TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Nov 17, 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
The ReDistricting Game - USC Annenberg Center
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
This game is a MUST during any unit on the electoral process or about Congress and Congressional districts! Introduce the ReDistricting Game on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow older students to explore on their own or in small groups. Take screen shots of different redistricting options and have students share their experiences in mapping out favorable and non-approved districts. Challenge students to create presentations arguing why their redistricting plans are the best. Use a tool such as Genial.ly, reviewed here to create online interactive posters, infographics, or presentations.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Infinite Oz - Syfy and Verizon Wireless
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): images (272)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this to inspire other digital art work or as a creative writing prompt. In English class, talk about the motifs that are common in fantasy/science fiction and how to describe them using words instead of visuals. In art class, look for styles of drawing, line, color, and other design elements that "mean" fantasy to viewers. Allow students the opportunity to focus on an aspect or aspects of the visuals to inspire their writing. Turn off the sound and imagine the narrative, sounds, or music to accompany the images. Inspire poetry visually. Challenge artists to make a zoomable image of their own and "zoom" into it as they record a screencast accompanied by their own narration or music. Try Screencast-o-matic, reviewed here, to record the zooming narrative.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Rhythm Trainer - John Blank
Grades
1 to 8tag(s): musical notation (37), rhythm (20)
In the Classroom
Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Use as an example, and have students create their own rhythms. Play and have other students identify what they hear. Share this site on your class website for those students taking private lessons. This is excellent practice!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Text Compactor - Knowledge by Design Inc.
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): creative writing (162), descriptive writing (42), expository writing (38), paragraph writing (14), process writing (43)
In the Classroom
Use this resource when reducing original passages (not plagiarized) to fit a specific number of words or characters. Use this resource when teaching summarization. Paste in a text to summarize and discuss/brainstorm what makes a great summary. Challenge students to look for ways that the tool may have actually missed an important concept through its automated process. Have the class decide whether their own summary or the one offered by this tool is best -- and why. Use this tool as one of many angles on revision during the writing process. Have students paste in their own writing to see what ideas "show" as the most important and to consider revising to emphasize what they really intended to say. If your emails get a bit too wordy, try this tool to shorten them! Shorten your assignment descriptions to make them easier for your ESL/ELL students and lower level readers to understand.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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English With Jennifer - Jennifer Lebedev
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): grammar (204), video (266), vocabulary development (115), writing (364)
In the Classroom
Visit Jennifer's Blog to find ideas about how to use these lessons in the classroom and to find additional support. Jennifer frequently updates the offerings. Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. FLIP your classroom and have students view the videos at home and discuss the next day in class. (This is a great option if YouTube is blocked in your school.) Use the videos to introduce a grammar or punctuation point you would like to make, and assign others in the series for homework. Look at the "Word of the Day" each morning when you begin your ESL/ELL lesson. Use the slang offerings in a similar manner. Be sure to provide this link on your class website for students (and their families) to access at home for additional English practice.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Educore Tools for Teaching the Common Core - ASCD
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): commoncore (88)
In the Classroom
Find the resources that are right for you, and begin to implement and dig deeper into Common Core. Discover recommended best practices and find practical tools to begin using today. From professional development to ready to use lessons, keep yourself current and stretch your students to go further. Be sure to bookmark this site (or save it in your favorites).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brilliant - Sue Khim
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): problem solving (292), STEM (211)
In the Classroom
Use when differentiating in the classroom or as a resource for gifted students. Allow students to create their own account, take placement tests, and problem-solve the challenges each week. Have students share problems and their problem solving process with classmates via podcasts demonstrating their understanding of one of the concepts. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here). Create your own account; then share problems on your website or blog using the share feature offered on the site. If you plan to have students register using their own email accounts, read tips for safely managing email registrations here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Our very own star: The Sun - NASA
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): solar system (125), sun (76)
In the Classroom
Use this Interactive to share basic information about the Sun that students can discuss in groups or in a class discussion. This Interactive can be used on an Interactive Whiteboard or on individual computers. After using this resource, brainstorm additional questions for research. Students can create presentations to share the information that they research and learn. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Economics of Seinfeld - Linda Ghent, Alan Grant and George Lesica
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Although concepts are listed with each video, it is up to the user to find the concept in the video and make the connections. Have students watch videos then upload a photo they have taken and add voice bubbles to explain what they learned. Use a tool such as SuperLame, reviewed here. Have students use this site as a point of reference and find their own examples of economics in current television programming. Have students use ytClipper, reviewed here, to grab favorites from online video sources such as YouTube and Dailymotion quickly and easily, then explain them in presentations to the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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DropShots - WebMinds, Inc
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Create a classroom DropShots account for students to upload video projects or images for projects. Share raw materials for student multimedia projects, such as photos of lab experiments or local historic sites. Share classroom projects privately and easily from your DropShots account. In elementary classrooms, teacher can use this tool to share photos from field trips, assemblies, project presentations, and other special events. Share the password with parents only. Have older students create their own DropShots account for collaborating on multimedia projects. Consider having your students sign up using a Gmail account. Read tips for safely managing email registrations here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Blood - e-learning for kids
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): body systems (59), cells (104), human body (132)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) and explore together as a class during a unit on body systems or the circulatory system. Use an online flashcard maker, like Flashcard Stash (reviewed here). Use terms provided to help students remember different types of cells and their functions. Before viewing the site have students brainstorm or collect ideas on what they know about blood on a collaborative bulletin board like Scrumblr, reviewed here (quick start- no membership required!)Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cat At Bat - Random House
Grades
K to 3In the Classroom
Bookmark this site on your classroom computers or save it in your favorites. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Put students in pairs at the computers, each representing one of the teams. Also put a link to this interactive on your class web page so students can play at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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