TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of May 19, 2013
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
Musical Resources - The National Civil War Field Music School
Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites
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Discover the music of the Civil War as a real musician. This collection of sheet music links, Army guidebooks, and more are intended for re-enactor musicians who plan to "go ...more
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Discover the music of the Civil War as a real musician. This collection of sheet music links, Army guidebooks, and more are intended for re-enactor musicians who plan to "go to school" to become field musicians. See the importance of music as a communication tool before, during, and after a battle. You can even try your own hand at playing a drum cadence. Many of the files are Acrobat scans of original music. These are not "beginner" pieces, but a musician with moderate experience could play at least some of them. Clicking on the link to Other Resources and Links can lead you to some musical re-enactor videos on YouTube. See listings under Civil War Field Music/Fife and Drum Corps. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
tag(s): civil war (148)
In the Classroom
Share this resource as a project option for your musical students during a unit on the Civil War. Share the site with your music or band teacher to collaborate on a Civil War Day event.
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Civil War 150 - Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Grades
4 to 12
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Civil War 150 is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. The site includes...more
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Civil War 150 is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. The site includes online exhibits, videos, educational resources, and blog posts. Choose from any topics to explore links that include images, photographs, short essays, and also videos. Also available is a large series of lectures and podcasts given by historians on diverse topics such as Lincoln's Beard - Why Did He Grow It? and Stonewall Jackson, Portrait in a Minute. Some podcasts are in video and they range in length from 3 minutes to almost an hour and a half. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
In the Classroom
Listen to podcasts in your classroom and view videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students use Fakebook (reviewed here) to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a Civil War soldier or important person from that time. Have students create timelines of Civil War events (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Capzles (reviewed here).
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Coloring Squared - Cameron Krantzman
Grades
K to 6
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Are you looking to add some color to your math instruction? Need a break from the black and white worksheet? Coloring Squared offers free pages to teach and review math ...more
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Are you looking to add some color to your math instruction? Need a break from the black and white worksheet? Coloring Squared offers free pages to teach and review math concepts. Determine the solution and color the squares based on a key found on every page to reveal a pixel art puzzle. While the math may be puzzling, enjoy coloring the squares to generate a fun, pixelated picture. Aligned to the Common Core Math Standards, the free pages offer supplementary materials for counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percents, and place value.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (220), counting (105), decimals (127), division (155), fractions (233), multiplication (206), operations (113), percent (77), place value (55), subtraction (182), worksheets (64)
In the Classroom
Not every math solution is black and white. Add some color to your teaching and review. Coloring Squared activities are great for station work, enrichment, or support. Students can write short stories using their picture for a cross-curricular activity. Final pictures are great for math bulletin boards. Looking for assignments for students to complete after their math work is finished? Coloring squared will keep the students engaged. Send this link home for students to use (and print) both in and out of the classroom.
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Discover Anatomy - rigb.org
Grades
4 to 12
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Why are skeletons so important? How does anatomy work? Find plenty of activities, discussions, and information to answer these and other important questions. Use the Joint Explorer...more
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Why are skeletons so important? How does anatomy work? Find plenty of activities, discussions, and information to answer these and other important questions. Use the Joint Explorer to manipulate a skeleton to view its range of movements. Enjoy the Build a Skeleton interactive: build a skeleton and identify the similarities among a variety of skeletons. Identify other structures around us that move much like our bodies in "Move It." Answer the Big Questions and take quizzes. What do animals without skeletons do? Examine Endoskeletons and Exoskeletons as well on this site. Be sure to check out the Teacher's Notes for general information and useful links.
tag(s): body systems (56), human body (124)
In the Classroom
Learn about the structure and movement of the human body. Students can work individually or in groups to learn about various joints and movements of the human body and other animals. Encourage students to research other organisms and create a multimedia presentation including the showing of the range of motion. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Students can connect the movement with other information that they learned on the site of other items such as a door hinge.
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U. S. History Images - Karen J. Hatzigeorgiou
Grades
7 to 12
6 Favorites
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U.S. History Images is a large site of Public Domain images beginning with Native Americans up to the Civil War. Choose from categories offered to locate images within the different...more
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U.S. History Images is a large site of Public Domain images beginning with Native Americans up to the Civil War. Choose from categories offered to locate images within the different choices. For specific searches, use the search bar or site map to locate content. Be sure to view the Terms of Use for understanding of proper use of images.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1800s (56), american revolution (88), civil war (148), colonial america (108), colonization (16), emancipation proclamation (10), images (273), industrial revolution (25), industrialization (14), lincoln (76), native americans (88), pioneers (9), states (158), transportation (46), washington (28)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site to share during classroom lessons on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Share with students as a place to explore and to "get the picture" of early events in American History. As an alternative a traditional report and to enhance learning, create a newspaper using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here, to report on Civil War events. This site is a wonderful source for students to find raw materials for multimedia projects in general. Be sure to provide a mini lesson on how to cite their image sources!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kitten Hop Dolch Word Practice - Arcademics
Grades
K to 2
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Test your Dolch sight word reading speed with this interactive! You can play in a public game with unknown competitors or a private game. To start, select your own kitten ...more
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Test your Dolch sight word reading speed with this interactive! You can play in a public game with unknown competitors or a private game. To start, select your own kitten color. The site allows competitors on up to 4 computers to play at the same time. You will hear a word from the Dolch sight word reading list. Click on it as quickly as possible. Your kitten will jump to the correct ball of yarn. The faster you respond, the quicker your kitten jumps from ball to ball. This interactive measures each player's reading speed as well as pits them against the other players whose kittens appear on the board. This site is helpful for any beginning readers including ELL/ESL students and learning support students.
tag(s): preK (289), sight words (33)
In the Classroom
Even if your students have been reading basic sight words for a while, this site offers practice in speed and fluency. You could create a learning center out of this site and have four different students competing on laptops. If you only have one computer and an interactive whiteboard, set up a learning station! Students can work in groups of two or individually to see their speed. If you choose to have students work in partners, be sure to partner each child with a student of similar reading level, so one student isn't providing all of the answers. This is a great simple site to provide for summer practice of sight words.
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The People's House: History, Art & Archives - Office of the Historian, US House of Representatives
Grades
6 to 12
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With Congress (and its low approval ratings) in the headlines, you might wonder if it were always like it is today. This site offers a historical look at the US ...more
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With Congress (and its low approval ratings) in the headlines, you might wonder if it were always like it is today. This site offers a historical look at the US House of Representatives from its first session in 1789 to the present. Who has served? Who have the leaders been? What does the House do? How has that changed over time? The site is absolutely packed: historical documents, photographs, oral histories, information about policies and procedures, and biographies. There are also important artifacts highlighted on this site: paintings, sculpture, and the trappings of US political power, as well as insight into the personalities of those who have served in the House. There are lesson plans, time lines, a glossary, and printable fact sheets.
tag(s): branches of government (61), congress (44), house of representatives (10)
In the Classroom
Understanding the separation of powers is fundamental to learning about how the US is governed. While it may be tempting to group the Senate and the House of Representatives into one legislative entity, there are important differences between the two bodies. This site can help students see the specific role the Founders had for this branch of government. Looking at important events in US history, like women's suffrage, civil rights, and foreign policy through the lens of the House gives added depth to the lesson. Students may be interested in the process by which the House conducts its business. Who is a "whip" and why do they call him (or her) that? Take some time to check out the lesson plans and other resources designed for educators as well.
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Sylvan Paper - Saad Alam
Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites
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Sylvan Paper (formerly CiteLighter) is a writing scaffolding tool designed to break writing assignments into manageable portions. Create your account to access sample lessons and design...more
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Sylvan Paper (formerly CiteLighter) is a writing scaffolding tool designed to break writing assignments into manageable portions. Create your account to access sample lessons and design your own writing organizers. Use Sylvan Paper's search feature to find and add articles to your content. When ready, use the share link to export to Google, Microsoft Word, email, or print. The "Draft" link includes a workspace for creating multiple drafts of writing projects. Free features include the ability to capture student content, outling tools, and integration with Google Documents.
tag(s): organizational skills (106), process writing (41), writing (356), writing prompts (75)
In the Classroom
Share Sylvan Paper's tools with students as a helpful visual guide for teaching the writing process and highlighting the different portions within a writing assignment. Go through a sample project together on your interactive whiteboard, or if you are fortunate enough to have a 1:1 classroom, share a sample project with students and let them explore and complete an assignment on their own. Include a link with your other links for students for them to use as a resource when working on any writing project. Ask students to keep a copy of their original and final copies of written work and reflect on the editing process in a short blog post. Use Hashify, reviewed here or another webpage creator for students to submit their reflection including images or links to their work process. Have students share writing tips with their peers using a comic creation tool like ToonyTool, reviewed here to create single frame cartoons. Share student tips on your class website or blog.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lessons on American Presidents - Sean Banville
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
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This American Presidents website contains lesson plans for teaching about each of the US presidents all the way through Barack Obama. The site uses the informational text about each...more
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This American Presidents website contains lesson plans for teaching about each of the US presidents all the way through Barack Obama. The site uses the informational text about each president to teach, reinforce, and review English language concepts. The site is directly geared toward ESL/ELL students. However, all users will benefit from materials provided. Choose any president to view a short biography. There are also language lessons such as fill in the blank and writing activities. Choose from links at the top of the page to print the lesson in PDF format, hear the article read in mp3 format, and view additional activities such as flash cards and word jumbles. Although heavy in advertising, this site is worth a look as a resource for activities and lessons about US presidents.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): jefferson (22), kennedy (26), lincoln (76), presidents (130), reading comprehension (132), washington (28)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource to accompany US presidents units or to supplement current materials used in teaching about the presidents. This is a great tool to use in English/language arts class for nonfiction readings. If you want to remove distracting advertisements, use a tool such as Readability Test Tool, reviewed here. Print activities and biographies about several different presidents to add to your substitute folder. Share this site with ESL/ELL and Special Education teachers as a resource for materials.
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Writing Lesson of the Month Network - Corbett Harrrison
Grades
4 to 12
2 Favorites
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Discover a wealth of writing ideas at this expansive site, including "Common Core friendly" ones! Sign up for the monthly newsletter to get a new writing idea each month. ...more
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Discover a wealth of writing ideas at this expansive site, including "Common Core friendly" ones! Sign up for the monthly newsletter to get a new writing idea each month. This Ning site has several groups to join, depending on your interests. If the group you're looking for doesn't exist, create one. At the time of this review, the current month's writing lesson is at the top of the home page. The menu across the top provides access to past writing lessons. This site mentions the Six Traits of Writing, and each month focuses on a different trait. A picture book that also focuses on the writing trait is part of the lesson plan.
tag(s): creative writing (151), six traits of writing (7), writing (356), writing prompts (75)
In the Classroom
Find ideas for your students to write about. Or better yet, show them the categories, lists, and ideas and have them choose something as a class. Create small groups and allow them to look through the past writing lessons and books and decide as a group what they would like to write about. Use a program such as MixedInk reviewed here or allwritewithme reviewed here to help them collaborate on their writing experience. The site uses the Six Traits of Writing, and each month focuses on a different trait. To learn more about the Six Traits of writing visit Six Traits of Writing reviewed here or 6+1 Trait Writing Lesson Plans reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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