you have to be out of the classroom. Have your students use Prezi (reviewed here), PowerPoint, or another program to create a book trailer, or any other type of presentation. Brainshark will animate the presentation and then the creator can add their own voices, and music to create a professional looking video. Allow shy students or those with speech difficulties to pre-narrate presentations without the stress of all those eyes staring at them. If you have students who create stellar examples you would like to retain for another school year, ask them to narrate their presentations for an archive you can keep and share next year.Professors, teachers of online courses, and teachers at alternative high schools may want their students to use Brainshark for presentations and submit them to you. This would be a rather unique way to get to know those students you don't get to "see" very often!
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Talking Pets - All About Pets
Grades
K to 8
8 Favorites
1 Comments
TalkingPets lets you make pets talk using a text-to speech system. Choose a pet from a selection of cats and dogs. Accessorize your choice or upload your own pet's ...more
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TalkingPets lets you make pets talk using a text-to speech system. Choose a pet from a selection of cats and dogs. Accessorize your choice or upload your own pet's picture and attach a virtual mouth. You choose the type of voice and write the text for your pet. The text length is limited. (There are also some phrases already "ready to go.") Put commas between the words to make pets speak more slowly. Students will love creating pets and making them talk.This site can be useful to increase interest with younger students when creating and writing in the classroom. Finished projects can be emailed; recipients will receive a link to access the talking pet. Here is an example, just for fun.
tag(s): creative writing (98), descriptive writing (19), text to speech (16)
In the Classroom
Share "advertisements" for student writing projects by letting them choose a pet, accessorize, then type in an excerpt from their writing. Share an entire short passage such as writings by very young students or targeted writing examples such as sentences using vivid adjectives, Share finished projects by emailing to yourself, then adding the urls on your classroom webpage or blog. With older students, have the pets tell the students what to do at the start of class or leave one of these "pet avatars" for a substitute to provide directions to your class with a furry twist!
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Comments
This tool is so much fun! What a great way to greet students in the morning. My 3rd graders love this site.Melissa, , Grades: 0 - 5
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EZSchool - EZSchool
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
EZSchool is an educational portal that contains EZ worksheets, interactives, online study tools, and tutorials. Although this site is "busy" with clutter from some related advertisements,...more
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EZSchool is an educational portal that contains EZ worksheets, interactives, online study tools, and tutorials. Although this site is "busy" with clutter from some related advertisements, it is easy to navigate by grade level, subject, or more specific topics such as grammar, writing, and vocabulary for English, or word problems, geometry, and algebra for math, biology and chemistry for science, as well as Spanish, Japanese, and Hindi language activities. There are also SAT/PSAT practice questions with detailed answers. All materials are free to use, print, and distribute for use in the classroom or at home. The website is frequently updated with new activities. Weekly updates to the site are offered on the home page.
tag(s): grammar (197), japan (57), japanese (43), spanish (87), vocabulary (289), writing (298)
In the Classroom
Reinforce learning with these supplemental materials. Your students may practice as much as they want - for free! Print worksheets to leave in a folder for emergency substitute lesson plans or for homework, provide the link on your classroom web page or wiki for students to easily access from any computer, and project the interactives and other learning activities on your projector or interactive whiteboard. You will love using the cool online tool, Ad Out, (reviewed here), that makes the page you are using ad free. Note that some websites may be blocked. Also, check on your school computers to make sure that iAd Outis not blocked by your district's filter.
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Creative Copy Challenge - Shane Arthur, Sean Platt, David Wright
Grades
8 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
This blog is definitely a good source for creative options to writing prompts and is an engaging source for great writing challenges and idea generators. The "cool" attraction to this...more
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This blog is definitely a good source for creative options to writing prompts and is an engaging source for great writing challenges and idea generators. The "cool" attraction to this site is its simplicity. Each blog post contains 10 random words or phrases from which students create a cohesive short story. New posts are added twice weekly and you can access old posts in the archives. What a fantastic way to crush writer's block, improve vocabulary, practice proofreading, and exercise your creativity-one fun challenge at a time! Students are able to submit their work, or comment on others. But in order to write anything on this website a username and email address must be provided.
Be sure to check this site for appropriate language BEFORE sharing with your students. At the time of this review there was a suggested site called "The Best Damn Theme On The Web."
Be sure to check this site for appropriate language BEFORE sharing with your students. At the time of this review there was a suggested site called "The Best Damn Theme On The Web."
tag(s): creative writing (98), vocabulary (289), writing (298), writing prompts (63)
In the Classroom
Link this site to your class web page or wiki for easy, frequent access. You can use it often in a variety of ways, at the beginning or end of class, for a homework assignment, or to print a few word lists to keep in your emergency/substitute teacher folder. Even reluctant writers will love this site because the playing field is even. The vocabulary presents a challenge and will send many of your students straight to the dictionary. Depending on your goal, you can set a timer to build speed in writing. Individuals or small groups of students could be assigned the task of using the word list to write a scary story or one that is funny or serious. Change the task to writing poems or another genre. Project the words on your projector or interactive whiteboard, or if your classroom lends itself to individual computer access, double the fun by allowing the students to type and submit their creations on line, but first be sure to check your school district's policy. Of course, make them accountable for proofreading and editing! If you plan to have students register individually and need email addresses, 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 to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
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