TeachersFirst: Interactive Whiteboards

Resources for Using Interactive Whiteboards:

1419 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!

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!

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.

Visual Explanation of US Financial Crisis Grade 6 to 12 - Say It Visually- 7997

Use this short video (4-minutes) to help explain the U.S. Financial situation of 2008-2009. The video highlights how economics work, for example, how a mortgage loan helps both the consumer and banks or how investing works. The video is easy to understand and very informative. The graphics are phenomenal and really increase the value of the video. Subtitles are available in Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Marathi, and Portuguese so even your ESL/ELL students can understand it. Unfortunately, there is no way to increase the size of the video window. But, it is plenty large enough to display on your projector or interactive whiteboard. The video requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this video on your interactive whiteboard or projector. It will run more smoothly on your classroom machine after it has downloaded into your “cache” the first time you play it. If you are teaching economics, current events, family and consumer science, business, or math, be sure to share this short but informative video. Have cooperative learning groups keep a list of the topics discussed on this short video. Have each group investigate one of the topics in more depth. Have the groups create a multimedia project such as a video or draw simple diagrams to explain it on interactive whiteboard. Share student-made videos on a site such as SchoolTube (reviewed here).

Click On Bricks Grade 1 to 4 - ThinkQuest- 7401

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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.

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.

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 Tikatok (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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ID-Fit Grade 3 to 8 - sciencemuseum- 8828

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This online tool provides teachers with a multitude of "ready to personalize" rubrics. Teachers simply fill in their name, school name, and the name of the project - and a personalized rubric appears. You may think that sounds too "generic", but there is more. The broad topics include basic reading skills, behavior, class participation, handwriting, 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.

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.

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

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

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

PuzzleMaker Grade 1 to 9 - Discovery- 118

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

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

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.

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).

Storytop Grade K to 12 - Storytop- 9975

Teacher's first Edge Review: For moderate technology users. Need a quick and easy site for creating and sharing a story? Use Storytop to instantly create stories that tell what students have learned. Storytop is a free and easy to use service that requires users to create an account in order to save any created stories. Login requires a username and password only (no email is required.) The clip art available is simple and not extensive, but this may be better than having students choose from an extensive collection. See a quick example of a StoryTop story here.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Teachers need to be able to help students in a storytelling process from the initial idea to the storyboard of the scenes they plan to create. Other skills include being able to navigate through the controls of the site which are very easy to understand. Managing comments or creations of groups are easy, though students should be aware of their responsibilities and consequences. To share stories, click "share" and copy the link provided when you say you want to email your story to a friend. You can paste this link anywhere, including in your class wiki or simply in a teacher's list of completed stories and their links. To share online, you need to know how to add links to your class blog, wiki, or website.

Basic directions: On the screen on the left, choose items to edit such as backgrounds, objects, people/animals, weather, and text boxes. Create your scene, add your information, and make multiple pages by using the green arrows. Teachers can create a group so students can comment on the creations made by other students. Share creations through web links. You can also take snapshots of scenes by using print screen (PrtSc) function in PC or snapshot (apple/shift/4) in Mac. These images of your story can then be saved and uploaded to a blog, wiki, or website. Click the help button to read FAQ helpful in using this tool. Currently embed codes are not given for saved stories.

Safety/security: Groups are not listed, so public and groups can only be joined when the actual group name is known. If you want students to comment on other stories, create a specific group (with a meaningful name for YOUR class) and have your students join that group. Caution students to not share the group name. Many school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school’s Acceptable Use Policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety. The only way students can see others’ projects is through joining a group or publishing the web link online. Students must have individual accounts, but an email address is not needed. You may want to create a word doc, Favorites folder, or other “collection” of the URLS to all your students’ projects in one place for easy work at grading time. Some teachers use a class wiki with links to all projects from there. 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.

Possible uses: Telling what you learned can be boring. Make it more like a story to identify what students have learned about the topic. For example, after studying air pollution, students can create a story about the source, problems caused, and solution that changed a specific pollutant from causing harm. In Biology, create a story about members of a food chain or biome. In Language Arts or world language class, create an alternate ending to a story or create your own short story. Tell the story of a famous figure in history or a day in the life of an animal. Have your students create stories for their “little buddies” in a lower grade. With younger students, create a curriculum-connected story as a whole-class activity, using you interactive whiteboard. Be sure to share the link with parents! Learning support or ESL teachers may want to create visual stories for students to narrate aloud to build vocabulary and expressive language. Create stories about any topic relevant in your subject area/class. Share the stories on your interactive whiteboard or projector.

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 - Vocabulary University- 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 - Vocabulary University- 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:
Come to this website to practice the metric system. Share this website with your class on an interactive whiteboard or projector and show the students HOW to use the program. Then, create a learning center for students to use this website, or provide individual laptops or computers. Use the three difficulty levels to differentiate for your students. Play a game of "Around the World" using this activity. Or divide your class into teams and have some healthy competition.

Forest Ordering Grade K to 2 - BBC- 9420

Max needs help in the forest! He needs YOU to put the numbers in the correct order - can you help? This simple game only takes a few minutes and offers some terrific sound effects and animation (which can be turned off). There are three levels of difficulty. Some levels ask you to put the numbers from least to greatest, while other levels challenge you to go from greatest to least. The website also features a "full screen" option and printable worksheets. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this website with your class on an interactive whiteboard or projector and show the students HOW to use the program. Then, create a learning center for students to use this website, or provide individual laptops or computers. Use the three difficulty levels to differentiate for your students. Be sure to list this website in your class newsletter and on your class website so students can practice their math skills at home.

Sunny Meadows Grade K to 5 - CARET Brainteasers and Puzzles- 9400

This site is an easy way to show how populations of organisms are dependent upon one another. Clicking through each screen explains the different populations in the game as well as appropriate terminology. Play the game by setting the numbers of foxes, rabbits, and plants. As the game runs, the view can be changed to show pictures, population graphs, or biomass bar graphs. Throughout the game, narratives along the bottom tell the story of the changes of populations. Play the game again to correct mistakes. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this to illustrate to younger students how organisms are dependent upon one another and learn the relationships among a simple food chain. Students can play the game first and then bring to a class or group discussion what they have learned. In this simple game, the basic concepts of food chains, population, and ecology can be learned and applied. Students can research other food chains in their local biome or from other biomes in the world. Students can also create other food chains using related animals. The food chains can be put together to create a class food web that can be illustrated on your interactive whiteboard, through posters, or by creating multimedia projects.

Up and Down Words Grade 3 to 10 - Merriam Webster- 9378

In this activity, students learn word combinations and idioms. In a ladder sequence, students find the second half of a word combo by reading its definition and adding the second word.That, in turn, becomes the first part of the next answer. The goal is to get to the 7th word combo whose second half started the game. Clickable hints assist students with the first letter missing word. You are able to click on the clues (to get more letters) as often as needed to solve the puzzle. There are new puzzles every weekday and archived puzzles from previous dates. There are two difficulty levels. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Demonstrate this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this site for vocabulary enhancement and understanding of idioms. Speech and language teachers may want to use it to teach word combinations, as well. Students can easily play this game in pairs. Since teachers can also print the blank activity, you can use it for a desk activity or homework assignment. After students get used to this idea, have them make their own word ladders on the interactive whiteboard, as a sequence of animated PowerPoint slides, or collaboratively as a graphic organizer using an online tool such as Gliffy or Mindomo.

MapSkip Grade 4 to 12 - MapSkip.com- 9374

Teacher's First EDGE Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. This online tool allows you to see various cities and countries throughout the world. The site features placemarkers added by users to interactive Google Maps including stories, photos, videos, and comments and ratings from other users. Visit this "story" we made in Reston, Virginia (west of Washington, DC) for a sample placemarker full of teaching ideas left by our review team “captain.” Mapskip allows you to zoom in and out (using the arrows) and scroll across the map in any cardinal direction. You can view the entire world, or individual cities. Red hands are used to represent placemarkers created by users. There are special features available for teachers upon registration. See their blog entries for more details about these features and ways to see only content created by your students or classmates. The Mapskip blog is written by the MapSkip staff to explain new features and tools. Registered members are able to comment on any updates there, as well. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Skills Needed: Register (requires email and activation from confirmation email). Before you submit your registration, be sure to scroll down to request "additional features for teachers" with the checkbox near the bottom of the form. Manipulate the map as you would on Google Maps (zoom, drag, etc). Click to add a new placemarker, enter a "story," title it, and upload pictures or video. You need to know how to locate and upload files. You can also edit your profile, view places created by you or any author you choose to "follow" and more. You can "rate" placemarkers left by others, as well. Why not make our review a "Favorite"?

Safety/Security Concerns: Membership requires an email address and user name. Use your “memberships” (extra) email account for such memberships, so you don’t clutter your mailbox. Register for the "special teacher features" to enable you to establish student accounts linked to your email address. Since this site has photos, videos, and stories submitted by members, always be sure to preview what you wish to share in class. The site has a link to click if anything appears inappropriate. At the time of this review, this website and its contents appear very useful and appropriate for intermediate and secondary students. Be sure to check your district's acceptable use policy before you submit anything to a website. Use fictitious names or initials for your students (or use the teacher features!) and be sure to get parental permission if photos, videos, or any student work are included. Since others can read, comment, and "Favorite" any entry you or your students make, you may want to discuss ethical behavior and help students build a “thick skin” to outside criticism. This is a good place to learn positive interaction with the public.

Possible Uses: Even without joining, you can share PREVIEWED Mapskip entries created by others on an interactive whiteboard or projector as you study faraway places. Create Mapskip entries about historical sites in your local area, including images taken with digital cameras, artifacts from your local historical society, links to newspaper articles, or video/audio interviews of older residents telling about old times. As you study community or landforms in your elementary class, "mapskip” them with annotations of a local map, showing examples of landforms and local community landmarks with digital pictures. Allow older students to use the site independently or in small groups. Mapskips are ideal as a product for individual research projects. In world language classes, have students plot a trip or write an imaginary story of their dreamed trip to Spain or Mexico. Take your students on a whiteboard trip to the native countries where the language is spoken. Literature settings can take on new meaning when your students annotate them on a map. Have students "mapskip" the landmarks of an author's life and/or the locations in his/her novels. Trace the path of a famous person's biography or annotate a famous painter's works, using links to the images from the places shown in landscapes. The "story" of a work of art can include critical analysis, as well. Anything that has a "place" can be a mapskip. Have students map family trips or important places in family history and share the maps with parents!

An Academic Writing Module: Paragraphs Grade 7 to 12 - Alison Hoffmann, Barbara Griffiths and Irina Elgort- 9354

This site offers writing exercises for students’ self-directed study. The exercises cover topic sentences, building paragraphs, incorporating sources (always good for practice in writing research essays or papers), and types of paragraphs. There is a sample essay that students are encouraged to read after doing the exercises, but it offers both a sample essay and an analysis of the writing and content. This site requires that Javascript be enabled web browser. You can find directions at the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This site offers the option for students to work independently on their basic writing. These exercises are a little more advanced than some on the web; however, they are especially good for high school students. It would make an interesting exercise to work through some of the examples as a class on interactive whiteboard, and then offer students the sample essay to analyze themselves or on the whiteboard before showing the final analysis on the site.

Community Club Grade K to 3 - Scholastic- 9347

This website introduces students to people in their neighborhood: veterinarian, librarian, pizza maker, utility worker, mayor, police officer, firefighter, and pediatrician. Students can click on any of the "people" and be walked (and talked) through an informative tour about that particular career. Students can click on the audio button to have the information read aloud. There are also lesson plans and standards available at the Teachers Guide link that is available with each of the "people." The site also features online quizzes, lots of pictures, printables, and more. Use this site to help your students understand the concepts of community and community helpers. The site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to share these useful people with your class. Highlight a career each week (or day) during a unit about community. Divide students into 8 groups (2-3 students per group) and have each group learn about a different career. Have the groups create simple PowerPoint presentations to share with the class on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Remember that PowerPoint shows print well into "big books." Extend your “community” by creating a class wiki about your school community, complete with digital pictures and interviews!

Big Universe Grade K to 5 - Big Universe, Inc.- 9336

Teachers First Edge Entry: for slightly adventurous technology users and their students. Now, your students can create their own picture books with just a few clicks. Or if you want, you can read countless other books written by students. The professional illustrations and layout options offer the ultimate in publishing of students' writing.

Watch the Tips and Tricks tutorial to see how the features work. Due to the minor advertising, blogs, and internet retailing, teachers should monitor students closely or use this website as a whole-class activity. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Skills Needed: 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. Once registered, view the tutorial presentation to learn more about the website.

Safety/Security Concerns: Check your school policies on student email subaccounts (Gmail). You may want to use a teacher account and allow students to use it under your supervision. Be sure to obtain written parent permission before posting ANY student work online. Be aware that their work will “show” in “Recently published books” for others to see.

The opening page for outsiders and members shares featured and popular books, so you will want to preview for possible inappropriate books created by others. As with any site where students can create content, you will want to obtain parent permission before posting student work online.

Possible Uses: Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to share the tutorial presentation and some samples of student-created books. Create a "class book" or have students create individual books. Also, sign up for the free newsletter to receive information on updates at this site.

EcoKids Grade K to 8 - Earth Day Canada- 9335

This clever, creative, and entertaining resource is a must for elementary science classroom! Click to enter the Room 26: Kids or the Teachers' Lounge. Kids from all over the world can learn oodles from this Canadian ecology site. Teachers will find a trove of information and instructional materials as well. You will appreciate the Earth Day activities and information. There are also numerous educational interactives highlighting the food chain, bugs, animal adaptations, acid rain, transportation, and other topics. Students can participate in interactive stories; play and learn with more than 50 ecology-based on-line games and activities; learn about a variety of topics including wildlife, energy, and environment issues; and print out word games or coloring sheets.

Be aware: recently, this site started to offer certain features of the Teacher's Lounge to "members only." Membership is FREE, but does require an email address. The link for students does NOT require membership to access the interactives, information, or printables. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
There is SO much to look at and explore, so browse through the offerings, create a plan for your students based on their age and ability level, then mark the site as a favorite on classroom computers. Upper elementary students can use it as an independent learning center. Younger children may need help with some of the text, so consider using an interactive whiteboard or projector and exploring the activities as a class. Click on “Downloads” on the bottom left to find printables, including coloring sheets of Canadian wildlife and various ecology-related worksheets and lesson plans. Click on the ‘games and activities’ tab and use the interactive whiteboard or projector for whole class eco-minded fun. ESL and ELL teachers, don’t miss the ‘teacher’ section for a cache of activities written for your ELL/ESL students. Interested students will use this one for hours, so some directions will be important for classroom use.

Make a Really Big Number Grade 1 to 4 - PBS Kids- 9331

Challenge your students to create the largest number possible using this spinning probability math activity. Students will reinforce concepts of place values of ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands. Click to "spin" the wheel and decide in which place value you should "drag and drop" the presented number. This website requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site to introduce your students to place value and probability, by displaying the web activity on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students work on individual computers and have them make a list of the first five numbers they create. See which number is the highest in the class. Another option, is to create a learning center using this activity. Pair this activity with printable pages or manipulatives to reinforce place value.

Have older students use this site to learn about probability. Have students keep a tally of how many times certain numbers are spun; do certain numbers appear more often than others? What are the odds of getting a nine, or one?

Math Curse: Hidden Picture Games Grade K to 2 - PBS Kids- 9330

This simple interactive math game provides students with a hidden picture covered with nine squares. Students must answer nine basic math problems to remove the tile squares. You have the choice of addition or subtraction. This math activity is based on the children's book Math Curse , so the only pictures are from the featured book. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
by reading the book Math Curse and then sharing this math challenge on an interactive whiteboard or projector. If individual computers are available, have students try their own hands at the game. This website would also make for an exciting learning center during math class.
Try having students make their own “hidden picture” games on PowerPoint slides with images behind text boxes, ready for student-generated math problems. Provide the image slides using digital pictures from your class on a template with the text boxes already “covering” the picture. The share the results as a math fact review game on your interactive whiteboard.

Digital Vaults Grade 3 to 12 - National Archives- 9314

This site offers digitized National Archives of the U.S. organized according to general category. You can finally explore and share primary source documents interactively through this Flash site. Start from eight featured topics. For a more in depth look at each subject and its associated categories, click on What's Interesting. A search feature is also available. An added feature at the bottom of the opening page is the "Pathways" tab. Students can participate in a "challenge" (in different levels) to find links between certain historical items. Students can also create their own pathways, writing about connections they find between certain archived items. In another section, students can create their own historical posters and movies from the archives. You can create a collection of items from the archives to retrieve or look at later, as well. This feature requires a free membership created by email address. There are also extensive lesson ideas and information for teachers at the small link, "Educators and Students," at the bottom of the page. Roll your mouse down to find it against the dark background. Note: the entire site is done in Flash (an HTML version is available from a small link at the bottom of the page). Get Flash from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as an anticipatory set for a unit in history or on inventions. Share a collection of images or invention drawings on a projector or whiteboard and ask what the invention will do. Or use the site as the starting point for individual or group projects. After demonstrating on an interactive whiteboard or projector, have students use laptops or lab computers to "collect" resources related to their assigned inventor, decade, or era in American history. Check your school policy regarding accessing student email. 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. Students can use their log-ins to collect resources.

Since the documents are in the public domain (are not copyrighted), students may also download and use the files as part of other projects, such as video compilations, Powerpoint presentations, or multimedia of any sort. To access the resources in non-Flash format, click the small link to "research this record in ARC" in the detailed view of the item. You can then view and Save As for use elsewhere. Be sure you teach students about copying the URL and relevant information from this ARC page to cite the source and give credit in any presentation they make. This site is excellent for enrichment or projects for the gifted, as well. Include it on your teacher web page for students to access both in and out of class for students who are working in History Day projects or other assignments for your class.

Hello World Grade 1 to 8 - Hello World Publications- 9310

This site offers beginning level language lessons in eight languages: Spanish, English, French, Russian, Indonesian, German, Chinese, and Italian. Students can start by learning to pronounce the alphabet in the target language. Other activities include dialogs which range from very simple to those using more complex grammatical construction. Students can hear the sentences in the dialogs line by line and repeat them as many times as they like; the pronunciation is very clear. In addition to the dialogs, there are delightful songs in all the languages as well as other language games like Memory and Bingo. Clicking on the letters of the alphabet opens the corresponding page of a picture dictionary with pronunciation. Complete verb forms, vocabulary with articles, and works by major writers are just some of the features of the picture dictionary. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use this tool to review beginning language lessons, to provide extra practice, and to offer an online picture dictionary/reference. This site is especially useful in world language classes. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to share the language with your students, and then pair the students up with a partner to explore the site on their own. Include this site on your teacher web page for students and parents to access as a reference.

World Wide Telescope Grade 5 to 12 - Microsoft Research- 9309

TeachersFirst Edge Review: For moderately adventurous technology users with permission to install software. This project is in beta release as of June, 2008. How do the parts of the universe relate to each other? How does the universe work? Why does it look the way it does? What does it look like from somewhere else? World Wide Telescope answers these questions and more. It is a free download of the total data and images that NASA has collected. With World Wide Telescope you can explore the universe in a free form way. The application allows you to use the data to make presentations that are infinite in variety and content. The images and data fluidly and seamlessly explore different objects in the universe. This site contains engaging pictures and content. Students are able to see relationships by distance, size and scale. Students can zoom in and out of all objects and literally look at the Universe from the inside out. Two different images can be compared effortlessly. Move through the parts of the universe to generate a unified perspective and bring awe to the eyes of your students. Some sample images are available without the download by clicking on the press information, but they do not show the power of the full,interactive program. This is a download for PC only and requires access to the Internet or a network.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Check your school policies regarding permission to download and install prior to downloading. Many schools also prevent you from installing your own software, so you may have to request the installation. Download and install the program. The download will take a long time, even over a fast connection. Set it and forget it. Once installed, choose from existing guided tours by clicking on "Experience it," and then "Guided Tours." Pause these and begin your own exploration when ready.

World Wide Telescope has been described as a “web browser for the Universe” and is easily navigated using a variety of views from the visible light view or x-ray view, among others. Moving through the program is a simple visual interface. Simply browse by dragging the sky around and scrolling and clicking to zoom in and out. Any object from the dashboard can be combined together seamlessly, and other materials not in the program can be combined to create a unique experience. The possibilities are endless.

Safety/security concerns: Students can easily become "lost in the universe" and may need help staying focused on tasks. Journeys can be shared among teachers and communities of students. Please check with your district's acceptable use policy about sharing student work. Use a teacher-generated account for sharing unless your school permits students to establish their own accounts. Teachers creating their own "community" within WWT would be able to keep it private for their students and invited guests, including classes from other schools. Perhaps you could create a personal learning network for your classes by bringing in university professors, etc. As of this writing, the education portions are just beginning.

Possible uses: On an interactive whiteboard, this would be fascinating! Share on your interactive whiteboard or projector to "orient" your class to the tools. If bandwidth is an issue on your network, you may be limited to a single classroom computer using WWT at a time. If you can, have students use laptops or a lab to view one of the guided tours available and generate list of questions for small group or individual research. You could also assign a starter set of questions and allow students to add their own. Students can then use their questioning to design their own journey, project, and story to tell. Students can create space videos or a document similar to a PowerPoint of "where they have been." See directions in the authoring section. Students can also create communities of interest within the classroom, school, or beyond, assuming you have mastered the teacher monitoring of the communities. Your class could weave their stories together to create unbelievable content and sharing. Since scale and location are maintained throughout the program, the possible questions and discoveries are endless. Students can view the same object from different points within the universe to gain a unique perspective.

Surf Swell Island Grade K to 6 - Disney.com- 9289

This colorful and engaging website explains Internet safety to younger students. There are four activities; Privacy Falls, Virus Cave, Temple of Tact, & Challenge of Doom . Come along with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and others as you answer various questions during the interactive Internet safety quiz. All answers are explained in a kid-friendly manner. There is also a teacher's guide (you must allow pop-ups to view the guide). The teacher's guide provides specific activities and lesson ideas for kindergartners, grades 1-3, and grades 4-6. There are some small pop-up style and sidebar advertisements at this website. But the annoyance is minimal, and the topic is pertinent. You could even talk about the ads as part of your lesson. If you aren't directed automatically to the homepage, click on the link Go to Island . The website does require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to teach your class about Internet safety any time or when you start on a research project using the Internet. The program doesn't "go on" unless you hit "continue." So take a few minutes after each question to discuss why something is okay or not okay online. Open another window to show actual examples of some of the topics discussed, as well. There are many other creative ideas at the Teacher's Guide link. For example, they suggest encouraging students to pretend they are on Surf Swell Island. and create a story about their adventures in cyber safety.

Division Mine Grade 3 to 5 - BBC- 9269

Help Max and Molly, both miners, choose the correct number of wagons necessary for each set of stones by using your division skills. This website doesn't just show the answer, but also demonstrates how division works. There are three levels of difficulty. The website also features a "full screen" option, printable worksheets, engaging sound effects (that can be turned off), and animations. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this website with your class on an interactive whiteboard or projector and show the students HOW to use the program. Then, create a learning center for students to use this website, or provide individual computers. Use the three difficulty levels to differentiate for your students. Play a game of "Around the World" using this activity. Or divide your class into teams and have some healthy competition. You may want to list this website in your class newsletter and on your class website so students can practice their math skills at home.

The Interactive Universe Grade 1 to 12 - A and E Television Network- 9266

Take a voyage through the vastness of the universe. Begin with the sun and learn facts about composition, temperatures, and more. View different images of each object and zoom in and out. Use the bottom navigation bar to choose between the different planets of our Solar System, or browse through the Milky Way, various nebula and comets, Proxima Centuri, Andromeda, or a Black Hole. You will want to turn off background music when multiple students access the site. Click on the Universe at the top left to find interesting videos to be aired on the network that are related to the site. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
The Interactive Universe would best be displayed with an interactive whiteboard or projector as an anticipatory set. Use it with a projector while students are presenting information about the planet or sharing "news from across the universe," as it makes a great backdrop. Ask your students to visit the site and create a poster, multimedia presentation, or travel guide from the information they learn. Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects or as a way to begin a new unit.

Stories for Children Magazine Grade K to 7 - SFC Magazine- 9258

This delightful ezine offers many stories for children of a variety of ages, a monthly author feature, games, crafts, book reviews, and more. For those who prefer to print out the entire magazine, that option is available. The pictorial table of contents along the right border of the page entices children with attractive titles and graphics. Each story title indicates the target age for the story. Warning: most of this site is free, but there are items for purchase available. There are also some simple advertisements.

In the Classroom:
Choose one story a week to give children the idea of supplementary reading or to use as reading comprehension practice with main idea or other skills. Be sure to help your weaker readers and ESL and ELL students by sharing the vocabulary words prior to reading, either on a handout or by projecting them on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have them highlight the vocabulary words in the text using the whiteboard tools as you come to them. Encourage students to write or verbally share their own stories after viewing this site’s offerings. Some school filtering systems may block this site because it it hosted on the tripod (user-created site) domain. Be sure to check it at school to be sure it will work in your classroom, and request that it be unblocked if it falls into the “tripod trap.”

Outline of the Five Paragraph Essay Grade 8 to 12 - Maria DeSoto- 9247

Are you looking for a simple site to teach or review the structure of the five paragraph essay? This is the site for you. It walks students through each of the steps, giving examples. While this is a very simple site, it is a good activity to do as a class since the examples offered are easily understandable.

In the Classroom:
Follow this exercise together as a class on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have the class create their own essays with this structure as you walk through the example. Peer editing at the end of the lesson the interactive whiteboard is a good reinforcement for this exercise. Ask students to find and highlight the essential elements of the essay in the student example (shared anonymously, of course). Use a consistent color-coding system for each of the elements, so you can ask students to label their own drafts in the same manner.

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

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

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

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

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

Be aware: during election season, this site opens slowly. But it is well worth the wait. There is advertising on the site, but it is fairly unobtrusive. This website requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

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

Looky Book Grade K to 5 - LookyBook, Inc.- 9232

Want to add books to your classroom library without any cost? Now you can. This site (currently in beta--or field testing) allows you to set up a virtual bookshelf. Viewers (your students) can click on your bookshelf and literally read each of your books. A simple, free registration is required to create a bookshelf. With or without forming a bookshelf, books can be read in their entirety online. With a click on the book cover and then the right side page, magically pages turn and the viewer can read the book. This easy-to-use site allows you to choose from a growing list of Lookybook books to add to your bookshelf. You may add the books to your blog as well with a click on the ‘embed’ link. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Teachers, note that your students will not be able to register at this site, so they will not be able to rate the books or leave comments or reviews of the books. (Users must be age 13.) However, they can enjoy reading books from your “shelf” at individual computers, or they can read them on a whiteboard used as a digital big book. Be sure to share the link on your teacher web page for parents and students to enjoy together at home, too.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Batter's Up Baseball Grade 1 to 6 - Prongo.com- 9203
This website offers a Flash-enhanced math game built on a baseball theme. The problems (addition or multiplication) presented vary widely in difficulty, so the game could be used across several grades or with students of varying ability. Students have the option of choosing single digit questions, double digit questions, or a home run (difficult question). This website requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Online Stopwatch Grade K to 12 - online-stopwatch.com- 8923
What a wonderful tool to use in any classroom. This website provides an online stop watch (as the name suggests). On the home page, you have your choice of a stop watch (counting up from 0) or a countdown (for the number of minutes or seconds you choose). There is even a "large stop watch" link that makes the counting a full-screen adventure (perfect if you are using your desktop computer at a distance -- easier for students to see). The stop watch and countdown both require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
There are many uses for this practical online tool. Get out your interactive whiteboard or projection screen (or even the classroom desktop computer) and make sure the speakers are turned up. Use this tool for students to practice speeches, or to limit time for a quiz or spelling test. Shrink the stopwatch window in the corner of your interactive whiteboard as you time different teams completing a drag-and-drop challenge. The countdown feature could also be used for timing the rotations from center to center. You can even use the timer for reading fluency exercises or physical education warm-ups! A clever classroom management tool would be to start the visible count-down on your computer screen when you want the class to settle down for directions or to transition to the next subject. Kindergarten students can practice counting along with the watch!

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

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

Story Starter Grade 1 to 3 - Roxie Carroll- 8902
This writing site encourages children to use their creativity to finish stories. Select the type of story to write or choose to complete a limerick from its first line. Seasonal story prompts include a variety of common holidays. There are also prompts for poetry writing. Some stories can be written on the computer and require FLASH.Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use simple story writing for beginning keyboarding or write a whole-class story on your interactive whiteboard. Have ESL students write their own stories to reinforce their writing, grammar, and reading development. Share the site on your teacher web page as an at-home activity during school breaks and snow days!

Mystery Net's Kids Mystery Grade 4 to 9 - MysteryNet: The Online Mystery Network- 8856
If solving a good mystery is what your students crave, then this website is worthy of bookmarking. There are 28 ‘quick solve’ mystery stories provided. Students read the story, and then choose the perpetrator. Clues are provided as necessary. This website also features 29 chiller mystery stories to solve. At the bottom of the screen, you will find links to lesson plans (about mysteries), mystery bibliographies, a "tricks" page, and much more.

In the Classroom:
Reading teachers in the elementary and middle grades will appreciate the complicated story line at a lower reading level. Students will be motivated to read more of the stories.

Why not display the mystery on an interactive whiteboard (or projection screen) as an anticipatory set for a science class on forensics, reading lesson about "finding clues," or a mystery unit. Use the tools to highlight clue words and other ways that the mystery "leads" you to the solution. Challenge your class to create their own 'quick solve' mysteries individually or with a partner on a class wiki. If your teaching assignment allows you to team teach, coordinate your mysteries in reading class with a look at scientific method in science class, using these mysteries.

Inspiration Lane Grade 4 to 12 - Susan Alyn- 8851
This dynamic site offers a blog-style newspaper for ESL/ELL students and could also be used in other academic areas. The daily entries follow the same basic format: "Quote of the Day," "This Day in History," "Article of the Day," "Comic Creators,” "Cooking State," "Match Up," “Museum Town,” and “Caption Central.” All change daily! “Today’s English Lesson” changes on weekdays. Like a newspaper, teachers and students can read a single feature or the entire sheet. Interspersed with the information are grammar reminders and practical applications. For foreign language students and beginning language learners, there is an option to translate the page into Korean, French, German, Italian, Portuguese,Spanish, Japanese, simplified Chinese and even Arabic!

In the Classroom:
Project this on your whiteboard at the start of your lesson as students enter or to wrap up the final five minutes with interesting clips from history, quotes, ESL in music etc. Encourage your students to try a new vocabulary word each day on their own. If your students have Internet access outside of class (even in study hall), require a weekly current events response for writing practice--perhaps on a class blog?

AlgebraLAB Grade 7 to 12 - Mainland High School- 8846
AlgebraLAB highlights the connection between algebra (and many other math subjects) and science. Although this website may appear as an in-depth informational algebra site, there is A LOT more to explore! AlgebraLAB includes 10+ links to various topics: Lessons, Practice, Careers (how Algebra and science are used in countless careers), Directions (offers insight on how to use this site), Word Problems, Study Aids, a Glossary, and several others. Many activities are interactive. This site requires Windows Media Player. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
This informational site is a MUST HAVE in any secondary math class. Be certain to save this site in your favorites. The site highlights countless algebra topics (and other math areas). Share the information on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share the link on your class website so students can access the site both in and out of the classroom. Have cooperative learning groups explore one of the topics presented at the lessons or activities link. Have the groups create a video to share what they learned. Share the videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector using a tool such as TeacherTube (explained here). Differentiate! You can easily find extension activities for your more-able students to do while you reinforce the basics with others.

Mrs. Cassidy's Web Page - Measurement Grade K to 3 - Mrs. Cassidy- 8840
This educational website was created by a primary teacher. It offers two educational activities on the topic of “time." Both activities are interactive and present information in a "kid-friendly" manner. The activities include "What Time Is It?" and "Stop The Clock." Both of these activities require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Get your interactive whiteboards ready, so your students can practice telling time. Why not divide your class into teams and make this a class "cooperative learning" activity.

Grain Strain Grade 4 to 10 - sciencemuseum- 8832
This interactive website challenges students to design a contraption that will catch 50 pieces of grain. There is a chain that drops the grain, and a bucket at the bottom of the screen. Students have their choice of 5-6 chains running in various directions. What a fabulous way to integrate science, math, creativity, and problem solving. This site requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. NOTE: this British science museum is very popular. The site opens slowly at certain times of the school day and evening in Britain.

In the Classroom:
This is a wonderful website to incorporate into a science unit about levers, gears, and simple machines. Or use this website as a mind stretcher for the entire class.

Share this creative website on an interactive whiteboard (or projector). Be sure to turn up the volume, students will enjoy the background music and sounds provided at this website.(You may end up turning it OFF after a while, too!). Or have students work in pairs on laptops to solve a level and analyze their success, including drawing and labeling the parts of their machine.

Ask for Kids Grade K to 6 - IAC Search & Media - 8809
This easy, kid-friendly search site focuses on learning, combined with a little “edu-tainment.” Students ask pertinent questions by using their natural language, and the search begins. The searches filter the web and provide age-appropriate content. (Note: This site was formerly known as Ask Jeeves.) Notice the two links under the search window for ‘News Resources’ and ‘Fun and Games.’ These links open into safe, off-site areas for more information-gathering and fun.

On the home page of Ask for Kids, notice the stacked books on the right. Click the subject ‘book’ in which your search is needed. The easy drop-down menus will aid in zeroing the search.

In the Classroom:
Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to teach students how to do research using this online search site. Many students need modeling on how to fine-tune their searches. For those with reading levels or maturity levels not yet ready for full-fledged "Googling," this site is a winner. It would also be an excellent comparison to Google for upper elementary students as they learn more about evaluating web sites.

Browser Books Grade K to 1 - Kathy Cassidy- 8807
Have you ever needed a second reading teacher in your primary classroom? You will come close when you visit this site. Browser Books’ name says it all. Your students will choose from a list of books to read. Click on the arrow at the bottom right on each page, and the page turns to the next. You won’t need to answer, “What’s this word?” when your students read these online books. Click on each word and hear it read aloud. Students will love the kid-friendly faces in each book. Books are leveled from pre-Kindergarten to first grade. The Moosejaw, Canada web creator of this site deserves the awards she has garnered.

In the Classroom:
Your students will find the easy navigation at this site a bonus. Give them a laptop to read these books in their cozy reading spot (with headphones), or choral read with the entire classroom or group using an interactive whiteboard. Individualized reading opportunities abound using these books. For computer savvy parents, assign this as extra homework reading. They will not complain about this homework assignment.

The Online Picasso Project Grade 2 to 12 - Prof. Dr. Enrique Mallen- 8794
Explore everything you ever wanted to see and read about Picasso using this fabulous online collection. See a biographical timeline with images of the artworks intermingled, explore the works up close using an "explore" tool, and compare works side by side by using the checkboxes and "compare" button. Whether you are trying to inspire an art project with some visuals before turning students loose with their own materials or are teaching a lesson in art criticism, this site is a treasury. A few of the resources open a little slowly simply because of the large volume of information that is loading. The tool seems to work best when you go in through "biography."

In the Classroom:
Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or large screen in your art class. Use the whiteboard tools to draw and highlight aspects of the works. If you assign students to do research on featured artists, this site is a MUST. Literature teachers approaching works of the early 20th century may also want to compare Picasso's revolutionary approaches to some of the changes in poetry at the same time.

Exploring Africa Grade 6 to 12 - Michigan State University- 8791
Wow, this website is amazing! Exploring Africa brings Africa into your classroom through numerous interdisciplinary lessons. There are 20 modules (within 4 general units of study). The general units include "Why Study Africa", "Studying Africa Through the Social Studies", "Studying Africa Through the Humanities", and "Regional Perspectives". Each module contains a teacher version that includes objectives, focus questions, activities, background information, and more. These teaching and learning activities all follow the "5 E's" format: Engage, Explore, Explain, Expand, and Evaluate. The website also provides links for specific country information and current events.

In the Classroom:
This website is literally a textbook online. The information is ready to go and easy to use. It may not be possible to cover all of the information included in this extensive website. Pick and choose the modules that will be useful in your own classroom. Modules can easily be used independently and include detailed teacher notes, evaluations, printable pages, and more. Many of the a ctivities will work well using technology, though the plans do not specify this. For example: Share some of the maps on your interactive whiteboard or have students draw some of their "preconceived notions" about Africa on the whiteboard as part of the introductory image activities.

The Africa Guide Grade 2 to 12 - africaguide.com- 8790
This website provides a colorful interactive map of Africa. Users are able to click on any country in Africa to learn more about that particular country. The website includes basic geographical information (capital cities, landforms, elevations, exact locations, etc.) along with other general information. The reading level is too high for younger students, so they will need an adult reader. Some of the links provide authentic music from the country, information about accommodations available, and tourist attractions. There are some interactive elements that require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
What a fabulous tool for online research or student-guided learning. This website presents a wonderful, concise summary of all of the countries in Africa. Why not assign individual students (or groups or 2) a specific country to research. Then the students can create an interactive PowerPoint or other presentation to share on a projection screen. With younger students, use your interactive whiteboard to share the site (turn up the speakers), allowing students to click and guide the class "trip." Music links go to Amazon, and only some have the listening feature available (scroll down the Amazon page to "Listen to Samples"). You will want to check before class.

Footnote Grade 6 to 12 - Footnote- 8786
Imagine a "YouTube" style site for documents, and you may get the idea behind Footnote. The site claims to have more than 20 million documents on-line and available for searching (although it's not full-text searchable; rather it is keyword- and comment-searchable). The documents span a wide range of historical eras. You view images of the documents using Flash, which allows you to zoom in for greater detail. Of course, there is a catch: only some of the documents are available to view for free... the entire database is open only to members for a $60 annual fee. Members, however, can compile their own groups of documents and share these "stories" with other members.

This fairly new site jumps on the "user-generated" Internet bandwagon and has the potential to greatly expand the availability of primary source documents from your desktop. For researchers, either a monthly membership or annual membership may easily be worth the fee charged. Soem students will love finding UFO reports among the FREE content alongside the "U.S. Milestone Documents."

In the Classroom:
There are plenty of interesting documents for students and teachers to search for free. Try sharing some on your projector or interactive whiteboard as you talk about historical events or figures. Invite students to create annotated versions using the tools of the whiteboard or presentation software. Although some may see this sort of site as another nail in the coffin of searching the stacks of an academic library for information, students will have the chance to see and investigate historical documents as originals, and not just transcriptions in a text book.

Colour Lovers Grade 4 to 12 - Color Lovers- 8768
Art teachers and graphic design instructors trying to provide many examples of analogous and complementary color schemes will love this site. Your young artists will be fascinated that people are actually PAID to create and forecast new color palettes for all kinds of design and other applications. This site is a sharing space for professional color designers to post new color schemes they have created for architecture, web design, print, advertising, and any other use. It is the real world equivalent of a on line color "jam session." The home page often features a color scheme on a current topic, such as color inspirations from a seasonal picture.

In the Classroom:
Assign your secondary art or fibers students to select a color scheme from this site and describe it both technically (the hues, tones, etc.) and emotionally (what feelings do these colors evoke?). Color schemes can be copied and pasted from the site (under Fair Use) for students to place on PowerPoint slides with commentary, then project as part of a class critique. If you teach digital imaging, have students create their own digital color palettes and share them on a wiki with their descriptions and descriptions from classmates. Younger students can respond to palettes you bring up on a projector of interactive whiteboard before a painting or color mixing lesson.

Be aware that this site has comments and favorites, so you will want to preview for comments not appropriate in a classroom. There is also a discussion board area you may want to avoid. Spell out the limitations before you put students on to navigate the site in your secondary classroom. If you are too concerned, do it as a whole-class activity on an interactive whiteboard.

Wild Weather Adventure Grade 3 to 6 - NASA- 8762
This interactive website is a virtual weather and geography board game. You can choose 1-4 players, the difficulty level, a name for your "weather ship", the color of your ship, and other personalized features. Students spin a wheel and then move their ship a certain number of spaces. Then, they are asked a question related to the weather (there are different levels of difficulty). Geography skills are also tested in this game; the virtual "gameboard" is a world map. Geography facts and questions are provided throughout the game. This website requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
What an excellent activity for an interactive whiteboard. Divide your class into 4 teams. Get your interactive whiteboard ready, and turn up the volume. Students will love this educational weather activity. This website would also make a wonderful learning center for additional enrichment or review during a science unit about weather.

Once you click to "play the game", there is a link for further instructions on how to use the program.

Globetracker's Mission: Finding Dewey Grade 2 to 6 - TeachersFirst- 8722
Globetracker’s Mission is a projector- or whiteboard-ready episodic story in blog-style format, taking students in grades 2-6 on a world-wide journey as they learn standards-based world geography, landforms, and map skills in an engaging, interactive context. Each weekly “post” from Geo and Meri, fictitious brother and sister techno-savvy teens, traces steps on a secret mission to find Dewey, the truth-sniffing dog. Episodes include annotated vocabulary terms, interactive maps to practice map skills, and think-aloud questions the teens pose as they use today’s tools: text messaging, cell phones, and blog-posting. Readers vote at the conclusion of each post, telling Geo and Meri what to do next. TeachersFirst member teachers may have their classes post their own predictions of what the next episode will bring. All episodes have accompanying Google Earth™ placemarker files so your class can “tour” with Geo and Meri using Google Earth’s free, downloadable software. Complete tech tips, detailed lesson and management ideas, and teacher information are included.

This resource was featured in a recent New Teacher Hotline Podcast as one of the Tech Toolbox resources. Hear more about it on the podcast .

In the Classroom:
See "Lesson Ideas" from the Teacher Edition page for a complete list of ways to use this creative unit with younger students, on laptops with student partners, or as semi-independent work. Be sure to share the link on your teacher web page for students to share at home (or check on the next episode, if they can't wait!).

Encourage parents to join the fun on the mission by "touring" the same continents in family literacy activities from our partner site, TeachersAndFamilies TogetheRead . The monthly themes from November 2007 through May 2008 will be in sync with Geo and Meri's travels. Perhaps you want to give extra credit for additional information about the continents gained from TogetheRead family reading and activities-- or use some of the books in your classroom.

Map of Historic Philadelphia in the Late 18th century Grade 5 to 12 - Teaching American History.org- 8711
Try this simple, graphically attractive interactive map of Philadelphia during the time of the Founding Fathers. Click on the featured landmarks, and further information about that building and its significance during the time of the Revolution appears in a pop up window.

In the Classroom:
This site is ideal for an interactive whiteboard or projector, and can help students visually imagine the world of 1776 Philadelphia and America's Founding Fathers. Use it to illustrate narratives about the Continental Congress, the writing of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution or to give students a "you are there" feeling when talking about the American Revolution. If you choose to have students "take the tour" on their own, have them work with a partner to write up a script for a tour guide to use and record the "best" one for your class podcast this month.

Way Back: Flight Grade 3 to 8 - WGBH for PBS- 8706
This interactive website (created by PBS) presents the history of flight. What a fabulous way to integrate history, science, inventions, research, and writing. Click your way through the notable and not-so-notable flight pioneers. Other highlights of this website include a wealth of information about the Wright Brothers, a modern day female barnstormer, "joke" links, and more.

In the Classroom:
Use the "People to Know" section as a model for a class activity on any science or history topic. Share this section of the Flight site on a projector or whiteboard during your inventions or Famous Americans unit. Then, in your next unit, have students write about an important figure without his/her name and ask others to guess who it might be. Put the writings on your class blog or wiki and have other students respond with their guesses.

Squigly's Apples Grade 1 to 2 - PrimaryGames.com- 8700
Students must identify where Squigly is on a line using ordinal numbers and click the WORD for that number. This site is simple and will help students with ordinal numbers and vocabulary.

In the Classroom:
Make this game a center on your single classroom computer or cluster. To extend the idea, have students create his/her own ordinal number question on a PowerPoint slide by pasting identical clip art graphics and "hiding" something behind one of them. Then type the question: Which dog (cat,etc) is hiding the bone (ball, etc)? Combine the slides into a show you can share on your interactive whiteboard or print as a "big book."

Word Search Puzzles Grade 1 to 5 - Primarygames.com- 8699
This site offers user-friendly, interactive word search puzzles for vocabulary and reading enhancement. Some of the topics include the Olympics, Earth Day, butterflies, and various holidays. These are computer-based word searches, not printables. There is a link to a companion site with printables. NOTE: when you choose a topic, you first see an advertisement. You can bypass the ad by clicking "skip this ad" in the top right corner. Teach your students to look for "skip" buttons on ads! The site requires Java. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share a search on your interactive whiteboard (use student FINGERS to circle the words!). Of make it a center as one of several options for spelling and vocabulary. Your students may ask you to include the link on your teacher web page so they can try some from home, as well.

What Do Maps Show? Grade 4 to 8 - USGS- 8679
This website offers information on many types of maps: topographical, road, relief maps and more. There are four lessons that use a variety of inquiry strategies to help students learn to use and understand maps. Students will gather data and draw conclusions using the maps. Downloadable maps and activity sheets are included. This site requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Be sure to visit the teacher’s guide before visiting the individual lessons for helpful hints. The maps would display very well on an interactive whiteboard. Have students highlight or circle map elements and show with the pens how to find certain places. Since printables are included, you can have those at their seats work on their own copies of the same maps and show you their work, "earning" the chance to do it on the whiteboard.

Word Games for Kids Grade 2 to 6 - Fun4Brains by Julia- 8672
This electronic version of MadLibs creates entertaining, educational fun as students type in the prompted nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. With a click of the mouse, the computer generates fresh hilarious stories. This site requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Group students and allow them to generate their own stories. Read the simple explanation of how to generate their own customized story on the homepage of this site. Select and share completed stories on your interactive whiteboard by copy/pasting them into a word processing document, and have students color-code the parts of speech with the highlighter tool to reinforce the parts of speech. Limitation: There are only five possible stories, so use this sparingly to reinforce and practice with parts of speech.

Interactive Quizzes Grade 3 to 6 - Mrs. Bogucki- 8618
This website, created by a 5th grade teacher who once taught 3rd grade, presents a comprehensive list of interactive quizzes. Topics include Explorers, Jamestown, Flags of the World, Landforms, Iditarod Trail Trivia, Addition Word Problems, Calculating the Area of a Rectangle, Learning Decimals, Fractions, Weather Definitions, Homophones, geographic Regions of North America, and many other topics.

In the Classroom:
These interactive quizzes would work well on an interactive whiteboard at the introduction to a unit (as an informal assessment of prior knowledge or anticipatory set to motivate students). They could also be used individually as learning centers to review and re-teach.

Clue Maps Grade 2 to 10 - iKnowthat.com- 8616
This website is simply awesome! The opening page asks you to select a region (such as, Africa or Southern USA) or to choose a landform feature (such as gulf regions or bay area). Users also must choose a connection mode (dial up or modem) and then begin the games. Visitors are prompted to complete a free registration but may choose "maybe later." The games present students with geography clues/questions about the chosen region or landform feature. Users drag or click the correct answers. This site uses both FLASH and Shockwave, get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Turn up the sound to hear the country names pronounced, then introduce this online challenge using an interactive whiteboard, then allow students to try the challenges on their own. Make sure students notice the small text information provided with each correct answer and that they know to avoid the one annoying pop-up that recurs. The challenges consist of only a few questions, and would make an excellent introductory activity or anticipatory set for a geography lesson. Include this link on your teacher web page so students can practice before you give map tests.

Electric Circuits Grade 4 to 8 - British Energy - 8595
This awesome website provides students with an up close (and interactive) look at electric circuits. The descriptions are easy to understand; the activities are thought provoking and perfect for cooperative learning; and the excitement of your students is guaranteed! This website is divided into three main chapters - Basic Circuits, Series and Parallel, and Circuit Challenges. There are online quizzes, interactive games, graphics, reference information and more. This website requires Flash, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This website would work well as a learning center, cooperative learning activity, or a whole group activity on an interactive whiteboard. If you don't have time to complete all of the activities, just complete the activities that will be useful for the concepts most challenging in your curriculum. The active engagement will help your sturggling learners. NOte that the vocabulary is British, so a "battery" is a "cell."

How Animals Meet Their Needs Grade 1 to 3 - Harcourt School Publishers- 8588
This simple web site provides an opportunity for students to use pictures and descriptions to answer questions about animal adaptations to obtain oxygen, protection, food, and more. The questions are straight-forward, and students are given ample opportunities to correct any incorrect answers. Beginning readers may need assistance with difficult terminology.

In the Classroom:
Share this site as a whole-class lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard or as a center for those who have sufficient reading skills. You could also partner better readers with those who need assistance and allow them to use the site for review on a classroom computer cluster.

American Centuries ...view from New England Grade 4 to 12 - Memorial Hall Museum Online- 8572
There is so much to explore on this site, you will need to place limitations on it! Digital Collections of everything from clothing to chronology, turns of the century exhibits, in the classroom activities, curricula, New England architecture and tools, manuscripts from people who lived in the time-- this site is truly a museum on the web made student-friendly. The activities section is full of ways to involve students with real objects from history. Students can actually hear some of the artists and writers reading their own words -- which is remarkable. If you teach American literature or history or are interested in artifacts from the past, this is a great site. If you choose, you or your students can create a login and save to "my collection." Many sections require Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
If you plan to share objects as part of a lesson "collect" them in a personal collection so you can pull them up easily. Challenge secondary students to use the activity labeled "Create a chronology" to group artifacts from the collections to illustrate a concept, such as slavery, clothing, or background of an author, artist, or historical event. With younger students, use one or more of the activities on an interactive whiteboard or projector or design a simple scavenger hunt within YOUR collection of objects for students to find out about colonial life and times. If you turn them loose on the entire site, you will never get them back.

The Renaissance Connection Grade 6 to 10 - Allentown Art Museum- 8571
This is a great website for student interaction! It does require Flash to get the full effect and animation (Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.). With a click of a mouse you can be transported 500 years back in time, complete with digital images, interactive activities, maps, timelines, and more. The music that matches each section also adds to the authenticity in taking students to this time.While this site was originally for middle school students, it would work very well with 9-10th graders simply because it will hold their attention. The site includes lesson plans and ideas for language arts, art, science, social studies, and math, as well as a general introduction lesson.

In the Classroom:
Even if you only have one day to spend, you can use this site to focus on inventions or provide background before you read Shakespeare or look at Renaissance art. Start by sharing the interactive timeline of six themes of the Renaissance (Start from Art Explorer) as an introduction on a projector or whiteboard, then send student groups to different areas of the site to become "experts" on different facets of the Renaissance. The varied activities provide easy ways to differentiate or address multiple intelligences. Be sure to plan a culminating day when students share their new expertise in the form of presentations, products, or plays.

Endangered Animals in Africa Grade 3 to 12 - Africa Conservation Fund- 8570
This site offers up-to-date news on conservation issues and incidents in Africa. Organized by reporters in the different regions of this large continent, the site gives users the option of selecting news, videos, or blogs with videos to keep themselves informed on the very latest events impacting animals, both good and bad. The fastest way to find the animal information is to click on "Find Blogs about Hippos, Gorillas, Colobus monkey, Rhinos, amd other Endangered Animals"

In the Classroom:
Once you become familiar with specific naturalist bloggers on this site, you may want to revisit their posts throughout your unit on animals, biodiversity, or the environment. These real world connections would be good lesson starters. Teachers may also use this site when studying world cultures and geography of Africa. Elementary teachers will want to share selected portions of this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector as they teach about animal habitats and adaptations. Since some of the incidents that threaten the animals may be involve violence or be frightening to students, teachers should preview before sharing with younger students. The reading levels are adult, so this is not a good site to suggest for elementary students to use independently.

World News Grade 4 to 12 - WN Network- 8568
This is a wonderful compilation site of news from all over the world. Users can read the home page or search news of a specific geographic region. An excellent plus here is the ability to choose to read the news in a variety of languages. World Photos today, multimedia, global weather, and sports are just a few of the many attractive sections that add to this site's appeal.

In the Classroom:
Share this site with your school's foreign language teachers. Have students do comparisons between English and foreign language versions of the news. If you teach writing, you can find controversial topics as writing prompts for persuasive writing among the articles, as well, and have students find facts to support their positions. Make this site available from your teacher web page for current events assignments. Reading teachers will want to use the articles on an interactive whiteboard to teach main idea and summarizing: highlight key words to use in a main idea or summary sentence you write together below the article.

Inventing Modern America: Games Grade 5 to 12 - Lemelson-MIT- 8559
Students dream about becoming an inventor. This site shows that even the smallest item in life, such as the paper clip, was once invented by 'someone.' You can promote creativity and encourage 'thinking outside the box' through this site. Play the 'Which Came First' game at this site to see if you can guess which invention came first, especially in conjunction with a social studies class on the inventors and industrial revolution. (Warning: It's harder than you think!) Or you may opt to play the 'Invention Connection' game, a challenging activity that builds higher level thinking through attribute listing and looking for common characteristics of diverse inventions. For pure information and inspiration, click on the five featured inventors to find video footage and other information about their lives and inventions. You will need the Shockwave plug-in to play the 'Invention Connection' game.

In the Classroom:
Use an interactive whiteboard to play the games in science class as you talk about inventions, engineering, and the inquiry process that drives them or as an interdisciplinary connection in your lessons on inventions and the Industrial Revolution.

sketchfu Grade 6 to 12 - Matt Rubens and Andrew Chen- 8553
TeachersFirst Edge entry: for slightly adventurous technology users. Create simple drawings (or elaborate ones) and share them in animated form using this online tool. The VERY simple drawing tool space records your drawing actions, allows you to replay to see it in quick motion, and "publishes" the result on a web page. The site is designed as a social drawing space where you can view others' work and share your own, but students could use it just for class--and so could you. See a silly sample diagram made by our editors. This site requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Join the site (free). They say it requires email, but it works with a "nonsense" address, so students COULD set up a quick account. We recommend using a single class account with the teacher's email so you can monitor content. It appears that multiple computers can log into the same account at the same time. Once on the site, SKIP the profile info (not required) and friends, and go right to "draw something." Use very simply tools to diagram a process (photosynthesis?), build an art drawing to show how simple geometric shapes can interact as the basis for complex drawings, or illustrate a simple allegorical story with basic shapes (The Dot Meets the Line?). Use Replay to watch it.

When you are ready, click "publish" and copy the URL they provide (skip the email part) so you can show the animation on your interactive whiteboard or place the link in other presentations. You can also DOWNLOAD the still image.

Safety concerns: Since the site has drawings by anyone, we do not recommend allowing students to browse freely. You never know what people might "draw"! Share the site on a supervised computer or an interactive whiteboard or projector to avoid adventurous curiosity in class. Let the students do that at home under someone else's supervision. The site policies state that content should be rated "PG."

How would you use this? Challenge students to use the tool to explain complex processes in simple graphic terms. Since text is very difficult, you may want them to narrate their animations themselves. Art teachers will want to browse some of the beautiful drawings done by others on this site and share the animations to show techniques of building color, shape, cross-hatching ,etc. to make an image. (There is an opacity variation tool, but you have to "earn" it---our reviewers did not get that far).

TeachersFirst Middle East Interactive Activities Grade 6 to 12 - TeachersFirst- 8529
Understanding the nuances of the Middle East is a challenge for anyone. TeachersFirst offers these interactive activities to help students grasp the basic political geography and religious make-up of the region. The activities include some basic facts to acquaint students with historical events, resentments, and alliances in the region. With this foundation, you can move on to meaningful discussions of the many interrelationships in the Middle East and their impact on the world today.

In the Classroom:
These interactive activities are well-suited for both individual student use and interactive whiteboards. There is a link at the bottom of the page to different lesson plan ideas to use these activities in the classroom for varying purposes. Be sure to include the link on your teacher web page if you are asking students to learn all the country names. They will be able to use the activities to practice at home or in study halls.

Multiplication Grade 2 to 5 - Dositey- 8523
This site includes interactive portions and printable worksheets for students to use to learn multiplication. Topics include everything from basic facts 0-20 to regrouping to order of operations. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use this website (and the activities) to differentiate the material for your class. Allow the more advanced students to try their hand at one of the more challenging programs. Get out an interactive whiteboard or projector to introduce the website, then allow students to practice their multiplication on their own on your classroom computer cluster or as part of their time on a single classroom computer.

Number Sense Grade K to 2 - Dositey- 8522
This website provides a wonderful introduction to numbers and place value. The website includes interactive games and challenges, as well as printable worksheets. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to involve your entire class in the Flash activities. Make one of the activities a center in your single-computer classroom. Print off the worksheets for additional practice at-home.

Finance Freak Grade 6 to 12 - Coolmath.com- 8517
This website demonstrates the basics of finance for teenagers. There are seven general topics. The first topic is the basics of banking (types of banks and accounts, how banks work, etc..). The second is the math of money (compound interest, annuities and more). The third is all about owing money (such as credit cards or student loans). The fourth topic is credit ratings. The fifth topic is all about investing (stocks, mutual funds, bonds, CDs and others are all included). The sixth topic (probably a student-favorite) is learning how to be smart and rich (spend wisely and plan for the future). The seventh area provides financial calculators for a mortgage, a car, investments, and more!

This curricular content may match up with your math, FCS, economics, social studies, careers, or business classes. Students (and adults) can all learn more about financial options at this fabulous website. Do your students a favor and teach them these "real-life" skills today. Portions of this site require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share the aspects of the site that fit your curriculum on laptops or an interactive whiteboard (or projector) as you assign students to make their own financial plans or learn about compounding interest. Assign them mini-scavenger hunt activities within this site to learn basic financial survival. Be sure to share the link on your teacher web page, as well, since the content will surely interest your eager spenders to visit on their own outside of class, as well.

Ghost Blasters Grade 3 to 5 - - 8507
This unique (and addictive) game uses ghosts to build number sense and motivate students - perfect for Fall Fun! The website allows users to choose to play with multiples of 2-20. Once you have chosen what multiples you want to play, click the "play" button. Then you click on the ghosts that are the appropriate multiples. This activity requires Flash, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Introduce this website on an interactive whiteboard and then allow students to explore independently. This website is perfect for learning centers - especially around October!

Electricity Timeline Grade 4 to 10 - British Energy- 8504
This site provides a good introduction to the history and inventions/discoveries involving energy. There is also a text version (you can click near the top of the screen to use the text). This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This website is ideal for an interactive whiteboard, but would also work well as a scavenger hunt or research source for cooperative learning groups or students working on individual computers. Couple this with an activity on electrical circuits and one on energy conservation for a "round robin" of electricity activities.

Information Finder Grade 1 to 3 - BBC- 8496
This unusual website is interactive and provides students with the unique challenge of determining which types of reference books should be used to find specified information. Some of the reference books include an atlas, a book about flags, a book about wildlife, and a few specialized weather books. The website provides a Teachers/Parents link that provides general standards for this interactive game. The entire activity requires Flash, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use an interactive whiteboard and let students take turns to help your students understand the various forms of informational texts. Or set up this site as a center in the library/media center to remind students where to look for information.

Brain Explorer Grade 7 to 12 - Lundbeck Institute- 8483
Brain Explorer is a comprehensive, interactive explanation of the human brain. This site is organized into three major categories: a brain atlas, neurological control information, and descriptions of brain disorders. It also provides a glossary, a gallery, and additional reading material. Younger students may need some guided help or a narrow web quest because the site could be overwhelming.

In the Classroom:
This site would be a fantastic resource for teachers and students in biology, anatomy, health, or psychology. Share the images from the gallery on a projector or whiteboard to illustrate brain basics or assign students to find out more detailed information from the Atlas.

MARE's Build a Fish Grade 2 to 6 - Marine Activities, Resources and Education (MARE)- 8480
MARE provides an opportunity for young scientists to create their own fish with features and adaptations that are appropriate for a specific habitat. There is a brief explanation for each feature such as the mouth, body, tail and camouflage. Click on the Survive-O-Meter when the fish has been completed to find out whether or not the fish will survive in the habitat.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as a constructivist way for students to observe, hypthesize, and test different adaptations to learn what it takes to live in a specific habitat. First model the process with one of the six environments. Then have students work with a partner, recording what they try and what happens until they can reach a conclusion about what adaptations work best in different environments. Assign different pairs to different environments, then have them report back, demonstrating their successful fish "designs" on an interactive whiteboard to explain why each characteristic is appropriate for the habitat(s).

Climate Change Water Cycle Grade 3 to 8 - EPA- 8477
This user-friendly site provides a detailed explanation of the water cycle and the impact of climate change on it. Students will be able to visualize the cycle by using the pictures and diagrams in conjunction with the reading. Students can follow up with the quiz/review at the end of the reading. Print is small and attention to detail is a necessity while reading this site.

In the Classroom:
Share the site on an interactive whiteboard as a whole-class lesson (have students play the parts of the two people talking)or assign students to navigate the site with a partner, then take the quiz at the end and share their score with you.

The Human Skeleton Grade 3 to 5 - Birmingham Grid for Learning- 8457
This site has a drag and drop activity to identify some of the main bones of the human skeleton. Additional information about the bone is displayed when the bone is correctly identified. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Make a shortcut on a classroom computer or include this site on your teacher web page for students to use for review before a test or quiz. You will need headphones or speakers for the audio portions of this site (not requiresd, but motivating). Use this site and other skeleton interactives as a small group review on an interactive whiteboard while other students review using a different computer or manipulatives.

Science Fair Project Resource Guide Grade 4 to 12 - The Internet Public Library- 8452
This site provides a good introduction to science fairs to help teachers, students and parents. There are separate sections of information on getting started, choosing a topic, completing the project, displaying the project and the Scientific Method. The section and links on Scientific Method are quite useful, even if your school does not do a science fair.

In the Classroom:
As you study scientific method, use the science fair examples as exercises for students to identify independent and dependent variables for the various projects. Give students the links to "find" experiments and analyze them with a partner or do this analysis as a class, sharing the project ideas on a projector or interactive whiteboard. The whiteboard tools would allow you to color code and highlight the various steps of scientific method consistently to help learning support students.

Include this site on your teacher web page for students and parents to access as a reference. Consider directing students and parents to particular links within this site that apply to the science fair students are participating in.

Place Value Charts Grade 1 to 5 - Coventry City Council- 8437
This website is a wonderful resource for teaching place value. A "super hero" challenges students to learn place value by using words, numbers, and decimals. This website is perfect for differentiating activities based on the learning levels of your students. The entire activity requires Flash, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
The activity would be excellent on an interactive whiteboard as an introduction, followed by individual student practice on a classroom computer cluster, as a center, or even outside of school. Include the link on your teacher web page for easy access.

Molecularium Grade 2 to 5 - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute- 8419
Molecularium explains the basic parts of matter, atoms, and molecules. There are three activities: "Build" explains the molecules of basic compounds; "Nanolab" shows molecules from space; "Transform" teaches about states of matter. Other areas of the website show digital views of compounds and fantastic animated videos in the Digital Dome. The Gallery is a series of musical animated views of different molecular arrangements and states of matter. Use the printable teacher's resource guide for help and suggestions. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Turn on your speakers! Be sure to explore this site completely before attempting to use it with your class to be able to navigate comfortably. The use the site on a projector or interactive whiteboard as an introductory lesson on atoms and molecules. Once your lesson is complete, be sure the site is available for students to revisit on their own on a classroom computer (with headphones) or as link from your web page. Teachers of the gifted may wish to bookmark this site for their students to explore on their own.

Wee Ones Magazine Grade K to 4 - Jennifer Reed- 8417
This free, bi-monthly, online magazine offers an abundance of reading and activities to keep a child occupied during those long summer days or as an after school chill-out. While not intentionally made for the classroom market, many teachers use it for additional reading practice. Articles ranges from non-fiction, to fiction, to poetry and author interviews. Emma's Bookcase features book reviews, and one free book is given away in each issue. Articles and stories equate to those found in Highlights, so they may be viewed without concern about appropriateness.

In the Classroom:
These texts would also be easy to display on an interactive whiteboard and use to teach about main idea, summarizing, or reading strategies using the whiteboard tools. Put this link on your teacher web page for students to practice reading in the classroom or at home. To get an exact reading level, you may want to cut and paste a section of an article and submit it to an online reading level analyzer .

Primary Art Grade 1 to 5 - BBC- 8398
The BBC created this wonderful website that shows students how to create 3 different themed murals (the countryside, an underwater scene, and a forest). The original contest and website is targeted at 9 - 11 year old students in Ireland, but many of the activities could easily be used with younger or older students. The mural instructions include a series of activities, worksheets, video clips, and more. You may prefer to cherry -pick the best activities to use in your class, or take advantage of the entire lesson. The interactive activities and videos require Flash, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. Since this website was created by the BBC, you may notice some spelling differences.

In the Classroom:
Use the mural as a way to study the natural environment in your area: the plants , animals, and seasons. Don't forget to talk about the animal habitats you see as your observe and create. Get your interactive whiteboard or projector ready to demonstrate to your students how a mural is created step-by-step. Keep this resource available on your single classroom computer or large screen as a reference while students create their own murals, so they have a live and large model to follow. The website provides general standards, find them by clicking on the "Curriculum Relevance" link.

Word Search Maker Grade K to 7 - A to Z Teacher Stuff Tools- 8389
This is a time-saving online tool for any subject. Reinforce concepts and spelling with your own customized word searches. This tool allows for a variety of options for the placement of the words or even the shape of the grid puzzle. Teachers can personalize the font styles and sizes as well.

In the Classroom:
Read the home page carefully for directions on setting your browser for a more customized look. Landscape mode works best for most puzzles. Make sure you take their suggestion of copying your word list onto your clipboard just in case you lose the word search. For younger students, consider sharing a word search on an interactive whiteboard and letting them "highlight" the words with a finger in different colors.

See user comments on this resource. -

My Wonderful World Grade 3 to 12 - National Geographic Education Foundation- 8384
This website is all about our Wonderful World - Geography! There is something here for everyone (students, teachers, and parents). The website provides information, quizzes, interactive games, and more than can be mentioned. The interactive maps will make the study of world cultures far more engaging and "real" as your students navigate on their own. The site draws together resources that National Geographic had separately and add links to other good interactive sources. You truly have to explore this website to understand all of the material available. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Start out by checking the teachers' link. Get your interactive whiteboards ready for the games and activities, and be sure to share the link on your teacher web page for serious global involvement.

The Solar System and the Universe Grade 3 to 6 - Birmingham Grid For Learning- 8381
This wonderful interactive quiz is only five questions, but covers a lot of "astronomical" information. A brief answer is provided about each of the questions. The quiz involves stars, planets, and galaxies.

In the Classroom:
Use this activity as an introduction or pretest to your science unit on the solar system. This activity is perfect for an interactive whiteboard and could work well with personal response systems, as well.

Cave of Lascaux Grade 6 to 12 - Cultural Division of French Government- 8370
In 1940, four teenagers discovered a cave full of cave writings, one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. This site takes the viewer into the cave to discover it for themselves, which is the only way to see the caves since the cave had to be closed in 1963 due to oxidation of the drawings from human viewing.

In the Classroom:
Share the site on laptops or a projector for students to explore and note the various paintings. Science and social studies teachers may want to study this famous French cave with cave drawings and information found in North American caves to compare or contrast using Venn Diagrams on a whiteboard or projector. Art teachers may want to construct their own cave wall to depict our life today. Language arts teachers could use it as a visual writing prompt: "Imagine if you discovered cave writings in a cave near your home. What would you do next?"

Blow Your Mind Grade 4 to 10 - TryScience- 8363
This entertaining (and informational) website challenges students to design a prototype windmill. Students are provided with some background information about designing a windmill and presented with an interactive "design a windmill" challenge. The interactive activity requires Flash, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. There is also a teacher's link available with additional details and ideas to use in the classroom.

In the Classroom:
Get your interactive whiteboards ready for designing a windmill. Students will love testing their designs. Have them hypothesize and keep track of what works and what doesn't.

Bridge Designer Grade 6 to 12 - Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University- 8360
This simple website provides a wealth of information about trusses - what they are, how they are used, and the science and math behind trusses. Students are then challenged to create their own trusses using nodes, members, and loads. Students can calculate their progress and/or clear their structure and start over. The Java plug-in must be installed on your computer. See the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
The Bridge Designer would work well as a cooperative learning project for the entire class (via an interactive whiteboard) or a small group project for students to work on in pairs.

The Smallest Page on The Web Grade 6 to 12 - Wim van Egmond - 8355
This website takes students up close to numerous microorganisms (found in tiny drops of pond water). The activity is examining freshwater microorganisms with an interactive microscope. The microorganisms examined include bacteria, flagellated protozoa, ciliates, green algae, crustaceans, desmids, diatoms, sun animalcules and amoebas, rotifers, worms, and insect larva.

In the Classroom:
Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to introduce this unique underwater experience, then assign students to observe and "research" different organisms with a partner on individual computers.

NOVA: Mars - Design a Parachute Grade 5 to 12 - PBS- 8351
The challenge for this hands-on virtual engineering experiment is to design a parachute for a safe landing on the planet Mars. Students must consider volume, drag, strength, and stability as they create their parachute. There are detailed instructions provided on the main page of the activity. This website is interactive and very cool! The interactive activities require Flash, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Students will love the challenge of creating a safe parachute for the astronauts. Try an interactive whiteboard or partner-shared computers and get ready for an exciting journey. If you use the whiteboard, be sure to ask students to write their lab observations and record data as they experiment. the class can vote on what to try next. As the interactive reminds you, there are "costs" to wasteful experimenting. Perhaps you want to limit the number of class attempts allowed for everyone to receive a high grade. Then watch the debate!

Beat the Heat at Arizona Science Center Grade 2 to 8 - TryScience- 8349
This virtual field trip takes students to the Arizona Science Center. The featured activity, "Beat The Heat", challenges students to design a home that uses the sun's energy as heat, but not get too hot. The challenge involves balancing the amount of shade and sun that reach the home. It includes an interactive explanation of the sun and the seasons. This activity requires Shockwave, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. There are also numerous other science activities, links, online exhibits and even Standards provided (see the Teachers Page)across many science, math, and engineering disciplines. Click on the "experiments" link for a wealth of fun and inspiring experiments in science and math. The experiments are engaging and provide virtual opportunities for students to build individual understanding.

In the Classroom:
If you are unable to get laptops or the computer lab for your class, use an interactive whiteboard and make the "Beat The Heat" or other experiments a class project. Use the seasons explanation as a whole-class activity with elementary students on a projector or whiteboard.

Cells - A Life Processes and Living Things Crossword Grade 5 to 8 - The Birmingham Grid for Learning- 8337
This website provides an interactive crossword puzzle that tests your students' knowledge of cells and their structures. The introduction page provides thorough instructions about how to utilize this interactive resource. The interactive crossword requires FLASH, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. There is also an option to click the 'PDF Download' button; this option allows users to print a paper version of the crossword puzzle.

In the Classroom:
Use an interactive whiteboard, projector, or partner laptops to review cells and their structures, or place the link on your teacher web page for students to complete and print as homework.

Woodlands Science Zone Grade K to 8 - Woodlands Junior School- 8325
If you are looking to spruce up your science lessons - you have found your answer! This website provides some interactive science fun. The general topics include living and life processes, physical processes, materials, earth and space, and water. When you click on the general topic you are given countless activities to choose from. Whatever science concept you are teaching, my guess is that you will find a related resource at this phenomenal website. Most of these unique activities require FLASH, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Get an interactive whiteboard ready - and utilize these free interactive (and educational) activities to simplify the complexities of various scientific concepts.

Woodlands Math Zone Grade 2 to 6 - Woodlands Junior School- 8323
This comprehensive math site provides countless math activities (nearly all interactive). Topics vary from basic number skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), to shapes and space skills, to data and probability, to measurement skills, and even math investigations. There are worksheets to print. There are also interactive activities to use with an interactive whiteboard or individual computers. Some of the activities require FLASH, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use an interactive whiteboard to introduce your class to this site's activities. Then differentiate your math lessons by allowing students to work independently on the math skills they are currently acquiring. Even if you have only a single classroom computer, you can provide practice and challenge at all levels. This is also a wonderful site to share as a link from your teacher home page or in your classroom newsletter.

Panoramas.dk Grade K to 12 - - 8298
Have a high speed Internet connection? (Most schools do)The you MUST visit these 3D virtual tours of beautiful sites all over the world with your students. Read the Welcome message on the home page for directions and details, then explore the current features and several years of archives for 3D virtual tours from major world capitals to true "experiences" such as Times Square and white water rafting. Even the tour of a Banyan tree will amaze you. Bring the world into your classroom for geography, landforms, world cultures, foreign language study, or literary settings. Be in the midst of festivals or atop the Sydney Bridge. The site requires Quicktime. The Welcome section can help you troubleshoot. Or you can get Quicktime from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. Just be sure to share in full screen (high band) view , if you can! Click the FULL SCREEN QTVR FEATURE > ARCHIVE to find more choices. There is also a link to Arounder, a collection of European Capitals in 3D tours.

In the Classroom:
Use a projector--or better yet, an interactive whiteboard--to take students atop the Eiffel Tower, to the high Sierras, or aboard a Mars explorer. Allow student to navigate on the whiteboard. Nte that Shift and Ctrl keys alow you to zoom, as well. Be sure to click at the top of the 3D view to Read More about the image. These tours will make landforms real, culture come alive, and science a visual art form. As you introduce terms and place, use images! You could even use a tour as a writing prompt for poetry or descriptive writing. Include the link on your teacher web page for students to "tour the world" outside of class or feature one location a week to broaden class horizons on a classroom desktop.

See user comments on this resource. -

A Science Odyssey: Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker Grade 6 to 12 - PBS- 8297
Learn about plate tectonics as you manipluate plates with the computer and watch the resulting changes in the earth's surface. Read detailed explanations with animated images. Then try the Plate Tectonics activity to manipulate the plates yourself. There is also information about the various scientists who made relevant discoveries about tectonics and what they found. The activity requires Shockwave. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page. or from the link right on the page.

In the Classroom:
Share the plate tectonics siumlator on an interactve whiteboard as you learn about the different ways that plates interact. Be sure to allow students to move the plates and name the resulting changes. To further reinforce the plate activiites, have pairs of students create animated graphics on slides in PowerPoint slides showing the motions of the plates and labeling them. This could also be an alternative assessment that shows real understanding. If they can add their own sound effects, they will really enjoy themselves!

Virtual Courseware: Earthquake Grade 6 to 12 - California State University- 8296
Learn about how earthquakes are measured and actually collect data to locate the epicenter of one, using this simulator. The site includes images, tutorials, and analysis tools for real earthquake data. Students will be reminded of nhow longitude ad latitude work (don't worry--there is a tutorial!). They will also see how important math is in manipulating scientific data. You will need to turn off your pop-up blocker to use this site and be sure to read the System Requirements! The simulator uses both Java and Flash. The instructions are user-friendly, so don't be afraid to try it. Check the System Requirements button if you are having trouble making the site "work."

In the Classroom:
Even middle schoolers will be able to understand the earthquake simulator if you demonstrate on an interactive whiteboard. High schoolers can do it themselves after a demonstration, perhaps working with a partner. Start by sharing some of the aftermath photos so students get a sense of the impact of earthquakes. We do recommend that you play with the site a bit before using it in class.

Interactive Clock Face Grade K to 3 - - 8272
This website provides a good introduction to telling time and provides an interactive clock face. The menu at the left provides tools to teach how to tell time, how to use words to describe time, both digital and analog, plus how to add and subtract increments of time. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Get an interactive whiteboard and use this tool to help your students' dissect the complexities of telling time. Then make it available on your teacher web page for students to practice throughout the year if this concept is difficult for them.

Animal Homes Grade K to 2 - Birmingham Grid for Learning- 8262
This site has three levels of drag and drop interactive sections for students to see and understand animals and their different habitats. Activities range from matching the animal with its habitat to matching the picture of an animal with words. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use this site as an anticipatory set or “activator” to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or with an interactive whiteboard. Your students will want to practice it on their own for review later!

Body Parts Grade K to 2 - Birmingham Grid for Learning- 8261
This site is a simple drag-and-drop activity that matches words with pictures for various body parts. It would be especially useful for ESL, speech and language students, and primary students in general. Clicking on the words and pictures provide audio as well as visual clues to encourage language development. Available in the following languages: Bengali, English, Punjabi, Gujarati, Mirpuri and Urdu. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This site would work well with an interactive whiteboard with a small group or individually at a computer to informally assess student knowledge or to help ESL/ speech ad language students students learn the names of body parts. Note that the pronunciations are British, so American students will need to listen carefully at first.

This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics Grade 7 to 12 - U.S. Geological Survey- 8243
This site provides an organized and user-friendly explanation of the history of plate tectonics as described by the U.S. Geological Survey. It includes a lot of detailed information as well as photographs and diagrams. This site has some tough reading depending on the reading level of the user. Allow plenty of time to take in all of the information.

In the Classroom:
This site is useful as a supplement to a geology unit or for review. Include it on your teacher web page for students to access both in and out of class. It is also a great reference tool when preparing your lesson plans. This is a great site to use when teaching about informational text(s). Open it on an interactive whiteboard and review reading strategies using highlighters and pens as you learn about plate tectonics.

Virtual Space Tour Grade 2 to 9 - Imaginova- 8237
This narrated multimedia presentation features facts, diagrams, animations and the latest photographs of our solar system. The site includes fact sheets that are good for additional information for older students. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
There are some advertisements on the side. Warn your students to avoid them. Use this site as an anticipatory set or “activator” to introduce a space unit or lesson, using a projector or interactive whiteboard. Even your non-readers will be able to understand the information about the solar system through the audio narration. Don't forget speakers--or headphones if you want students to navigate on their own.

Book Em! Sequence Game Grade K to 2 - PBS Kids Reading Rainbow- 8236
Learn what it takes to put a book together and then play a sequence game to check comprehension and put the steps in the correct order. This site requires Real Player or QuickTime. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Make a shortcut to this site on your desktop and use it as a center or share it on an interactive whiteboard.

The Internet Bird Collection Grade K to 12 - Handbook of the Birds of the World- 8194
This website is appropriate for any grade level interested in learning about birds. The Internet Bird Collection includes many "real life" videos, reference information, and much more. Fly on over and enjoy these great videos!

In the Classroom:
As you study different classifications of animals, use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to introduce your students to many species of birds. This would also be a good research source for students to compare structures/functions of different bird species and their adaptations to their habitats.

Freedom Trail Map Grade 3 to 8 - TeachersFirst- 8179
Here's a map of the Freedom Trail and downtown Boston. It's a big file (186kb), so it will take a few minutes to download. The file reuqires Acrobat Reader. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Share this and other sections of the TeachersFirst Colonial America tour as part of your study of the colonies so students can see what these historic locations look like today. Project the map on an interactive whiteboard, and use the tools to highlight interrelationships between important Colonial Boston sites.

Math Presentations Grade K to 12 - Jefferson County Schools- 8137
If you are teaching a new math concept or want to review an already-introduced math skill, you must visit this website. The site provides free PowerPoint presentations on numerous math topics. There are presentations for grades K-5 and 6-12. There are over 100 math topics available. Use these free resources to help simplify the complexities of mathematics in your classroom. You may need PowerPoint software on your computer to view these files, depending upon how the site creators saved them. Roll your mouse over the words slowly to see which shows can be played directly from the site and which you must download to your computer to run from there.

In the Classroom:
Try these ready-to-go PowerPoint presentations on an interactive whiteboard or projector in your classroom. Some may also be well-suited for individual students to run on a single classroom computer for remediation or review. There are games, resources and a lot of information. The site includes a disclaimer asking to be notified if users find any unauthorized, copyrighted material. TeachersFirst recommends that you NOT download copies but instead use them online, just in case.

Library Presentations Grade K to 5 - Jefferson County Schools- 8135
This website provides free PowerPoint presentations on various topics relating to library use and research skills. Some of the specific topics include Marc Brown, Dr. Seuss, dictionary definitions, Dewey decimal system, tall tales, and others. You may need PowerPoint software on your computer to view these files, depending upon how the site creators saved them.

In the Classroom:
Get your interactive whiteboard or projector ready and use these wonderful FREE resources in your classroom or library/media center. If you are planning to assign a research project or book reports, these shows may help prepare your elementary students. The site includes a disclaimer asking to be notified if users find any unauthorized, copyrighted material. TeachersFirst recommends that you NOT download copies but instead use them online, just in case.

Language Arts Presentations Grade K to 12 - Jefferson County Schools- 8130
Wow - this website provides ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations on over 100 topics. The presentations were created by teachers - for teachers to use in their classrooms. This website organizes topics by general grade levels (K-5 and 6-12). Just to give you a taste of the uniqueness of these presentations, topics include such diverse topics as Shakespeare, "grammar goofs," active reading strategies, haunted house graphic organizer, phonics millionaire game, pronouns, and numerous others. Any language arts teacher is guaranteed to find something useful at this website. Do yourself a favor and check it out! You may need PowerPoint software to be able to view these files, depending on how the site creators save them. Note: while files are downloading, it may appear that nothing is happening and that the links are dead. Look for a tiny "downloading" icon in the lower left corner of your screen, and please be patient!

In the Classroom:
Try these ready-to-go PowerPoint presentations on an interactive whiteboard or projector in your classroom. Some may also be well-suited for individual students to run on a single classroom computer for remediation or review. There are games, resources and a lot of information. The site includes a disclaimer asking to be notified if users find any copyrighted material. TeachersFirst recommends that you NOT download copies but instead use them online, just in case.

Handwriting Generator Grade K to 1 - A to Z Teacher Stuff- 8125
Create your own handwriting worksheets--customized any way you wish. Five practice lines with dotted lettering is provided on each worksheet. Teachers choose the words, font style, paper positioning, and then create their own written instructions, for customized handwriting worksheets. Having this handwriting generator allows you to incorporate handwriting into your various units of study. If you are inept at handwriting yourself, this free technology does it for you...perfectly.

In the Classroom:
Share this on your teacher web page for students and parents to practice at home with this week's spelling words. You can also project the "worksheets" onto your interactive whiteboard for a tactile approach to teaching the letters as students "magically" trace them -- with their fingers acting as the interactive whiteboard pen. For students with weak fine motor skills, this "finger" practice may help them before they can quite hold the pencil well.

EASE History Grade 9 to 12 - EASE History- 8117
EASE History is a novel approach to viewing and learning from historical film clips and photographs. EASE (Experience Acceleration Support Environment) allows students and teachers to search about 600 clips and photos by subject matter, core value subject, and within the special category of presidential campaign ads. Once a category is selected, it is possible to position clips side by side to compare them and discuss, or to thread through a series of ideas by clicking matching icons. The availability of these short film clips is valuable... the interface and ability to draw connections is an added bonus. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Teachers can select clips for use on an interactive whiteboard or projector, or students can explore the site individually by following themes or searching under concepts. The site takes a little time to understand, although students may find it more intuitive. Demonstrate it first to save valuable time. It is designed to encourage flexible thinking styles and student creativity. One small drawback to the site is that the film clips are all quite short; they are designed more to generate discussion than to fully recount the event. Simply showing multiple short clips from an era will help students get a richer experience of the times and perhaps launch a longer lesson.

Food Chains and Webs Grade 4 to 8 - Alan and Hui Meng- 8104
This site provides basic information about food chains. Included are examples of food chains in different environments. An interactive section allows students to create a food chain.

In the Classroom:
Share this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard before allowing students to use it individually or with a partner to create and print their own food chain. You will want to tell students to steer clear of the "Ads by Google" links.

Build a Snowman Grade K to 2 - Think Bank- 8103
Create a snowman on this interactive site by dragging the parts of the snowman to the appropriate area on the snowman. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This site is ideal for an interactive whiteboard. Provide practice following oral directions or identifying specific items for speech, ESL and special education students.

Painless Writing Grade 3 to 9 - Richard Guidone- 8095
This site developed from the Yale-New Haven Teachers' Institute offers some tried and true as well as new ways to get children writing painlessly. It walks a teacher through rationale and procedures and offers lessons for different lengths of writing, etc. Guidone offers some creative ways to get kids writing, especially reluctant learners who might need a little prodding of the imagination! While you may be familiar with some of the methods, his combinations can be surprising and thought-provoking. Definitely worth a look, despite the simple, text-only appearance of the page.

In the Classroom:
Mark this one as a Favorite so you can find a writing prompt at a moment's notice. These idas would work well with blogs or journals. You cna also use the prompts to model writing techniques on an interactive whiteboard-- always a motivator!

The Periodic Table of Comic Books Grade 5 to 12 - F. James Holler & John P. Selegue- 8093
This highly creative website combines the periodic table with actual comics. There are comic strip stories for all (or nearly all) of the elements. This website offers a new approach to teach a complex subject! A favorite aspect of this approach is that they include both recent comics and comics from over 50 years ago. This website presents basic scientific information in a fun and student-friendly manner. Connect to your students' "prior knowledge" of comic books to hook them on chemistry.

In the Classroom:
Get an interactive whiteboard and utilize this excellent website to help your students better comprehend the periodic table. These comics are packed with knowledge and fun to use! You will certainly want to include it on your teacher web page for studens to explore outside of class time.

Welcome - A Packet for Substitute Teachers Grade K to 12 - Robert Jackson- 8091
Every substitute must check out this interactive, all-inclusive, helpful, and creative website. This website includes numerous resources for substitute teachers including "Whiteboard Topics," "Bag of Tricks," "Give a Test," "Something Puzzling," and much, much more! Before you enter a classroom - enter this website!

In the Classroom:
This website provides easy, ready-to-go activities! There are activities for every grade level (from kindergarten to high school). This is a priceless resource for any substitute teacher.

AIRNow Air Quality Index Grade 1 to 5 - EPA/OAQPS- 8084
This bi-lingual site (English and Spanish) contains brief, colorful explanations of air pollution, air quality, dirty air, etc. as well as discussions of air's effects on health and the answers to questions about the future of air cleanliness. A link to two games about the subjects requires the Flash plug in. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. A link for teachers offers printable and html versions of related materials as well as games and printable posters.

In the Classroom:
Print out the AQ posters and post one in the classroom each day so students remain informed about that day's air quality. Share the AQI Game Show on an interactive whiteboard as a review after the class has learned about air quality.

Baseball Grade 4 to 10 - Vocabulary University- 8081
Take me out to the ballgame.... This website provides unique vocabulary activities that all correlate with baseball! Some of the activities are interactive (word puzzles) and other activities are printable. There is also a few historical and reference facts. So take your students out to the ballgame and teach them some new science vocabulary terms.

In the Classroom:
The interactive vocabulary activities would work very well on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use your students' love of baseball to introduce some new science vocabulary words.

Earth Day Grade 4 to 10 - Vocabulary University- 8080
This website provides unique vocabulary activities that all correlate with Earth Day! Some of the activities are interactive and other activities are printable. There are word puzzles, a word bank, music list, and more.

In the Classroom:
Use this website to introduce your students to new vocabulary words, while you are teaching them the importance of protecting our Earth. The interactive vocabulary activities would work very well on an interactive whiteboard or projector.

Cliche a Day (and how to rewrite it) Grade 5 to 12 - Alan Eggleston- 8068
Find a cliche and ideas for better ways to say the same thing using this simple blog site. The directions at the right (HOW TO SEARCH THIS PAGE USING INTERNET EXPLORER) tell you everything you need to know to locate a specific cliche and some terrific alternates to the overused expression. Many of the examples are also taught as idioms.

In the Classroom:
Introduce the site to your students on a projector os interactive whiteboard. Then have them work individually or in groups to write some of their own alternatives. Use the whiteboard to write new ideas! You could even start your own class wiki to include cliches students encounter in everyday conversation and in readings along with their suggestions for alternatives. Give extra credit for new additions students make on their own! Keep the link to Cliche a Day on your teacher web page as a reference for student writing assignments throughout the year.

Broken Calculator Grade 3 to 8 - Woodlands Junior School- 8067
This website provides a challenging and entertaining math activity. Students are presented with a broken calculator (with only a few buttons remaining). The challenge is to create specific answers using only the keys provided. The different levels allow you to differentiate for every student in your class. This activity is certain to develop strong mental math skills and number sense. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Share this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard before allowing students to use it individually or with a partner.

Math Starter of the Day Grade 4 to 8 - Transum Software- 8064
This math website provides daily "math starters" in a variety of mathematic topics. There is one activity per day (366 for each year). This website provides a variety of math challenges that are creative, engaging, and easy to incorporate into your classroom routine.