TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Aug 7, 2011
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
32 Interesting Ways to Get to Know Your New Class - Tom Barrett
Grades
K to 12
14 Favorites
0 Comments
If you are looking for new ideas to use the first week of school, this site is sure to offer some useful suggestions. This Google Document includes suggestions from creating ...more
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If you are looking for new ideas to use the first week of school, this site is sure to offer some useful suggestions. This Google Document includes suggestions from creating a class autobiography to administering the "hardest test of the year." Ideas are available for all age ranges and can be modified to fit your needs and available resources. This is a public document so if you have a great idea, be sure to add it to the document for other teachers to use!
tag(s): back to school (56), firstday (19), newbies (15), substitutes (16)
In the Classroom
Use these fabulous ideas for getting to know you activities at the beginning of the school year. Have a great idea that you use in your class? Be sure to share it on this site.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Energyville - Chevron
Grades
6 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Try this simulation where players must make decisions to balance environmental concerns with their community's power needs. Need help in with this interactive? Start by using "Guided...more
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Try this simulation where players must make decisions to balance environmental concerns with their community's power needs. Need help in with this interactive? Start by using "Guided play." Create a city name, drag and drop various sources of energy for your city and be certain to gauge the economy, environment, and security of your city as you play. Click on the question marks along the side for more information about these scores. Compare impacts among these using the icons on the bottom right. Be sure to read the information that comes up as you make your choices. Click on How to Play for more game tips.
tag(s): energy (159), environment (249), nuclear energy (21), solar energy (33)
In the Classroom
Identify the trade offs in economic, environmental, and security concerns with the various types of energy used to power the city. Research the types of energy, including the advantages and disadvantages to each. Provide time for students to play and brainstorm the problems certain cities have and the mix of energy sources that seem to work. Research the various technologies and where they are currently used including research into uses around the world and comparisons among countries. Use as a part of a unit on the environment or energy. Follow up with a debate about the type of power generation that should be used in your community.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Getting to Know "William" - Inside and Out - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Grades
K to 2
1 Favorites
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Learn about primary, secondary, and intermediate colors while painting an Egyptian hippo named William. This interactive Metropolitan Art Museum site provides interesting historical...more
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Learn about primary, secondary, and intermediate colors while painting an Egyptian hippo named William. This interactive Metropolitan Art Museum site provides interesting historical information about an ancient figurine while also explaining the basics of color theory. This site does a nice job helping young students understand how to create new colors by mixing colors together.
tag(s): art history (75), colors (61), egypt (44), museums (40)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a lesson about the color wheel or mixing primary colors together. Play the animated presentation with a projector or interactive whiteboard and then let students independently enjoy coloring the Hippo. Use your interactive whiteboard as a learning center and allow students to manipulate the whiteboard themselves and change the color of the hippo. This activity would work well for individual or pairs of students in a lab or on laptops. Be sure to take the time to also share the story behind this "cute" little figurine.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sound Sleeping - Tony Spencer
Grades
K to 12
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Sound Sleeping contains a great interactive sound-mixing tool. Create music with soundtracks of drums or flutes and the ambient sounds of nature. This soundboard helps you generate...more
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Sound Sleeping contains a great interactive sound-mixing tool. Create music with soundtracks of drums or flutes and the ambient sounds of nature. This soundboard helps you generate background music perfect for meditation, yoga, napping, writing, or quiet reflection.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): behavior (43), mental health (28), senses (23), sound (78), sounds (52), stress (9)
In the Classroom
Enhance student listening ability with this sound-mixing tool. Ask students to visit this site to create their own musical mix. Afterward, ask others to guess the tracks in the music. Students can also identify to which speaker the soundboard's pan tool is sending various sounds. Activities such as these are the perfect addition to a science unit about the five senses. Consider having students create a their own personal mix to use while learning deep breathing, practicing creative visualizations, or engaging in class relaxation exercises. You could also plan these sounds during creative writing exercises or independent reading time. Headphones or speakers are necessary for this site, if you don't wish to share with the entire class. Students in need of "cooling off" time may enjoy playing Bubble Burst. Choose to create music with the vibes soundboard and student creations will automatically play with Flickr photographs of nature. Emotional support teachers may find this tool useful in helping students develop self-control mechanisms. Share this link on your class web page and/or in a parent newsletter and suggest ways to enhance relaxation techniques at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Preceden - Matt Mazur
Grades
3 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Preceden is a free service that allows you to create timelines with multi-layers for overlapping events. The different layers are visually interesting and allow you to easily see the...more
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Preceden is a free service that allows you to create timelines with multi-layers for overlapping events. The different layers are visually interesting and allow you to easily see the sequence of events in several different ways. You can input your own time increments such as by day, week, month, year, decade, etc. In addition, you can create your own labels for events. You need to create a FREE account to make a timeline. Timelines can be embedded on your blog, shared by URL, or download as a PDF.
tag(s): timelines (47)
In the Classroom
Create an ever-growing timeline throughout the school year by adding events discussed in class so students understand where events relate to each other in history. Create a timeline with events in American History and add a layer of authors' works to connect literature's time periods to history.Have your students use Preceden to create a timeline of their life and their family's life. Then use events from their life for writing a memoir, poetry, etc. Science students could create a timeline for the stages of mitosis for a cell or the life cycle of a forest or an animal. Have students in government or history create timelines related to topics you are learning about in class.
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