TeachersFirst: Interactive Whiteboards

Resources for Using Interactive Whiteboards:

1970 record(s) found - search again

Scribblar Grade 9 to 12 - Muchosmedia, Ltd.- 9616

Teacher’s First Edge review: for moderately adventurous technology users. This free provides an instantly-available online whiteboard for multiple people to collaborate as they brainstorm, add text and shapes, or annotate an image. You can also add video or sound (if you have Internet cameras and microphones). Create a graphic from scratch using the geometric shapes. Share the whiteboard to brainstorm with both words and shapes. Upload of photos is easy. Include photos or other images as part of your collective visual “thinking.” A chat function exists on the whiteboard space, as well. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: You need to know how to locate and upload a picture from your computer and how to manage basic tools, etc. Scribblar creates a temporary room for use by your group. Using the free room requires a name to be entered to temporarily manage and track edits. Email addresses or passwords are NOT required. Tools are easy to use and require a small amount of play to be comfortable. Invitations can be sent to other students in order to allow group contributions. Clicking “Take a snapshot” opens a pop up window to SAVE the collaborative creation. You can also use the print screen function (PrtSc button on a PC) or apple/shift/4 combination on a mac. For schools needing more photo mash up options to alter artwork or photos, this is an alternative.

Safety/security concerns: The site includes a chat function. Be sure to caution students about appropriate use. Continuous monitoring by teachers is essential!

Ideas for use: Use pictures from a science lab or experiment to write information on the picture. Have student groups collaborate to create a diagram of the steps in a process shown in a photograph. Have students add annotations to an art images or ad layouts, showing design elements and the path of your eye as you view the image. Show math concepts using geometric shapes. Create images as a group or use for tutorials. Create artwork or use for brainstorming. Have students create their own whiteboard as part of a research project. Project the “Scribblar – whiteboard brainstorming” on your interactive whiteboard or projector as you begin a unit or lesson or to recap the steps in a process with the entire class. Collaborate with others outside the classroom as you create a community map or action plan together.

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.

Primary ICT - Whiteboard Literacy - Using Story Starts Grade 1 to 6 - Teachers.TV- 9865

This site offers a 15-minute tutorial video (for teachers) about using an interactive whiteboard for creative writing exercises. The video highlights three different teachers at various levels and how they use the writing exercises in their classrooms. There are also a few prompts provided at this site.

Tip: when first downloading, the clip pauses a bit. Watch it in full on the computer you plan to use in advance, so it is in your "cache" before using in class. The video require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
If you are looking to make your language arts lessons more interactive, check out this free video to gain some new ideas. As you teach about story maps, beginning-middle-end, and basic story patterns, these activities will give your students a chance to try their own hand at developing a story. For more writing prompts, check out another Teachers.TV site reviewed by TeachersFirst (reviewed here). Share these video prompts on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Brainstorm (as a class) possible conclusions to the story. Have students write their story and share it with the class. Have students use one of the prompts to make a class contributed wiki about the prompt.

Interactive whiteboard Resources for Teachers Grade K to 12 - Teacher LED- 9304

This site has great simulations in Math that can be used with an Interactive Whiteboard. Math categories include "Algebra," "Data Handling," "Number," "Shape, Space, and Measure," and "General Maths." Specific topics include "Reading Scales," "Rotational Symmetry," "Shop Addition," "Prime Snakes," and "Number Cylinder." Information and ideas for use on each Interactive can be found both on the site and as an Adobe PDF download. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Show difficult-to-understand concepts on the interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these Interactives by having students predict outcomes and then carry out the experiment, such as in rolling die to determine probabilities. Students can then apply the information to a new set of problems. Use many of the interactives as a class game. Though perfect for the whiteboard, they can also be used on individual computers or as a computer learning station.

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!

Map Collections Home Page Grade 6 to 12 - Library of Congress- 9406

The Library of Congress offers this searchable database of historical maps, which includes a large collection of city maps, maps of military battles and campaigns, maps related to transportation and communication, and maps focused on exploration and discovery. Within each category, you can search geographically or by time period. Each map accessed can be navigated using a zoom feature for better viewing. Maps cover a wide range of national and international subjects.

In the Classroom:
Teachers with interactive whiteboards or projectors will find these maps a natural companion to lessons involving history, geography, and cultural changes. Sometimes seeing a map drawn at the same time as the event under discussion can lend a whole new understanding of the culture of the people being studied. It's far more dramatic to imagine sailing into the unknown on a voyage of discovery while you look at the only maps available to those aboard.

Be sure to have students use the whiteboard tools to draw in their own “corrections” or annotations showing the movement of people or strategies used in battles. Since thee resources are in the public domain, you are allowed to copy them into your whiteboard software and keep the student annotations atop the maps, as well. The maps also make good visuals for "mock" blog entries by historical figures!

Using the Smartboard to support Math Grade K to 12 - Kenton County School District- 10253

Interested in learning how to use your interactive Smartboard (or any brand of whiteboard) to support good math instruction? View interactive activities by Kentucky Math standards, grade level, or content. Preview the resource or download (SMART Notebook format only) for use in the classroom. SMARTboard software is required for using downloaded files. Other activities feature activities using content from another site and a description for using the resource. Many of the outside sites are interactive (and fantastic).

The activities are divided up by grade level. There is something here for all grade levels. You can also search activities by name: clock templates, Pythagorean theorem, graphing coordinate pairs, spinners, and many others.

In the Classroom:
Unlock the power of the interactive whiteboard by using these activities to introduce or reinforce concepts in a variety of Math subjects. For example, teach geometry using the "Geometry in Action" activity which uses architecture to teach geometric concepts or use "Cubic Volume" to fill a rectangular prism with cubes to determine the volume. Be sure to check out the external sites also, there are some gems! If you have a different brand of whiteboard, preview the ideas for the downloadable files, then check your company’s software for an equivalent activity. Many offer very similar resources.

Nota Grade 3 to 12 - Nota, Inc.- 9915

Teacher's First Edge Review: For adventurous technology users. Create online material or presentations in an unlimited number of formats for free with this unique collaborative site. Use an unlimited combination of media on this whiteboard space. Integrate drawings, text, pictures, articles, maps, videos, and a multitude of media too numerous to mention! Create an online informational poster, suite of pages, or presentation documents that multiple owners create. Embed your “Nota” in another site, Facebook, or Blog. Click the "About" tab to find great education examples. Use the "Quick Guide" and the "FAQ" section for easy to use information. Watch the tour video to learn more! This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: To use Nota, register with an email address. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. No need to wait for a registration email to begin. Name your new page and begin your work! Use the most common buttons on the left side of the workspace to begin: cursor, drawing, eraser, text, shapes, undo, and redo. Moving the cursor on the whitespace creates options to leave a comment box. Click to place on the whiteboard, then enter text, move by dragging the move tab, or other options. Use the menu to Insert objects such as font art, photos, movies, clipart, wikipedia, or google maps. Insert a message board or access counter. Share or embed your creation easily. Change the background colors or create new pages simply and easily. Change the license of your “Nota” to block changes or comments with one click.

Safety/security concerns: This site allows outsiders to comment on or modify work. Many school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school Acceptable Use policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety or establish specific written class rules and consequences for interacting with outsiders. Click on "no" to receive comments and for modifying work to create a level of security for students and work. Check your school policies on whether student work may be displayed online, and then enforce that policy with your students. You may allow students to self-register, but be sure to keep a written record of their passwords for when they “forget.” It may be worth your time to do advanced registration for your younger students. In many schools, you will need parental permission before allowing students to post content online.

Ideas for use: Create a book (recipe, alphabet, places...), a scrapbook, poster project, or free graffiti projects. With younger students, create collaboratively on your interactive whiteboard for students to learn the tools. Have students decide how best to illustrate the water cycle or animal food chains. Make a visual literary magazine or visual aids to accompany oral presentations. In art class, collect examples of a style or design element and annotate them with the drawing tools. Create political "ads" in history class, depicting a candidate's stand on key topics. Make a whole-class NOTA in your elementary class about the school year, including digital images of important events or field trips. Create with friends near or far. Students in collaborative groups can present content or projects quickly and easily. “Nota” allows multiple users to create in the same space at the same time.

Here is an example Nota :

Spin to Win Grade 2 to 5 - Spark Island- 9835

Create some new words using prefixes and suffixes. Click the red handle to spin the wheel and create new words. Click "Correct" if the created word exists or "Nudge" to spin again. This activity is a free sample from a site that charges for other activities. The site also provides teaching suggestions and printable pages. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
List this link on your class website for students to practice with affixes in and out of the classroom. Use this site as an anticipatory site or review of prefixes and suffixes. Share the site with students on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students try the activities on their own or with a partner. Extend your practice by having students use your interactive whiteboard to write, drag, and drop prefixes to add to words or paste in a passage of text for students to highlight prefixes and suffixes on the whiteboard.

Coordinates Grade 4 to 12 - James Hollis- 9793

Use this simple graph page to plot points, view the coordinate points, and change views on the graph. Use this site with an Interactive whiteboard to plot points and then draw lines. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use simple experiments to generate data for points. Use the whiteboard to draw lines, calculate slope, or identify equations. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students work in cooperative learning groups to explore this site on laptops or at a computer cluster.

Dabbleboard Grade K to 12 - Dabbleboard, Inc.- 9627

TeachersFirst Edge entry: for ANY technology user. Dabbleboard (still in beta) allows you to make whiteboard drawings and graphic organizers in an online space you can share with others. Since more than one computer can "work on" the whiteboard at a time, students in multiple locations can add to the board at the same time -- or come back to a saved board to add to it later. The whiteboard includes freehand drawing, basic shapes (some that even pop in when you come close to drawing that shape), text tools, and simple colors. You can also upload images, drag and resize anything you draw or type, etc. If used as a whole-class activity, such as on an interactive whiteboard, you can save it by clicking SHARE, copying the URL so you can put the link on a class wiki, teacher web page, or blog so students or the class can revisit and change it later. The tool requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

See an example created by the Edge team here . Note that you can change it, too!

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Join the site (free), but only if you wish to be able to SAVE dabbleboards. You can share them in real time without joining, but they are lost once you quit. Joining requires an email address. Use your memberships email or check school policies before allowing students to sign up using email. Another option is to create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, 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.

Once you join, watch the quick video tour or play with the tools. Be sure you can locate tools to draw, resize, delete, drag, and group/ungroup items. Try uploading an image (make sure you have the RIGHTS to use it!). Your uploaded items remain in your library for later use. Note that to add text you simply click in the whitespace and start typing. It is easier to change text size and color BEFORE typing. To keep a board, simply click NEW. The old board will become part of your library at the left of the screen.

Safety concerns: Once shared, any dabbleboard can be seen and altered by others who know the URL. You will not have any record of who makes changes, so student-to-student "vandalism" is possible. Do not make student drawings "public" unless this is within school policies. Clicking "Make public" will add that dabble board to the public library. Others can copy any "public" work. Note that sharing by URL does NOT make a board public unless you click "make public."

Ideas for using this tool: Assess prior knowledge as you start a unit by generating a class dabbleboard. Save it under your class/teacher account to re-access throughout the unit, adding new topics and content. Make the URL available from your class web page for students to use as review or for learning support teachers to reinforce what has happened in class. Have student groups map out the content of projects. Encourage visual prewriting for the students who "think in pictures." Have students create review organizers or drag and drop activities to share with classmates. Brainstorm together over time or distance by letting students add ideas from home or collaborating from another school. Save your visual notes from a faculty meeting to reopen next time. Allow students to use a dabbleboard as their visual during speeches. Map the sequence of steps in a chemical reaction. Then share the URL for absent students to "see" what happened in class. Annotate design principles directly on top of an uploaded image or have students submit their own analysis of an image by sending you the URL for their dabbleboard. Have young students use a dabbleboard to draw out ideas before they can even write entire sentences. This one has endless possibilities!

Science of the Olympic Winter Games Grade 3 to 12 - Nantional Science Foundation- 10703

This site hosts 16 Olympics-related videos from NSF and NBC. Learn about the science of the Olympics available without a membership. Any science teacher can find something related to your curriculum: from Newton's Laws of motion, to concepts of physics, chemistry, biomechanics, and physiology. Math teachers can also find applied math concepts from basic arithmetic to calculus.

In the Classroom:
Share these videos on an interactive whiteboard or projector, being sure to have student use the whiteboard tools as you pause the video so students can draw lines to illustrate forces and other concepts. Have student groups watch different videos and report back on the theoretical science AND the actual results from that sport, connecting the science concepts to the actual results they see in competition. Even younger students can benefit from the videos as an overview of more advanced concepts, provided you preview vocabulary, then stop and discuss more challenging words during the video. Your students will want the link to this site, so share it on your class web page. You can also embed the videos right in your web page, blog, or wiki. Have students write about the embedded piece, adding their own commentary of the actual Olympics based on the video.

Math Open Reference Grade 7 to 12 - John Page- 10619

Math Open Reference is designed to teach High School geometry and functions. The site is organized into modules by geometric topic with specific lessons for each concept. The main topics include Plane Geometry, Coordinate Geometry, Solid Geometry, and Tools (Math/Scientific Calculator, General Function Explorer, Graphical Linear Function Explorer, Graphical Quadratic Function Explorer, and Graphical Cubic Function Explorer). Each module includes interactive elements that allow you to experiment with the topic concept. The interactive activities make abstract concepts more concrete.

In the Classroom:
Math Open Reference modules are effective in a lab setting or using an interactive whiteboard or projector with the entire class. Although the lessons are designed for High School students, some of the activities are appropriate for Middle School students. The ability to make and print custom graph paper is a very useful feature. Have student groups explain a geometric concept on the interactive whiteboard, putting the explanations in their own words. For example, have them use the congruence tools on this site, then draw examples using the whiteboard tools, challenging their classmates to identify congruent examples.

SMART measurement Grade K to 6 - J. Dornberg- 10605

Find great websites and activities for use with an interactive whiteboard, projector, or on individual computers at this well organized site. Find great resources for Length, Time, Money, Perimeter/Area, Temperature, Weight, Volume/Surface Area, or Angles. Although TeachersFirst does not usually review "hotlists" of links, this one is extremely useful to share as is. This collection of resources pulls from across the web to organize interactive math skills practice into topics the way teachers and curriculum specialists "see" them, saving you load of time in finding just the right math practice activities.

In the Classroom:
Use any of the great resources interactively in the classroom. For example, click on "Weight" and then "Reading Scales" to access a great site. Choose a different scale to use on the interactive whiteboard (or students can use on a single computer.) Choose the measurement, and then "Generate." Practice reading the scale using the whiteboard as a class or in groups. Require students working individually to use a screen capture (print screen in PC or Apple-shift-4 in Mac) to capture an image of the screen. Use Paint or another lettering program to write their scale readings on their picture. Print or present to the class. Take a few minutes to check out this site and find some great resources for units and lessons in your classroom. Share this link on your class website.

Accident Depiction Grade 9 to 12 - ClaimMS GmbH (Germany)- 10517

Use this highly unusual web-based tool to explain what happened in a car accident, including all the information that would go into an accident report to the police or insurance company. Drag vehicles, draw street layouts, add signs, and more to fully explain the unfortunate event.

In the Classroom:
Beyond obvious use in a Driver Ed class, this site could be used on an interactive whiteboard or by students on laptops to create or explain an accident scene that schematically illustrates forces of physics or to apply basic map and modeling skills. Use it to create a visual prompt for practice writing sequenced, factual accounts of an event in basic English or in a new language as you build every day, survival vocabulary. Help students learn skills to depict information visually. Present an accident map on an interactive whiteboard as a quiz on forces, inertia, momentum, and Newton's Laws, asking students to explain what forces would be in action.

Visual Complexity Grade 6 to 12 - Manuel Lima- 10287

View interesting graphics of data that students will find fascinating. Search visuals in subjects such as Art, Biology, Food Webs, Music, and more. Each visualization has a project description, link, and other information. Caution students that ads appear on pages and these should be avoided.

In the Classroom:
Share the graphics on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use data visualizations to ask questions about interactions among the parts shown. For example, use any of the food chain visualizations to look at the interactions in the chains and identify roles of organisms. Ask students to use the whiteboard tools to explain how the visual “shows” the underlying information. Be prepared for less visual students to struggle while more visual students thrive using such a tool. Share the interesting map graphics in geography class. Use this at the beginning of a discussion and identify the organisms in the chain to uncover the relationships. Use the graphics for creative writing projects (displaying the graphic on a whiteboard while students react in writing). Ask your gifted students to choose a graphic they particularly enjoy as an inspiration to create one of their own.

Northern grid mini apps Grade K to 4 - Northern Grid- 10099

Looking for simple interactives to use on your interactive whiteboard or projector? This site offers various tools that can be used with your entire class or with individual students at stations or on independent computers. Use "Number blocks" to teach addition to a group of students or the whole class. Use the "Show me the time" application to rotate the handles of the clock to set the correct time. Other applications include "Music keyboard" to play music with different instrument sounds and "Chain letters" to make new words from the letters shown. Check out all of the apps listed on the pages for interesting options for your class. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use many of these interactives as a whole class activity (projector or interactive whiteboard) or for use with small groups. Practice showing time by having a student show the time given on the clock. Have that student choose the next time and another student to display on the clock. Use any of the other activities on this site for students to learn and explain why the answer is correct. Groups of students having difficulty can also use these applications with a student who has mastered it for additional help sessions.

Note taking Skills Grade 7 to 12 - Samantha Dhann- 9767

This fairly simple (and text-heavy) site has invaluable information for students who have never really learned how to take notes or why notes are important. The first page gives an explanation of study skills in note-taking, tips for note-taking during lectures, during readings, and organizing and effectively using notes. There is a page with activities and then two appendices, one with linear notes and one with a map as examples. There are many links to outside sites (all related to note taking), all but one link was active at the time of this review. There is also a pdf version for use offline. This site requires Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
You can use this with any secondary class either as a lesson, as a review, or as an individual activity. You may want to share it on an interactive whiteboard and actually have students create the NOTES on note-taking as a whiteboard activity showing how to take notes on written texts.

Hidden Irrationals Grade 4 to 10 - Cynthia Lanius- 9714

This site features 13 geometry questions, a printable "dot paper," and a link to a virtual Geoboard. Some of the topics (of the questions) include square roots (of 2 - 40), lengths of irrational numbers, and diagonal irrationals. The virtual Geoboard opens in a new window, so you can easily navigate between the questions and the Geoboard.

In the Classroom:
You have several options to use this site with your geometry students. You could print out the "dot paper" and display the question on an interactive whiteboard or projector, while students work independently at their seats and selected students share on the whiteboard (resist the urge to be Vanna White yourself). You could also share this site using the interactive Geoboards. If individual computers are available, you could have students try the 13 questions using their own interactive Geoboards. Have cooperative learning groups create 2-3 additional questions (related to the topic) for the class to try. Share them on your class web site for students to challenge one another.

Edward Lear Grade 4 to 12 - Marco Graziosi - 9707

Enjoy Nonsense as only Edward Lear, the mid-1800s artist and poet, mastered it. This site highlights his Book of Nonsense and many others of his nonsense limericks and poetry. Original covers of his books have been scanned and shown at this site. Your students will appreciate nonsense verse through this near-complete compilation of his works.

In the Classroom:
If you're a huge fan of nonsense lit, you can learn more by signing up for the free newsletter at this site. Share this “nonsense” on your interactive whiteboard or projector and have students attempt to create their own nonsense limericks collaboratively on the whiteboard (it's harder than you think!). Or use them as writing prompts during a humor unit.

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.

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.

George Washington Grade 6 to 12 - American Presidents - University of Virginia- 4893

This George Washington page includes a quick fact sheet, a short biography, and links to additional information on Washington's advisors, administration, and accomplishments. It is part of a very complete collection of presidential resources that could be a staple of an American history curriculum. Some of the activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site for research projects about the United States first president! Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to this unit or as review. On the site are copies of some of Washington's speeches that the Miller Center has put in transcript form. One that would be especially useful is the "Farewell Address," that came to influence US Foreign Policy through WWI. Share the speech on the interactive whiteboard or projector, and have students either read it aloud in pieces or individually. Even parts of the address incorporated into a lecture would help illustrate to students US isolationism and the resonating effect of the speech in other areas of Foreign Policy.

Experiencing War Grade 6 to 12 - Library of Congress- 4484

No, it’s not blood and gore up close, but rather a collection of audio reminiscences from American veterans about their experiences in wartime. Created by the Library of Congress as part of their American Folklife series, these stories are surprisingly personal and therefore all the more powerful. A faster connection improves performance.

In the Classroom:
Use the audio interviews over the interactive whiteboard to show students what the war was like from the perspective of people on the ground, and the difference between the first hand account and the textbook. This is a great way to not only teach the content, but display for students the difference between a primary and secondary source. To further argue a point, use a Venn diagram on the interactive whiteboard to graphically display the differences. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here).

The Federalist Papers Grade 9 to 12 - Library of Congress- 3894

The Library of Congress presentation of one of the key American political dialogues will be useful for AP history students, as a research tool for term papers, or for those who simply want an on-line look at these important documents.

In the Classroom:
Use this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector as a way to supplement the textbook with the Federalist Papers. Share this site on the interactive whiteboard while studying a unit on the Founding Fathers or on the documents of the Revolutionary Period. This would be a great way to highlight some of the major arguments of the Federalist papers, particularly Federalist 10.

Butterfly Lab Grade 4 to 12 - - 3854

Butterflies have become a popular species study in many schools. This site offers something approaching one-stop shopping for information on butterfly life cycles, behaviors, migration, and species. Surf in as much depth as your students needs or time permit, but there’s plenty of useful information here.

In the Classroom:
Open this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and access the section entitled "Field Guide." Clicking on any of the picture icons will allow you to see larger versions, and these images could be excellent prompts for a language arts activity. Allow students to use the interactive whiteboard to examine it closer, and then create a poem or rhyme inspired by the image(s). For a biology class, post the site on an interactive whiteboard or projector to allow students to examine the anatomy through all stages of a butterfly's life. This would be a great introduction to any unit on the anatomy of insects, or a butterfly lab.

Oral Histories of World War II Grade 6 to 12 - - 3250

This is a collection of oral histories from people involved in the war. Most of the material has been transcribed, but there are a few bits that can be heard as RealAudio clips. Many of the segments could use some additional context, but they effectively capture the scope and intensity of the experience.

In the Classroom:
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of WWI. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector to have students hear some of the interviews from veterans of the Great War. Play the interviews following a lecture, and have students write down their responses at the end. This will insure students are listening and provide direction for a classroom discussion afterward.

Tenements of New York's lower east side Grade 6 to 12 - PBS- 3218

History, pictures, and vignettes about the tenements and those who lived there. From WNET.

In the Classroom:
Open this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector to show students what life as an immigrant in the early 20th century may have been like. Teachers can lead students through the virtual tour over the interactive whiteboard to supplement a lecture on the overcrowded cities and the impact of increasing immigration. This would be a great resource for a US history classroom.

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.

Interactive Mathematics Online Grade 8 to 12 - Thinkquest- 1100

The site provides explanations and problems covering Geometry, Algebraic Functions, Chaos, and Stereograms. Site could be used as an example of student work on the Net, or as an extension during class time.

In the Classroom:
This site is excellent for gifted students! Introduce the site on an interactive whiteboard or projector, focusing on the section that allows users to create stereograms. After the introduction, allow small groups of students to use the interactive whiteboard to create their own stereograms and attempt to see them. Post the website on your class website (or wiki) to allow students to access some of the other materials in an out of the classroom. This site is excellent for all math subjects, but in particular Geometry and Algebra.

The Integrator Grade 9 to 12 - - 1099

This site allows students to type in their own integral, or view a random sample generated by the computer. The answer is then displayed. Select "History of Integration" for a timeline of math events.

In the Classroom:
Use this site over the interactive whiteboard to work and solve on equations as a class. Have students attempt to solve the problems on a whiteboard before allowing them to use the site to check their work. This will be a more inclusive way to solve problems as a class over the calculator that only one can see. A very useful resource for the advanced math classroom!

Michelangelo Grade 6 to 12 - - 542

This is an elegantly designed history of Michelangelo created by a web design firm by the same name. The presentation and content are both top-notch, making this one well worth a visit if you're studying Italian Renaissance art.

In the Classroom:
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of the Italian Renaissance. This site offers biographical information about Michelangelo, in addition to images of some of his work. Share this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector to show students some of the images created by the artist. Within the teacher resources page there is a search option that allows you to search their resources for specific words and phrases. This would be a great tool for students working on research projects or papers as the results will be similar to a google search, without the junk. For this use, save the site as a favorite on your teacher web page or wiki to allow students to access it in and out of the classroom.

AIDS in Africa Grade 6 to 12 - AVERT.org- 432

A British site summarizes the extent and implications of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in African countries. It is updated regularly.

In the Classroom:
Use this site in your health class or as part of a discussion of economic and cultural challenges in Africa. You may want to use a data visualization tool such as Many Eyes, (reviewed here) to locate AIDS data in a visual form for sharing on interactive whiteboard (Search Many Eyes for "AIDS" to find many visualized forms of HIV/AIDS data from around the world). Have students use the interactive whiteboard to present their findings and hypotheses about the relationships between health data and economic data in Africa.

CSDSmarties Grade K to 8 - Rachel Carter, Lisa, Linda- 287

This site is a blog created by a three teachers (in New Hampshire?) for other teachers - all about using technology (especially interactive whiteboard) with math lessons! The subject is math, and the topics vary from basic arithmetic to geometry to patterns. Learn how to use your interactive whiteboard to teach lessons, see examples, view lesson ideas, watch videos of teacher experiences, and much more. There are many demonstrations and activities in a variety of math subjects. The content changes often, and additions are frequently added. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Find ideas for your own classroom at this site. Save this site in your favorites, and check back frequently, as new material is added. Then try the lessons yourself. Don’t be shy about commenting back on the blog, but be sure to tell them you found them on TeachersFirst!

Readability Grade K to 12 - Arc90- 10579

TeachersFirst Edge entry: for users who are able to install software plug-ins on their computers. This simple but powerful tool allows you to view ANY web page as simple, clear text without all the flashing, moving, distracting elements that interrupt concentration and understanding. To use it, you install the "bookmarklet," a simple mini-program that runs inside Internet Explorer, Firefox, or other web browsing software on your computer. Before you install, click on your preferred text size option. "Installing" is then as simple as dragging the little readability button to the Links bar as you look at the web page. No links bar to which to drag? Go to the View menu and click to turn on your Links bar. Once you have the Readability button, go to ANY web page and click "Readability" to see the page magically change to simple text passages, ready for your interactive whiteboard, easier for your young readers, or enlarged for tired eyes. Note: Pages with content created in FLASH will not work in Readability, since FLASH text is actually an image to a computer. Test it first before planning to use it in class.

In the Classroom:
Install Readability on any computer you use with interactive whiteboards so students can highlight key words from any web page and practice notetaking, main idea, summarizing or other comprehension skills to improve web literacy and overall reading skills. Use Readability as your project any advertising-laden site or to help attention-deficit students stay focused on the words. Special ed and ESL/ELL teachers will appreciate the ability to focus on the words without other distractions, allowing you to determine how much students are actually reading words vs. using images as context clues. Try turning Readability on and off to show students how they can use images to help in comprehension once they find some meaning from the words on a page. All readers would benefit from stopping to compare how they construct meaning from words and text. Advanced art and design students will enjoy examining the advertising techniques on a web page by stripping them away, then turning them back on.

This tool also provides a clean way to make printable versions of web page text, even adjusting text size to your preferred option. Please consider the trees before getting carried away though!

Multiplication Puzzle - An Interactive Whiteboard Resource Grade 2 to 6 - West Midlands RBC- 9873

Multiply by 1,2,3..through 12 at this interactive site! Choose your table, grid size (columns and rows), use a timer (or turn off), have music effects (or turn off), and use a help button (or not). You type the number and hit enter to input the data onto the grid. To start the fun, click on View the Item. Some of the answers are simple to figure out, while others require some mathematical reasoning. Young gifted students will really enjoy the challenges of this site! This is a great way to differentiate multiplication practice for your lower and higher math students. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students work on individual computers and fill out the interactive grids. Share this site with parents on your class website or blog, so students can practice both in and out of the classroom.

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.

Free Magazines Online Grade 7 to 12 - James Hubbs- 10618

This site has a number of current magazines available online including Forbes, Scientific American, Men's Health, and countless others, organized by category. Many could be used for educational purposes (see the Science & Learning section, for example). Other general topics include Arts, Business, Computers, News, Sports, and more. Besides regular magazines, there are a number of columns and blogs by famous people. A few magazines, such as Forbes and Scientific American, display feature article titles when you click on their names, but most open to the magazine home page in a new window.

In the Classroom:
For ESL/ELL students, use magazines at this site to teach vocabulary and American culture. For current events classes, display the latest news online on your projector or interactive whiteboard, finding it quickly with just a few clicks. Have groups explore current news headlines and compare coverage or create their own videos (news or infomercials) using a site such as Teachers.TV reviewed here. This may also be a link that you would want to list on your class website for both students and parents to use at home. If you require current events article summaries each week, your students can use this site to find the latest at no cost. Reading teachers can easily find passages to use for comprehension skills such as main idea, summarizing, inferencing and more, all from current articles and ready to project on your interactive whiteboard for underlining, highlighting and discussion.

Phun Grade 7 to 12 - Algoryx Simulation- 10585

TeachersFirst Edge Review: For adventurous technology users. Hop into the "2D physics sandbox" to play with objects and physical processes by tweaking the environment and the objects. Download of Phun is required. Versions are available for Win, Mac, or Linux. Download options also include ten different language translations. Join an online community for troubleshooting and ideas. Currently in Beta, Phun will become even more "fun."

In the Classroom:
Skills required: Users must be able to download and install the application for the specific platform being used. Check with your IT department for ability to download and install on district computers. Learn to use Phun by playing with the application. (Suggestion from the editorial staff: allow the students to just play for a bit. Students learn from each other and it is the best way to introduce an interactive application.) If that isn’t an option, an interactive whiteboard or projector is another way to introduce this site. Maybe offer extra credit to students who want to explore on their own time then offer a how-to “lesson” to the class. Your gifted or “techie” students might enjoy such an opportunity.

Safety/security: Registering for the site is not required. Use the forum (registration required) or the wiki for examples, suggestions, and troubleshooting. All items created remain on the computer where they are created.

To use: For help, view the video on the site for a simple how to. Other examples exist on You Tube by searching "Phun." Play by unleashing imagination and building objects to see their interaction. Change objects, the environment, and continue building to view more interactions. What is surprising about Phun? View the sometimes unexpected outcomes of the interactions of your objects with the environment though the physics of simple interactions are what you would expect. Draw and create objects and the environment;press the "play" button to watch objects collide, fall, bounce, or other movements. Change and manipulate object movements through a simple right-click of the mouse (or control-click on Mac.) Use the toolbar of simple actions and objects found on the left hand side. Choose from objects such as planes, squares, circles, springs, chains, and hinges. Change object properties such as level of bounce, density, and levels of collision as well as environment properties such as gravity and air resistance. Create unbelievable and ever changing possibilities with this open ended game.

In the classroom: Create increasingly complex and interactive environments that demonstrate a multitude of physics processes. Use as an ongoing lab to uncover physical processes. Isolate these processes using the simulation and reinforce with additional activities or labs to understand each separate process. Unleash student creativity and use as an end activity that ties multiple processes together. After students create a simulation, allow others to view, review, and write up an explanation of what has happened. Present simulations to the class using a whiteboard or projector for student comment and explanation.

Safety/security: Registering for the site is not required. Use the forum (registration required) or the wiki for examples, suggestions, and troubleshooting. All items created remain on the computer.

To use: For help, view the video on the site for a simple how to. Other examples exist on You Tube by searching "Phun." Play by unleashing imagination and building objects to see their interaction. Change objects, the environment, and continue building to view more interactions. What is surprising about Phun? View the sometimes unexpected outcomes of the interactions of your objects with the environment though the physics of simple interactions are what you would expect. Draw and create objects and the environment, press the "play" button to watch objects collide, fall, bounce, or other movements. Simply change and manipulate object movements through a simple right click of the mouse (or control-click on Mac.) Use the toolbar of simple actions and objects found on the left hand side. Choose from objects such as planes, squares, circles, springs, chains, and hinges. Change object properties such as level of bounce, density, and levels of collision as well as environment properties such as gravity and air resistance. Create unbelievable and ever changing possibilities with this open ended game.

In the classroom: Create increasingly complex and interactive environments that demonstrate a multitude of physics processes. Use as an ongoing lab to uncover physical processes. Isolate these processes using the simulation and reinforce with additional activities or labs to understand each separate process. Unleash student creativity and use as an end activity that ties multiple processes together. After students create a simulation, allow others to view, review, and write up an explanation of what has happened. Present simulations to the class using a whiteboard or projector for student comment and explanation.

ESL Holidays Lessons Grade 1 to 8 - Sean Banville- 10409

Look no further for holiday activities for your ESL and ELL students (or for reading/listening comprehension activities you can use with all learners! This site lists conventional and unusual holidays by month. Click the holiday you would like to feature to find a complete lesson including a tape script, an oral recording of the script, and a variety of review exercises. The printable activities include matching, several varieties of fill-in-the-blank, word choices, spelling, reordering events and sentences from the holiday information, and writing activities. An online clickable reading activity presents parts of sentences, so students must select which sentence part comes first. The screen changes when the correct part comes up, and students select the next part.

In the Classroom:
Use this site to help ESL/ELL students improve listening, reading, writing, and cultural knowledge. Invite an ESL/ELL student to present a holiday from their home country to the class using an interactive whiteboard or projector. Many of the review activities would also work well as reading comprehension practice on interactive whiteboard, especially if students use highlighters and pens to mark up the text passage to locate key terms, etc.

Have students create online holiday posters on paper or do it together as a class using a tool such as Project Poster (reviewed here or PicLits (reviewed here. Share this site with families of your ESL/ELL students to learn more about American holidays.

Exploring the Secret Life of Trees Grade 2 to 9 - University of Illinois Extension- 10375

This animated video explains in detail how an acorn becomes a tree. The audio uses simple terms, however some vocabulary may need further explanation with younger grades. The slides can be advanced or reversed with the buttons provided on the pages. This is a modern version of the old fashioned film strip. The narration is also available in Spanish.

In the Classroom:
This is ideal for use on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Due to the ability to easily pause the video, students can take notes directly from the whiteboard. Create a guided note sheet to accompany the interactive by capturing the screens into PowerPoint slides or a smart notebook and put blank text boxes over the writing so that students can enter the information as they watch it. This is a great one to save in your favorites for an Earth Day activity! Have student create their own “tree stories” using digital pictures of a tree they know and narrating it on Voicethread, reviewed here.

Kids Saving Energy Grade 3 to 8 - US Department of Energy- 10374

Fun and energetic about energy, this site features Tinker Bell's energy saving commercials as just one of the highlights that lower grade students would find enjoyable. The site also features links to energy lesson plans, games and activities about energy conservation, and basic information about renewable energy resources of biomass, solar, wind, and geothermal energies. One of the more engaging features in the games and activities section of the site is "Roofus'Home." The features are clickable and linked to information about how that feature is energy efficient.

In the Classroom:
In the lower grade levels, this site could be introduced on the interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to energy and renewable resources. Elementary students are sure to be engaged with Tinker Bell! Also, once the students have some exposure to the site, it could be used in a learning station set up where some students are working with the whiteboard to play the energy saving games together.

In the higher grade range, Roofus' Home could be used as a launch for a research project where students investigate the energy efficiency of their own homes. Students could take digital pictures of energy efficient features of their own homes and then create a photo story to explain their findings to their classmates either by posting to a wiki or presenting in class from the interactive whiteboard. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries – check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here.

The Sun In Motion Grade 2 to 12 - Gary Palmer- 10347

Take your students on a trip to the SUN! Look at the Sun closeup from the safety of your computer screen. Observe phenomena such as solar flares and specula's. Watch IMAX movie clips of various aspects of the sun and the chemistry behind the giant fireball. Some of the video clips are from YouTube, so you may have trouble accessing them from school.

In the Classroom:
This site is definitely one for your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this in a unit on stars or astronomy. Use in the classroom when discussing various events related to seasons or astronomical events. Use a whiteboard and/or classroom projector to really generate size and awe about the Sun. Students can research characteristics of stars and the differences between the various types. Create multimedia or conventional displays that show size and characteristic comparison among them.

Google Earth Grade K to 12 - Google- 10268

TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for any technology user allowed to install software. Bring the world into your classroom with Google Earth. This interactive view of the Earth (and more) is free for download. Find landforms, geographic locations features, pictures, and more from around the world using this satellite-powered software. As you spin the globe, you can tilt to view locations at an angle to show elevation, click to play a "tour" or "fly" from one location to another, or simply open tours and placemarker files created by others. Once you are comfortable, try making tours and placemarkers of your own. Note: this software uses more than the usual "bandwidth" to stay connected to the Internet while you are using it, so dial-up and slow connections will not work. Some schools block this tool because of the bandwidth needed, but teachers should not let this stop you from requesting this software to use in whole-class or group settings.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Permission and ability to download and install the free version. Use tutorials from this site to learn more, or try some Google Earth files from TeachersFirst's Globetracker's Mission to get a taste of what the program can do. Get started by exploring the different LAYERS available in the left side and searching a location you know. Locate and try the tools to drag, tilt, zoom, and even measure distance. Extensive user forums are available through the help menus.

Safety/security concerns: None. This tool is listed as "Edge" simply because it requires software download and installation (and may be blocked by some schools due to bandwidth demands). No log-in or memberships are required. Placemarker files created by you "live" on the computer where you make or save them and are not shared on the web. Note that your computer will ask whether you wish to save your “temporary places” (any places you have marked during a session) each time you close Google Earth. If many students use that computer, you may find you have a disorganized mess of saved places. Be sure to direct students to either name their saved places logically and file them into folders or NOT to save them to My Places! Students and teachers can create placemarker (.kmz or .kml) files and share them as email attachments, files on a USB "stick," or any other means you would use to share a file, just like a Word document.

Another practical tip: if students are using Google Earth on several machines at the same time, you may put a heavy load on your school network. Plan accordingly, perhaps having groups alternate their Google Earth time if it becomes sluggish.

Possible Uses: Use Google Earth to teach geography or simply give location context to class readings or current events, especially on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Ex. you can tilt to show the peaks scaled by Lewis and Clark or volcanoes that rise in the Aleutians. Have students show the locations of historic events or literary settings and create placemarkers with links to learn more. Placemarker text is editable by going to the placemarker’s “properties” or “info,” so students can enter the text description, place title, and any inks they want to include, such as a link to a certain passage of text, an image of a character, or news image/article for a current events map. Students who know html code can get even more sophisticated in what they include in placemarkers. Have students/groups create and play a “tour” of critical locations for global warming, a comparison of volcanoes, or a family history of immigration. Navigate the important locations in a work of literature using Google Lit Trips or search the web for placemarker files connected to civil war battles, natural resources, and more. Turn layers on and off to look at population centers and transportation systems. Teach the concept of scale/proportion using a tactile experience on an interactive whiteboard and the scale and measurement tools. See more ideas at the teacher-created Google Earth 101 wiki reviewed here. Even if you do not venture into creating your own placemarker files, there are many already made and available for use by teachers and students. TeachersFirst’s Globetracker’s Mission includes a weekly file to follow the Mission.

Dummies.com Grade 6 to 12 - John Wiley & Sons - 10250

Everyone knows the "for Dummies" books, but did you know there is an entire web site? This site, created by the same publisher, has text-based and video "How To" information on thousands of topics, organized into general categories. It is also searchable. The education/languages area has both obvious and more obscure topics than you might expect, from To Write a Sonnet to How to Build a Bill (in the U.S. Congress). These text- based articles are great for those who follow verbal information well and often include simple diagrams. The more consumer-oriented areas of the site include videos from setting up your wireless network to carving a turkey. Click on "all videos" under the Featured video to see the video categories.

In the Classroom:
Be sure to tell your students that they are NOT the "dummies" referred to in this site! Then go beyond the obvious use of this site as a reference to use it to teach informational writing, reading comprehension, or any curriculum content. Share text-based articles on a projector or interactive whiteboard and have students analyze the keywords and structure of sequential direction-writing or informational writing before they try it on their own. Use the pens and highlighters to note transitions and other ways of organizing directions, including formatting. Use articles to teach basic comprehension skills by copy/pasting sections and having students drag them into the correct sequence on the whiteboard to form logical directions. In science or social studies classes, have students view models on this site, then work in groups to write their own how-to wiki on curriculum topics such as "How to tell a fungus from a bacterium," "How to solve simultaneous equations," or "How to form a government." If you have access to video equipment, have students write scripts and produce video versions of their how-to instructions and post them on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here.

Chartgo Grade 2 to 12 - Chartgo- 10211

Create a graph simply and easily. Choose a graph type from a variety of choices such as Pie, Bar, Line, or Area. Also choose 2D or 3D as a dimension and add labels, legends, or gridlines. Enter text for the titles as well as the X and Y axes. Create your graph and view the image. Copy the URL for the graph and paste into a blog, wiki, or website to share. Right click on the graph image to save to your computer (use control click in a Mac.)

In the Classroom:
Create data in your classroom and quickly create a graph to represent it. Share through links or adding images to blogs, wikis, or websites. Graphs can also be shared on an interactive whiteboard or projector for better analysis of data by the class. Graph results of a test, answers from students, favorite foods, fictitious budgets, class schedules, and whatever else is applicable in your classroom. Have cooperative learning groups create their own graphs to share with the class. Use this tool to create quick pie chart or bar graph on your interactive whiteboard whenever you count class votes or encounter other data so students “see” data on a regular basis and visual students have another way to absorb the information. Keep the link handy on your web page to access it quickly in or out of class.

History Animated Grade 6 to 12 - History Animated- 10174

You know how TV documentaries highlight their explanations of war with cool battlefield animation? This site enables teachers to project animations on an interactive whiteboard or projector as a supplement to class presentations. The site has its limitations: at the time of this review, only animations of the Pacific theatre of WWII, the Civil War, and the American Revolution are available. More battles are promised for the future. The animation is rudimentary; moving dotted lines, the usual color-coded boxes to represent troops, and fairly primitive sounds. Students who are used to high graphic video games might even find the animation amusing, and middle school boys are sure to laugh at the "explosions" that represent conflicts. Sadly, there are typos in the text that accompanies the animations. Nearly all links worked at the time of this review. On the other hand, the site will provide visual learners with maps, the details of troop movement, and a good overview of the wars' major battles.

In the Classroom:
The obvious use is to illustrate battles on an interactive whiteboard or projector during a lecture or class discussion. This site might also be useful as a link students can explore from home as part of a homework assignment or enrichment activity. Have students research this site and other information about their “battle” and create a multimedia project. How about a “talking map” indicating where a battle took place with audio recording. Use a site such as Mapskip (reviewed here).

A group of talented future animators might be challenged to envision similar animations for battles that are not already included. Note that you can register on the site to be notified as future battles are added.

Forest Life Grade 2 to 12 - UPM- 10151

Visit and listen to a forest and its wildlife without going outside. Listen to narrated portions or click on areas in the forest to learn about inhabitants. You can even zoom in to learn more about specific topics. As you move through the screens, you will understand the meaning of sustainable forestry. Click on the map at the bottom to choose between various topics such as mature forests, bioenergy, and wetlands. Click on Sustainable Forestry to learn about topics related to the economic, environmental, and social uses of forests. The site creator, UPM, is a “…forest industry company. UPM consists of three Business Groups: Energy and Pulp, Paper, and Engineered Materials.”

In the Classroom:
Create excitement and awe of forest resources by using this site with an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this site as a great way to explore the use of natural resources and habitats. Assign groups of students or individuals to find important information for reporting to class. Have groups create videos or infomercials. Share the videos using a tool such as Teachers.TV reviewed here. In lower grades, explore the forest together on an interactive whiteboard or projector, especially if your school is located somewhere far from forests. Ask students to share what they observe as you "visit" the forest together. Be sure to turn up the volume!

Write Rhymes Grade 1 to 12 - Matthew Healy- 10130

Need a rhyming word for those lyrics or poems? Simply type in your poem at this site. When a rhyme is needed, hold the Alt or Option (MAC) key over the word and click on the specific word that you want to rhyme, and a window of rhyme possibilities appears. Students may print their poetry, or, they may opt to save their typed creations to their own Word files. The site is simple, but it sure beats digging through a rhyming dictionary. Some of the words are difficult to read due to the background graphics.

In the Classroom:
Demonstrate this site having volunteers share their poetry on your interactive whiteboard or projector. For advanced poets studying meter, discussing the multiple syllable options makes the task easier. You can also use this site as you teach common letter combinations and sounds with beginning readers. Enter a simple word such as “fish” or “bat” and Alt-click or Option-click for dozens of rhyming words to read aloud with a small group at your interactive whiteboard.

Creative Curio: The Color Wheel and Color Theory Grade 5 to 12 - Lauren- 10083

This blog post, written by a graphic designer, shares ideas and basics about color theory in very user-friendly language. The full blog holds many other ideas on graphic design principles, as well. Note to teachers: there are links to off-topic posts, but the discussions of design principles apply to web pages, print projects, 2D artwork, and more. There are also posts and discussions about computer design programs such as InDesign and Quark. Whether you teach art or advise the school newspaper, this "real world" blog by a professional can help students make connections between theory and authentic tasks.

In the Classroom:
With younger students, share the discussion on an interactive whiteboard or projector to teach basic color terminology in art class, then have them design their own color schemes for a traditional art project, class wiki (great for portfolio sharing), or multimedia project in PowerPoint. You could even use basic shapes and colors on the whiteboard to create and "drag and drop" color swatches to illustrate the ideas. Middle and high school student groups could use this blog as a reference in designing brochures or web pages or critiquing publications in print or on the web. Have students take "screenshots" of web pages and analyze the colors used, posting the images and analysis to a wiki. Better yet, have more techie-students embed web content such as flickr photos within their wiki and analyze it in a caption below the "live" content. Assign an authentic graphic design task such as some of those mentioned in this blog. Teachers of advanced art students will want to share this link on their class web page for students to access both in and out of class as a reference and discussion starter.

KitZu Grade 3 to 12 - Orange County Department of Education, CA- 10050

KitZu offers teachers and students a cache of copyright-safe and ready-to use "raw materials" for specific curriculum topics. As the site explains, "For students, this becomes the construction paper of the 21st century --allowing them to create reports and projects filled with rich, immersive media for communicating their vision of whatever subjects they chose." Developed by the Orange County Department of Education (CA), KitZu offers collections of free media resources revolving around themes. Photos, background music, narratives, video, and text are some of the possible items found in the kits. KitZu invites authentic assessment as measured by the products students produce from using KitZu resources. As students, teachers or organizations build their own resources, new kits can be uploaded (see right side link for contributor information to KitZu). Search for topics by grade level or by subject. Click on the appropriate links on the left side. You will appreciate the fact that downloadable items are copyright-friendly and include all the necessary information to give appropriate credit to the sources (see the pdf file in each zipped folder). The pdf file also includes California standards related to the topic. Offerings are especially rich in science and social studies, but include arts topics and literature/language arts collections. There are even 11 collections for math topics (at the time of this review).

In the Classroom:
At the simplest, you can open image files on your interactive whiteboard to make lessons more visual. Share images, video clips, and more as quick-starts for your lessons on your projector, interactive whiteboard, or speakers. Then share the collections of raw materials with your students as they create projects of their own on an assigned topic or one of several options. For example, have groups research and present their own creative Voicethread reviewed here on 18th century authors or historic sites in your state. Voicethread allows users to narrate a picture. You will need to browse or search what is available on Kitzu before making any assignments!

Downloads are in zipped format. This means that the file must be saved on your computer (try your desktop for starters), then double clicked to extract, unzip, or unpack. The result is a folder of files -- or kit. Share this folder via your school network or on a USB stick. You can also send more savvy students to download from the site themselves. You might want to demonstrate on a projector or interactive whiteboard so you can include a demo of how they should give credit to their sources.

Some ideas: have students use the materials on a class wiki (learn more about wikis reviewed here), for narrated Voicethreads (reviewed here) on a topic or to make Bookemon (reviewed here) interactive books. Anywhere you can use images, sound, and video you can use Kitzu contents as raw material!

Tower of English Vocabulary Grade 4 to 12 - Tower of English- 9955

This not-so-new site includes examples of peculiarities and oddities of the English language. Examples of topics include “Whatchamacallits,” "Spoonerisms," "Antagonyms," “Pun of the Day,” “OxymoronList.com,” and several others. Most of the sections have a "your turn" activity for students to do. This is a real vocabulary booster. Be aware: this site does include some advertisements.

In the Classroom:
If you want students to get excited about words and phrases, this might be the site to do it. These are great short activities to do with students on the interactive whiteboard or projector. Or use this site with reluctant wordsmiths to get them motivated. One of the things you can do with students is to group them and have timed contests with some of the "your turn" activities given. Have cooperative learning groups explore ONE of the topics at this site, and create a multi-media or interactive whiteboard presentation to share with the class demonstrating what they have learned. Use the drag and drop features of the white board to rearrange words, letters, and phrases. Have gifted students or others in need of enrichment develop their own wiki “dictionaries” of vocabulary oddities based on this site’s ideas.

Scientific American slideshows Grade 2 to 12 - Scientific American- 9814

View slideshow pictures of science topics with captions. Looking for more information? Links on each slideshow page lead to related articles on the topic. Categories of slideshows include: Health, Space, Technology, Environment, Energy, Physics, Math, and History of Science, among others. New slideshows are added frequently. Some of the newer additions (at the time of this review) included “Was Einstein Wrong?: A Quantum Threat to Special Relativity,” “Anatomy Lessons Through The Ages,” “150 Years Ago: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution,” “How Meat Contributes to Global Warming,” and many others. You can search by category on the right side of the site.

In the Classroom:
Use these beautiful images without copyright worries by accessing this site live in class. Make science come alive visually as an activator or anticipatory set to your lessons. With younger students, share simply the pictures! Share the relevant slideshows on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Follow the slideshows with reading of related articles and topics. Challenge students to reflect and discuss as groups or individually in a blog post or conventional writing assignment. Relate material in the slideshow or articles to other material discussed in class or in the current news headlines. Assign one student a week to share a “science in our world” two-minute synopsis of his/her slideshow choice on interactive whiteboard to highlight the use and excitement of real science in the world today, sort of “current events” for science class.

My Spell It Grade 5 to 12 - Merriam-Webster- 9810

For serious lovers of words and their meanings (is there perhaps a future lexicologist in your classroom?), this site offers a wealth of information using examples from 1150 words. Click on Home to get a complete overview of this site. In the “Words From” box, just click on a category: Latin, Slavic Languages, Dutch, Greek, Spanish, and many others. A list of words from that category will appear at the bottom on your screen. Now, click on a word to learn information about that particular word. Click on the “Now You Try” tab to work interactive activities for that word category. Lists of those example words may be printed as well.

Visit the official site for the Scripps National Spelling Bee (reviewed here by TeachersFirst). Check out all the links to learn how to study for the Bee, guidelines, and application deadlines. December is the annual deadline for your school’s enrollment in the National Bee. This site will have the exact deadline each year. Click on Study Zone to download the Consolidated Word List (a gigantic compilation of 794 pages of words that have been used from 1950 to the present). Students can test their spelling know-how by clicking on the "Test Your Spell It Knowledge" link on the homepage. Flash is required to enjoy the interactive activities, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this site (and word lists) on your interactive whiteboard or projector. As they study different word etymologies, have students sort copy/pasted selections from these wordlists into categories by language of origin as a drag-and-drop activity on your whiteboard. If you have students who are competitive spellers, encourage participation by introducing this site to them and their families. You may want to list this site on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom.

For an interactive cooperative learning project. Have cooperative learning groups explore one of the languages shared at this site. Have the groups create a multimedia project to share their new vocabulary. How about an online book created using Bookemon (reviewed here) or their own drag-and-drop activity for the class to use on the interactive whiteboard?

VizLab Grade 5 to 12 - IBM Research/ New York Times- 9792

Wonder what information really means? Use Viz Lab to make meaningful representations of data and statistics in a graphical format. Use data from the day's news by clicking on "Get Started." Choose the "Visualize" button to choose data sets and then the manner to be displayed. Show the data sets as a tag cloud, word tree, wordle, bar graph, matrix, bubble chart, and much more. Click "Publish" at the bottom and "Share this" to embed a live or static image on a wiki, blog, or site. This site uses Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
You will want to familiarize yourself with this tools a bit or have some students play with it then demonstrate how it works. Share these visualizations on an interactive whiteboard to teach both how to CREATE and how to INTERPRET visual representations of data. Use the news in a different way to look at and analyze trends. Use these tools for discussing data that most students would not tackle. Look at statistics and meaning in data sets. Research reasons for the data sets for presentation to the class or in a blog.

With many states requiring interpretation of graphs as part of their standards for reading in the content areas, this site provides both constructive and interpretive experience for your students –using meaningful and current data from the news. Make it real with hands-on manipulation of REAL information, on a whiteboard together or in small groups. Assign students in small groups to create and explain a visual representation of information that they believe their side of a debate topic on current events. Embed the graphics in your class wiki so both sides can refer to them during the actual debate.

ArtScope Grade 2 to 12 - San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art- 9694

Explore a collection of 3500 pieces of artwork from the San Francisco Museum of Fine Art by clicking on one of the thumbnail pictures displayed on the screen or by entering a search term. Dragging the lens over the thumbnails highlights the artist, year, and information about the piece. You can zoom in further and further to see the images up close. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this collection to choose pieces of artwork for students to critique or compare. Students can reflect on their choice or conduct an oral critique on your interactive whiteboard or projector, describing techniques, styles, and more. Start class with a “one minute artstorm” by having a student randomly click on a thumbnail on the interactive whiteboard and having the class brainstorm characteristics or thoughts about the piece as you zoom in closer and closer. Ask them to caption it, compare it, or outline the movement of its design in the air during your one minute display. You could even ask them to debate whether or not they consider it to be "art."

Faithful John Grade K to 3 - Kidoons- 9581

This simple site provides an interactive story of "Faithful John." You may read the story in text or interactive (Flash) format. Although there is a link for a game, this site was under construction at the time of this review. The interactive (Flash) story provides audio, so even early readers and ESL or ELL students can participate in reading the story (with headsets, of course). The audio can be turned OFF. The story includes some animated pictures. Follow the arrows to go to the next page. There are also Play and Stop buttons.

Be aware that this site does include some advertisements. The site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this fairy tale on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Turn down the volume (or turn it off), and have students take turns reading the pages to the class. Challenge your students to write new endings for the story. Use the story to teach students about plot, characters, conflict, setting, and other key elements in a story. Create a story map on your interactive whiteboard, pausing to switch between the interactive version and your story map as the story plays aloud!

Real Princess Grade K to 3 - Kidoons- 9545

This simple site provides an interactive story of the "Real Princess." You may read the interactive story or play a simple game (the game is fun, but not educational). The story provides audio, so even early readers and ESL or ELL students can participate in reading the story (with headsets, of course). All of the text is written and available in audio, for both your visual and auditory learners. The audio can be turned OFF. The story includes some animated pictures.

Be aware that this site does include some appropriate advertisements. To avoid seeing the advertisements, you may click Full Screen to view the story. The site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this story on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Turn down the volume, and have students take turns reading the pages to the class. Challenge your students to write a new ending for the story. Create a story map on your interactive whiteboard, pausing to switch between the interactive version and your story map as the story plays aloud!

Little Red Riding Hood Grade K to 3 - Kidoons Network- 9409

This interactive site provides the story of the "Little Red Riding Hood." You may read the story or play a simple game (the game is fun, dress-up, but not necessarily educational). This is a text-only story, so no audio is provided. The story does include some entertaining pictures.

Be aware that this site does include some appropriate advertisements. Some of the activities at this site require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this online fairy tale on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have your students take turns reading the pages to the class. Challenge your students to write a new ending for the story. Create a story map on your interactive whiteboard, pausing to switch between the interactive version and your story map as the story plays aloud!

Human Biology Grade 2 to 8 - kidsknowitnetwork- 9390

Explore the human body through images and text. Click on a part of the human body to get information about its purpose and function. Or click on a body system: circulatory, respiratory, etc. Vivid illustrations provide an inside look at parts of most body systems in the, although the reproductive system is excluded. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site when introducing body systems and functions. Use this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. If you prefer, have students work with a partner to explore the “systems.” Weaker readers will need a stronger partner to help with some text. Then have students create their own explanations of body systems and functions using a multimedia tool such as PowerPoint or your interactive whiteboard. Save this site in your favorites, so you (and your students) can visit often.

Build A Neighborhood Grade K to 3 - PBS Kids- 9370

This interactive site challenges students to create a neighborhood. The site provides a brief explanation about neighborhoods. Students can choose to create a neighborhood using a farm, a house, a construction site, or a castle. This site is part of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and emphasizes that everyone and every community is special and unique. Students are provided with several pictures to "drag and drop" onto the scene. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use this website during your social studies unit on communities. Demonstrate how to use this tool on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students work in small groups to create their own neighborhoods (or individual computers, if they are available). Have students (or groups) share their neighborhoods with the class. Turn this into a language arts lesson by having students write a story about their neighborhood. If you have Google Earth available, show your “real” neighborhoods on a projector or interactive whiteboard and compare with the newly-created ones your students invented.

Picasso - Maryland Electronic Fieldtrips Grade 3 to 12 - Thinkport- 9296

If you are teaching your students about Picasso, visit this website for some new ideas. This site focuses on the years of 1892-1906. There are links to learn more about point of view, reflection, focus, and more. The site includes a timeline of Picasso's life. Teachers, be sure to visit the "for educators" link to find math, social studies, and language arts activities to coincide with teaching about this amazing artist. Several of the paintings allow you to zoom in on certain features of the painting. Be aware, at the time of this review, the forums were closed to additional comments.

In the Classroom:
Start out at the "for educators" link for some great ideas to create an interdisciplinary lesson using Picasso in art, social studies, language arts, or math class. Use this site for research projects. In art class, use your interactive whiteboard or projector to show students an up close look at several of Picasso's paintings. Analyze and notate the paintings’ composition using the whiteboard tools!

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.

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.

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, lab 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 introducing 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.

Smog City 2 Grade 5 to 12 - U.S. EPA and Sacramento Air Quality Management District- 8046

Use this interactive air pollution simulation to learn about the effects of particulates, ozone, and individual choices on air pollution. The Create Your Own section allows you to test cause and effect of different factors in a controlled setting. Although the option to download the simulator is offered, it runs just fine in its online version. The site's disclaimer explains that the complex relationships between environmental factors have been simplified for this simulator, but the processes are still representative of the "real world" factors. This is a MUST for Earth Day!

This site is powerful and therefore may take some extra time to load - so prepare ahead! This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Younger students would benefit from a teacher-centered introduction on the simulator (using your interactive whiteboard or projector), followed by directed explorations to find specific answers to teacher questions. Older students can determine the most important factors in air pollution and explore means to solve the problem as part of a health, social studies, science, or government class. Have your students present their finding on an interactive whiteboard or projector.

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 notes: In spring, 2007, this site became rather sluggish in opening. We suspect it has gained popularity, and the multiple users are slowing it down. Be patient!

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.

Shoemaker and the Elves Grade K to 3 - Kidoons- 7364

This interactive site provides the story of the "Shoemaker and the Elves." You may read the story or play several games (not all games relate to the story and some are more for fun than education). This is a text-only story, so no audio is provided. The story does include some entertaining pictures.

Be aware that this site does include some appropriate advertisements. Some of the activities at this site require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this story on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have your students take turns reading the pages to the class. Challenge your students to write new endings for the story. Use the story to teach students about plot, characters, conflict, setting, and other key elements in a story. Create a story map on your interactive whiteboard, pausing to switch between the interactive version and your story map as the story plays aloud!

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!

Brementown Musicians Grade K to 3 - Kidoons- 7339

This simple site provides an interactive story of the "Brementown Musicians." You may read the story in text or interactive (Flash) format, or play a simple game (the game is a memory/logic activity). The interactive (Flash) story provides audio, so even early readers and ESL or ELL students can participate in reading the story (with headsets, of course). The audio can be turned OFF. The story includes some animated pictures. Follow the arrows to go to the next page.

Be aware that this site does include some appropriate advertisements. The site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

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.

Battle Lines: Letters from America's Wars Grade 8 to 12 - Gilder Lehrman Institute and Legacy Project- 6586

Bring authenticity and emotional impact to a study of one of America's military conflicts with this riveting collection of primary source documents. This compelling site presents personal correspondence from more than 200 years of American history. Visitors can listen to and read letters that describe the loss of loved ones, the yearning for the comforts of home, and the traumatic experience of warfare. Full transcripts as well as scanned images of original letters are provided.

In the Classroom:
Introduce this site over the interactive whiteboard or projector during a unit on one of the many wars in American History. Play a few of the audio recordings over the interactive whiteboard to introduce the conflict, having students listen quietly. To insure student attention, have students either write/draw a reflection OR have students create a digital reflection piece. Challenge students to create an online graphic to share using Tabblo reviewed here.

Sudoko for Kids Grade 2 to 6 - - 6270

Develop your students' logic skills with this collection of downloadable Sudoku puzzles – organized by difficulty level. The goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to fill in digits, so that each number appears only once in each column, row, and mini-grid. Download the free Sudoku for Kids book that provides kid-friendly instructions - useful for adult beginners as well!

In the Classroom:
Have a team competition as students use the site on an interactive whiteboard and try to solve the sudoku puzzle's the quickest. Sudoku would be a fun break and practice of logic for any math or science class. Teachers can also share the site on an interactive whiteboard or projector at the beginning of class, and challenge students to work on the puzzles individually. The activity will get their brains in motion and ready for the rest of class!

Story Maker Grade 3 to 5 - Magnetic Poetry, Inc.- 5773

Use this virtual magnetic poetry activity as another tool in your arsenal of motivators for creative writing. The collection of vocabulary and phrases would work best with upper elementary classes, but younger students with strong language skills could have a lot of fun with this one.

In the Classroom:
This one is terrific as a center or on your interactive whiteboard. If you know how to "take a picture" of your whiteboard screen, you can save it or print it out for a student to use as a visual prompt for "the rest of the story" as he/she writes. Think of it as a new way of pre-writing.

American Women's Rights Movement Grade 8 to 12 - Infoplease- 5744

This helpful timeline details the major events and players in the Women's Rights Movement and provides hyperlinks to related notes and articles. A great reference site for Women’s History Month activities.

In the Classroom:
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of the Women's Rights movement. There are a lot of interesting yet random facts that can supplement lecture material. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector and use it to guide students along the lecture. You can also print the information out for students to use as a follow-along if a PowerPoint is a part of your lecture. Either way it's a great organizer for putting the time period into perspective.

Iraq Elections - Christian Science Monitor Grade 9 to 12 - Christian Science Monitor- 5623

CSM's Iraq election coverage emphasizes the role that tribal and regional histories will play in the push for political control at both the provincial and national levels as Kurds, Sunnis, and Shi'ites vie for their own share of power.

In the Classroom:
While this is no longer a current event, this article does a great job of explaining the roots of the problems that continue to plague Iraq to this day. Either print or display the article to students on the interactive whiteboard or projector. (students could also read this for homework) Either way, this article provides enough background information that it could lead to an excellent discussion of the Iraqi conflict. Be sure help your weaker readers and ESL students by sharing the vocabulary words prior to reading, either on a handout or by projecting on an interactive whiteboard and highlighting them in the text as you come to them.

Historical Ciphers Grade 6 to 12 - Trinity College, Hartford- 4819

This presentation by students and faculty at Trinity College, Hartford includes discussions of some of history’s more famous cipher and encryption machines, including the infamous German enigma machines. Along the way, there’s a presentation on some of the basics of encryption.

Students interested in math or computer security will find this one an interesting introduction to a hugely complex topic.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as a quick lesson during a history or statistics class, in an attempt to teach students about how some ciphers were solved and how it affected history. Peruse a few of the ciphers as a class on the interactive whiteboard, as a challenge have students try to make or solve one on their own! Students can present their ciphers on the interactive whiteboard, and try to stump their peers!

Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company Grade 6 to 12 - - 4766

Billed as a virtual museum, the site is divided into "wings." There is an enormous amount of information on this site! The History "wing" includes biographies of the Wright Brothers, information about the history of flight and some little known facts in an area called "aviation's attic." Along the side are links to music files with music of the early 1900s such as the Wrights might have listened to. The Adventure "wing" looks at models of airplanes and the science of flight, and includes more music files. The "Information Desk" includes news about local Dayton, Ohio commemorations of the centennial of flight. No lesson plans and no areas specifically for educators, but lots of facts and pictures spread out all over the site.

In the Classroom:
Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to a lesson on the Wright Brothers and their impact on flight. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Assign each group a "wing" or subsection to read and research with the intent being for them to present their findings to their peers. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Voicethread reviewed here. This site allows users to narrate a picture. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report that their classmates know virtually nothing about. This makes the most sense if the reports and presented chronologically so students can piece together the history of the Wrights brothers.

*The 50 States Grade 4 to 8 - TeachersFirst- 3788

TeachersFirst’s states project for students combines the usual “almanac” facts with narratives on native people, early history, economy, and landforms and geography. The result is a one-stop site for upper elementary and middle school students studying their own states, or someone else’s. This project is more than "halfway" complete, and we are adding new states regularly.

In the Classroom:
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of the 50 states. One easy use would be for testing students on knowledge of the capitols. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector, and you can test students not only by state recognition on the map but with what the capitols are. State location and capitol information are not clearly stated until clicked on, so this would be a fairly easy formative assessment in review the information.

Apollo 11 Grade 4 to 12 - - 3400

Brief narrative with clickable photos and audio files recounts the course of the mission. From The History Place.

In the Classroom:
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of Space travel. The audio and images on this site would work really well either on the whiteboard or placed within a powerpoint lecture. This would be a useful resource for an American History course, especially as all the information is practically laid out in lecture format.

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!

Learn Physics Today Grade 9 to 12 - Thinkquest- 1305

This student-developed site provides several chapters explaining introductory principles of physics. These include text, formulas, pictures and diagrams. The site was created as part of the ThinkQuest competition.

In the Classroom:
This site is excellent for enrichment. Include it on your teacher web page for students to access both in and out of class for review before a test or quiz. There is also a "Build your own Circuit" activity, that could be displayed perfectly on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow students with questions to use the interactive whiteboard to navigate the site on their own. Make sure your computer has the latest version of Java available, or the site will prompt you to download it.

BatQuest Grade 4 to 6 - - 604

This site is an online scavenger hunt all about bats. Students answer questions by going to sites listed on the page. The site is geared to upper elementary grades.

In the Classroom:
Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to a unit on bats. This site is excellent for explaining bats' ecological impacts in an attempt to show the positive side of having them in one's environment. Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site, and then discuss what each group thought was the most important way that bats help their environments. A great way to do this is to have students create an online graphic to share using Tabblo reviewed here. Have each group share their graphic on the interactive whiteboard as a way to review the information with the class.

The International Space Station - City in Space Grade 4 to 12 - Discovery Channel- 503

Discovery Channel offers a collection of multi-medial and virtual reality demonstrations showing how the international space station will be assembled and function. The site includes explanations of the scientific and diplomatic objectives of the space station project.

In the Classroom:
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of space exploration. Allow students to access the site on individual computers or the interactive whiteboard to take a closer look at the virtual tours provided of the space station. This site would also be a good jumping point in discussing habitats and human needs. After students have looked at the site, put them in small groups to design their own "space station." Have them include and discuss things that they see as needs, wants, and other objects they couldn't live in space without.

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.

Primary ICT - Whiteboard Literacy - Story Starts Grade 1 to 7 - Teachers.TV- 9866

Are you looking for a way to spice up your creative writing lessons? If so, check out this site! The site puts a new twist on story starters... video story starters. There is one video (approximately 15-minutes long) that provides seven creative writing scenarios. One scenario, for example, is a ghostly graveyard (perfect for a Halloween writing exercise). Use these 2-3 minute video topics to get your students excited about writing.

Tip: when first downloading, the clip pauses a bit. Watch it in full on the computer you plan to use in advance, so it is in your "cache" before using in class. The video require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Preview this video and figure out which clips work with your students. The graveyard one is a perfect motivator around Halloween. But all of the topics are highly creative and pique students' interest. Share these video prompts on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Brainstorm (as a class) possible conclusions to the story. Have students write their story and share it with the class. Have students use one of the prompts to make a class-contributed wiki or continuing story from the prompt.

Primary ICT - Whiteboard Maths - Eight More Lesson Starts Grade 2 to 6 - Teachers.TV- 9864

This site offers one video (approximately 15-minutes long) that introduces eight different math topics. At the end of the short clip, students are asked a thinking question, perfect for class discussion! Topics include ratios, percentages, telling time, area, perimeter, problem solving, multiplication, proportions, decimals, measurements, and more. Use these video clips to excite your students about math class! What a perfect start to a new topic. You can "pause" the video in the appropriate place so the students don't view all eight clips in one class. The video may be viewed in full screen (and is very clear). The "ideal" grade level (referred to as year at this British site), is provided at the start of each video clip. American English speakers may notice some slight spelling differences at the British created site (meter vs metre, for example).

Tip: when first downloading, the clip pauses a bit. Watch it in full on the computer you plan to use in advance, so it is in your "cache" before using in class. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share these "real world" videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students discuss the clip and thinking question in cooperative learning groups and then discuss as a class. Use these clips as anticipatory sets in math class. Have cooperative learning groups create similar video clips about other math topics. Share the videos using a resource such as TeacherTube (explained here).

Primary ICT - Whiteboard Literacy - 9 More Story Starts Grade 1 to 6 - Teachers.TV- 9863

We have all heard of story starters. This site puts a new twist on story starters... video story starters. There is one video (approximately 15-minutes long) that provides nine creative writing scenarios. Use these 2-3 minute video topics to get your students excited about writing.

Tip: when first downloading, the clip pauses a bit. Watch it in full on the computer you plan to use in advance, so it is in your "cache" before using in class. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
If you are looking for some new writing prompts, share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. As you teach about story maps, beginning-middle-end, and basic story patterns, these activities will give your students a chance to try their own hand at developing a story. Brainstorm (as a class) 5-7 possible conclusions to the story. Have cooperative learning groups create similar video clips providing some new writing prompts. Students can write scripts about their video. Share the videos using a resource such as TeacherTube (explained here) for your class to have even more writing prompts.

Primary ICT - Whiteboard Maths - Eight Lesson Starts Grade 2 to 6 - Teachers.TV- 9862

This site offers one video (approximately 15-minutes long) that introduces eight different math topics. At the end of the short clip, students are asked a thinking question, perfect for class discussion! Topics range from basic multiplication to angles to percentages. Use these video clips to excite your students about math class! You can "pause" the video in the appropriate place so the students don't view all eight clips in one class. The video map be viewed in full screen (and is very clear). The "ideal" grade level (referred to as year at this British site), is provided at the start of each video clip.

Tip: when first downloading, the clip pauses a bit. Watch it in full on the computer you plan to use in advance, so it is in your "cache" before using in class. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students discuss the clip and thinking question in cooperative learning groups and then discuss as a class. Use these clips as anticipatory sets in math class. The videos clips put math in the "real world." Have cooperative learning groups create similar video clips about other math topics. Share the videos using a resource such as TeacherTube (explained here).

Primary ICT - Whiteboard Science - 7 Lesson Starts Grade 2 to 7 - Teachers.TV- 9667

We have all heard of story starters. This site puts a new twist on story starters: video lesson starters. There is one video (approximately 15-minutes long) that introduces seven different science concepts. At the end of the short clip, students are asked a thinking question, perfect for class discussion! Topics include the ocean, evaporation, sound, the food chain, animals, plants, and more. Use these 2-3 minute video topics to "wet" your students thirst for some new science knowledge. You can "pause" the video in the appropriate place so the students don't view all seven introductions in one class. The video may be viewed in full screen (and is very clear). What an excellent way to start science class!

Tip: when first downloading, the clip pauses a bit. Watch it in full on the computer you plan to use in advance, so it is in your "cache" before using in class. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students discuss the "thinking question" in cooperative learning groups and then discuss as a class. Use these clips as anticipatory sets for a new science topic. Have cooperative learning groups create similar video clips about other science topics. Share the videos using a resource such as TeacherTube (explained here).

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.

Iceland Grade 6 to 12 - - 2411

This site offers a historical and cultural introduction to Iceland, its people, and its culture. Well illustrated, with useful information on each section. Students may need a little help with the cryptic section headings

In the Classroom:
Open this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector during a world history unit. Allow students to explore the site, and then as a class compare the facts they have learned about Iceland and compare it to the United States. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here). This can also be opened on the Interactive Whiteboard or projector. A site like this would be great at the end of the year so students have the knowledge to compare it to the United States.

Google News Timeline Grade 6 to 12 - Google- 10684

When we were young and our parents wanted to know what was happening in the world, they either read the newspaper (morning or afternoon) or watched the evening news on one of three networks. Maybe they subscribed to a weekly newsmagazine if they were really serious about it. Today, news is a 24/7/365 operation and the number of sources for news has exploded. Many younger students may not realize that the snippets of "news" that show up on their email provider's home page do not represent the full range of news stories worth following, or that the various 24 hour new channels each have their own bias. So how does one keep up? Many use Google's news aggregator and click on stories of interest there. The Google News Timeline organizes this information in a searchable, time-indexed format. Pick a date or a date range, and see the major news stories displayed in columns and get a bigger picture view of how stories change over time.

In the Classroom:
Use this format for helping students follow a single story or topic over time: on an interactive whiteboard or projector, students can track news items visually. Pick a date in recent history to recall the events of that time period. As a weekly class warmup, project the week's summary and ask students to pick a story to discuss, write about, or blog about. Have cooperative learning groups research and learn about one of the events and create a podcast to share with the class using PodOmatic (reviewed here). Ask students to research particular topics for different perspectives across news sources, or across time. Keeping up with current events can be overwhelming; the Google News Timeline can help manage the vast number of resources out there.

Decimal Squares Grade 4 to 6 - Albert Bradley Bennett, Jr- 10673

Decimal Squares provides eight interactives on decimal concepts. Each activity provides one to three difficulty levels. Specific topics include place value, concentration, basic decimal addition and subtraction, and more.

In the Classroom:
Use these activities for students to practice previously learned concepts. Demonstrate the activities on your projector or interactive whiteboard to emphasize decimal number sense and follow up with student play (with a partner or independently.) Observing student game play would serve as a great informal assessment. List this link on your class website for students to practice decimals both in and out of the classroom.

Dr Grammar Grade 4 to 12 - University of Northern Iowa (James HiDuke and Tom Peterson)- 10672

Dr. Grammar Rx provides writers of various abilities with guidance on grammar, formatting, word origin and much more. Although this site is rather “plain vanilla” it is very useful. This extremely large writing resource details common writing errors and links to other sites for topics like style, formatting, ESL/ELL issues, etc…

In the Classroom:
Have students struggling with citations? Clauses, commas, capitalization posing problems? Send them to Dr. Grammar! Teachers can refer to Dr. Grammar using a projector or interactive whiteboard for in class use and demonstration or can encourage independent student use during composition. Have pairs of students research a specific area of this site and create an electronic “poster” or word graphic using tools such as Piclits (reviewed here) or Typogenerator (reviewed here). This is also a great addition to a teacher website, wiki, or blog for students to use both in and out of class. Be sure to save this site on your computer’s favorites.

Memorize Now Grade 2 to 12 - Brad Haugaard- 10609

This site allows students to enter texts of varying lengths which they would like to memorize, but it can also be much more. Working like a sort of reverse cloze test, the site erases more and more of the text as the student works through it. A blank remains, marking the spot for each word that has been removed. Alternatively, students can also select "letters" to see the first word of every sentence in the item. Two ways of entering the text passage allow students to copy items from a spread sheet (like vocabulary words) instead of retyping or entering each word. This site also allows you to create flashcards to use for practice.

In the Classroom:
This site does far more than aid memorization. Reading teachers can also use it to teach comprehension skills, such as using context clues to determine meaning in a paragraph. Paste in the paragraph (perhaps a passage from a non-fiction science or social studies article) and use this tool on your interactive whiteboard for students to “figure out” the missing words. Do the same with world language texts to reverse match using subject verb agreement and to analyze missing content using inflected endings. In science class, use this site to remove clues from a paragraph explaining a concepts or terms, subtracting information and having students fill it back in as they review for test and quizzes. Learning support teachers will love this option! Enter passage students write that include new vocabulary words, letting students challenge each other by subtracting portions. Speech and language teachers can use this tool to provide practice with expressive language.

For work with memorization, use this site with popular song lyrics in class. Listen to the song first and give the students the lyrics to be memorized. Or, go to YouLyrics (if district policy allows) to get the song and see a video of it and then have the students use this site to help them memorize the lyrics. ESL, ELL, and students of other languages will enjoy memorizing songs which helps them improve their vocabulary and accent. Use this site in a group by projecting the screen on a whiteboard or projector and systematically show fewer and fewer words on the screen. Have teams of students compete against each other by writing the text as quickly as possible on two boards in the classroom. Share this link on your class website for students to use both in and out of the class to memorize new information. Share it as a personal study skills tool, as well.

Featured Topic: 100 Ways to Represent the Number 100 Grade K to 5 - mathwire.com- 10598

Looking for a new way to celebrate the 100th day of school in your class? Check out this site for some fresh ideas. You will find math and language arts activities, interactives, printables, and much more. Topics range from money to literature to place value. There are countless ways to count up to 100 at this site.

In the Classroom:
Share the interactives on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Try some of the suggested activities and video the projects. Share the vidoes using a site such as Teachers.TV reviewed here.

FluxNow Grade 8 to 12 - fluxnow.com- 10506

This blog style book review source, aimed at teen readers, offers annotated listings of the newest "literature" on the teen scene. Many are done by teen writers, with cover illustrations, summaries, author info, and selected chapters available. Although it is a sales site, the information about the literature is free. The store is accessible only by clicking on "Trade." Archives of other blog entries about older books offer more breadth in book descriptions. Be sure to advise students to avoid clicking ”Trade.” Since the content of teen literature is gritty and can include many controversial topics (sex, drugs, alienation, family problems, etc.), you may want to use this site as a library/media specialist without recommending it directly to students. Teachers should make that decision based on their local school community.

In the Classroom:
Offer this site only to your most discriminating readers. Look at this site frequently since its offerings change weekly. Offer this site only to your most discriminating readers. Look at this site frequently since its offerings change weekly. Share selections on a projector or interactive whiteboard for "quicky" book talks or take a screen shot (with credit, of course) to display a selected review on a digital picture frame in your library/media center. Set the frame to cycle through a slide show of new book selections! Other options for cycling book reviews would be to paste them into PowerPoint slides to run in a looped show on selected media center computers or to run the screenshots as screensaver images.

Now sure how to take a screen shot? Press the PrtScrn button on a Windows computer (sometimes combined with SHIFT or Ctrl key, depending on the computer), then CONTROL+V to PASTE the screen image into an image program such as Paint so you can save it. Screenshots are even easier in Vista using the Snip tool. On a Mac, the screen shot function is Command+Shift+4 (the number 4), and the "picture" (a png image file) gets saved to your chosen location, usually your desktop. Be sure to copy the URL of the page you are "shooting" to give proper credit and place a label with your frame providing this information.

Chemtutor Grade 9 to 12 - The National Science Foundation- 10504

Use Chemtutor for help with the fundamentals of Chemistry. Although this site appears “plain vanilla,” there is a lot of information and helpful explanations. Click on problematic areas of understanding for help with many of the most difficult to understand concepts. Read the text based information to help with a specific content difficulty and choose from a vast array of concepts. Learn how to study Chemistry by clicking on "Heuristics" which offer some great tips to surviving the first year of chemistry.

In the Classroom:
Use this helpful information for students having difficulty in a particular chemistry concept. Consider creating help videos or whiteboard tutorials by and for students to help others with these or other concepts. Enlist the help of student groups in the planning and creation of help videos which can be used on a wiki, blog, or other site to help all chemistry students. Share the videos using a tool such as Teachers.TV reviewed here. Want to try a wiki, but have no clue where to begin? Check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here.

Temperate Oceans Grade 4 to 10 - MBGnet- 10489

This colorful and informative site provides information about oceans. Specific topics include "How the Ocean Refreshes Itself," "Ocean Animals," "Food from the Ocean," and several others. Many of the topics include interactive presentations. There is also a link to find more "Ocean Links."

In the Classroom:
If your class is learning about the oceans of the world, delve even "deeper" by sharing this site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have cooperative learning groups explore specific areas of this site and create a multimedia presentation to share with the class. Have students create a Voicethread reviewed here. This site allows users to narrate a picture. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be uploaded), and then narrate the photo as if it were a news report. Or, bring even more geography skills into the project by having groups create a Mapskip (reviewed here) sharing exactly WHERE the oceans are located (with audio stories and pictures included)!

Big Huge Thesaurus Grade 1 to 12 - Big Huge Labs- 10446

This simple-looking online thesaurus is actually MUCH more than a quick-look-up. You can find synonyms, antonyms, similar words, and rhymes for any word you enter. A click on any of the words offered provides the same information for THAT word, sending you on word-paths through the English language. Innocent-looking links at the top of the page also provide hundreds of prompts for blog posts and stories, with enough choices to inspire any writer. Don't let the boring white background and plain-text presentation fool you. This tool has magic powers to make words interesting to almost anyone. The database of words used to generate this thesaurus comes from "the Princeton University WordNet database, the Carnegie Mellon Pronouncing Dictionary, and suggestions from thousands of people on the internet just like you." See a special note to teachers below regarding student behavior!

In the Classroom:
Keep this link handy among the resources on your class web page or wiki, and be sure to bring it up on your screen or interactive whiteboard to remind students of the rich tools it offers as you teach grammar, revision, poetry, essay-writing, or even letter and resume writing. With primary grades, share the rhyming words to help teach spelling and phonics! As students share in revising a passage or writing a poem on the interactive whiteboard, have this thesaurus available on another window to model their search for just the right word. Encourage students to look up any new vocabulary or terminology at the start of new science or social studies units so they can gain a broader "sense" of the words themselves through a constellation of synonyms and related words. Help students refine vocabulary by having them rank the various synonyms offered for a certain word, deciding which has the most positive or negative connotations. Offer the writing prompts for student journal or blog posts or creative stories. ESL/ELL students can explore new words with this tool, even practicing the rhyming sounds and noticing their varied spellings.

NOTE: If students enter an inappropriate word, they WILL find classroom-inappropriate terms. As with use of any reference, your students need to know your classroom's consequences of such activity. The options are no different from students looking up body parts or pornographic terms in a print dictionary or on Google.

Inside the Human Body: The Respiratory System Grade 7 to 12 - Saskatchewan Lung Association- 10445

This web page offers decent information about the respiratory system and a few related activities. Main topics include Air Pollution, Lung Health & Wellness, Respiratory System, and Tobacco. There is an interesting section on R2000 housing for Canadians. While the site suggests that the information and activities are appropriate for up to grade 12, the site is not geared for advanced learners or mature teenagers. It has a very young feel that eighth grade could love. However, the information could be useful with high school age students.

In the Classroom:
In health class, use the basics of the site on the interactive whiteboard (or projector) as part of the introduction information of the unit on the respiratory system. Then, at the conclusion of the unit have the students use the respiratory activities as review for an exam. Divide your class into four teams. Have each of the teams investigate one of the topics at this site and create a multimedia presentation. To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online graphic to share using Tabblo reviewed here. Or have students create infomercials about their topics. Share the infomercials using a site such as Teachers.TV reviewed here.

Inside the Human Body: The Respiratory System Grade 4 to 7 - Saskatchewan Lung Association- 10443

This web page, geared to the middle level learner in health or science provides information and activities about air pollution, lung health and wellness, the respiratory system, and tobacco. Each topic has an interactive associated with it.

In the Classroom:
This site could be used on the interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to the respiratory system in a health class. Students could be assigned activities to be done in class as the teacher facilitates the use of the applications. Divide your class into four teams. Have each of the teams investigate one of the topics at this site and create a multimedia presentation. To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online graphic to share using Tabblo reviewed here. Or have students create infomercials about their topics. Share the infomercials using a site such as Teachers.TV reviewed here.

Inside the Human Body: The Respiratory System Grade K to 3 - Saskatchewan Lung Association- 10442

This website, geared for grades 1 to 3, has an interesting "storybook" explanation about how the organs of the respiratory system work. Other great features include a mad science lab where students can create imaginary oxygen breathing animals and an online virtual coloring book. The cool “games” link includes “Lung Blox,” “Bubble Catch” and several others. There are also printable activities to learn more about your heart and lungs.

In the Classroom:
The storybook portion of this page can be used on the interactive whiteboard or projector in place of an older film strip about the respiratory system. The cartooning will be very appealing to younger students. The animal factory could be demonstrated following this, and students could use computers or lab tops to create their own new animals. Put this link on your class website so students can access the interactives and printables both in and out of the classroom.

Autopsy Grade 8 to 12 - Australian Museum- 10423

This interactive site shows how parts of an actual autopsy are done. The site does have a disclaimer that the content may be too graphic for some viewers. However, the "person" is a computer drawn, faceless character. You can click through the site, screen by screen, following the onscreen instructions to complete the autopsy. This includes removing the organs and weighing them. The site also includes a short video about an actual forensic scientist. Average metric weight of some human organs is also included in the site.

In the Classroom:
This site could be used as an alternative to dissection, an enrichment activity, or as part of a unit that uses crime scene investigation as part of its delivery technique. Anatomy classes could use this practice and review for quizzes or tests on the human body organs and systems. Show the site using the interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to human anatomy or to dissection. If you teach high school biology, this would be a great site during Halloween season, as well: teach anatomy with a creepy feature!

Wide Angle: AIDS Warriors Grade 9 to 12 - PBS- 10419

The Wide Angle PBS series is geared towards bringing students to a greater understanding of global current events through briefings, interactive maps, and additional resources. This 2003 episode focuses on the battle against HIV/AIDS on Angola. There is a full length video, photo-essay, interview, and much more. While this episode is now past, it provides a solid timeline of the history of the region.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as an introductory vignette of one African country in your world cultures class or as a case study on HIV/AIDS in Africa. Combine the simpler maps here with the visualization tools for current data through tools such as Many Eyes, (reviewed here) to present AIDS data in a visual form for sharing on an interactive whiteboard or projector (Search Many Eyes for "AIDS" to find many visualized forms of HIV/AIDS data from around the world).

Sliding Block Puzzle Page Grade 1 to 12 - Nick Baxter- 10414

Challenge basic counting skills and problem solving using classic sliding puzzles. Not only will you find numerical sliding puzzles, but also colorful shape puzzles. Java applets make an interactive version of each puzzle appear below the "goal" you are trying to reach. There is also a targeted number of moves to reach the goal. There are many different types of puzzles, some more familiar than others. Be sure to be patient as puzzles load. Sometimes the interactive (drag to slide) portion does not appear right away.

In the Classroom:
Share these puzzles on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as a mind-bending challenge. Help students develop problem-solving skills such as thinking several steps ahead by offering the link on your class web page. Higher level and gifted math students can try to determine a formula for calculating the number of moves it may take to solve a puzzle. Give awards to students who accomplish the "goal" in the stated number of moves, then ask them to explain their strategy or think aloud as they repeat it on an interactive whiteboard. Offer a puzzle club for your mathematical/logical thinkers or simply develop visual thinking skills by sharing these challenges.

in Bflat 2.0 Grade 3 to 12 - Darren Solomon from Science for Girls- 10413

Make music a web 2.0 interactive experience using this "mashup" of musical YouTube videos, all in the key of B Flat. If you can access YouTube videos at school, you will open the eyes and ears of those who never thought they would even care about music. See twenty different "instruments," both traditional and electronic, playing excerpts YOU combine by starting and controlling the volume on your choice of instruments. They sound great together or in any combination you choose. If you click "More info," you will find out FAQ and more about the project and its creator, including how it was done.

In the Classroom:
Test this site to be sure you can open it at school. Then turn up your speakers and open this site on a projector or -- even better -- interactive whiteboard to begin a music class, discuss key signatures, pitch, or instrumentation, and allow students to mix and remix their choice of sounds in harmonious blend. In science class, use the various sounds and an oscilloscope to teach about sound waves and the physical nature of sound. Challenge your musically gifted students to create a very simple version of this musical "machine" by recording and embedding videos of their own in a class music and technology wiki. Upload the videos to a school-friendly site such as SchoolTube reviewed here or TeacherTube reviewed here to avoid filtering issues. Set up a simpler face-to-face option by allowing student "conductors" to "turn on and off" multiple instruments and objects in your music classroom all playing the same pitch.

DreamBox Learning Grade K to 2 - DreamBox Learning, Inc.- 10402

This colorful, engaging website will help students practice elementary math, and develop greater number competency. Name and email address are required to use the free tools online. Rather than using your personal email, try Gmail. Use up to 20 subaccounts of that Gmail account to create student accounts and passwords to be used by each student or 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.

The online programs can be used in the classroom, but the free trial is only a thirty day plan, so it may not be worth the effort. A limited selection within site can be used effectively for student practice without the trial (for free). It would be a great idea to check out the tutorials of the games so that you can provide easy instructions for your young students to follow.

In the Classroom:
Share how to use this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Demonstrate new concepts using these interactives. This could be used in a computer lab as practice for students. Also, you may want to try incorporating a learning station with a laptop for a student or a small group of students to use as part varied learning station laboratory. If you have an interactive whiteboard, why not offer a "tactile" center using one of these activities? List this link on your class website for students to access at home.

Tramline Virtual Field Trips Grade 1 to 12 - Tramline- 10373

This website is dedicated to delivering a variety of virtual field trips. The trips are listed by content. Each trip contains objectives, concepts, and terms to know. There are lesson plans linked in the Teacher Resource section of the page, and extra information on the topic. The trips themselves are a lot like guided web quests. The websites that are used in the field trips show good variety. And standards are even provided! The trips include grade levels. Examples of topics include hurricanes, dinosaurs, deserts, natural wonders, dark ages, and American Presidency.

In the Classroom:
Virtual field trips from this website could be used on the interactive whiteboard or projector as a whole class activity. A better use could be to create a question sheet that mirrors the trip and have students work through the field trip at their own pace in lab, either with partners or individually. Follow up by challenging student groups to create an interactive guidebook to their topic using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. With younger students, make a class book together.

Trulia Hindsight Grade 3 to 12 - Microsoft- 10354

Use this visualization tool to zoom into areas around the world and view the topography and other statistics. Use the zoom tool in the bottom left to zoom in on a specific area. Double click the map to bring up a historical player that shows population growth in that area over time (1800's to present depending upon your area.) If your area does not zoom in completely or have statistics, try areas such as Los Angeles or New York City to see amazing changes. Type a city and state into the search box in order to choose a specific area. Change the contrast with the slider in the lower right hand corner to adjust the amount of the background that you want to see. You can also use your arrows tools (or scroll) to view the lines (not labeled) for the equator, lines of latitude, and lines of longitude. Note: The data takes some time to load. Make sure you are zoomed in enough to get the “Please wait” message, then be patient. While you are waiting, form your own hypothesis of what you will see!

In the Classroom:
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this incredible tool to look at landforms such as forests and fields. Discuss suburban sprawl, use of resources, and other issues by looking at various areas. View urban areas and the placement of roads, etc. Watch your state and transportation network “grow” as part of your state history units. Bring math, drafting, and other topics to life with use of this incredible tool. View the growth in population of various areas. As the slider moves through the years, corresponding colored dots appear on the map. Pause the player at any point to really look at where population increases have occurred. Students can take a snapshot of the map (apple-shift-4 on Mac or Alt Print screen on PC) to record specific data. Theorize the scientific, historical, or geographic reasons for changes in locations of populations over time. Students can research and present development of various areas across the world. Compare societal values and changes between different countries. Have students compare data using Venn Diagrams. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here).

Word Magnets Grade 1 to 12 - Triptico- 10344

Click past the ad for the new, paid version to access the original free one! Roll your mouse over the main text and wait for the "next" button to appear.

Teachers can paste the text of any passage, words, or paragraph into the Word Magnet box and the program will scramble the words as separate word magnets. You can choose how you want the background to display (there are boxes, Venn diagrams, triangles, columns, and more). You can also choose the color of the background for each word that you “click and drag,” Select the magnet size to emphasize certain words. Students practice word order, diction, and creativity by rearranging the words. For a demonstration of how to use this feature, see this blog post by Nik Peachy. Students can color the text boxes to indicate parts of speech, singular and plural, etc. Students can also add words and delete words if they choose. There is a brief advertisement at the beginning of the site. Click “next” to move on to the actual site.

In the Classroom:
This site is useful in any class that uses words and is ideal for interactive whiteboard! Use this site to teach word order with your ESL/ELL students or as part of any writing exercise in any language. Paste words in the box that you'd like students to use to create poems or to improve sentence wording as a revision exercise. Use this site when teaching adjectival word order; which comes first, age, size, color, etc. Primary grade teachers could use the site for students to arrange basic sight words into sentences. All language learners can benefit from examining word order in sentences from other languages; for example, in Spanish, the adjective comes after the noun it modifies. Have students operate this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector as a whole class activity or center. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups.

Protractor Grade 3 to 10 - Mark Robinson- 10336

Choose from a selection of controls to create a demonstration of virtual protractors. Choose from one of ten activities to generate angles and use an actual protractor to measure and check the answer. Choose from "Show the angle," "Make and measure," "Make the Angle game," and others. All of the choices make this site easy to differentiate for a variety of ability levels. Even in lower grades, this tool will allow your students to visualize right angles and other angle basics.

In the Classroom:
Use this excellent resource with an interactive whiteboard, projector, or using computer stations. Show students how to measure with a protractor as a class, in groups, or individually. Students can easily operate the demo themselves on your whiteboard. Follow up with additional activities that challenge students to use and measure with protractors. This may be a good site to list on your class website for students to access both in and out of the classroom.

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology Grade 4 to 12 - The Museum of Underwater Archaeology- 10331

Many museum sites are little more than a set of on-line directions to get to the brick-and-mortar museum and a few promotional photographs. This site, however, is designed to be used as an online museum. You can start by searching the museum by geographic location or keyword. You can also search by time period from the “Teaching Kit” area. Or click on one of the featured exhibits which range from excavations of the CSS Alabama, the remains of an 18th century fleet sunk in New York's Lake George, to the HMS Serapis. A link to a "teachers’ kit" gives information about ordering (free with the exception of shipping costs) a hands-on set of materials to keep and get free updates for as long as they would like to use it. For younger students, there is a slide show that introduces the concepts of underwater archaeology in an interactive whiteboard-friendly format (see featured exhibit: A Children's Introduction).

In the Classroom:
Who isn't fascinated by treasure buried under the seas? This site will help you sneak in history lessons by engaging students in the process of underwater archaeology. The site also makes a strong effort to integrate various curriculum areas from art to biology along with the historical importance of various excavations. Students might also want to follow one of the underwater blogs with information about ongoing projects. Have cooperative learning groups create a multimedia project related to one of the blog stories. For visual students, use an online poster creator such as Wallwisher, (reviewed here). Have students use a tool such as Woices (beta) (reviewed here). This site allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (on a map) where the story takes place.

Our Documents Grade 6 to 12 - National Archives- 10330

This site, a collaborative effort among the National Archives, National History Day and USA Freedom Corps, highlights the most important documents in US history. Each of these "milestone" documents is detailed and photographed on a separate page; the photo can be enlarged for presentation on an interactive whiteboard. What is most helpful for teachers, however, is the link to tools for educators: a downloadable sourcebook, suggestions for using the documents to meet specific national social studies, economics, English, arts, civics, history, geography and technology standards, and lesson plans. This site was clearly designed with teachers in mind!

In the Classroom:
The use of primary sources in teaching has been greatly increased by our digital access to documents like these. Peruse the list of "milestone" documents, and commit to using the photographs on an interactive whiteboard (or projector) when the document comes up in a lesson or discussion. For teachers who are supporting student projects for National History Day, this site also has a link to specific tips, although it appears the site has not been kept up to date with current information on individual competitions. Challenge cooperative learning groups to investigate one of the documents and create a multimedia project of their choice. Looking for some inspiration? How about having groups create a podcast using PodOmatic (reviewed here). Or have students create online posters on paper or do it together as a class using a tool such as Project Poster (reviewed here or PicLits (reviewed here. Have students narrate a photo of the document (using a FREE and LEGAL photo) using a site such as Voicethread reviewed here.

Biology Animation Library Grade 8 to 12 - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory- 10319

This web page is a GREAT resource of various biological animations. The site offers the options of either playing the animations via web browser or downloading the animation to the computer. Versions of the animations are available for both Mac and PC. Topics include, but are not limited to: cloning, cycle sequencing, model organisms, transformation, DNA restriction, DNA arrays, and gel electrophoresis.

In the Classroom:
The animation on this website will help explain some of the more difficult biological concepts in DNA. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to show the animations during discussions about DNA topics. Also, animations could be posted to the class website for review at home or as part of electronic homework. An animation could be assigned to the class, and each student would need to watch it and re-explain it in his or her own words. Consider creating a class wiki about the topic being discussed. Not familiar with wikis? Check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here.

CalcEnstein Grade 5 to 12 - Blaine Hilton- 10314

Looking for different types of calculators? Find them on this interesting site. Choose a button on the calculator corresponding to the subject. Examples of subjects include Medicine, Algebra, Weather, Phonics, Financial, HVAC, Engineering, Weather, and Rocketry to name a few. After the subject is chosen, click on a formula to enter values. Some of the topics offer reference information, not calculations. This is definitely an interesting site to peruse.

In the Classroom:
There are many different calculators for students to explore as ways to apply math in real world situations. For example, choose weather and then wind chill. Enter the information and wind chill will be calculated. Enter the information, view the calculated answer, and then have students determine how it is actually calculated. This site is a great find for gifted students to use to further investigate specific topics beyond your “regular” classroom content. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students work with a partner to explore various “buttons” on this interactive calculator. Have the groups create multimedia presentations to share their findings or demonstrate them on the whiteboard as advertisements or infomercials! Have students create online posters on paper or do it together as a class using a tool such as Project Poster (reviewed here or PicLits (reviewed here.

Volcano World Grade 2 to 12 - Oregon State- 10312

Use this incredible resource to learn about volcanoes, their formation, and related information. Search Volcano Topics, Facts, and Photos among other resource links. There are links for Kids, Educators, Current Activity, and more. Find volcanoes on a world map, as well.

In the Classroom:
View resources on every topic. Read information, view pictures, and even take quizzes on the material. Compare the different types of disasters that can occur on Earth and use the information to create newsletters or other materials to share knowledge. Create a class wiki to compare students’ findings. To learn more about wikis, check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here. Use a map on a whiteboard to identify the volcanoes around the world to identify the geologic principles in their location. Compare this type of disaster to others to make connections about earth science.

Uuorld Grade 6 to 12 - Uuorld.com- 10309

Teachers First Edge Review: For adventurous MAC or Linux users with permission/ability to download software. Have fun and create four dimensional maps with chosen data. Choose data and view on a map that can be rotated, zoomed, and followed over time. Uuorld (pronounced "world") is a download application available for Mac OsX, Windows, and Linux. Uuorld is a free download but with some limitations. For example, the noncommercial (free) version has a maximum limit on data that can be exported to Google Earth. Any user can VIEW the gallery of Uuorld map images created by others and use them as a visual way to share data, no download necessary.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Users must be able to download and install the application. Many districts have restrictions on what can be downloaded and used on district computers. Be sure to check with your school policy before downloading. To first use data, create an account using your email address (though verification of email is not required). Data for the free version is found in the downloaded application.

Using Uuorld: Use data from reliable sources by going to the data portal. Along the top left of the panel, click "Data" to show the sets that you have chosen, "Display" to change colors and other parameters, "Analyze" to view all the data included in the image, or "Export" to create an image, a Google Earth file, or a comma separated value (csv) file. Below the map, click the world icon to browse over 10,000 data sets. Click "Metadata" to view the URL of the data, name of data set, source name and date, and other information. Change the tilt to really view the height dimension of the data. Zoom in and out of areas on the map. Many data sets have data over several years. Play the data to see the changes as they occur through those years.

Safety/Security Concerns: As email verification is not required, anyone can use this resource. If you do use email addresses, rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, 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.

Be aware, there are restrictions on the noncommercial free version. Be sure to read the licensing agreement prior to using.

Possible Uses: Data topics are quite varied and include everything from economics to health and even the Olympics! Before creating your own graphics (or if you are unable to download the software), have students browse the Gallery on your interactive whiteboard to become acquainted with reading visual representations of data. Use the sets to explore social and environmental issues and encourage critical thinking questions about WHY this data is as it is. View any data set as an inquiry activity in the classroom. For example, view "Calories Emanating from Animals" to view the animal calories consumed by countries over a 36 year period of time. Follow the viewing of the data by asking questions about what they see. From these questions, research the diet of various countries, identify the major biomolecules in the foods we eat, and identify nutrition, social, and ethnic issues. View this resource on an interactive whiteboard or projector for great impact. Students can create conventional or multimedia displays of information learned. To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online graphic to share using Tabblo reviewed here.

Power Play Grade 4 to 8 - Thinkfinity- 10305

This site is an interactive site for students to construct machines using simpler parts to accomplish specified tasks. It is a good learning activity for machines and functional thinking. It also encourages visualizing parts that become a whole which develops visual - spatial skills. There was one spelling mistake in the outcome for the second machine. But overall this site is definitely worth taking a look at if you are teaching about simple machines working together to complete a larger task.

In the Classroom:
Why not share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector and have students try to figure out which part comes next! This site would be well used for students who need a little extra practice or enrichment. Have students try this site with a partner! A link to this site could easily be added to the class website or wiki.

Bad Science Grade 8 to 12 - Alistair B. Fraser- 10300

“Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out” warns the quote at the start of this page. Bad Science is the site that debunks the "myths and legends" that are sadly distributed by the misinformed. It is a great site for checking understanding and pinpointing student misconceptions. Many popular ones are addressed in the links offered on this site. Learn about Bad Astronomy, Bad Chemistry, Mad Meteorology (including clouds, rain, greenhouses, and others), and the Pathetic Fallacy. The drawback to the site is that it can seem a little condescending but it may be a byproduct of the author's disgust with bad science.

In the Classroom:
Students could be assigned different false science statements to research and design their own science news articles comparing fact and fiction. Why not make this a multimedia project and have students complete a podcast, online poster, or narrated photo! For podcasts, try PodOmatic (reviewed here). To create an online poster use a site such as Wallwisher, (reviewed here). Challenge cooperative learning groups to find a photo related to their topic (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo using Voicethread reviewed here.

A class could also be assigned a specific false science fact to research and participate in a class blog or message board discussion via the class web page or wiki site. Students could also use the fiction as the basis for their own "Myth busters" episodes. .

Reading teachers looking for passages to use in reading comprehension practice, such as finding main idea and supporting details will find these non-fiction passages informative and interesting for their students. Make a temporary copy of one of the explanations to display in your interactive whiteboard software as students highlight key ideas and separate out supporting details using the whiteboard tools. Your science teachers will LOVE you for it!

Math Apprentice Grade 4 to 12 - mathapprentice.com- 10298

"When will we ever use this?" Answer this question using Math Apprentice. Users choose a character and then begin their journey. Walk (or skateboard) to different work sites, buildings, or businesses. Learn how many is used every day in these work places: architecture, bike and toy makers, cafes, and more! Listen to a brief introduction of the concept. Solve problems or free play to identify math concepts in real life. No account or login is required. Some concepts are advanced but it can take the teaching of standards one step further and create better understanding. This site is a terrific example of STEM integrated learning.

In the Classroom:
This is a great site to share on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have cooperative learning groups explore different careers or buildings and share how math is used at their locations. Why not have groups create a video using a tool such as Teachers.TV reviewed here or a podcast using PodOmatic (reviewed here), to share their mathematical discoveries! At the end of an introduction of a concept, use this site for specific math practice using a real life concept. For example, visit the bike shop to use math to determine pedal gear to wheel gear ratios and resultant bike speeds. Use as an individual activity, a team activity, or with the entire class using an interactive whiteboard. Follow up with a personal problem to solve. In this example, students can measure the two gears on their bikes (or their teachers bike brought into the classroom) to use the information for further understanding.

Game Classroom Grade K to 6 - Big Purple Hippos LLC- 10284

Find free interactives in Math, Logic, and Language Arts using this colorful site. Choose your grade level (K-6) and then your specific topic. Some examples of topics include: Time and Money, Problem Solving, Reading and Comprehension, Range, Mean, Median, and Mode, Grammar, Literature, and countless others. Find help in the homework help section along the right side of the site. You may also do a more generalized search by using the links for “Popular,” “Math,” or “Language Arts.” Many of the activities have been created by other sites or educators (you may even notice some familiar characters, such as Big Bird). Some activities may have ads appearing beside them. Students should be advised to ignore these ads.

In the Classroom:
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Make it a kinesthetic “center” for students to explore using your interactive whiteboard. Use these activities to strengthen skills, provide practice, and identify weaknesses. For example, use math games that teach graphing, analyzing, and counting. There is a wide variety of topics here, so be sure to peruse this site before your new unit or lesson! Using examples on this site, students can create their own homework help using a wiki, blog, or other site to help others. Allow students to “rate” the games using stars or smiley faces and comment on how the game helps them learn. Play a variety of word and other language arts games. Be sure to list this link on your class website or wiki for students to access both in and out of the classroom.

Brainflips Grade K to 12 - Brainflips, Inc.- 10271

Teachers First Edge Review: For the slightly adventurous. Use this free web site to create flashcards for teacher or individual student use. There is also a link to “Study Flashcards” that are already ready to go. There are literally HUNDREDS of ready to go flashcard packets: presidents, addition, algebra, music, and more.

If you are creating your own, you can add images, video, or audio. Study flashcards online or share with others in created study groups. Use flashcards to learn new information (question and answer are side by side,) study (shows the question and then the answer,) or quiz themselves by entering answers. Create a game with the flashcards by using a timer and score board on the site. Share flashcard sets with others by sending a URL address or create study groups to share. View public flashcards created by others by using their search feature.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: You can access the already created flashcards without any account, email, or age requirements. However, if you wish to create flashcards, an email and birth date is required to create an account. Users must be 13 years of age or older. Verifying email is required to create flashcards.

Using Brainflips: Use the Deck panel to enter flashcard deck title and other basic information. Use the Card panel to add, edit, and change the order of the flashcards in the deck. Create text or multiple choice answers for each flashcard and even enter alternative answers. Click "Insert" above the question field to add images, audio, and video to flashcards.

Safety/Security: Since an email and birth date are required, consider creating a class account for teacher use or for groups of students to use. Create teacher flashcards for class use by creating card decks and providing the URL for students to use. The home page of this site includes changing “featured” content contributed by the general public. Check ahead of time to be sure it is suitable for the classroom. You may want to send students to the flashcards via a direct link to the deck. You may want to prohibit or point out the links to advertising located along the top and sides of the site. Students must have individual accounts to create flashcards on their own(email required). Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.

Possible uses: Facts, spelling words, vocabulary, definitions, foreign language, root words, historical names -— all can easily be typed into this flashcard format for any subject. Plan a system of tags for sets on related material so they can be grouped. For example: tag all geography terms "geography" and all words from the same science chapter using the chapter number or topic. You can use multiple tags, too! In the computer lab, using a projector or interactive whiteboard, walk your students through making their own sets of flashcards or using teacher created flashcards for student and group use. Students or parents can then access their electronic cards at home or anywhere with a specific URL that can be placed on any teacher blog or website. No email address is needed to use the cards, only to create the cards. Include the link to your sets on your web page for students to study before tests. Collaborate with other teachers to create useful sets for all to use. Rotate responsibility each marking period among student groups in your class to create a set for each chapter/unit/week for the rest of the class to use as review. Give a special award (or bonus points) for the most creative, complete set that marking period. Learning support teachers may want to work together with small student groups to create verbal and visual card sets to accompany the chapters they are studying. Involve the students in the process so they can reinforce new content as they create their own “study materials” with color coding, images, and more.

Many eyes Grade 9 to 12 - IBM- 10216

Teachers First Edge review: For adventurous technology users. Looking for data for analysis and comparison? Use this great site for existing data sets and visualizations to explore, analyze, and form conclusions. Click on links to explore data sets, visualizations, comments, or topics. Use the search box at the top to search specific topics or subjects. Create your own visualizations by using an existing data set or uploading your own. Registration is not required to create visualizations (you will be named as anonymous.) Choose from the following possible visualizations of data: scatterplot, network diagram, matrix, bar or bubble chart, graphs, tree maps, histograms, word trees, tag clouds, or maps.

In the Classroom:
Skills required: Determine the data set to use, choose words or parameters, enter a title (required,) tags, or description, and publish the data. Easily share your visualizations by using the embed code in a blog, wiki, or other website or by emailing a link. Users will need to know how to manage embed codes and use in sites of choice. Create comments for other visualizations. Create an account to be able to find your visualizations and leave comments in your name. Registration requires an email account and verification may take up to an hour once submitted. Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, 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.

Safety/Security: Some content in this area may be inappropriate for your classroom. Always preview before assigning. If an existing data set is to be used, provide a link to the specific visualization and monitor student work. If students are to create data sets for submission, consider creating a class account that can be used by all students for submission. An extra email address or one created for this purpose can be used to create the login. Preview all visualizations before publishing. Model how to use this site safely on your projector or interactive whiteboard so students can learn how to think and act wisely online. Be sure to discuss what are considered quality and appropriate commenting of other students or users visualizations.

Ideas for Use: Use a single data set to with different visualizations so students can see the power of different visual tools in explaining and interpreting numbers. Find data sets that can be used to analyze trends, make comparisons, or apply information in a meaningful way. For example, begin a lesson in a Health, Science, History, or Math class while previewing this visualization. Use it to generate questions, ideas, and direction for student groups to research more information. Examples include change in diet in past generations, energy expenditure and input, health related issues concerning diet, differences in diets of other cultures, different types of food molecules and how they are processed by the body, etc. Create whiteboard presentations using the visualization and related information to share information with the rest of the class. Have a data set that students are having difficulty identifying trends? Try using this tool in order to view different visualizations to make meaning of the data.

Newsy Grade 5 to 12 - newsy.com- 10214

This site presents current news stories from multiple perspectives, featuring videos and commentary from the world's top newspapers. All the video news clips offer a complete transcript (click on "transcript" just below the video window). General topics covered include the U.S., the world, the environment, culture, technology, economy, and politics. Students can see short news clips, make comments blog style, and read news articles from newspapers around the world. Anyone can view the material, but you must register to be able to make comments. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.

In the Classroom:
This site is ideal for your interactive whiteboard or projector, learning station, or on individual computers (with headsets). Use this site to keep your students up to date on current events. Have students compare the different versions of the same news stories to try and ferret out the facts and the way points of view affect reporting. Project the scripts on an interactive whiteboard to have students highlight language choices that provide a certain slant. ESL/ELL students will benefit from listening to the short news clips and being able to see the transcript of the report. Have your ESL/ELL students write their own comprehension questions and answers based on the podcast to check their own comprehension and to exchange with classmates. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here) to compare the differences in two newspapers' versions of the same news. Have ESL/ELL students present the news from a newspaper familiar to them if possible by having them prepare an introduction and questions. Learning support students can use the transcripts and videos in combination to understand and report weekly current events assignments for social studies class.

Simple Machines Grade 3 to 8 - Museum of Science and Industry- 10188

This site offers an exciting interactive activity utilizing the four standard simple machines. Come along with “Twitch,” the main character in this activity. Help Twitch find the spare robot parts throughout the museum and create simple machines. The site is very entertaining and even older students will enjoy learning through playing. At the conclusion of the activity, the force used for each segment of the game is displayed. Players are awarded points based on how little force was used as "Twitch" does not like to exert more effort or force than necessary.

The intro to the game is definitely worth watching to give students the "why" of the game. The only drawback is that while the player is to be reading the directions, the cursor changes to types of food and "Twitch" chases after it to eat the food. This could be distracting for some students. Although, it does add to the humor and excitement of the game.

In the Classroom:
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. This site could be added to the class wiki to be played once basic lessons on simple machines have been completed, either as practice or reinforcement. It could be done in class or as homework.

The activity could also be used as a launch pad for a unit on simple machines. This game could be a great hook if the intro is played on the interactive whiteboard and the students are then allowed to play the game at their own pace.

Math Interactives Grade 3 to 12 - Alberta Education- 10159

Looking for interactive math resources and their use in everyday life? Math Interactives provide a variety of topics with interactive options for each. View "Use it" to access guided practice for students or "Explore it" for activities that can be used as a teacher demo or practice activities. Additional quicktime videos about the topic and support materials are included. Example topics in the "Number" category include Fractions, Integers, and Exponents. Other categories include "Patterns and Relations," "Shape and Space," and "Statistics and Probability."

In the Classroom:
Use these great activities with an interactive whiteboard or projector to engage students and identify underlying math rules. Students can work individually or in groups on the "Use It" activities for guided practice in understanding the math concepts. Use the "Explore it" activities for additional practice or to uncover the math concepts. Students can create their own interactive directions using wikis, video or photo tutorials, or podcast which can be shared with others. Not sure where to begin with the multimedia projects? Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries – check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here. Having students create a video? Use a video sharing site such as Teachers.TV reviewed here. Looking to narrate an image? Try VoiceThread reviewed here. Not sure where to create Podcasts? Try a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).

Science News for Kids Grade 3 to 12 - Society for Science and the Public- 10157

Search news articles about various topics such as "Agriculture," "Animals," "Chemistry and Materials," "Finding the Past," and many other topics. Featured articles and pictures can be found on the front page in a section titled "The Weekly Scoop" and "Science Snapshots." View other pages in the site including "Puzzle Zone," "Game Zone," "SciFi Zone," SciFair Zone," and "Lab Zone." Click on the "Teacher Zone" to access question sheets, resources, and websites for classroom use. Some ads run along the sides of this site.

In the Classroom:
Use Science News for Kids as a great reading and reporting assignment. Students can find an area and article of interest to read, summarize, and report to the class. Have students create commercials about their topics. Video and share using a site such as SchoolTube reviewed here. Students can use these news articles to find additional relevant information on the internet. Students may find these topics to be great self-study topics. Use the question sheets when assigning articles for class reading as a guided inquiry. Teach reading comprehension using these factual articles on your interactive whiteboard, asking students to highlight key words and generate a “main idea” sentence using them.

Making music Grade K to 8 - Helpkidzlearn.com- 10149

Learn to play music by playing this simple on-screen piano. Simply press a piano key or run your finger down the keys on a touch screen to play the notes. Mouse users can also click on the keys. The keys are in different bright colors and marked with the note they play.

In the Classroom:
Learn the keys and the notes of a piano with this site. Use this site with an interactive whiteboard or projector for a great group or class option. Music teachers can use this site on the interactive whiteboard while teaching students the sounds (and order) of the keyboard.

Online Classic Children's Books Grade 2 to 12 - Baldwin Online Children's Project- 10141

This digital collection of over 500 classic children's books (and other literature) offers search by titles in alphabetical order and also by author. The list includes poetry, nature stories, historical fiction, legends, fables, individual biographies, ethical faith stories, and more! Much of the collection offers full text. Click on the name of the author to learn more about him or her. Click on the name of the piece of literature to see a summary or read the full text!

In the Classroom:
If you are looking for favorite classic stories to use in your classroom, try this site. Project the text on your interactive whiteboard as examples for grammar exercises, such as highlighting adjectives or punctuating dialog. Practice “main idea” on your whiteboard using passages from a classic. Have students choose a book using this list. Instead of traditional book reports, have students create multimedia presentations. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts using a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here). Another idea: have students create online posters using a tool such as Wallwisher (reviewed here).

. Include this site on your website, wiki, blog, or newsletter that promotes summer reading. ESL and ELL students will appreciate having a ready source for extra reading.

Math Tool Chest Grade K to 5 - Macmillan- 10111

Learn basic math skills with this exciting site. Each chest offers and experience with a math concept: tables, coin toss, spinner, counter, graphs, fractions, attributes, place value, money, and pattern blocks. Tools for each game include "Erase," "Start Over," "Camera," "Paint," "Set Up," and "Hide Data." The character in the lower right hand corner offers help to the player. Speakers are required to hear the help prompts. You are able to turn the sound ON or OFF. There is a calculator available at the bottom of the screen. This site is available in both English and Spanish. Use the print function to share results.

In the Classroom:
Use these great games to teach or reinforce various math functions. This is definitely one to save in your favorites and list on your class website or blog. Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to a math unit or as review.

Color Scheme Designer Grade 2 to 12 - Petr Stanicek- 10109

Need help determining colors for a project, website, blog, bulletin board, or (if fashion challenged like me) today's outfit? Use this great site to determine colors that look great together for your next project. Point and click on the portion of the color wheel to pick a central hue of your choosing. Decide among the following choices: monochromatic, complementary, triad, tetrad, among others to choose a selection of colors. View examples of your choice as it would appear on a web page. Use the RGB values for entering into the color number for your web page. RGB values are six characters (numbers and letters) following a # sign. Save your scheme ID number for future reference.

In the Classroom:
Art teachers can teach basic design and color wheel principles using this tool on an interactive whiteboard or have students experiment with different color schemes to demonstrate their understanding of color concepts. Be aware that some monitors and projectors may not have the color responsiveness that other hardware has, making it more difficult to “see” the subtleties on this site. Use this tool for creation of coordinated website, wiki, or blog pages. Students will find an unlimited number of color schemes to choose from in the creation of their projects. Not sure what a “wiki” is? Have no wiki worries – check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here.

Bookglutton Grade 9 to 12 - Bookglutton.com- 10107

TeachersFirst Edge review: for social networking technology users who love literature, reading, and writing. This online eBook and literary discussion tool allows you to read collaboratively with others using an online eBook reader that is built into the site. The site is open to the public, so teachers should preview with their students' maturity level in mind and guide them carefully into constructive and safe use of its tools. Our editors found no objectionable texts available at the time of review, but these change. Those interested primarily in reading and discussing selections offered by Bookglutton can read the books from any computer, but you will want to set up a membership to keep track of what you are reading at the very least. The books offered include free texts that are in the public domain (no longer under copyright), user-submitted books, and fee-based purchases offered by publishers who sell their books in online form. More savvy users can embed the book-reader tool in another web site or wiki, as well. Readers who are logged in can discuss a text live (chat style) with others they "meet" on Bookglutton or with a specific group. They can also leave comments on pages or passages so others can respond later. Your comments (annotations) can also be kept private for viewing just by you, just like marking up the margins in your paperbacks. Works available include those from Bronte, Dickens, and many traditional classics of the high school curriculum.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: You must join and manage various profile options, including email notifications for activity and various social features. Teachers will want to explore the options for Groups. If you wish to upload and discuss unpublished texts such as student drafts or a literary magazine proof, read detailed directions and formatting requirements for using their E-Pub Converter for uploads (more technically challenging than using books already on the site). If you wish to embed a book in a class wiki or web site, you need to know how to copy/paste the embed code and put it in your wiki. Many of the social options mirror those on Facebook (friends, wall, etc.)

Getting started: Start by browsing the catalog to see which of the books you already study are available here. Watch the "How it Works" video on BookGlutton's home page to see how both "Talk" (left side) and "Mark" (right side) annotation tools function. "Talk" is for real-time interaction, while "Mark" allows comments from others at a later time. Join the site (email required) and set up groups for your students to use: "A group can be a good way to share private book uploads with multiple people, or just to read a favorite [book] from the catalog together." Try opening a book from the catalog and making some notes, then retrieving those notes later. Create a group for your class discussion of the book and invite your students to join that group. If your school does not permit use of student email, consider setting up a Gmail account and subaccounts that you control so make a set of discussion memberships. Use up to 20 subaccounts of that Gmail account to create student accounts and passwords to be used by each student or 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. Start out by working with one of the many classics available because they are past copyright. Consider embedding the book in your wiki or web page so students are not distracted by all the other social options. If you do plan to have students use the site, plan a full tour and explanation of the tools (with caveats about the areas that are off limits). Your projector or interactive whiteboard will be ideal.

Safety/Security concerns: This site is completely public and includes the ability to make "friends" and chat with others outside your school. Many schools prohibit use of such “social networking” features. Check your school policies before allowing students to access the site on their own, then spell out specific permissions and consequences. You will want to obtain written agreements on class policies from both students and parents. Set your class discussion to "private" to avoid drop-ins by uninvited guests! If you or students submit your own texts (according to school policies, of course), take the time to teach safe ways to submit, voting/ranking etiquette, and the potential for cruelty or rude behavior by anonymous viewers. Bookglutton may be blocked by your filtering system because of the social networking options. Another, more teacher-controlled option would be to use a single whole-class account to interact with books and others who are reading the same text. While limited to class consensus on an interactive whiteboard or projector, this might be a way to get started with the tools and possibly find like-minded school groups to "discuss" literature with you.

Possible Uses: Make study of classic (or "old," to your students) literary works more engaging by having students annotate, respond, and share thoughts in a Group. Set the group as private and include just those from your class or use your network to find other high school classes interested in sharing the discussion. Embed the ongoing dialog in your class wiki, or make separate groups for 3-4 students and embed both their annotated editions in your wiki for comparison of their responses. Require student groups to explain new vocabulary encountered in works using the "mark" tools and challenge them to add personal responses to passages, literary devices, characterization, themes, etc. Teach any kind of literary analysis by involving students directly with the text and allowing them to interact with each other in the discussion. Take literary discussion from teacher-centered to reader-centered. Consider uploading your drafts of the school literary magazine or work from a creative writing group for others to read, react, and respond (after establishing guidelines about appropriateness and mutual support). Share selected, well-annotated editions as embeds on your class wiki for other students to use as windows on challenging texts. Learning support or ESL/ELL teachers might find the use of the "mark" tool helpful in creating student-friendly annotated editions of required texts. Why not work together with your students to create these and continuously add to them from year to year?

Read Print Grade 5 to 12 - Read Print Publishing- 10093

This online library includes books and literary works in the public domain from a large variety of authors: Victor Hugo, Samuel Johnson, Karl Marx, Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglass, and countless others. The genres include essays, fiction, non-fiction, plays, poetry, single quotations, and short stories. To find desired works, you can search by author or by specific title.

In the Classroom:
Display favorite literary passages to compare writing styles, vocabulary level, and to do identification quizzes! Use for teaching reading skills such as main idea, looking for transitional and clue words, using context to figure out word meanings, etc. Teach grammar, parts of speech, and use of quotation marks by viewing actual literature using the interactive whiteboard or projector. Read the classics without spending a penny!

Design*Sponge Grade 9 to 12 - Grace Bonney, Ed.- 10085

This design blog from a team of contributing designers and New York-based editor Grace Bonney features multiple daily posts of design ideas from homes, thrift stores, and occasional traditional artwork. There is also information about student design competitions and shows worldwide. Be sure to explore the various categories, from DIY projects to city design "guides." The visual inspirations and discussion starters will elicit reactions from, "What's such great design about that piece of junk?" to "Wow, what a creative idea!" The rapidly-growing collection can inspire ideas for invention, writing, artwork, and formal design projects. There are also video clips that require Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share images and posts from this blog on your interactive whiteboard or projector to illustrate basic principles of color, line, and other art elements (use those whiteboard drawing tools for students to highlight and label!). After sharing a trend from this blog, ask your art or design students to take digital pictures illustrating that trend in their own home or local mall. Create a class wiki connecting what YOUR students see with what professional designers see. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries – check out the Teacher’s First Wiki Walk-Through reviewed here.

As an environmental awareness project, focus on recycled goods and their use as "design elements" in chic homes. Challenge visual/spatial intelligence and engage your visual learners by using this blog as a writing prompt option for student blogs, descriptive writing, or persuasive essays on America materialism or the environment. In science class where you may be studying the laws of motion or the nature of light, allow your "artsy" students to use objects from this blog as illustrative examples of curriculum concepts, connecting something they care about with the science curriculum. Ex. Why is this kind of metal better suited for a lamp? Offer this site as one of many optional links from which they may choose examples, along with more traditional "scientific" sources.

World language students will find the city design guides a wonderful way to study culture in other lands -- and practice describing it in the language of study!

Dihedral Figures Grade 6 to 12 - NCTM Illuminations- 10067

This site offers practice in recognizing dihedral symmetry. Students also practice reflections in figures and symmetry. Simply click on the red squares to alter and rotate the figures. There is also a lesson plan available (click on "Recognizing Transformations").

In the Classroom:
Have students explore this site on individual computers. If individual computers aren't available, share the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. If you are a geometry teacher, be sure to list this link on your class website.

E.ggTimer.com Grade K to 12 - David LeMieux and Ben Lew- 10062

This site provides an online FULL SCREEN timer. You can set the online timer to count down from any number. You simply type in the exact amount of time that you want to countdown into the white textbox. You can count by seconds, minutes, hours, days, or even years! This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
What a fabulous alternative to a traditional egg timer. Project the time on your interactive whiteboard or projector while students take a test, solve a drag and drop, practice speeches, rotate between learning centers, or during cooperative learning groups. Be sure to turn up the volume! As you teach basic concepts of time in primary grades, use this timer for students to understand the real concepts of one minute or ten seconds. Show the relationships between minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, etc. You can even use it to teach counting backwards from 60!

Radio Lingua Network Grade 2 to 12 - Radio Lingua- 10056

This site offers FREE audio episodes teaching numerous languages: Irish, Italian, Polish, Danish, Russian, Greek, French, and countless others! Featured shows have titles like "Coffee Break Spanish" and "One Minute French." Some of the programs require students to subscribe using a simple form, but most do not require any registration. They can then search the entire lesson content or just search by language. Focus languages include Spanish, French, German, Italian, English, and many other languages, primarily European, though Mandarin and Japanese podcasts are also available. Students will love being able to load the lessons on their Ipods, mobile phones, and computers! The "Guided Tour" section of the page allows students and teachers to learn how to use the site and focus on whatever their particular aims for study are. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this site, on your interactive whiteboard or projector, with world language students, particularly independent learners at whom the site is aimed. Students getting ready to take school-sponsored trips to European countries, for example, could benefit from the quick introduction and easy access this site provides to simple language lessons. ESL and ELL students will enjoy using the English podcasts as supplements to their in-school English instruction. Why not challenge students to create their own language podcasts using a site such as Podomatic (reviewed here).

The Manuals Grade K to 12 - - 10054

Need a manual? 'The Manuals' website is just that, in a nutshell. Simply type in the name of the manual you need. Press Search, and Google will find the manual for you. Over five million manuals are available from this site. This site requires Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Perhaps you have technology in your classroom that needs a manual--this site is for you. Need functional or authentic text? Many state tests assess functional text. From this site, you can easily find ‘real’ reading passages. All you need are to develop the questions. Share the manuals on your interactive whiteboard or projector to practice with functional text OR to teach about informational writing!

A Way With Words Grade 7 to 12 - A Way with Words & Wayword LLC- 10025

If you are looking for podcasts to lure your students to the study of language and words, this is a great site to investigate. A Way with Words is an hour-long radio show on PBS, currently hosted by Martha Barnett and Grant Barrett. The show features lively discussion about "slang, grammar, old sayings, word origins, regional dialects, family expressions, and speaking and writing well." Listening to any of the old shows is entertaining as well as informative. The topics are listed on the home page along with summaries. Get more programs by clicking on "Get the podcast" in the right-hand menu. They are appealing, with provocative titles such as "What the Cluck?," "Elvis in a Cheese Sandwich," and "Coinkydinks and Big Boxes." There are full hour podcasts and mini-podcasts. This site requires Flash. Get it here.

In the Classroom:
Plug in your students to get discussion started about any relevant-to-your-class topic. Students increasingly want to listen through headphones; let them enjoy these entertaining and informative podcasts on language, then use class questions posted on an interactive whiteboard or projector to generate full-class discussion. Language never sounded so good! Have students create similar projects in cooperative learning groups. How about podcasts using a site such as PodOMatic (reviewed here).

Kids Open Dictionary Builder Grade 2 to 12 - K12 Open Ed- 9965

Kids Open Dictionary allows your students to ‘use’ this free dictionary, and it encourages your students to ‘write’ definitions as well. This wiki site invites you to edit and create the dictionary. You may also use the Glossary tool to customize your terms for specific purposes. Choose multi-presentation modes for presenting your glossary. It’s for kids, so it’s safe. Their editors approve all postings before they go online. The sign up is quick. Check your school’s acceptable use policy on student usage of internet sites that require a login. Registration does require an email. Rather than using your personal email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, 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.

In the Classroom:
Imagine the sense of accomplishment your class will feel if you allow them to submit definitions to this site. They become the Merriam Websters in your own classroom. Definitions don’t need to be perfect as the online community will continually edit them. One drawback at the present time is that not all words have definitions. This site is still “under construction” and being built upon daily. Classes can get in on the ground floor in providing definitions for these incomplete areas. Assign cooperative learning groups to explore various vocabulary words in social studies, science, math, music, or art class. Have the groups add their new vocabulary words into the “Kids Open Dictionary.” You may find the usefulness of this site in the generating of definitions for now. (This will be a moot point as the dictionary becomes filled.) As you study dictionary skills, work as a class on your interactive whiteboard to write definitions together and discuss the format of dictionary entries.

Language Arts for Dummies Grade 7 to 12 - John Wiley & Sons- 9956

Filled with a variety of essential language art skills, this site is a super teaching opportunity to be followed by students working on their own. With 42 lessons ranging from “Differentiating between who/whom" to “Writing Sonnets” to "Crafting Your Character's Dialogue in Your Screenplay," there is plenty to suit your particular class needs. You are able to write replies (comments), however an email address is required. Registration is not required for any other part of this site.

This site does offer the option of signing up for RSS feeds. There are some unobtrusive advertisements at the site.

In the Classroom:
These lessons give great examples as well as "pop quizzes" as you go through them. It would be great to do these on a projector or interactive whiteboard, having students comment as you go; then you can assign their own writing to follow up. Of particular interest is the lesson on "note taking on a computer." As essential as computers are to writing these days, it may be the best place to begin. This might also be a good site to link from your class website. It is very easy for students to explore on their own and get extra help where needed. Or have small groups investigate a specific area together and then create a multimedia presentation to share with the class. Have the groups create a podcast to share using a tool such as Podomatic (reviewed here).

ESL Bits Grade 3 to 8 - Skip Reske- 9950

This site is an excellent way to help ESL and ELL students improve reading and comprehension skills using short passages of different kinds of reading. The site includes signs, multiple choice, true-false for details, questions on getting the "gist" of a reading, matching questions, and gap (fill-in) questions. This site is excellent for reading comprehension in the regular classroom too! Students select a "set" which contains a short sampling of each kind of question. Once they answer, they get immediate feedback.

In the Classroom:
Since the subtitle for this page is "Reading Comprehension and Test Preparation," recommend this site to ESL and ELL students preparing for standardized tests. Save it in your favorites on class computers and provide the link on your class website for students to access both in the classroom and out. The activities would also work well on interactive whiteboard.

Share the “Signs” link with your students. Challenge students to create their own signs, similar to those used at this site. Have cooperative learning groups create interactive posters featuring their signs using a tool such as (PicLits - explained here). Share the “PicLits” on an interactive whiteboard or projector.

Jeopardy Labs Grade K to 12 - Matt Johnson- 9939

Teacher's First Edge Review: For only slightly adventurous technology users. Few skills required! Looking to make a great jeopardy game with no fees, registration, or powerpoint slides involved? Now you can with Jeopardy Labs! Create your own Jeopardy game or browse the already created jeopardy games! Be aware: there are over 6,000 Jeopardy Templates ready to use in the classroom, beginning at kindergarten! You may notice that some of the already created Jeopardy Templates are not in “question” format. The topics include nearly everything one can imagine: European Settlement, South America, various books, specific math topics, media, aircraft, and many, MANY more.

Note that all jeopardy templates created become part of the domain and can be used by others.

In the Classroom:
Use any already-created game as a quick assessment of prior knowledge or review on projector or interactive whiteboard. Skills needed to make your own game: Nothing special. Here’s all you do:

To prevent others from editing your template you create a password when you start. Others will be unable to edit your created game without your password. After creating your password, you are taken to the familiar blue jeopardy screen. Here, enter the title at the top and the topics at the top of the columns. Click on a dollar amount under each topic to enter the clue and the What is... question in a pop-up box. Click done to enter the information. The dollar value square becomes blank to let you know it was completed. When done, click "Save." Click on Browse to view random template titles or enter a term into the search bar. On the "Build" page, follow the quick instructions and even browse tips for editing. When done, an internet link will be given for your Jeopardy game. Put this link in any website, blog, or wiki for students to click on and review information for study. This site uses Flash. Get it here.

Possible Uses: Use this as an introductory activity to uncover misconceptions. For example, prior to a unit on viruses, create a jeopardy game about myths and truths about viruses. Share the Jeopardy activities on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these as a starting point for understanding concepts in the unit. Create review games for students to learn and remember content. After making one game together as a class, allow students to make their own games to challenge each other on segments of the material. This not only provides students with material to review, but the creation of a game takes thought and understanding of the material. Be sure that students understand how to create such a game and how to choose parts carefully. Check student games prior to saving. Maintain a page of Jeopardy links for review of a wide range of curricular topics.

Action Bioscience Grade 8 to 12 - American Institute of Biological Sciences- 9919

Spark interest and discussion about class content using these peer reviewed articles on current topics in Biology. The articles would also be excellent choices for non-fiction reading comprehension practice. View a variety of articles and links in "Biodiversity," "Environment," "Genomics," "Biotechnology," "Evolution," and "New Frontiers." A link to featured articles can be found on the main page as well as a link to educator resources such as lessons, articles, blog posts, and media. A “donate” link exists on the page, so caution students about this. Read additional information given, especially the reprint policy.

In the Classroom:
Engage students in topics relevant to today and students' lives by reading and responding to a variety of timely and peer reviewed articles. Use your own class blog or wiki to elicit responses and conversations from your students. Use this site for research and lesson ideas. Additionally, teach students to review and annotate articles while searching for more information to validate or refute those viewpoints. Have cooperative learning groups create multimedia projects to share their findings: wiki, video, or podcast. Not sure what a wiki is? Check out the TeacherFirst Wiki Walk-Through (reviewed here). Share the video using Teachers.tv (reviewed here). Create a podcast using a tool such as Podomatic (reviewed here). Learning support teachers working to build content-reading skills will find these articles ideal for practice. Share an article on an interactive whiteboard for students to highlight key terms and generate a sentence for the Main Idea of the article. Cooperate with the biology teacher so students practice with topics currently being studied. If you are not sure of the reading level, check the URL for the article using a tool such as Juicystudio, reviewed here.

Vacations Grade 3 to 9 - Myvocabulary.com- 9891

This site offers word puzzles, a vocabulary wordbank of 16 words, discussion questions, examples of some great summer treats and more....all about vacations! Many of the activities are able to be printed FREE. This site does have some basic advertisements.

In the Classroom:
Use this site at the beginning of the school-year as you learn about your students. Share the word puzzles on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students create their own word puzzles about their summer vacations (whether spent at home or traveling).

Lewis and Clark - LA Purchase Vocabulary Grade 4 to 10 - Myvocabulary.com- 9885

Lewis and Clark and the Louisiana Purchase are the focus of this vocabulary site. There are several word puzzles, a wordbank (with 18 words), an alphalary for explorers, lesson plan ideas, and further extension activities. There is also a book list, offering titles about life for pioneer children.

In the Classroom:
Share the puzzles on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students work with a partner to try out the puzzles on their own and volunteer to work on the whiteboard (resist the urge to be Vanna White yourself!). Use this site to enhance your Lewis and Clark lesson, or a unit on explorers. Try the activities; most are very easy to use in any classroom. Share some of the literature with your students.

Toasted Cheese Grade 8 to 12 - Stephanie - 9823

This is a useful site that makes life a little easier for writing teachers. BUT USE CAUTION! Looking for different daily prompts to address different kinds of writing and issues? This site has current and past calendars that offer everything from first lines to assorted kinds of poetry. It has writing articles by both amateur and professional writers, writing exercises called "A Pen in Each Hand," links to other writing prompt sites, as well as chats and forums. The “Pen in Each Hand” link provides archived writing activities. BE CERTAIN to preview whatever you are using and do NOT permit students to surf this site. There are some inappropriate topics for use in school. Obviously the chat/forum option should be closely monitored or avoided entirely. Some of the activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox

In the Classroom:
This site is worth it if only for the variety of the daily prompts; however, there is a lot here to engage students. The story examples (such as the "Pushcart Prize Nominations"), the online literary journal, and the assortment of writing exercises give teachers a smorgasbord of activities to choose from. Just be sure to preview whatever material you wish to use in class and do so on a teacher-controlled machine. Or avoid recommending the site itself and find ideas you can use by projecting a writing prompt copied to your interactive whiteboard or projector, having students brainstorm ideas and write on their own to avoid potential “public” content here.

Spelling Bee Hive Grade 4 to 12 - Merriam-Webster- 9812

You will find unlimited resources, word games, and information about all-things spelling at this site. Each day, a new game is featured that hones your students’ spelling and vocabulary learning. Called the Spelling Bee Hive, it provides key links to the National Spelling Bee, spelling history, word games, and spelling quizzes. Practice spelling and English with “Daily Jumble,” “Fowl Words,” “Writing Block,” and countless other activities. There is also a “word of the day.” Daily podcasts are available at this link, to share the word of the day.

Looking to get your students more excited about spelling? Visit the official site for the Scripps National Spelling Bee (reviewed here by TeachersFirst). Check out all the links to learn how to study for the Bee, guidelines, and application deadlines. December is the annual deadline for your school’s enrollment in the National Bee. This site will have the exact deadline each year. Click on Study Zone to download the Consolidated Word List (a gigantic compilation of 794 pages of words that have been used from 1950 to the present). Students can test their spelling know-how by clicking on the "Test Your Spell It Knowledge" link on the homepage. Your serious competitive spellers will also benefit by exploring Merriam-Webster's Spell It (reviewed here by TeachersFirst).

Please note: There is some minor commercial promotions for Merriam-Webster and their premium services. Many of the interactives at ALL of these sites require Flash or Shockwave. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Using an interactive whiteboard or projector, your students will enjoy the various word games, especially if promoted as Spelling Fun Friday or something similar, to counter the negativity of weekly spelling test. There are many levels to the games, so take a little time to prowl around to find the ones suitable for your students.

Why not share the word of the day with your class (either in written form or using their premade podcast) and have students write sentences using the word on your class wiki or blog. Make it even more creative, by having student write a collective story on the blog (each students adds only a few lines). Be sure the word of the day is used by each student!

Solar System 3D Simulator Grade 2 to 12 - Science Fair Projects World- 9794

TeachersFirst Edge Review: for those who are allowed to download and install free software. Use this free application to create accurate 3D models of the solar system. Show the planets and orbits as well as the sun and the moon. View detailed information of the physical and chemical make-up of the planets, the energy of the sun, and details of solar eclipse. View all images in great color. Change orbit views or tilt and rotate orbits to other angles. Speed up or slow down the movement of the solar system. Application download is for Windows PC only and appears NOT to work with Vista.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Moderate technology skills. Users will need the skills of downloading and finding and managing applications. The software is easy to use and has a wonderful interface for finding great information about the planets. Safety/security: The only safety concern is whether your school’s policy allows you to install this free software. If not, try approaching an administrator or department head to show them the descriptions and request installation at least on you teacher computer for sharing on projector and/or whiteboard.

Classroom use: Use this free model to understand the physics of the universe or learn astronomy. Use as a science fair project, to ask questions or find answers, and to create material for presentation online or in class. Share the model on your interactive whiteboard or projector.

Grade 4 - Go For the Grammar Gold Grade 3 to 5 - Harcourt School Publishers- 9780

This site, created especially for fourth grade students, includes several interactive grammar lessons. Topics include "Sentence Fragments and Run-On Sentences," "Homophones," "Irregular Verbs," "Negatives and Easily Confused Words," among others. The interactives require Shockwave. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as a class activity on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Share the activities as an introduction to a new topic or a review before a quiz. Have students work with partners to explore certain topic areas together. List this site on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom. Save this site in your favorites on your class computers.

Grade 3 - Go For Grammar Gold Grade 2 to 4 - Harcourt School Publishers- 9779

This site, created especially for third grade students, includes several interactive grammar lessons. Topics include "Singular and Plural Nouns," "Main Verbs and Helping Verbs," "Subject and Object Pronouns," "quotation marks," among others. The interactives require Shockwave. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as a class activity on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Share the activities as an introduction to a new topic or a review before a quiz. Have students work with partners to explore certain topic areas together. Or use this site to create a Language Arts center. List this site on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom. Save this site in your favorites on your class computers.

UniLearning Grade 6 to 12 - Committee for University Teaching and Staff Development (CUTSD)- 9768

This is a great site for working with writing for many levels and abilities. It is divided into 8 categories: effective and academic writing, essay and report writing, writing sentences, reading, note-taking, and critical thinking. Each section has an introduction or overview and is interactive for student use. Most of the parts of each section give both explanations and examples, and also link to quick examples of words students may need reminded of (such as what a "clause" is). It is worth using for a lesson or a series of lessons. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
This might be a great assignment for extra credit. It might also be valuable as another way to teach something such as "critical thinking" with which many students struggle. The strategies for note-taking and the conventions for academic writing are two examples of the site that could be good teaching aids on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Why not list this link on your class website, for students to access both in and out of the classroom.

Mathcasts Library Grade K to 12 - Tim Fahlberg- 9759

View math screencasts for grades K-7 or by topic (algebra, trigonometry, calculus, pre-calculus, or financial math). The topics for grades K-7 range from number sense to mathematical reasoning to statistics, data analysis, & probability. Follow common problems, example exam questions, and problems of the day. View video clips (some made by students)!. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site for homework help, explaining solutions to problems, and extra credit problems to solve. Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to a new topic or for review, especially for your visual learners! Have students think out loud and create their own instructional videos for math concepts and share them on a tool such as SchoolTube (reviewed here). Be sure to list this link on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom. Note: since content is user-contributed, you will want to talk with your students about who created the materials (students, teachers, professors) and how to tell.

Art Pad Digital Canvas (beta) Grade 1 to 8 - art.com- 9718

Art Pad Digital Canvas is a simple drawing website that can be a valuable tool in the classroom. The site provides a blank canvas for students to create drawings using the art tools. The options are very simple. Students can paint, add text, choose a frame, and even replay their creations. This tool would be a fantastic final step, and incentive, for story publishing.

There is an option to “view other paintings.” This might be a good way to model how to use the site. Be sure to preview before sharing with your class. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
You may want to demonstrate this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. With younger students, create the "artwork" as a whole-class project on the whiteboard. What a great way to make an alphabet book with students drawing using their fingers on the board! This site is ideal for an elementary or middle school art class working with basic design concepts. Use your teacher email account for any saving, etc. so you have complete control. Students can present their published works with illustrations created on Art Pad by clicking “save and send.” For older students, save the URLs from the “save and send” function and post them on student blogs or a class wiki “gallery.” Illustrations could be used for social studies reports and any other type of presentations. You can also use the “add to this painting” function for students to collaborate by having one student start a “picture story” and pass the link to the next student to add the next sentence! Since text can be added, an entire story - verbiage and illustrations - can be created within an Art Pad painting or series of paintings. ESL/ELL students could even make illustrated vocabulary "paintings" as they learn new words. Make sure to complete all editing prior to printing...it could use a lot of colored ink.

Better yet, avoid printing altogether by using the “save and share” link. As a safety precaution use the teacher’s email account as the sender and recipient of the email for “save and send.” Then simply copy/paste the URL the site provides for direct access to the painting. The “artist” can decide whether the painting is shared in the public gallery. Check school policies before posting there.

Young Artist Workshop Grade K to 6 - Kevin Collier- 9705

With this site, you don’t need to be an art teacher to teach some very easy art and illustration techniques to your students. Kevin Collier, an acclaimed artist, demonstrates simple drawing ‘classes’ for your students via video on his blog. He also answers questions about art from his young audience. Check out his archive for more art lessons. When you watch him draw, you will need to fight the urge to pick up a pencil and paper.

There is a “Sign In” option, but all features appear useable without registering at the site. This site requires Flash. Get it from theTeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
If you find your art teacher is out for the day and there is no substitute, let Kevin teach art to your class via an interactive whiteboard, projector, or individual computers. This site could be used in language arts class to illustrate a story, social studies class to add depth and drawings to a project, or other subject areas. Differentiate for your visual/spatial students by providing the link to these tutorials when they choose to create visual book reports or research products.

Drop Me Off in Harlem Grade 6 to 12 - Artsedge- 9702

Presented by the Kennedy Center's Artsedge program, this site is a wonderful kaleidoscope of information about Harlem from 1917 through 1935. It explores the artists of that time, including writers, artists, actors, dancers, and musicians. It has sections of the activists of the time such as W.E.B. DuBois and Charles Johnson. Clicking on a place name will show you a map of that area and where it was located (the Lafayette Theatre, for instance, was on 7th Avenue).

One of the nice things about this site is the easy access to the section they call "Classroom Connections." Here they provide activities for grades 6-8 and 9-12 that are specific to grade level as well as links to lesson plans if you choose to use those. Visit the Media Player link to find video clips, audio clips, text, and images. Some require RealPlayer. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Because of the sheer variety of links offered, this is an ideal lesson to spread among a class. As a culminating activity have a "Harlem Day" where students present their information. They might dress and speak as the person they studied; they might present music, poetry, or art from that time, or even create a Harlem "nightclub" to share their information.

Why not make this lesson even more interactive and have students create video clips to share on your interactive whiteboard or projector via YouTube or TeacherTube (explained here). Other project ideas could be a blog written from the perspective of someone living in Harlem during the great depression, or a wiki written between one of the famous artists and the president at the time (Herbert Hoover, for example).

Queeky Grade 2 to 12 - Philipp Hennermann- 9692

TeachersFirst Edge Entry: For slightly adventurous technology users. This online drawing tool provides typical digital drawing tools to generate vector-based drawings as sophisticated as you wish to make them. Vector-based drawings use actual curves, not the pixellated little boxes that so many paint simple programs create. Queeky also hosts a community of very accomplished digital artists to learn from, even if you never lift an electronic pencil. The site allows users to draw, collaborate on a shared drawing in what they describe as "near-real time," watch a drawing played back to see how it was done, and even start from one drawing to create a new version("variate"). You have complete control of transparency, line thickness, colors (within a web palette), and much, much more. If you press "u" while drawing, you can upload an image to include in your drawing. If you are fortunate enough to have a graphics drawing tablet, using the drawing tools will be even easier! There is a full screen option to use while drawing or playing back, as well. The site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

The TeachersFirst team also found that the site wanted to install a Microsoft add-on called "MSXML 5.0" from Microsoft, but tested the site without the add-on in an effort to duplicate the limitations most school computers have on downloads. The site features worked without it, as far as the team could tell. Teachers will certainly want to pre-test this tool on school computers, anyway, since it is powerful enough to use the Internet connection heavily at times.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: To view and share drawings on a projector or interactive whiteboard with you class, you do not need to join. You can even draw and play back a drawing without saving. For full features, join the site (free). Membership requires an email address. The confirmation email is slow to arrive, so join a day or so ahead of time. We suspect that the Germany-based site has real humans checking memberships on Germany time! While you wait, you can experiment with the drawing tools or learn about them by visiting the gallery and "playing" some drawings to see how some of the tools can be set to create truly artistic images. Be sure to experiment with the tools together with your students. There is an undo tool--very important as you start out. There are no demonstration videos or help screens, so you may learn best by doing or watching what others have done. There is a forum where users discuss tools, etc. Preview before sending students here, but the advice may be very helpful. You will also want to try uploading an image (press U on your keyboard while on a drawing screen). You will need to know where the image file is saved on your computer.

Safety concerns: This is a public site, so even though the Terms of Use prohibit obscene drawings, teachers will want to preview Galleries they plan to use and have a specific policy in place for students who navigate the site on their own. The public can see any artwork you create and view your profile, so students should have parent permission before creating any online artwork of their own and should maintain an anonymous identity on the site. This site allows outsiders to comment on your projects. Many school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety or establish specific written class rules and consequences for interacting with outsiders. This is a good opportunity to discuss netiquette and how to participate positively and safely in online communities. Consider using a whole-class account so you can monitor activity. Students could name their works using a coded initial system so you would know who created what.

If you want to set up individual student accounts, first check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to use these for any online tool.

Possible Uses: Art teachers will love the chance to teach about design elements in a public, hands-on environment. Assign students to use only certain tools or to "variate" on a starter drawing you provide to demonstrate both creativity and mastery of the elements. Students using the tool from home could generate an actual portfolio of drawings without expending precious art materials. Have students or groups create collections or locate artworks in the galleries that demonstrate the design elements or techniques you want them to notice. Without joining the site, play selected drawings on a projector or interactive whiteboard and have students narrate what they see the artist doing. Assign students to "variate" or annotate on an image from the gallery or one you upload. Teachers in other subjects may want to share this tool as a way to create visual explanations of science processes, book covers for literature (with explanations for the design choices, of course), visual responses to poetry, graphics or logos for "companies" they create in econ class, etc. The animated playbacks of drawings could even show how to form letters in manuscript or do calligraphy (if you can do it without making a mistake!)

Online NewsHour: Inaugural Fashion Grade 4 to 12 - PBS- 9660

Are you looking for a new way to get your students attention in history class? This site is perfect for those students who view fashion as the only thing worth their attention! The site focuses on the gowns that the first ladies wore to the inaugural ceremony (from a variety of time periods). The significance of the gowns is discussed. Several photos are included. The video clips date back to 2001 and no longer work. For commentary and speculation on what Mrs. Obama and the Obama children will wear, see this article from Womens Wear Daily

In the Classroom:
Share the pictures of the gowns on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students research an inaugural ceremony and write a blog entry (from the first lady of their choice) discussing the inaugural ceremony (and what they wore). Or have your budding journalists write a mock-commentary on the political "message" sent by a chosen first lady via her fashion choices.

Problem Solving Grade 3 to 6 - BBC- 9645

Time to go to the grocery store and do some shopping. Simple, right? How about using pounds instead of American Money? This site has three features: an interactive (the shopping activity) which includes explicit details and several different activities and the ability for a "full screen" option, an online quiz (multiple choice), and a Revision Bite which includes reference information about problem solving.

The entire interactive is embeddable by copying/pasting the “code” into your class web page or wiki. Some of the activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as a lesson plan for your class. Use the Revision Bite to introduce new concepts to your class. Share the "Bites" with your students on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students work with a partner to explore and complete the interactives available at this site. Or set up a learning station featuring these problem solving activities. Have students work independently on the review quiz. Share this link on your class website.

Multiplication Grade 3 to 6 - BBC- 9642

Can you multiply by 4, 6, 8, or 12? This site challenges students to click on the correct answer when it "flashes" in the box. You can try your hand at this activity over and over again, with new multiplication challenges each time. The site also includes an online quiz (which is multiple choice) and a Revision Bite which provides detailed information about multiplication. What an excellent method to practice mental math. The site has a full screen option and requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as a lesson plan and a new way to teach multiplication to your class. Use the Revision Bite to introduce the new multiplication concepts to your class. Display the information on your interactive whiteboard or projector, and have students take turns reading to the class. Have students work at their own pace on the multiplication interactive. Use the online quiz to check students' understanding. Project the questions (on the interactive whiteboard or projector) and have students answer the questions at their seats.

This is a great link to provide on your website for students to practice and review at home (before the big test). If your site supports it, you can actually copy/paste the code and embed the activity right on your site.

Division Grade 3 to 5 - BBC- 9639

Can you divide by 9, 6, 10, or 7? This site challenges students to click on the correct answer when it "flashes" on the screen. You can try your hand at this activity over and over again, with new division challenges each time. The site also includes an online quiz (which is multiple choice) and a Revision Bite which provides detailed information about division. What an excellent method to practice mental math. If your site supports it, you can actually copy/paste the code and embed the activity right on your site. The site has a full screen option and requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as a lesson plan and a new way to teach division to your class. Use the Revision Bite to introduce the new division concepts to your class. Display the information on your interactive whiteboard or projector, and have students take turns reading to the class. Have students work at their own level on the division interactive. Use the online quiz to check students' understanding. Project the questions (on the interactive whiteboard or projector) and have students answer the questions at their seats.

This is a great site for at home practice, be sure to list this link on your class website.

Persuasive Writing, Speaking, & Activities Grade 7 to 12 - Kathleen Prody and Jean O'Connor - 9633

Created in 2001, this website has links that are no longer active. However, enough links are active (including the key explanations), that this site is worth a look. The key information regarding what constitutes argumentative debate vs. simple reporting is valuable and includes the classic breakdown of logos, ethos, and pathos for higher level students to consider. The R.A.F.T. examples given are good for teachers to use as well as some sample prompts from the 2001 ACT. Sample links plus one to Paradigm online writing lab make this a worthwhile site.

In the Classroom:
This site would best be used by a teacher working with students on an interactive whiteboard or projector to review key elements of persuasive writing. The inactive links might prove frustrating for students, but you can check them ahead of time. Once students know which links are active, you can use them to assign students various aspects of rhetorical debate and create argumentative theses based on each appeal. Share some of these resources on your teacher web page as you engage students in a real world task such as writing to persuade local politicians on a hot issue.

Earth Pulse: Our Relationship with Nature Grade 4 to 12 - National Geographic- 9625

Use this site to investigate ecosystems and their value to humans, biomes, and conservation issues, all using these interactive maps. Focus in on special areas of biodiversity concern. View additional maps and trends towards the bottom of the page. Review topics such as Connections and Resources, Human Impact Trends, Food and Water Trends, and others. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Biodiversity and human population issues are large problems that are interwoven with many complexities. Begin by showing some of the visual information on this site on your projector or whiteboard to instigate excitement and concern among your students. Then divide students into groups to research and present issues affecting specific biomes, then debate as world groups. Additionally, groups can research particular issues to determine causes and possible remedies for the future. Have students create videos to share their research findings using YouTube or TeacherTube (explained here). Share the videos on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Or have them create a convincing presentation to share with policy makers on environmental topics.

Geni - Everyone's Related Grade 4 to 12 - - 9613

Teachers First Edge Entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. This tool allows you to create an interactive family tree. Once you are registered, you can easily create a family tree. You are able to include family member's birth-dates, death-dates, email addresses, pictures, video clips, and more. This site also has the capacity to create timelines for births, deaths, weddings, divorces, education, occupation, and other important events and information. The family tree and some of the other activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Skills Needed: this site is fairly simple to use. Join the site (free) and log in. Registration requires an email address. Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, 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.

Navigation of the site is simple. Click on Tree to start your family tree (or Timeline to use that free resource. For the family tree, arrows are provided to add family members. The arrows pointing up indicate a parent, arrows to the left or right are used to add a wife/husband or brother/sister, and arrows pointing down are used to add a son or daughter.

Safety/Security Concerns: This site allows users to set-up their family tree or timeline as PRIVATE. It allows you to control who can and can't view your profile, family tree, and other information. For more information about this feature, visit the Settings link (on the top right corner). Before you plan your family tree project, be sure to get parental permission.

Possible Uses: Use this site to create family tree projects in elementary or middle school classes. Have high school students create family trees as part of an immigration unit studying patterns in social studies classes. In science class, have students create fictitious "people" as they study genetics. With younger students, create a class timeline sharing important dates for individuals (i.e. birthdays) and class dates (field trips, tests, or other special events). Have students share their family trees on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to "advertise" this project on your class website (and newsletter, if applicable) so students have time to gather names, birthdates, and other information about family members. In world language classes, have student create a family tree using the correct vocabulary for relatives and talk about it as they share it on the interactive whiteboard. When researching famous people, reading biographies, or even reading literature have students create a family tree illustrating their discoveries about their famous person, writer, artist, musician, explorer, literary character, etc.

My Heritage Grade 3 to 12 - MyHeritage Ltd.- 9612

Teachers First Edge Entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. This tool helps you create an interactive family tree. Once you are registered, the family tree is easy to create. You are able to include family members’ birth-dates, death-dates, email addresses, pictures, marital status, and more. The site also includes some really neat features: Celebrity Morph, look-a-like meter (for children and parents), "smart matches" for your family tree, the ability to print family trees, and other features. The family tree and some of the other activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Skills Needed: this site is fairly simple to use. Join the site (free) and log in. Registration requires an email address and some other personal information (name, hobbies, etc..). Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, 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.

Navigation of the site is rather simple. Once you put in your own name, there are buttons on the bottom right and left side of your "name box" to "add" an additional family member or "edit" the current name. Once you click to "add" a member, you are able to put in their name, birth date, death date, marital status, and email address (see safety concerns). One tip: to scroll UP use the DOWN arrow, to scroll DOWN use the UP arrow.

Safety/Security Concerns: This site allows users to set-up their family tree as PRIVATE. It allows you to control who can and can't view your profile, family tree, and other information. For more information about this feature, visit the Privacy link (on the bottom bar). Before you plan your family tree project, be sure to get parental permission. You may want to use this tool with first names and last initials and keep email addresses out of it for safety’s sake.

Possible Uses: Use this site to create family tree projects in elementary or middle school classes. Have high school students create family trees as part of a unit studying immigration patterns in social studies classes. In science class, have students create fictitious "people" as they study genetics. With younger students, create a class “family” sharing important dates for individuals (i.e. birthdays) or to teach vocabulary and spelling of family terms, such as “grandmother” and “uncle.” Have students share their family trees on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to "advertise" this project on your class website (and newsletter, if applicable) so students have time to gather names, birthdates, and other information about family members. In world language classes, have students create a family tree using the correct vocabulary for relatives and talk about it (in their new language!) as they share it on the interactive whiteboard. When researching famous people, reading biographies, or even reading literature, have students create a family tree illustrating their discoveries about their famous person, writer, artist, musician, explorer, literary character, etc.

How Collectors Coins are Made Grade 1 to 8 - U S Mint- 9610

The US Mint offers two thorough tours about the process of creating collector coins and circulating coins. On the first page of this site, you can choose which tour you would like to complete.

At the Collectors Coin tour, watch as coins are created and released into the collector population. Learn about the difference between collector coins and circulation coins. The US Mint tour takes guests virtually through how coins are made, the history of the Mint, the connection with the government, and how the coins are placed into circulation.

Both tours are thorough and the speaker is clear and to-the-point allowing for various age groups to benefit from watching the video. Choose from a video option or slide show format. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share the short videos (less than five minutes each) on an interactive whiteboard or projector during your money and measurement unit or as you study economics. Follow up with center time based on creating money and sorting as well as counting various types of money. Also include money from other countries for students to compare and contrast. Have older students summarize the video by using the classroom computer to create a flow chart about the money making process or a graphic organizer with the main points of the videos. This might be a terrific way to teach the study skill of graphic organizers! Students can present their documents on the interactive whiteboard or projectors. Include it on your teacher web page for students to access both in and out of class for enrichment or individual research.

The Online NewsHour Extra: Video Clipboard Grade 6 to 12 - PBS- 9582

Are you looking for a new way to get your students excited about current events and the news? This site (a new feature of the PBS NewsHour) provides daily (Monday - Friday) video blogs. The blogs come complete with a video clip, summary, quotes, thinking questions, and more. (Don’t miss the link to “How to Use this” with tips for downloading veido in advance of your class and how to use it). Video topics relate to current events but extend back into background that lead up to today’s events. Some of the "extras" include transcripts, printables, and the ability to post comments. If you post a comment, you must provide your name, city, state, and email address. BE CERTAIN to check your school's Acceptable Use Policy and obtain parental permission before allowing students to comment on the video blogs.

Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, 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. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share these video blogs with your students on an interactive whiteboard or projector as you discuss current events and related issues. Share this link on your class web page as an option for weekly current events articles you require from students. Take advantage of the free resources (quotes, warm up questions, discussion questions, printables, and other resources). If you teach reading or are working to help learning support students build comprehension, you will find terrific passages for teaching comprehension, inferencing, summarizing, and more, all with meaningful news stories as the focus. If your school's Acceptable Use Policy allows, have students post their own comments to the video blogs. Another idea: have your students create their own wiki about current events in local and/or national news. Invite students to create their own multimedia packages using video clips and their own text to explain an issue and its history.

Election Tools For Teachers Grade K to 12 - Google for Educators- 9566

Are you looking for some innovative lessons and activities to help your students understand the election and Electoral College? Google has created this multi-faceted website that includes activities for all grade levels. Although the site looks "plain vanilla," in this case, looks are very deceiving. This is hands-down one of the best election sites available. Highlights of the site include an interactive Electoral College Map, a link for the National Student/Parent Mock Election, YouTube YouChoose videos, and even activities to encourage your students to express their own political opinions (for example, Letters to the Next President or YouTube:Broadcast Yourself). The YouTube: Broadcast Yourself is only available to students over the age of 13. This broadcast allows students to express their opinions about the election and politics through videos created by themselves! The YouTube handbook offers tips on producing these student-created videos. Be sure to get parental permission before videotaping any student.

If your school blocks streaming video sites, consider accessing this site and choosing videos at home, using a tool such as Vixy (explained here) to bring them in for class use. The activities at this site require Flash and Adobe Acrobat. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use the interactive map of the Electoral College to help students understand how it works. Have students predict who will win in each state (based on previous results and polls). Sign your class up for the mock election, so your students have the chance to voice their vote! Share the YouTube videos on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this site to explore the candidates and their views. Have students (if over the age of 13) use the YouTube: Broadcast Yourself option to create their own videos about the issues and candidates, or collaborate with their classmates to create and upload a political discussion or class debate. Share the student-created videos on a projector or interactive whiteboard.

Human Footprint Grade 3 to 10 - National Geographic- 9512

This interactive takes a look at the effect of typical human consumption on the planet. Students can see how the bread they eat or the newspapers they read tax the resources of our earth. There is also information about water consumption, diapers (and the crude oil they require), eggs, and more. The highly visual display of the site is well balanced with facts. Comparisons between the U.S., the U.K, and Japan provide interesting contrasts in resource usage between nations. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Fire up the projector or interactive whiteboard to use this site when beginning a unit on natural resources, agriculture, environment, green living, or cultural comparisons. Ask your students to research other items that might be included in the comparison besides newspapers, potatoes, gas, etc. Have them make charts or online presentations to display consumption information in a similar fashion. Save this site in your favorites to use for Earth Day.

Scribble States Grade 3 to 8 - Armor Games Inc.- 9509

At this site, students learn about each of the 50 states. They connect dots to create the outline of a state. Students can choose from an assorted number of "exam" questions; they can also choose whether to have questions on the name of the state, its capital, or its state name. The speed of the questions varies also. Students receive a score on the accuracy of their drawing with the mouse and the answer to the question about the state.

This site does have some minor advertisements. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this activity as practice with states state capitals, or state shapes. Your visual and kinesthetic learners will benefit from this different approach. This site is accessible to ESL and ELL students; provide them with a map of the states and they can use this activity to familiarize themselves with state names, pronunciation, shape, location, etc.

This site is “interactive whiteboard ready.” Try the activity as a class challenge (at the beginning of social studies class). Have students take turns “drawing” the state, and then use the “quiz” questions a class (or team) activity. Once students are familiar with this site, allow them to explore on their own. Have students create their own dot to dot state papers and quizzes to share with the class.

Molecular Workbench Grade 7 to 12 - Concord Consortium Inc.- 9491

Use this great resource to teach any concept that requires understanding of molecules and molecular structure. Seeing molecular movements on paper is difficult. Use Molecular Workbench to help in the understanding of complex concepts. Molecular Workbench can be launched online or downloaded onto a Mac or PC computer. Click on "Software" to launch or download to begin activities. Launch the application and visualize demo models and simulations such as "Molecular Rover" to tour inside of molecules, "Cyclotron," "Wave on a String," "Nanocar," "Chemical Equilibrium," and "Electroscope." View the "Library of Models," visit the "Activity Center" to search topics in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology that relate to Motion and Energy, Charge, Atoms and Molecules, and Light.

Easy to use buttons at the top allow you to go back, reload, open, save, create a snapshot, etc. Navigation links along the top take you to What's new, Quickstart, Search, User's Manual, and more. Offline versions can be installed on a computer. Activities have a Teacher's view and a Student view which is chosen from the buttons along top. Click on "Curriculum" to view the database according to concept. Other features include "Overview and Learning Objectives," "Classroom Practice," "Central Concepts," "Textbook References," "Benchmarks and Standards," and "Extensions and Connections.”

Using the program is straightforward. Directions in using and installing difficulties are included on the site. The site actually runs the software over the Internet, so you MAY be able to run it even if your computer is “locked down” from installing anything, depending on your school settings. Try it first. Teachers who must request software installation by tech staff may want to try this tool at home to convince administration of its educational value. Even using the program on one teacher computer and whiteboard is better than not having it at all! This site requires Java and Flash. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use an activity on your screen or interactive whiteboard to introduce the concept by asking students to explain what has happened. Connect what students have learned in other class activities by reinforcing through use of the models. Most concepts in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology are difficult to understand due to the difficulty of understanding the nature of and motion of the atoms and molecules. Bring what students can't see to life in order to better understand the concepts.

Merpy Stories Grade K to 3 - M. R. Petit- 9462

Need some extra safe, online reading for your students? Merpy stories await the eager reader. Engaging, with versatile vocabulary, the Merpy characters will delight your new readers. Make sure to check out the holiday episodes. These stories do not read the words for the students, but rather provide animation and fun sounds. For extended learning, paper dolls and other crafts add to the Merpy fun. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Merpy stories will be a wonderful addition to your computer literacy lab. Share the stories on an interactive whiteboard or projector and read the stories together as a class. Individual or paired reading would also work well. After reading several Merpy stories, students may be able to create their own 'Merpy-esque' stories using PowerPoint and animated clipart. For the Spanish learner or ESL/ELL student, check out the four Merpy Spanish versions.

Math train Grade 5 to 12 - Marcos- 9444

Math train is a "kids teaching kids" math project created from Mr. Marcos (and his students) of Lincoln Middle School. Browse student created, teacher created, or captioned math videos easily found using the search function. Videos can be viewed without a login. Most videos focus on a very specific topic and are short in length. Use the url or the embed code to share the video and add comments. Teachers and students can join math train and upload videos to teach math concepts to others. Registration requires an email account. Check your district's acceptable use policy regarding student use of email addresses. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. Note: the "we are upgrading" message does not prevent you from using the site!

In the Classroom:
Use this site as a resource to teach students basic and more complex math problems. Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to share this site with your students. Students can also be assigned a similar project in the classroom for peer teaching and learning. Use a class website or wiki to show your student-created video or register on the Math train site to upload video in this education-specific environment. (Of course you will want to check your school policies on sharing student work online. You might even use the Record feature of your interactive whiteboard software, if your computer has the memory to handle it. Have students view a video and create problem sets for other students to solve. Students can identify potential real life problems and the math skill necessary to solve it. This is definitely a site that you will want to save in your favorites and visit often (they add new videos frequently). Be sure to provide this link on your class website, so students can search the site when confused about a specific concept or for some extra practice before a test.

Harbour Measurements Grade 2 to 4 - BBC- 9424

Use the metric system to measure the height and weight of boxes being placed on a large ship. You are told the specific height and weight to locate. Then you are presented with three packages to weigh and measure. You click and drag the items onto an interactive scale that measures the height and weight. There are three levels of difficulty. You can play several times at each level. The website also features a "full screen" option, printable worksheets, engaging sound effects, and animations. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
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