TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Oct 20, 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
ChubbyGrub - Trailer Park Media, LLC
Grades
3 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Use this tool to find the calories and nutrient content of a large variety of foods found in the popular chains. Search a variety of restaurant names or search categories ...more
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Use this tool to find the calories and nutrient content of a large variety of foods found in the popular chains. Search a variety of restaurant names or search categories of foods from the chains. This site features a search bar for finding the nutrient information of the food easily. Nutrition facts include carbohydrates, fiber, fats (saturated, cholesterol, and trans fat), proteins, and sodium.
tag(s): calories (7), myplate (18), nutrition (136), obesity (8)
In the Classroom
Use this tool in Health, Family and Consumer Science, or a Biology classroom. Make it part of a healthy eating/anti-obesity campaign in your school. Bookmark this site or place a link on your class web site. Use to compare various chain restaurant offerings and compare the accumulated total to MyPlate guidelines. Learn more about the MyPlate guidelines (here). Have students create a food infographic comparing two favorite fast food meals using a tool such as VennGage, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Flexlists - MovingLabs
Grades
4 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Create, share, and edit a variety of lists using FlexLists. Give your list a name. Choose from list options such as projects, addresses, to-do lists, and more. Add information manually...more
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Create, share, and edit a variety of lists using FlexLists. Give your list a name. Choose from list options such as projects, addresses, to-do lists, and more. Add information manually or import using options provided. Keep lists private or email to others using options such as read only, read/add, or full editing permission. Registration isn't necessary; however, it allows you to easily find and share saved lists.
tag(s): classroom management (123), organizational skills (89)
In the Classroom
Create a to-do list for group projects and invite students to the group they will be working with. Have older students sign up and create their own project and invite their group members. Have the students agree on tasks and who will complete them -- and post it on FlexLists. Use this site to help students organize for individual or collaborative research projects. Take the time to actually teach about time management skills, one of the most sought-after skills listed by today's employers. Create a database of your classroom inventory, class library, to-do lists for throughout the year, or an address book with parent contact information. Anything you might use a spreadsheet for can be a flexlist accessible from anywhere. Have students add books they like to a shared, recommended independent reading list.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Budgeting Tools - Dave Ramsey
Grades
6 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Create and explore different budgeting options using this online tool. View proposed options in several categories such as housing, food, and personal expenses. Adjust your budget as...more
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Create and explore different budgeting options using this online tool. View proposed options in several categories such as housing, food, and personal expenses. Adjust your budget as desired to view various proposals and outcomes. Choose the link to print your finished budget.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): careers (141), financial literacy (89), percent (58)
In the Classroom
Use in a math class as a way to use percentages in a real world context. Help students gain better number sense of what percentages look like as the class experiments with different incomes on an interactive whiteboard or projector. For financial literacy, explore different budget options for any income using the budgeting tool. Compare and contrast options with different careers, income levels, or asset allocations. Divide your class up into groups with different starting incomes to create a budget. Have students discuss choices made. Use as part of a career unit. Find out starting salaries for different careers then explore budget options available within each career.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The President's Desk - John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Grades
4 to 12
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Explore John F. Kennedy's desk interactively, examining treasured mementos and important documents. Don't miss the comprehensive resource guide for classroom use. Click on highlighted...more
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Explore John F. Kennedy's desk interactively, examining treasured mementos and important documents. Don't miss the comprehensive resource guide for classroom use. Click on highlighted areas of the desk to view videos, read documents, and explore important events from John F Kennedy's history. Download the PDF resource guidefor lessons, transcripts, and copies of included documents.
tag(s): 1960s (26), civil rights (201), kennedy (20), presidents (133), vietnam (38)
In the Classroom
Use the President's Desk as a highly engaging resource for getting to know more about John F. Kennedy's presidency. Show on your interactive whiteboard or projector and include suggested lesson activities to accompany the site. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about John F Kennedy. Have students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here). Be sure to add a link to the site on your class website for students to access on their own or from home. Have your class create a presidential desk for another historic leader, creating their own annotated photo of the desktop using Google Drawings, reviewed here, to explain the items on the desk. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Portrait Illustration Maker - AbiStudio.com
Grades
3 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Create your own character icon (or avatar) for free with Portrait Illustration Maker. Customize your character with all of the options on the site. Select your hairstyle, face line,...more
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Create your own character icon (or avatar) for free with Portrait Illustration Maker. Customize your character with all of the options on the site. Select your hairstyle, face line, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, coloration, as well as other effects and accessories. Click Download to save your completed character as a PNG (or other file format) to use on a website or blog. Click Alignment to select GIF or JPG file format or to add a Word that will appear the top of the image. Images are 96 by 96 pixels (quite small). Use the delete button to start over or to make a new character. Portrait Illustration Maker offers a FREE iOS and Android app for mobile devices.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creativity (91), DAT device agnostic tool (147), emotions (48), faces (5)
In the Classroom
Have students create an avatar that looks like them to use as a profile picture for a blog or website. Challenge students to create images of how they picture characters in books. Share the images with reading groups and classmates to compare. Have students create an image for a character including text boxes of character traits or the character's thoughts using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Create an talking avatar using a tool such as Blabberize, reviewed here. The avatar could be a historical figure, book character, narrator, or represent the student. Use this tool together with emotional support or autistic support students to create faces that express certain feelings. Use the word labels to identify the feelings.
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Mathsbox - mathsbox.org
Grades
2 to 11
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Find a large collection of downloadable and online math resources for a range of ages and topics. Choose from a variety of topics: Number, Algebra, Shape, or Data. There are ...more
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Find a large collection of downloadable and online math resources for a range of ages and topics. Choose from a variety of topics: Number, Algebra, Shape, or Data. There are also various subtopics. Print bingo cards for use with the bingo games. Use the warmups for math practice, or use many of the other games on the site.
tag(s): addition (127), mental math (19), number sense (70), order of operations (28), subtraction (108)
In the Classroom
Warmups use Flash and are perfect for a projector or interactive whiteboard to get the brains working and recap number sense and mental math skills. Practice makes perfect. These different practice and reinforcement activities offer help with various operations and skills necessary to complete math assignments and problems. Print out these activities for students to use for additional practice or enrichment. Share this site on your class webpage or wiki for students to access both in and out of the classroom.
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Slick Write - Russ Tek, LLC
Grades
5 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Refine your writing with Slick Write's feedback about the flow, style, structure, readability, word frequencies, and repeated phrases in your writing. This program is not just a grammar...more
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Refine your writing with Slick Write's feedback about the flow, style, structure, readability, word frequencies, and repeated phrases in your writing. This program is not just a grammar check. See diagrams showing the flow of your writing and sentence styles. It will highlight and label weak descriptions, too many prepositional phrases, cliches, and weasel words. Under "Configure", Slick Write gives choices for types of feedback for the writing. Give it a try by clicking on "edit" and pasting your text. Click "proofread" to get your results. Click "stats" to learn about overuse of prepositions and passive voice, two common writing faults. Once you see your "weaknesses," it's time to begin the hard part: revising! But at least you have an idea where to focus!
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): editing (92), proofreading (21), writing (323)
In the Classroom
Use this program with your students who are ready to refine and improve their writing. This is a wonderful program to use for revision after editing of grammar and mechanics is complete. Discover what is making your writing too wordy (excessive prepositional phrases or adverbs?) Partner an advanced writer with one not so advanced and have them use Slick Write to improve their styles. Easily differentiate for writing pitfalls by having them "configure" the settings to focus on their greatest needs instead of overwhelming them with everything at once. Put the URL on your website for students and parents to use from home. Remind seniors to use it for their college essays. Use this tool to polish your own professional writing, parent newsletters, blog posts, and papers for grad classes!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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eQuiz Show - eQuizShow
Grades
3 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Make quizzes from ready-made quiz show templates or create your own using this free tool. NO membership is required, but you will need to remember the password you add to ...more
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Make quizzes from ready-made quiz show templates or create your own using this free tool. NO membership is required, but you will need to remember the password you add to the quizzes you create so you can return to and edit it. Templates can be edited to suit your purpose. Some of the general topics include most subject areas (history, math, science, social studies, languages, and technology). There is also an area related to sports and games. It is helpful to know some html code to make your quiz look the way you wish it to (boldface, etc.), but there are reminders at the side to help with this option. Note that the quizzes do NOT score your results and are intended to be played orally (Jeopardy style).
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Create Jeopardy style quizzes for review and reinforcement of classroom content. Have groups of students create a quiz to share with the class or with other groups. Students can brainstorm what they liked about each of the different activities for more analysis on their strengths and weaknesses and how they learn best (metacognition). Have student emcees operate the student-made quizzes on an interactive whiteboard or share them by url on a class wiki so every student can take try. Create pretests to offer to gifted students to "test out" of already learned material. Challenge your gifted students to create pretests for the rest of the class. Learning support teachers may want to have small groups create their own review quizzes, since creating the quiz is actually a way to reinforce content.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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