TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Aug 12, 2012
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
Zinn Education Project - Zinn Education Project
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): african american (115), bias (27), black history (133), civil rights (209), hispanic (36), racism (79), women (151)
In the Classroom
If you are looking for additional teaching materials that focus on issues of social justice, racism, or which provide information from a progressive point of view, you can search by time period or theme (i.e., African American, Mexico, Hispanic, Latinx, LGBT, War and Anti-War, Civil Rights, Racism, and many more). The teaching materials are in PDF format you can download once you log in. Language arts teachers will find the articles here great for nonfiction reading and terrific as discussion starters!Numberphile - Brady Haran
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): calculators (36), negative numbers (13), number lines (33), numbers (120), pi (29), prime numbers (26), video (266)
In the Classroom
Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector as wonderful math journal and discussion starters. Choose a video about an interesting number fact that can be used to hook students into a particular lesson or unit. Use the videos to show the fascinating side of mathematics. For example, 666 and its peculiarity in mathematics would be interesting to students. Make a math enrichment center for your gifted students or "hook" math-haters (or girls) by letting them select and critique their own video choice from this site. Embed a video on your class wiki and have students use the discussion tab to comment on what they like about it or were surprised to learn. Use in your blended classroom by flipping and having students view the videos at home to discuss the next day in class. (This is a great option if YouTube is blocked in your school.) Be sure to provide this link on your class website for students (and their families) to access at home. Modify learning by having students make their own advertising videos about their favorite or "lucky" number using a tool such as MoocNote, reviewed here, where students can embed questions, comments, and polls into videos. Then share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here.Science Video Animation - Russell Kightley media
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): atoms (44), cells (82), colors (64), diseases (67), dna (43), earth (184), electricity (61), energy (133), engineering (129), geometric shapes (135), light (56), machines (17), molecules (44), solar system (110), sun (71), vision (44), waves (14)
In the Classroom
Use the simulations to help explain topics and concepts in class. Language arts teachers can use this site as a source for nonfiction reading comprehension. Science and language arts teachers can use the site as a learning center for students who need enrichment. Find great animations to help visualize various topics from different viruses to diesel engines, the Doppler Effect, to the garden sundial, and the vertical sundial to name just a few. Check the readability of the animations you want students to use on their own by using the The Readability Test Tool reviewed here.WhatWasThere - Enlighten Ventures, LLC
Grades
K to 12tag(s): communities (35), images (263), local history (14), maps (220), photography (130)