TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Sep 23, 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
AllSides - John Gable
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): elections (78), media literacy (96), politics (109)
In the Classroom
This is an excellent site to easily find topics presented from various points of view. Use articles with students to demonstrate point of view in writing, bias in media, or for students to use as points for debates. Use an online tool such as Interactive Three Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to create a visual comparison of different points of view.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Sub Hub - Rachel Friedrich
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (128), newbies (14), substitutes (27)
In the Classroom
Regular classroom teachers might want to share this in their emergency lesson plans for subs. Substitutes, don't go into the classroom empty handed. Bookmark this useful website (or make it a TeachersFirst Favorite so you can find it anytime) and be prepared for the unexpected! New teachers and student teachers can learn from the many tips. If you are mentoring or working with a student teacher, share some of these ideas. For even more, be sure to check out Teachers First's Ideas and Resources for Substitutes here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Rooh it: Instant Web Highlighter - RoohIt, Inc
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): browser (6), note taking (34)
In the Classroom
Consider using this tool as a way to direct students to specific points of web pages. Include directions in your notes. Assign specific tasks, such as pre-reading questions using the notes feature. Even without "sharing" a URL, use this resource to keep track of specific points for discussion later. Have students use this tool for research papers and other projects. Share current events with others, highlighting specific points. Simply paste the highlighted URLs into a word doc to save and reopen later. Use this resource as an organizational tool for content found on the web. Have students annotate their own pages including their own pre-reading questions, main idea sentences, or summaries using highlighting and notes on a text-based page. Have them explicate poetry, annotate motifs in online literary works, point out fallacies in arguments used in blog posts, or highlight evidence of bias in web page content. They can "turn in" their assignments to you or share them with classmates by URL.Keep a word document with the URLs to your annotated pages and notes about what they are if you plan to assign them to students. If you plan to use this as a TEACHER only, there are no safety/security concerns at all. Be sure to check with your IT department about installing bookmarklets and using this site on district computers. No registration is required. Encourage students to use this responsibly and not highlight information considered inappropriate for school.
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Mathematical Quotations Server - Mark Woodard, Furman University
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): probability (94), quotations (20), statistics (113)
In the Classroom
Use this site to find a quote of the week for your math classroom. Ask students to respond with their own thoughts. Begin each new unit with an appropriate quotation to spark classroom discussion and determine prior knowledge. Hang the quote on your wall throughout the unit. Use the list as examples of mathematical quotes and challenge students to create their own quote. Then ask them to create a talking avatar using a photo or other image (legally permitted to be reproduced) using a tool such as Blabberize, reviewed here. The avatars can be say the quotation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Symphony of science - John Boswell
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): atoms (41), ecology (97), life cycles (20), matter (46), space (210), video (251)
In the Classroom
Provide a link to the site on a classroom computer or class website. Introduce Big Ideas or themes in Science with one of the videos to encourage discussions and generate questions for research. Share the mashups on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Capitalize on gifted students' powerful sense of justice and concern about social issues and spark some truly creative music/science projects by sharing these examples in your gifted program.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dr. Carlson's Science Theater - Dr. Carlson Science Theater
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): electricity (59), light (51), matter (46), motion (47), newton (18), optics (12), scientific method (47), waves (14), weather (159)
In the Classroom
Use as a reinforcement or enrichment tool, depending on the students' needs. Embed or link to relevant videos on your website, blog, or wiki for students to view (and review) outside of the classroom. Share the videos on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) and use as an anticipatory guide for science concepts presented -- or even as a review. Use as a creative example of a presentation in a subject area content. Challenge students to create their own videos about a specific science topic. Share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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