TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Sep 25, 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
SMART Board Goodies - Amber Coggin
Grades
K to 12
This bright and cheerful blog offers original interactive whiteboard resources created by a certified SMARTboard trainer. The site is updated often, get notices of updates by email...more
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This bright and cheerful blog offers original interactive whiteboard resources created by a certified SMARTboard trainer. The site is updated often, get notices of updates by email or by following on X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook. To find archived files, search the site using the search box at the top of the page, search archived files by month, or find links to notebook files on the right-hand side of the home page. Especially helpful are the author's notes when posting new files as she offers tips on how to use it in the classroom. An example is the singing horses file (check it out, very funny!) that she uses to help students get used to using an interactive whiteboard while learning cause and effect. Be sure to check out the Facebook page template which includes a template for student use. Since this teacher uses SMART brand IWB, you may need to use SMART Notebook Express reviewed hereto open some files on another brand of whiteboard.
tag(s): iwb (31), literacy (123), numbers (121), resources (83)
In the Classroom
Shop the site for interactive whiteboard resources to download for classroom use. Use the singing horses to teach cause and effect. Use the Facebook page template for students to create biographies of famous people, of themselves for back to school, or of teachers in your building for Back to School nights! There is much to explore at this "gem" of a site!Find It - Lyndsey McCollam
Grades
K to 4Deceptively simple, this game offers the opportunity for students to test their observation skills. Within the big picture, try to find the small piece shown to one side. There are...more
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Deceptively simple, this game offers the opportunity for students to test their observation skills. Within the big picture, try to find the small piece shown to one side. There are two levels of difficulty for those wanting to test their skills further. When stuck, click on the help button to be shown the missing piece. Build your visual discrimination skills!
In the Classroom
Display on the interactive whiteboard or projector and allow students to explore on their own and improve visual discrimination that is useful for reading and more. Create a link on classroom or lab computers to use as a center. Discuss with students different strategies and clues provided within the game that helped them find the missing picture.The Bridges Organization - Bridges Organization
Grades
6 to 12Connect art and math using this site. The Bridges Organization was created in 1998 as an organization dedicated to promoting how Mathematics and the Arts work together. Each year they...more
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Connect art and math using this site. The Bridges Organization was created in 1998 as an organization dedicated to promoting how Mathematics and the Arts work together. Each year they hold an annual conference in cities from North America to Europe. Members include mathematicians, artists, sculptors, dancers, computer scientists, and many more. The website contains background information on the organization, links to past conferences, and current conference information. Perhaps of most interest to classroom teachers are the links to the galleries. Contained within these are hundreds of works of art that have been featured at the conferences (try the link to the 2010 Bridges Conference for example). Click on any of the links and find pictures of their work along with a short explanation of how math is used in the piece.
tag(s): art history (106), artists (87), geometric shapes (134), tessellations (3)
In the Classroom
What a wonderful way to connect to students' multiple intelligences! After viewing examples of the artwork with your students, team up with the Art teacher in your building to have students create their own pieces of art based on math examples. Tie in writing by assigning students to write about their artwork and the math used as the basis of their art piece. Display art work with the explanations for other students to enjoy. Or take pictures of the art work and challenge students to create voice narration for the photo using a tool such as Thinklink,reviewed here.News English Lessons - Sean Banville
Grades
4 to 12This site, created by Australian Sean Banville, has high interest, "easier" news for students to read and many teaching materials to go with them. Though the look of the site ...more
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This site, created by Australian Sean Banville, has high interest, "easier" news for students to read and many teaching materials to go with them. Though the look of the site is cluttered with advertising and plain text, the content is worthwhile. Developed for ESL/ELL students and teachers, the site would also work well in a subject area, learning support, or reading classroom. There are MANY articles "ready to go," including mp3 audio files to listen to the articles. At the time of this review there were 200+ new additions! Each article includes several types of activities such as "online gap fill" (a Cloze reading activity), vocabulary flashcards, and hangman, and matching. A full script is available in PDF form. There is also an online, interactive quiz for students. The articles, and a lot more activities, can be downloaded and printed, too.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
The articles are short and interesting, a perfect match for non-fiction reading comprehension. With so many different activities to choose from, it will be easy for the classroom teacher to differentiate. There is an mp3 audio version of each article so students can listen as they read. Assign small groups of students to present the news each week, using the interactive whiteboard to show others the country and city from which the article originated. Make the newscasting experience even more real by having students read scripts of these news stories or their own original stories using a EasyPrompter, reviewed here. Students can then go to another news source such as News for Kids, reviewed here, to see what else is happening in the news. For a project and to enhance student learning, have the small groups create a "talking map" using a site such as Zeemaps, reviewed here. This site allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (where their article/story took place). What a fabulous way to share the article with the rest of the class!
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
Cadaver Dissection Videos - Lawrence Galtman
Grades
7 to 12Find actual anatomy and physiology images of the human body. Search through the images categorized by system. There are videos that range in length and topic (split pelvis, gastrointestinal...more
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Find actual anatomy and physiology images of the human body. Search through the images categorized by system. There are videos that range in length and topic (split pelvis, gastrointestinal track, and several others). Some videos are only 5-7 minutes while others are nearly 30 minutes. Warning: These are graphic displays of human cadavers used for medical training purposes. You will want to preview videos before you share with middle school students. Check whether your school has any policies about obtaining parent permission before sharing graphic images.
tag(s): body systems (40), human body (91), organisms (15)
In the Classroom
Identify how structure is related to function through discussing how different structures are related to their functions and how they compare with a other organisms. Compare images from your own class discussions to identify the similarities and differences among organisms. Consider sharing (appropriate) videos on your interactive whiteboards or projectors.Science.Gov - CENDI
Grades
8 to 12This is a searchable database of science research on many topics. It is entirely governmental science research that is available for public viewing. Search over 40 other databases and...more
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This is a searchable database of science research on many topics. It is entirely governmental science research that is available for public viewing. Search over 40 other databases and 200 million web pages of science information. Talk about a one stop shop! It is easy to search - just type and enter!