TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Sep 29, 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
Compress Now - compressnow.com
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
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Compress images to a manageable size easily using Compress Now. Upload any image file up to 9 MB in size, slide the slider to choose the percentage of compression, and ...more
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Compress images to a manageable size easily using Compress Now. Upload any image file up to 9 MB in size, slide the slider to choose the percentage of compression, and view the result. Click download to save to your computer. Although this tool is recommended for all ages, elementary students would not use it, but their teachers can!
tag(s): images (273)
In the Classroom
Bookmark Compress Now (or save it in your favorites). Use this site throughout the year when working with images. Compress images for use on web pages to make pages loading more quickly. Use when emailing images to make sure they will get through.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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BLAST Common Core State Standards: Mathematics Professional Development - Clark County School District
Grades
K to 8
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Find many professional development modules for understanding Common Core State Standards in Mathematics for grades K-8. Each module includes four main components: standards, assessment,...more
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Find many professional development modules for understanding Common Core State Standards in Mathematics for grades K-8. Each module includes four main components: standards, assessment, instruction, and collaboration. Designed with collaborative groups in mind, modules use Edmodo reviewed here as the platform for discussion and response. Access modules at any time for professional development on your time schedule!
tag(s): commoncore (89), professional development (196)
In the Classroom
This site is excellent for use during professional development time in grade level meetings. Choose a different standard for exploration monthly or weekly across district levels without having to leave your building. Use for your personal knowledge. Complete modules to gain a better understanding of Common Core Math Standards.
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Artifacts & Analysis - Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Grades
9 to 12
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Smithsonian's Artifacts & Analysis offers strategies and resources for incorporating historical documents and resources into the teaching of U.S. history, particularly the decades of...more
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Smithsonian's Artifacts & Analysis offers strategies and resources for incorporating historical documents and resources into the teaching of U.S. history, particularly the decades of the 20th century. Use the details of everyday life to help focus understanding of a time period. Choose from the four main sections: Artifacts & Documents, Teaching Guide, Writing Assignments, or Essay. The sample artifacts offered include a Furnace Salesman's Kit (1920s), Fiestaware (1930s-40s), Pennants (1950s-60s), Barbie Doll (1958), Jeans (1970s), and Lunchboxes (1950s-80s).
tag(s): 1930s (14), 1960s (30), 20th century (52), cultures (117), decades (10)
In the Classroom
Start off with a visit to the Teaching Guide to find some great ideas to incorporate in your class. Use materials from this site to enhance and bring historical teaching to life. Print the student guide for writing effective essays for students to include with history notebooks. Use questions from the teaching materials here to add to your current teaching plans or as discussion topics. Create a link on your class website for students to view this site at home. Have students research and find documents and artifacts in your own community or online to share in the classroom. Have them create curated collections in digital form with accompanying writings to explain them. Students could create annotated images including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What's Up In Finance? - Educational Broadcasting Corporation
Grades
7 to 12
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What's Up in Finance is a 30 minute reality show teaching money smarts for teens. This accompanying site offers interactives, videos, and activities to support features on the...more
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What's Up in Finance is a 30 minute reality show teaching money smarts for teens. This accompanying site offers interactives, videos, and activities to support features on the show. Explore articles about financial careers. Try interactives to learn about smart financial decisions. Choose from several lesson plans offered (including materials list and national math standards). Please note that although the site does offer links to former shows and segments, those videos are no longer available. The materials on the site are still worth your while!
tag(s): careers (148), financial literacy (110)
In the Classroom
View and modify lesson plans to meet your classroom needs. This site is highly appealing to the older student! Allow students to play the interactive games as part of your financial literacy unit. Have students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here) or PicLits (reviewed here. Include information from the career portion of your site as part of any career exploration activities.
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Thinking With Type - Ellen Lupton
Grades
6 to 12
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Thinking with Type offers a classroom companion to the book Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students. The book (and site) contain...more
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Thinking with Type offers a classroom companion to the book Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students. The book (and site) contain more information about type than you ever knew existed!. Resources include lectures, project ideas, handouts, and more to use for teaching not just with the book but also as a resource for anyone that uses type. Choose the letter category to view information such as size, scale, type families, and font formats. Explore line spacing, alignment, and tracking within the text portion of the site. Discover different grids such as single and multi-column grids. Be sure to check out the section for teachers loaded with information, exercises, projects, and demos.
tag(s): descriptive writing (42), graphic design (42)
In the Classroom
This site is an excellent resource for web design and graphic design classes. Share portions of this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) for lessons in type basics, typeface history, and more. Use some of the project ideas (see Extras: Tools for Teachers) to have students create poetry posters for poetry month using artistic type and their own words. Have students explore the site and create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Easel.ly, reviewed here or Venngage reviewed here.
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Backchannel Chat - Live Chat for Classrooms - Backchannelchat.com
Grades
6 to 12
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Backchannel Chat is a real-time educational discussion tool. Mute or remove comments. The tool includes a profanity filter and also a web based transcript for viewing and assessing...more
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Backchannel Chat is a real-time educational discussion tool. Mute or remove comments. The tool includes a profanity filter and also a web based transcript for viewing and assessing participation and weaknesses. Set the chat to discontinue when you leave if desired. Begin a chat with your email, display name, and backchannel title to receive a link for others to participate (no need to wait for an email). Free memberships allow one (endless) chat with up to 30 participants and storage of the chat transcript for up to 3 months. Choose the settings options to set moderation, etc. Premium features require the paid version. Unfortunately, the checkbox to require the teacher to be present for the chat is a premium feature, but you can set it to require teacher moderation for all messages so students cannot conduct after hours "chat" without your control. THis is a device agnostic tool with free app versions that work on mobile devices.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): chat (45), DAT device agnostic tool (170), microblogging (28)
In the Classroom
Create a name for your chat and share the URL with others. They join in simply by entering a name (or initials, to keep it safe) and clicking Join. Use backchannel chat on laptops during a video or student presentations. Pose questions for all to answer/discuss in the backchannel. Ask students to pose their own "I wonder if..." questions as they watch and listen. Keep every student engaged and THINKING as an active listener. The first time you use backchannel, you will want to establish some etiquette and accountability rules, such as respectful language and constructive criticism. Assign students to watch a news program or political show and have a backchannel chat during the broadcast. Revisit the chat on a projector in class the next day or copy/paste or put the link to the chat transcript on a class blog or wiki and have students respond further in blog posts or on the wiki discussion tab. The advantage of backchannel chat is that every student has a voice, no matter how shy.In world language classes or even autistic support class, have students backchannel descriptions of what they see as classmates act out a scene from a video, using new language vocabulary and/or describing the feelings of the actors. In studying literature, collaborate with another class to have students role-play a chat between two characters or - in history class - between soldiers on two sides of the Civil War or different sides of the Scopes Money trial. Make brevity an impetus for well-focused thoughts and use instantaneous response as an incentive for engagement.
Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Serving Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum - US Dept of Agriculture Food & Nutrition Service
Grades
K to 7
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Serving Up MyPlate is a collection of classroom materials for elementary and middle school teachers that integrates nutrition education into Math, Science, English Language Arts, and...more
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Serving Up MyPlate is a collection of classroom materials for elementary and middle school teachers that integrates nutrition education into Math, Science, English Language Arts, and Health. The site includes Teacher Guides, songs, posters, parent handouts, games, and graphics for school meals. Choose from three different teacher guides based on grade levels to view or download in PDF format. Guides include lessons correlated to Common Core standards and include student handouts. Elementary schools participating in the National School Lunch Program or other Child Nutrition program may order free copies of several items including posters, curriculum, CDs, and handouts using the order form available on the site.
In the Classroom
Download the teacher's guide to use for lessons with any nutrition lessons. Print posters available on the site for use in your school's cafeteria. After participating in lessons and viewing provided posters, have students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here) or PicLits (reviewed here.
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Adventures in Energy - American Petroleum Institute
Grades
4 to 8
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Take an interactive look at energy exploration, production, and delivery at Adventures in Energy. Topics include explanations of oil and gas, the process from exploration and...more
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Take an interactive look at energy exploration, production, and delivery at Adventures in Energy. Topics include explanations of oil and gas, the process from exploration and refining, and all the way to delivery of the finished product (energy). Each topic contains images, short explanations, and animated videos demonstrating content. Be sure to view the fact or fiction questions posed to the left of the screen for each of the different categories. Although the site does not make it obvious, this resource was created by the American Petroleum Institute. The information supplied may therefore offer a particular slant, though the basics on energy are quite accurate.
tag(s): careers (148), energy (212), oil (40), transportation (47)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use on your interactive whiteboard or projector. View together as a class to see easy to understand explanations of the process of exploring and providing oil and gas to communities. Have students watch information on their own and then create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as Wordle (reviewed here), Tagxedo (reviewed here), or WordItOut (reviewed here). Have cooperative learning groups create online books about the energy process using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. Use this site as part of your career unit and focus in on the portion of the site explaining the job of geologists. For a powerful critical thinking lesson, challenge students (especially your brightest ones) to look for alternative angles on the information here. Would environmentalists present it in the same way? Can you find any current news articles that reveal more than is said here? Which information, if any, might be open to debate?
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Pulitzer Center Lesson Plans - Pulitzer Center
Grades
3 to 12
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Find lesson plans at the Pulitzer Center for grades 3-12 that identify global issues and ways to address them. Topics include subjects such as International Adoptions: Ethics and Effects...more
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Find lesson plans at the Pulitzer Center for grades 3-12 that identify global issues and ways to address them. Topics include subjects such as International Adoptions: Ethics and Effects and America's Responsibility for the Welfare and Safety of Chinese Workers and many other intriguing topics. Each lesson plan includes big ideas, essential questions, Common Core standards, vocabulary, assessments, and additional resources. Bring lessons to life through journalist visits (in larger cities) or Skype visits (using the request a class visit option on the site).
tag(s): africa (162), careers (148), china (65), debate (46), earthquakes (52), ethics (20), food chains (26), hiv/aids (20), india (34), journalism (69), media literacy (78), water (137), women (99)
In the Classroom
Use the lesson plans on the site as a resource for discussing and debating global issues. If there is no time to complete a full unit, explore resources from each topic for ideas to use in your classroom. For example, try the ideas on interviewing individuals who migrated to the United States offered in the "How Did I Become the Person That I Am" unit. Share this site with students interested in journalism careers as a resource for learning more about the profession and some of its members.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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