TeachersFirst: Interactive Whiteboards

Resources for Using Interactive Whiteboards:

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Interactive Whiteboard Resources - Secondary Science Grade 6 to 12 - Think Bank Limited- 8273

This website provides numerous resources that can be downloaded and used in secondary science classes. All of the resources are designed to use on an interactive whiteboard. Specific topics include genetic crossing, writing scientific explanations, mitosis and meiosis, the periodic table, rock cycles and many others. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use these "ready to go" resources on your interactive whiteboard.

Primary Resources for Interactive Whiteboards Grade 1 to 5 - Topmarks- 5828

This wonderful collection of activities - spanning multiple content areas and grade levels - is designed for classroom projection on an interactive whiteboard. Many of the activities feature engaging sounds, animation, and downloadable worksheets. If a whiteboard is not an option for your classroom, take your students to the computer lab and let them explore the lessons individually. Because this is a British site, be aware that some vocabulary and content may be unfamiliar to American students, so preview carefully before using.

In the Classroom:
MANY of the activities require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

Software and guidance: Interactive Whiteboards Grade K to 12 - National Whiteboard Network (UK)- 7650

This page has downloadable Word document tutorials on how to use three major brands of interactive whiteboards (and their software): Easiteach Files,Smartboard, and Promethean. You must have Microsoft WORD to open the documents.

In the Classroom:
Click on the appropriate link under Downloads on the right.

EFL Reading Grade 3 to 10 - Kieran McGovern- 7821

This UK-produced site offers free reading materials at six levels from beginning through advanced ESL/ELL learners. The collection is not extensive, but it is useful. Each reading has a level rating as well as links to the original work if an adaptation. The readings are divided into categories such as ghost stories, comic stories, and adventures. Most readings have accompanying exercises and plenty of interesting illustrations to keep motivation high and promote previewing skills. An added bonus is a selection of readings about world football (known as soccer in America).The children's stories include some favorite fairy tales. The fastest way to find stories is to use the site map to browse the list of offerings.

In the Classroom:
Some of these reading would work well for general comprehension activities, as well. Use the Before Reading and Glossary sections to introduce vocabulary. Share a story on an interactive whiteboard (or overhead transperancies if you do not have a whiteboard)to have your ESL/ELL or reading students use pens or whiteboard highlighting and annotations to show where they find important facts, new vocabulary, and main ideas. Use color coding!

Design a Habitat Grade 3 to 9 - ARKive Education- 9073

This engaging website challenges students to create a safe habitat for the black-footed ferret. Students must make decisions about the size of land that is suitable, the type of habitat (i.e. grassland or desert), how the success will be monitored, and security (what kind of fence is needed, if any). This website requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Demonstrate this activity on your interactive whiteboard (or projector). Then divide your class into cooperative learning groups and have the groups design their habitats together. Extend the activity and your animal habitats unit by having students “design” a new habitat (drawing and description) for a mythical animal your class “creates” on your interactive whiteboard. Be sure to save the animal drawing and description from the whiteboard so you can include it with the new “habitats” on a class blog, wiki, or good-old bulletin board.

ABC Learning Time Grade K to 2 - Jack Armstrong- 8806

Kindergarten students learn their ABCs, numbers, how to tell time, and handwriting at this engaging, interactive website. Kindergarten teachers will appreciate this safe site to help with essential learning. Print the alphabet handwriting sheets for practice, or allow students to work the interactive clock to learn how to tell time, sans digital formatting.

In the Classroom:
The handwriting interactives would work well when traced by little fingers on an interactive whiteboard for "tactile" practice and a little "whiteboard magic" thrown in. A word of caution to teachers: This site is free, which means the countless games and activities must be paid through advertisement. Caution your students not to click on anything except the game components.

Bar Graph Generator Grade 2 to 8 - MrNussbaum.com- 8776

This site offers a simple interactive way to create bar graphs. Add a title for the graph, labels for the x and y axis and the value for each item to be graphed. Change the color of each bar then click on "Generate graph" to see the results. NOTE: Graph can be printed but NOT saved. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use a projector or interactive whiteboard to introduce the site to your class, and then have students poll their classmates on a topic of their choice. Use the site to graph the results of the polls. Have students build several different examples in different windows on your interactive whiteboard to compare graphs and/or ask questions to check student understanding of data analysis. Remember that you can use the whiteboard pens to point out essential features on the graphs.

Music with Glasses Grade K to 6 - Fun4Brains by Julia- 8673

Have you ever wanted to create songs using crystal glasses filled with varying heights of water? Now you can do it without the mess, and you will never need to fear breaking an expensive glass. Just run your mouse over the various glasses to listen to the soothing sounds. Create your own music, just like Beethoven. This site should come with a warning though: it's addictive.

In the Classroom:
Music teachers or primary teachers can teach listening skills, pitch, and more by allowing students to play music using the whiteboard. Follow up on laptops or in a lab so students can develop their own "ear" ad you play follow the leader without showing them which glass you are playing. Science teachers can have students demonstrate the site on a whiteboard or projector and talk about the scientific reasons for the pitch changes with differing amount of water during a unit on sound.

Sketchcast Grade K to 12 - Richard Ziade - 8666

TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for moderately adventurous technology users. This simple-to-use online tool allows any user to create a "recording" of a drawing without without narration. Simply draw on a "whiteboard" space on the computer screen (and, if you wish, record yourself talking as you draw). The finished product is available as a mini-video (recorded in Flash) that can be shared via URL or embedded in a blog or wiki, much the same way people share YouTube videos. See a sample created by the Edge editorial team with some ideas for ways to use a Sketchcast. Requires FLASH.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Join the site (free). Membership requires an email address, but appears to work just fine with a "made up" address (warning: email notifications for forgotten passwords will not work if you pretend!). Watch the sample sketchcast, if you wish. Create a sketchcast (be sure to plug in a mike and check "with voice" if you want sound. When finished, name it, and publish it. You can copy/paste the URL from the page that shows the Sketchcast to share it, click to email it to someone, or copy/paste the code they provide to embed it in your blog. Edit or delete from the My Account page.

Some concerns: there is no way to keep your sketchcast private. Any visitor to the Sketchcast site can see it or link to it. They can also COMMENT on it--possibly a problem as you try to protect students. Also, your students can see any Sketchcast that has been made on the site, so content may NOT be appropriate to all classrooms. (Stick figures can be suggestive or scary, too!). There is a link to report any abuse of the site. The Edge team recommends some combination of a student-user agreement, signed by parents as well or close monitoring if you choose to use this in class. The safest way to SHARE Sketchcasts you make for students is to embed them in your blog so they will not "see" the rest of the Sketchcast site. NEVER allow students to create user names or Sketchcasts that are identifiable by unscrupulous outsiders. One other limitation is the difficulty of drawing with a mouse. If you have access to graphics tablets, these would really help. You might also try "drawing" with your finger with the site open on an interactive whiteboard!

Ideas to use Sketchcast: allow students to submit assessment quizzes using sketchcast instead of written essays (especially those with writing disabilities); create teacher-made explanations of concepts or math processes for students to access and play from your blog for review; Allow young ones to draw and talk about animals they have learned about (on the interactive whiteboard, then embed their videos in the class blog; have students talk about musical notes or symbols as you draw them and record for later review; allow students to do prewriting for assignments in Sketchcast; challenge students to create a visual explanation of an abstract concept, such as democracy or energy. The options are endless.

Colour Mixing Grade 2 to 5 - Think Bank- 8502

This simple tool demonstrates the fact that white light is made up of all colors in a simple, tactile way on a whiteboard. There is a green lamp, a blue lamp, and a red lamp. Students may mix the colors together any way they wish. Art teachers would point out that this tool combines colors of LIGHT, not pigment, so the "primaries" are red, green, and blue instead of red, yellow, and blue. If you teach about color in light, be sure to explain the difference, or your students will be quite confused when they start talking with the art teacher. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Let students demonstrate the power of color in the spectrum using additive light on your interactive whiteboard or projector screen.

Beacon Learning Center: Student Web Lessons Grade K to 12 - Beacon Learning Center- 8347

This website, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, provides an enormous collection of "web lessons" (interactives) for all grade levels. There are lessons in language arts, math, science, social studies, and health. There are too many lesson plans to count - and all are projector, laptop, or whiteboard-ready. Just to give you an idea of some of these unique lessons, some of the titles include "Where is Japan?", "Walrus World", "Piece of Pie", "Medians", "Fence Me In", and "Critter Craze". On the main page, a brief description is provided for each lesson plan. Click Teacher Solutions > Lesson Plans to search by subject or grade level.

In the Classroom:
If you want ready-to-go lessons guaranteed to work well on your interactive whiteboard, this collection is a winner. You simply open the activity on the whiteboard and have students tap and drag their way through as you talk with the class. (Invite your most "active" student to be "Vanna White" for a great behavior management solution). Many lessons would work well on laptops or on a computer cluster center, as well.

Mapping Our World Grade 3 to 8 - OxFam- Cool Planet for Teachers- 8256

Explore world geography in an interactive site ideally suited for interactive whiteboard or individual exploration. Content includes map skills, the globe, terms, geographical context, and more. This site is created to align with British curriculum, but the topics are quite parallel to those in the U.S.

In the Classroom:
Use the curriculum links Acrobat .pdf file to find the topics that connect to your curriculum needs, then open the page on your interactive whiteboard and get started. Include the link on your teacher web age for students to use as review, as well.

Click On Bricks Grade 1 to 4 - ThinkQuest- 7401

This simple and unique web activity challenges students to learn (and practice) multiplication facts 1-4. There is an instructional page with detailed information and pictures to help students to understand the concept of multiplication. Then the web activity challenges students to click on the correct answers to various multiplication problems. The site suggests giving students bricks (blocks) to use as manipulatives while they work at this site. If students choose an incorrect answer, the program gives them hints using online bricks. ThinkQuest sites are created by students but have been judged as exemplary in a major international competition.

In the Classroom:
This would make an excellent group activity using an interactive whiteboard. When introducing simple multiplication, provide your students with bricks (blocks or other manipulatives) and utilize the interactive whiteboard. The students can work independently at their seats (using the manipulatives), while students take turns at the whiteboard activities.

Pascal's Triangle Grade K to 12 - Drexel School of Education- 6869

This web unit on Pascal's Triangle is broken down into three age-level categories (K-4, 5-8 and 9-12). Each grade level category includes standards, lesson plans and additional links.

In the Classroom:
If you are unable to use a computer lab or laptop cart, these activities would be great to use on a interactive whiteboard or even printed out onto worksheets. If you use an interactive whiteboard, you can use pen and highlighter tools to draw and mark aspects of the triangles.

Alphabet Geometry Grade 2 to 6 - Mister Teacher.com- 6868

See animations and practice with Flips, Slides, and Turns (Transformations) of geometric shapes, using letters of the alphabet. After playing through the animations, you can test yourself (or students can review) using the link to "take a quiz." This site is great for visual thinking practice!

In the Classroom:
This site would work well on an interactive whiteboard or projector as a whole-class activity, followed by individual practice on the quiz portion. While on the whiteboard, you can even ask students to "predict" with the whiteboard pens what the transformation will look like. Ifyou use te site with younger elementary students, you may need to read some of it aloud for them. There is not a great deal of text, but words like "transformation" might be a little intimidating! Note: the animations require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page if the animations do not show for you.

Maps from National Geographic Xpeditions Grade 3 to 12 - National Geographic- 1701

Here's an interactive resource that lets you find and print maps of just about any country. The final results are available as GIF or Adobe Acrobat files, and the site offers links to additional information on geography and cultures.

In the Classroom:
Use these maps on your interactive whiteboard as you teach about any location, using the whiteboard pens and highlighters to have students indicate landforms, places, and more on the maps. Also include this link on your teacher web page so students can generate map images to include in projects, multimedia presentations, and more.

Middle School Special Education Grade 6 to 8 - BCISD/ Colleen Schaeding- 8209

This lesson plan (in pdf Acrobat Format,"Real Estate Project," was created for special education students in grades 6-8, but could be used in the regular classroom too. It s mutltidisciplinary for language arts, math, and consumer/life skills. This lesson includes research, writing, creative thinking and much more. Students design real estate ads based on ads they find in their research (via the Internet). The lesson plan provides state standards (for Michigan), assessments and explicit details about the activities. There are interactive activities, printable worksheets, discussion topics and much more.

In the Classroom:
Team up with the math and language arts teachers on this project or teach it in a computer literacy class. Get your interactive whiteboards ready to introduce these ready-to-go activities. Use the whiteboard for editing drafts, if you have one available. Then have your students share finished real estate ads on a projection screen or interactive whiteboard.

Buggy Alphabetics Grade 1 to 3 - Cynthia Reeg- 9259

Children's author Cynthia Reeg offers a poem whose lines follow alphabetical order. The first word of the first line begins with "a," the next with "b," and so on. Imaginative illustrations change as the student clicks on the forward button to see the next lines.

In the Classroom:
Use this poem to introduce your children to writing poetry by sharing the poem on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Students studying alphabetical order will also be intrigued by writing within restrictions of this order. Work together on your interactive whiteboard or projector. To begin, ask your students to think of a similar word that begins with the same letter, and change just one line. When they get the idea, give them a series of 6 - 8 letters and ask them to write their own list of adjectives or lines of poetry. Work as a class or have them work in groups to complete a poem using the entire alphabet. ESL and ELL students will enjoy looking for new words t to express their ideas in the poems.

Batter's Up Baseball Grade 1 to 6 - Prongo.com- 9203

This website offers a Flash-enhanced math game built on a baseball theme. The problems (addition or multiplication) presented vary widely in difficulty, so the game could be used across several grades or with students of varying ability. Students have the option of choosing single digit questions, double digit questions, or a home run (difficult question). This website requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Demonstrate this colorful website on an interactive whiteboard or projection screen. Then have students work on individual computers at their current math level. Use this website for review before an addition or multiplication quiz on single or double digits. If individual computer are not available, use your interactive whiteboard or projection screen and play a class game of "around the world" with the math questions.

Interactives: Elements of a Story Grade 1 to 5 - Annenberg Media- 9110

“A good story is like tasty soup.” This website shares the secrets of creating a good story. They use the motivating story of Cinderella to share the elements of a good story: Setting, Characters, Sequence, Exposition, Conflict, Climax, and Resolution . After reading the story and learning about the important elements, students are challenged to create a story of their own. This website requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
What a motivating writing resource! Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to share this animated story of Cinderella. Continue the group activity by sharing the various elements of a good story. Ask your students to provide examples of other stories that offer great settings, characters, sequence, and other elements of a good story. Then brainstorm as a class a list of 4-5 ideas for each of the elements. Have a competent student (or yourself) type the ideas into a document on a projector or write on the interactive whiteboard. Display the brainstorming lists of ideas for students to use to create their own stories. Or drag the possibilities into different combinations on the whiteboard. Allow the students to "think outside the box" and use ideas other than those listed on the screen.

New York Times Learning Network Grade 3 to 12 - New York Times- 9085

Latest news for students, lesson plans for teachers, conversation starters for parents — this free site is loaded. When at the home page, click on the option button at the top to take a tour of The Learning Network . Students, teachers, and parents will appreciate the kid-friendly learning that awaits them. This website also features a TON of lesson plans (with national standards). From crossword puzzles to expanding their vocabulary, this interactive newspaper is definitely not a snoozer.

Note: While most of the news is national, NY area news is featured a bit more than others states, with good reason. Some of the activities require Flash or Java. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Teachers, set Today's News Summaries as the default homepage on your classroom computers, and watch your class gain knowledge of what is happening in this world. Use your interactive whiteboard or projection screen, and quiz your class on the five news questions to find out who is news-savvy. Highlight "clue" words from the stories on your interactive whiteboard. Take advantage of the many free lesson plans in various subject areas. Why not make the online crossword puzzle a learning center?

English literature: Lord of the Flies Grade 9 to 12 - BBC- 8989

This site gives us context, plot, characters, themes, and a model essay question and answer for the novel Lord of the Flies . While the context is quite short (Golding's biography is all of 4 sentences!), it gives insight into some of the meaning that Golding himself took from war and his own time as a teacher. The brief plot summaries are just enough to remind students of what each chapter is about-- all the detail is in the novel. Characters and themes are presented with interactive questions and self-quizzes that students can use to review or quiz themselves. One language note: to "revise" material in the UK is the same as to "review" it in the U.S. One "revises" before a test.

In the Classroom:
This is a great supplementary site for pre-reading or for reviewing. An especially nice extra is the inclusion of a sample essay question and answer. It sets up the question to be answered in a five-paragraph theme and offers possible topic sentences as an outline for writing that theme. Using the sample on a projector or interactive whiteboard is a good way to help students learn how to structure their own essay answers. Have students share and critique essays on the projector or interactive whiteboard.

ID-Fit Grade 3 to 8 - sciencemuseum- 8828

This intriguing forensic website challenges students to recreate a suspect's face. Students must analyze the features of an unfocused picture and determine the hair, eyes, nose and mouth of the suspect. There are detailed directions provided at the beginning of the activity. What an exciting way to teach your students about forensics and the systematic approach that drives all science! Incorporate this website in a unit about mysteries, forensics, or observation. Art teachers can use this site on an interactive whiteboard to help develop students' "eye" for facial structures. Language Arts teachers can inspire descriptive writing and characterization using these faces as students begin to notice and "show" what they see in their own descriptive words. This site requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Get your interactive whiteboard ready, turn up the volume - and turn your classroom into a detective lab, art studio, or writer's workshop!

ARKive Education Multi-Media Educational Resources Grade K to 12 - ARKive- 8726

This website provides numerous multi-media educational resources (ready to use modules) in science, geography, and other subject areas. Some of the challenging topics include classifying species, habitats, endangered species, plant life cycles, food chains and webs, ecosystems, survival, and numerous others. This website was created in the UK, so you may notice some spelling differences.

Permission is granted to download, so kids and teachers can embed the videos into their own products, such as PowerPoint presentations, interactive whiteboard flipcharts or notebooks, or Google Earth files. However, teachers may NOT incorporate these as part of online presentations, such as their own web sites, though they CAN link to them. The website's stated terms of use are, "Extracts of part of the website or compilations of extracts can be made for the internal educational purposes of any authorised educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the material is maintained and copyright ownership acknowledged".

In the Classroom:
These science and geography modules are ready to go and perfect presentations for an interactive whiteboard or projector. Students will be extremely motivated by the unique videos and activities.

Be aware that-- even on a fast connection - some of these files are very large and will take a few minutes to download. READ the download directions. If your school computers are set to prohibit downloads, you may want to download the files at home and bring them in on a USB "stick". Some are PowerPoint shows, and others include pdf files for printables. The video clips require Windows Media Player. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

Rubrics and Rubric Makers Grade K to 12 - TeAchnology- 8602

This online tool provides teachers with a multitude of "ready to personalize" rubrics. Teachers simply fill in their name, school name, and the name of the project - and a personalized rubric appears. You may think that sounds too "generic", but there is more. The broad topics include basic reading skills, behavior, class participation, handwriting, lap reports, maps, oral expression, persuasive writing, science projects, and many more! There is also a feature to create your own rubrics from scratch (you personalize and customize the entire document). The website does have additional features for a fee, but the use of the rubrics is free!

In the Classroom:
Use this online tool to create original rubrics before introcuding a new project. Be sure to review the rubric with your students on a projector or interactive whiteboard, to be certain that they understand your expectations. As you approach project deadlines, consider collaboratively "evaluating" a sample project with students by displaying the rubric on an interactive whiteboard and marking/highlighting the rubric using the pens.

Writing Prompts and Scoring Guides Grade K to 8 - Bakersfield City School District- 8600

Are you looking for some new writing prompts for your class? This website provides writing prompts for grades K-8 and includes narrative writing, expository writing, persuasive writing, observational writing, writing about events, writing a friendly letter, writing a thank you note, writing informational reports, writing responses to literature, writing technical documents, writing a character analysis, and many other forms of writing. The best part is that there are rubrics provided with each prompt. The rubrics offer explicit details for students and an excellent assessment tool for teachers.

In the Classroom:
Use the writing prompts (and rubrics) to simplify your lesson planning and grading. Model responding to a prompt on an interactive whiteboard. Then have the students "revise" your draft on the whiteboard and assess it according to the rubric so they can see how the process works. SAVE the various steps of this process in your whiteboard software as a "flip chart" or "notebook" so students can view it again later to reinforce writing process steps. Print some step-by-step examples out for a "Writing Center" bulletin board.

Plants - Life Processes Grade 1 to 6 - Birmingham Grid for Learning- 8454

This website includes comprehensive information on the life cycle of plants from the basic requirements and parts of a healthy plant to plant identification. The site is British so the plants identified are mostly native to Britain. Prior knowledge will be needed to complete some sections. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This site is ideal for an interactive whiteboard. Have the students open the site and use the whiteboard tools to assemble and label the parts of a flower.

Word Games Grade 2 to 12 - east of the web- 8426

This interactive website provides hours of mind stretching fun. The mind challenges include cryptoquote, popword, eight letters, define time, storyman, wordsearch, and codeword. Some of these challenges are perfect for spelling practice, learning new vocabulary, problem solving and basic math practice. Each activity provides instructions for the user to explain the purpose of the activity. Many of the activities also have various difficulty levels to differentiate the activity for a variety of learning levels. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This website is "interactive whiteboard ready." Students will love these mind stretching challenges and teachers will love the easy-to-use format of the activities. Put a game up on the whiteboard as students are taking their seats to focus attention and minds on WORDS before you start class. ESL teachers may find these games will help students practice language skills more readily. If you don't have time to utilize this challenge in class, provide the link in your class's newsletter or on your teacher web page.

Schoolhouse Rock! Grade K to 6 - Schoolhouse Rock- 8420

You will want to put on your dancing shoes as you listen to lively songs teaching grammar, multiplication, America, and science. While this site promotes their Schoolhouse Rock! brand of merchandise, they give educators free access to most of their songs. Click quickly past the commercial content by choosing one of the links to "America Rock," "Grammar Rock," etc. just below the title. The cool advantage to listening to the songs on the website is that the songs are written out for a possible karaoke sing-a-long as you learn! The songs fit easily into your existing units of study. They provide ESL teachers another venue to learning English, as students sing their way through learning our language. You will need QuickTime plug-in for the audio files. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Math, science, social studies and English teachers should mark this site as a Favorite for those days when students are snoring their way through learning or to share on their teacher web page for students to review outside of class. You will need to open another window in order to play the music and read the words at the same time (Right-click on the song link and choose "open in new window"). You may also cut and paste the song's words onto a song sheet for the students to hold as they sing-a-long or simply project them on a screen or interactive whiteboard. Students may underline key vocabulary words on that song sheet or the whiteboard for future study.

Make Beliefs Comix Grade 2 to 12 - Bill Zimmerman- 8061

Looking for an alternative to a quiz or an assignment of boring vocabulary definitions written on notebook paper? Trying to find a way to prompt students to write even short passages? Trying to teach simple dialog to ESL/ELL students? Working on appropriate language and interpersonal skills with emotional support students? Looking for a creative way to make clever newsletter additions, bulletin board items, or class rules? Use this great online tool for both students and teachers to create web-based or printed comic strips from a selection of characters and voice bubbles-- and with your OWN text!

Our editors made a sample for you to see. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This one is ideal for an interactive whiteboard. Demonstrate the tool on the whiteboard and allow the class to create a strip together before you share the link on your teacher web page. Have students create strips as a quiz or other assignment and email the links to you. No more papers to carry around and grade! Build a collection of comics on different curriculum topics to use as anticipatory sets/activators or to spark discussion. Have younger students make comic strip greeting cards for Mother's Day. The possibilities are endless.

The site creators tell us that Makebeliefscomix (as of early 2008) accepts accent marks and characters from Spanish, French, Italian, German, Latin, in addition to English, they hope soon to add Chinese and Japanese.

Biscayne National Park Grade 4 to 8 - eFieldTrips- 8004

This virtual fieldtrip takes students on an underwater adventure to the Biscayne National Park. The field trip has three distinct parts. The first part is the journal, which is presented to the students first (and requires Adobe). The journal provides numerous questions for students to search for the answers while they visit their destinations, plus a web to fill in missing terms. Part two is the virtual journey itself (which requires FLASH). There are many interactive activities within the "journey". Part three is "ask the experts" which provides past questions and answers. This is a very well done website and extremely useful if your class is studying the ocean, coral reefs or other marine biology topics.

In the Classroom:
Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to take your students on a virtual journey to Biscayne National Park. Be sure to print out the journal questions first to help your students focus on the content. The graphic organizer in the journal would work well as an interactive whiteboard summary activity.

Kerpoof Grade K to 4 - Kerpoof.com- 7759

Kerpoof is a site designed to inspire creativity among children as they interact with the pictures. They can select a scene and add items to the scene and/or adjust object sizes . The scenes are richly varied, containing fantasy as well as international items. The site promises to change often. You can also find coloring sheets to print and color. You and your students can customize your own scenes, if you join (see classroom use tips). Editor's note: in spring, 2007, this site became rather sluggish in opening. We suspect it has gained popularity, and the multiple users are slowing it down.

In the Classroom:
Use these online "scenes" for students to create their own writing prompts. Let students choose (you might want to limited their options to save time)and work individually or create a scene for the whole class on an interactive whiteboard. Then print it out and ask students to tell the story or write the paragraph about the scene. Special ed teachers and speech/language clinicians can use Kerpoof to prompt vocabulary development. Incorporate social studies and science curriculum topics by describing scenes with community workers, careers, farm animals, and more. NO reading required except to select print, save, etc.

If you "join" as a teacher, you can save the scenes your class creates and revisit them at a later date. Do NOT allow students to join unless you have parent permission. The information requested is very safe, but it would be simpler to use a whole-class account.

SMARTboard Two-Minute Tutorials Grade K to 12 - SMARTtech- 7649

Try these two-minute tutorials to learn how to use your SMARTboard interactive whiteboard. Take the time to learn specifically about the SMART Notebook software. This will provide you with the most power in using your SMARTboard. These tutorials are provided by the SMARTboard brand manufacturer and much of the information applies only to SMART brand boards.

Flash Earth Grade K to 12 - - 7354

You may be familiar with Google Earth but may not have the ability to install their free software on your computer, either because you are not permitted to or because your computer is not powerful enough to handle it. Try Flash Earth for a simpler tool to explore the earth as you teach geography to any age from kindergarten to seniors. Perhaps you just want to quickly show which way the Conestoga wagons crossed the U.S., or maybe to show where in the world a current events story is taking place. This simple tool, on a projector or interactive whiteboard, is just the trick. Note: You MUST have FLASH on your computer.

In the Classroom:
Use a projector or whiteboard to share a location as art of the background knowledge for a lesson. Be sure to add this link to your teacher web page as a reference tool, as well. Be aware that some world locations have much "fuzzier" satellite images than others. Always preview before your lesson to be sure you can show the features you want students to see. Show elementary students where their "neighborhood" is, perhaps even their streets!

Dr. Saul's Biology in Motion Grade 8 to 12 - Leif Saul- 7267

Try these outstanding, highly-visual online activities, quizzes, and demonstrations to teach and reinforce biology concepts, including: classification, mitosis and meiosis, how enzymes work, selection/mutation/evolution, and multiple physiological processes. Your students will love the animation, created by a college professor/game developer.

In the Classroom:
Several of these interactives would be terrific on an interactive whiteboard or projector. The quizzes would be a great way to review on the whiteboard before a test.

Simple Scales - Teddy Bears Grade K to 2 - Crick Web- 7173

This "simple scale" activity asks the students to weigh teddy bears. This activity would work best as a class activity using an interactive whiteboard. FLASH is required for this site. If you see a blank screen, download the Flash plugin from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Try using this open-ended activity to reinforce simple addition or subtraction. Don't forget the an interactive whiteboard ormake it available on your classroom computer as a center.

Materials 1 Grade K to 4 - Crick Web- 7145

This site has three parts (students move onto the next part by clicking "next"). The first activity challenges students to "click and drag" words to their appropriate label spot on a picture. The materials include glass, brick, tile, paper, plastic, wool, wood and metal. The second activity is a table that asks students to "drop" the correct word or picture onto the corresponding spot on the table. The topics on the table include the material name, picture example and property. The final activity is a writing challenge. Students are presented with two pictures. The students must answer three questions about the pictures. To type on the page, students simply click their mouse to where they want to insert their answers. Once students are finished with this activity, they may click to print. This site requires FLASH.

In the Classroom:
Try an interactive whiteboard for the first two activities. If you choose to make the final activity a class activity, project the questions onto a screen or whiteboard and challenge the students to answer the three questions independently. Used as a simple drag and drop, this site can help with vocabulary development for children with speech/language deficits.

Compound Words Grade 2 to 4 - Crick Web- 7115

This simple (yet useful) site asks the students to create compound words by "clicking and dragging" parts of the words to make the new compound words. You may notice 2 unusually-spelled words on this page - challenge your students to find these words. Use this opportunity to explain that "color" is "colour" in the United Kingdom. This site requires FLASH.

In the Classroom:
This site is ideal for an interactive whiteboard. After you complete the ready-made activity, challenge your class to create their own compound options by writing on the interactive whiteboard, creating more "pieces" to build compound words the class thinks of by brainstorming. Drag and drop them to form more new words! Note: this site is in the UK and can sometimes be slow opening when their schools are using it heavily. U.S. teachers might want to use it after 10 am to avoid this problem.

Sticky Numbers Grade K to 7 - Crick Web- 7072

This interactive tool allows the user to click and drag tiles. The tiles have numbers, operations and symbols on them. The user can make up any type of problem or equation and then use the calculator tool to check their answer. The Help section gives some suggestions. Symbols available include parentheses, greater than, less than, decimal, percent, and four operations. There are no superscripts or fraction symbols. This activity would work best as a group activity and requires Flash.

In the Classroom:
Use an interactive whiteboard to help your students make up equations. Utilize the onscreen calculator to check the answers. Students could play challenge games with partners at laptops or lab computers. Learning support students can use this as a whiteboard or on-screen manipulative to master any concept.

Math Teacher's Toolkit Grade K to 5 - Crick Web- 7070

This web page provides elementary teachers with numerous interactive tools to use in their mathematic lessons. Counters, calculators, number lines and more are included in this useful site. Think of it as a complete electronic manipulative library. Flash is required for some of the activities. REQUIRES FLASH and can get pretty busy at times, slowing it down.

In the Classroom:
These activities give you everything you need to do math on an interactive whiteboard for elementary grades. What a resource! If you have no whiteboard, use a projector alone or use some tools as a center.

Double Function Grade 3 to 6 - Crick Web- 7038

This simple web activity allows students to practice two operation mathematical problems. This web site allows students to pick the numbers (positive and negative integers) and the machine will give the solution. Or you can show the solution and ask them to work backwards, simply by hiding the numbers. This is a very basic activity, but would make a good introduction to how two-operation math problems work. This site requires Flash.

In the Classroom:
Use an interactive whiteboard for this simple activity to introduce two operation mathematical problems or negative integers. The possibilities are endless as students manipulate the options on their computer or on the whiteboard. If you see a blank screen, download the Flash plugin from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

Texas Instruments Virtual Conferences Grade 7 to 12 - Texas Instruments- 6679

Can't attend a workshop on the latest in interactive whiteboard, calculators, and other technology in Math? Watch the videos! This site look like nothing but a bunch of links, but they open the videos from the conference you missed in Feb, 2006: the Denver TI3 conference with Texas Instruments. The site includes the handouts for classroom use. Click on the links to "Play Window Media Player Content" - if you have a high-speed connection. Give yourself a professional break. Requires Windows Media Player plug-in.

Mike's Math Club Grade K to 7 - Milken Family Foundation- 3222

This website presents math activities in a clever format. Although this math link is mainly PDF files that are printable, many of the activities could be projected on a screen or interactive whiteboard while students work independently at their seats. This website offers "ready to print," motivating practice pages in vibrant color. Activities are also available in Spanish. Topics include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, algebra, coding, puzzles, fractions, factors, and many more. This site requires Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Project the activity on an interactive whiteboard or projector while students work independently (or in pairs) at their seats. There is also a Teachers Corner with many lesson ideas - check it out!

PuzzleMaker Grade 1 to 9 - Discovery- 118

Here's every parent or teacher's dream: a site that helps you make your own puzzles, word games, and math puzzlers. There is a selection of almost a dozen different formats, each of which can be customized to meet your specific needs. Choose the puzzle type you want from the drop-down menu.

In the Classroom:
Create your puzzles by following the simple directions. These can not only be used in print form. You can also creat them on-screen for use on an interactive whiteboard (students highlight the answers in different colors). If you have kinesthetic learners or those with weak fine motor skills who have trouble with pencils, the whiteboard is a real help.

Fridge Magnets Grade K to 12 - xmleducation.co.uk- 9043

The wonderful world of word exploration, sentences, and vocabulary development has never been more fun or creative. Use this tool to create an endless number of words or terms that look just like word magnets that we have covering our own refrigerators. Just key in or cut and paste your text into the box. Click next, and you have just created a magnet for each word. Drag the words around the screen for endless possibilities. Change the color and font size of each word for customization. Teachers who have been painstakingly creating their own activites for their interactive whiteboards will love this instant way to create activities from any text. You cannot save your activity on the web site, but you CAN copy paste from any saved document in a moment to re-create the activity. Simply copy/paste it into the text box on Fridge Magnets when you want to "scramble" it and use it in class. The only thing this will not do is save any color changes you have made to selected words. Have the students make the color changes as part of the activity. The students can even do the copy/paste themselves. This site requires FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Explore endless possibilities for classroom use. With individual laptops, students can type their vocabulary words for categorizing. Check prior knowledge of a subject, by creating words or phrases, then sorting them into logical units. Make a K-W-L chart using these Fridge Magnets on your interactive whiteboard (or projector). Create a matching game on your interactive whiteboard/projector. Sort high school vocabulary terms by connotation or sequence steps in a scientific process using "magnet" terms. Use color coding to help students understand parts of speech and their “roles” in sentences. Since words can be dragged and placed on top of other words, teaching grammar skills and editing of writing pieces will be a breeze now.

KiddoNet Alphabet Grade K to 1 - KiddoNet (Girls Sense)- 8670

Imagine motionless alphabet posters with corresponding phonetic pictures. Now imagine this site: alphabet letters in vibrant colors awaiting a click from a mouse, with an array of plain black and white pictures that pop into full color and motion if it is the correct corresponding letter. Voices of children say each picture's name as a hint to help the student make the wise click. When the pictures come to life in full-color, it's the electronic version of giving a student a brightly-colored sticker for making a wise choice.

In the Classroom:
Early childhood and primary reading teachers with whiteboards will appreciate the options this site offers (turn up the speakers). Navigate the site together, then have your class make their own quick drawings of pictures for each alphabet letter on the whiteboard. You may want to assign one letter per student, then print and assemble the quick draw pages into a book. The site would also be an excellent center with headphones.

Count and Order Grade K to 1 - WMnet- 8446

This interactive number challenge is sure to excite your students. The math skills covered include counting and putting numbers 1 to 6 in the correct order. The games can all be repeated again because new numbers are randomly generated. The entire activity requires Flash, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This activity screams - Interactive Whiteboard! Get your whiteboard ready and be prepared for motivated students who can't wait for math class. If you have some struggling students who are still weak with one-to-one correspondence, this site is a great "center" for them.

Audio Stories for Children Grade K to 5 - Light Up Your Brain- 9239

Chuck Brown, the host of Light Up Your Brain , takes readers on audio adventures of timeless classics such as Cinderella and Peter Rabbit, as well as other various stories. Mr. Brown records the stories and provides them on his web site for FREE! The site also offers user-friendly directions for listening and downloading the stories. You can download the stories as a zip file or use Windows Media Player. You can get Windows Media Player from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use the stories during listening centers or as enrichment to a theme or shared/group reading during class. Play the stories on an interactive whiteboard or projector and have students draw pictures of the story. If copies of the story are available, have students follow along with a partner during the audio reading. Learning support teachers will like the option of offering stories in audio to help weaker readers.

2008 Presidential Election Interactive Map and History of the Electoral College Grade 6 to 12 - 270 to win- 9237

If it's a college, why doesn't it have a football team? Unfortunately, that's about the level of understanding about the Electoral College among many students. Once student learn that we don't really elect presidents by popular vote, many are also quick to condemn the Electoral College as "stupid" or "unfair." This site might help teachers put the Electoral College and the process we use to determine our president into sharper focus. The interactive map is fairly simple, but can be adapted to show the peculiar way that "all or nothing" Electoral College voting state by state can affect the outcome of an election. We need look no further than the most recent 2004 election to see its impact in real terms. Users can highlight a particular state and get a historical view of electoral votes for the republican or democratic candidate in past presidential elections. Although the site will have usefulness beyond the 2008 election, it is currently featuring the progress of that race through the primaries and beyond with polling data. There is advertising on the site, but it is fairly unobtrusive. This website requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use the site on an interactive whiteboard to illustrate the impact of Electoral College voting on the election of the US President, both today and in the past. Perhaps we will finally raise a generation who completely understands the Electoral College and how it works!

The Monticello Classroom Grade 4 to 12 - Thomas Jefferson Foundation- 9231

Invite your students to step into Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and experience colonial life. This educational website is beautifully designed for both students and teachers to use the extensive resources to learn about Jefferson, Monticello, and daily life. The Monticello Classroom provides a student portal with fact and resource sheets, an image gallery, online activities, and a saved favorites section. Web pages offer information by reading levels: elementary, middle, and high school. The image gallery contains a slide show builder for students to create a presentation using the images and copies of primary source documents. The presentations can be saved, printed, or emailed. Students can register for an account to save favorites and other resources. Registration requires a user name, password, first name and last name. Check your school’s policies before allowing student accounts, especially with full names! See more hints below.
Teachers can register for a teacher area to create assignments for classes, review the available lesson plans, or build your own, and save your favorites on your personal Monticello Classroom web page. Each class has its own log-in and password and students are able to submit their completed activities to the teacher for review. Some of the interactive online activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This site can serve a a hub for your unit on colonial life, Jefferson, or even inventors. If you wish your students to register for accounts, be sure to check the students’ acceptable use policies or get parent permission in writing. Instead of students using their real first and last names, have students create their own colonial names for registration. Be sure to keep a list of these names to be able to review and assess student work. Give a class introduction to the Monticello Classroom using an interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to help your weaker readers and ESL and ELL students by sharing the vocabulary words prior to reading, either on a handout or by projecting on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Highlight the vocabulary words in the text as you come to them.

Baseball (A Fan's View) Grade 4 to 8 - John R. Potter- 9208
This website offers a word scramble with words and phrases from fans.

In the Classroom:
Before handing out the printed copies of the word scramble, project the word scramble on an interactive whiteboard or projector and discuss the meaning behind some of the phrases.

Baseball Word Scramble Grade 4 to 8 - John R. Potter- 9207
This website provides a simple word search that you can print and copy for student use.

In the Classroom:
Project the word search on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Assign each student 1-2 words to look up and define. Give the students a few minutes to look up the definitions. Share the definitions together before completing the word search.

A Graphical History of Baseball Grade 6 to 12 - Michael Bein- 9199
The design is really basic, but this site offers on-line graphs comparing baseball data like batting averages over the past century. It would be a great starting point for a lesson in interpreting graphs.

In the Classroom:
Share the graphs on your projector or whiteboard, then challenge students to create their own graphical representations to help fans compare baseball players, teams, revenues, and more.

Exploratorium - Science of Baseball Grade 4 to 10 - Exploratorium- 9194
The Science of Baseball is the Exploratorium's collection of activities and descriptions involving physics, biomechanics, and baseball. This website takes a topic that students love (baseball) and puts it into scientific terms to enhance the educational experience. What makes a curve ball curve, anyway? How quickly does a batter have to react to hit a ball thrown at 95 miles per hour? There's lots of real-world physics at this site, and the presentation is engaging as well as instructive. Many of the interactive challenges require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Treat your students to this content-rich website using your interactive whiteboard or projection screen. Take your class outside to try their hands at some of the experiments. Or have cooperative learning groups explore different sections of this multi-faceted website. What a fantastic way to excite your students about learning science.

Teachers' Guide for Professional Cartoonists' Index Grade 5 to 12 - Daryl Cagle; Classbrain.com- 9158
This site offers actual lesson plans for teaching with professional cartoons. It covers social studies, art, English, and journalism. The plans are offered in three sets: elementary, middle, and high school. They are categorized, so you can search for the plans that deal with current events vs. forming opinions vs. analysis or many other possibilities. Be sure to preview ahead of time, some of the cartoons and topics are not appropriate for elementary students. New material is added often, so check this site frequently.

In the Classroom:
While mainly a professional site for teacher information and ideas, this site does give some great examples of editorial cartoons and allows you to search for cartoons by specific artists or even newspapers. Wonderfully adaptive to almost any social studies or English class, putting a cartoon on the interactive whiteboard or projector for analysis or criticism makes an entertaining and memorable lesson for students. Use these cartoons to discuss and debate current events or as an anticipatory set for a related lesson, such as government, world cultures, or electoral politics. Gifted students of all ages would thrive on discussions of these cartoons.

Interactives: United States History Map Grade 4 to 9 - Annenberg Media- 9111
Annenberg Media has created this fantastic interactive tool that allows you to trace the growth and settlement of the United States by using a map. Throughout this interactive challenge, students learn about map legends, the compass rose and cardinal directions, and different types of maps. Students also learn about the various regions of the United States and the rivers, lakes, mountains, oceans, and more that are located in the United States. This website even delves into U.S. History by displaying major Indian tribes (and regions), explaining colonists, and the expansion of the great nation. This website requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
What a comprehensive website - offering geography, U.S. history, map skills, and more. Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to share the interactive activities (there are five, including a "test").

If time permits, divide your class into five groups and assign each group one of the main topics to explore. Give each group 30 minutes or so to read through the information. Then have each group share their findings with the class. Take the final "test" together on an interactive whiteboard (or projector).

Grow Up Grade 2 to 6 - ARKive Education- 9077
This interactive learning adventure challenges students to create pictures displaying four different stages of an animal's life-cycle. Students can choose the habitat that the animals come from. Habitats include gardens, cliffs, ponds, and hedgerows (American teachers will have to explain the British vocabulary!). Students race the clock to complete the animal in time. Clues and scientific information is provided throughout the activity. FLASH is required for this web activity. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector for this science activity as you study animal life cycles. This resource is also ideal for independent work on laptops or cooperative learning groups.

Magnetic Poetry Grade 2 to 5 - ARKive Education- 9075
This interactive website provides students with several adjectives, verbs, nouns, and small words all related to landforms or wetlands. Students click and drag the words to the online magnetic whiteboard. This activity requires FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
What a fabulous resource for an elementary science class. You could follow the idea of the website, and have your students create poetry using the words provided. Why not project the activity on an interactive whiteboard or projection screen. Have students work at their seats to try to create the shortest or longest complete sentence, scientifically accurate using the interactive magnets. If you want to be able to create your OWN "magnets" try this site.

Spelling City Grade K to 8 - Spellingcity.com- 9030
Your students will clamor to learn their spelling words (or capitals, states, or other lists), when you introduce them to this site. With the atmosphere of city-life, students or teachers generate their own list of words (or use the pre-saved ones at the site). What a great way to differentiate and have student individualize their lists! From there, students have the options of Test Me, Teach Me, or Play a Game . For the "test," each word is read aloud in isolation and in a sentence. Students type the spelling word, and then the site ‘grades’ it. Students will love the applause and will not feel intimidated by the tutorial for their incorrect words. For further practice, interactive games extend the spelling fun. Many of the activities require FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Teachers, check out the forum for more ideas about how to use this site. Special education teachers should take note of this site, since there are multiple sensory ways to learn spelling words, including hearing each word as an echo. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to play games with a whole-class weekly spelling list or allow students a time slot on your classroom computer cluster for practice with individualized lists. This website would also work in various other subject areas to teach capitals, science terms, presidents, and many others. Sign up for the free newsletter, written by the Mayor of Spelling City, of course.

Be sure to provide a link to useful site in your class newsletter, blog, and website. This is a fabulous tool for at-home spelling practice.

Zoom Playhouse Grade 1 to 5 - PBS Kids- 9016
More than 40 complete play scripts of the mini-dramas featured on Zoom Playhouse appear on this site. Each play includes casting, stage directions, and props. A photo shows the Zoom cast from this popular educational show. A link on the side allows you to search to see what the local PBS station has on its docket for today, and a daily "highlight" focuses extra attention on one selected script. Some of the script stories include Anansi, Beeping Sleauty, Oliver, Stone Soup, Three Little Bears Cha Cha Cha, and numerous others.

In the Classroom:
Use these very short plays with your class for extra reading practice and to teach them what a "play" is. Either project the plays on an interactive whiteboard or print the plays for your class. Divide your class into small groups and assign each group a different play. Then have the students present their plays to the class. What an excellent activity to practice reading and speaking skills. Students will begin to understand character development by seeing them act out their lines; use these plays as a jumping off board for talking about key elements in drama. ESL/ELL students always benefit from reading, speaking, and acting out the same words; the context of a play makes it easy and fun for everyone.

Another ideas: encourage your students to write their own mini-plays after they've tried out a few of the ones here or select scripts that survive well in an audio-only format and have students record them as podcasts for home listening and sharing with others.

English: Writing to Argue, Persuade, or Advise Grade 8 to 12 - BBC- 9001
One of the most difficult types of writing for students to master is persuasive writing. While they can speak persuasively, they often have trouble writing that way. This site breaks it down for them step by step, taking the mystery out of persuasive writing and helping them be more successful. The website explains how to get started, genre, audience, writing to persuade, writing to argue, writing to advise, and then reviews for a British exam comparable to American NCLB standardized writing prompts. There are also links (tests) that provide excellent review questions. Since this website was created by the BBC, students will notice the slight spelling differences. Also, be advised that the word "revise" in British English means "review." Enjoy stopping to figure out what an "MP" is with your American students.

In the Classroom:
This information is useful to break down into smaller sections with a particular topic. Have students pick a persuasive or argumentative thesis and then set them to work on an interactive whiteboard, using the steps at this site. The "tests" at each section are very helpful in showing organization and persuasive language. Why not make the tests a class or small group review by using an interactive whiteboard or projector?

Spelling Bee - Interactives Grade 1 to 12 - Annenberg Media- 8998
Are you looking for a new way to integrate spelling into your lesson plans? This helpful website offers interactive spelling challenges for grades 1-12. Students type in their names, and are directed to short stories. The stories are cloze passages, i.e. have blanks for missing words. The website will read the stories to the students, or the students can read the stories themselves. There is also an option to click on the speaker sign next to the blank, to hear the word that needs to be spelled. The Spelling Bee requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
What a fabulous language arts resource - integrating reading, listening, and spelling skills. Project the stories on an interactive whiteboard or screen and have students take turns reading the story aloud to the class. Then have the students record their spelling words at their seats. Once you have gone through the entire short story, ask students to share how they spelled each word. Take a class poll to determine the correct spelling and have students take turns typing the "winning" word into the blank space. Or have teams take turns at the interactive whiteboard, trying to get the best possible score and "defeat" the other groups' scores. You will see some arguments, no doubt!

Paper Models of Polyhedra Grade 6 to 10 - Gijs Korthals Altes- 8975
This simple, "hands-on" website offers PDF files of numerous paper models of polyhedra. The files are ready to print and share with your students. The various geometric solids include platonic solids, Archimedean solids, Kepler-Poinsot polyhedra, and numerous others. The files are available in PDF format and require Adobe. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Why not print a pattern onto cardstock or other thick paper. Then project the image (that you printed for your students) onto a projection screen or interactive whiteboard, while students work independently at their seats. Before you pass out the paper copies, have them view the projected image and predict what it will be.

These shapes can also serve as creative study aids for all subject areas, especially for students who need engaging ways to review. Have students write key terms and questions on the "faces" before assembling the figures, then "roll" them as a study game, testing each other to define or explain terms.

Origami Now Grade 3 to 9 - Peabody Essex Museum- 8974
This website offers excellent instructional videos demonstrating how to create numerous origami projects. There are seven different projects and four difficulty levels. The videos demonstrate (step by step) how to create the origami folding projects. The activities (in order of difficulty) include a jumping frog, a duck, a dog, a water lily, a phoenix, a butterfly, and a bat. All of the videos require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
The activities at this website would be perfect for a geometry class (reinforcing various shapes)or as part of cultural study of Japan. It could also be used to accompany story-reading (keep hands and eyes busy). The videos are ideal for an interactive whiteboard; students can follow (and fold) along with the videos. The videos could also be used as a learning center on your classroom computer. Just put a stack of paper with the computer, and students can practice along with the videos.

Everyday Spelling: Writing Prompts Grade 1 to 8 - Pearson Education, Inc.- 8957
This plain-vanilla (but useful) website provides several writing prompts divided by grade level (1-2, 3-5, and 6-8), plus helpful tips on responding to the prompts. Check back to this site often, as the writing prompts change each quarter. Some of the current prompts include a Business Letter, Announcement, Recipe, Journal Entry, List, Thank You, and various others.

In the Classroom:
Display the writing prompts on an interactive whiteboard (or projector)at the beginning of your class. Upper elementary and middle school teachers will want to accompany the tips with lessons on writing logical paragraphs and perhaps model one together on the whiteboard. Have students gather into small groups to help formulate their writing thoughts. Collaboration of ideas will make the writing smoother.

Another idea - why not share these writing prompts and student responses in a Writing Work-Out wiki?

Rome Reborn 1.0 Grade 6 to 12 - University of Virginia- 8945
Rome Reborn 1.0 is, as its title implies, a work in progress. Scholars at the University of Virginia are in the process of creating a digital representation of Rome on June 21, 320 AD. Currently, several views are available (under Gallery), both as still views and as short video clips. The clips look like a cross between a "Google Earth" fly-in and the backdrop for a video game. While they have the potential to give students a "you are there" vision of ancient Rome, they might also disappoint in that the movement is much clunkier than the latest video games' resolution. Students might see the images as "old school" compared with what they are used to.

In the Classroom:
The still views and video clips are ideal for use with an interactive whiteboard or projector during a discussion of ancient Rome. Use them as a companion to current photographs of the Colosseum, or the Roman Forum, for example. Ask your more creative students what suggestions they might have to portray Rome. What would they like to "see"? More "techie" humanities students may be interested in following the project and/or attempting to communicate with project participants.

Universal Leonardo Grade 6 to 12 - University of the Arts, London- 8944
Leonardo da Vinci is one of history's greatest geniuses. This site looks at Leonardo's work in ways that highlight how comprehensive and interdisciplinary his impact has been. Of course, you can examine his individual works of art, but this site is organized along threads, which you can access through a traditional menu or through an interactive web. Follow Leonardo's influence in math, through his inventions, in his understanding of the human body or his examination of the natural world. There are also some just-plain-fun flash-enabled games to play: make the Mona Lisa smile broadly by correctly answering questions about her, practice mirror writing, or see if you can power his glider across a ravine.

In the Classroom:
Because Leonardo's work crosses so many curricular boundaries, teachers from many different disciplines might find this site useful as part of a lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard, particularly when painting "the big picture" for students (no pun intended!). Art teachers, of course, can access Leonardo's work, but science teachers can use the interactive games to illustrate principles of physics or early understanding of the human body. History or literature teachers might use the site to personify the term "Renaissance Man" for students studying the time period. Whatever your discipline, be sure to make the link available from your teacher web page for curious students to explore outside of class.

Symbols of Liberty Grade 2 to 8 - National Park Service- 8910
This "virtual" tour offers an informative resource for learning more about the Statue of Liberty as part of your "national symbols" unit. Although this website is "plain vanilla," it offers a wealth of information. The website examines the specific components of the statue and what they represent: from the scandals to the crown. Students simply click on the name of the component to read the explanation. There are also "thinking questions" included with each description. The questions are on various levels, including comprehension, analysis, and evaluation.

In the Classroom:
Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) and focus on one component per day (there are a total of 10). This website provides a wonderful anticipatory set for learning about the history of the United States, symbols, and the Statue of Liberty. As a culmination of your national symbol unit, why not ask students to draw or build a model of a new national symbol to be built in a prominent place in your town? Or have them draw it on the computer and make a class wiki: New National Symbols (with their explanations).