TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jan 19, 2014
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
Wordless News - Maria Fabrizio
Grades
5 to 12
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"See" daily news headlines in illustration form on this clever blog created by illustrator/designer Maria Fabrizio. Each day she chooses a headline to illustrate in a sort of visual...more
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"See" daily news headlines in illustration form on this clever blog created by illustrator/designer Maria Fabrizio. Each day she chooses a headline to illustrate in a sort of visual riddle, and she also includes the link to the article that inspired it. The result: an engaging visual prompt that tempts your guess at one of the day's top stories. The news sources vary among various mainstream U.S. news sources, such as the New York Times, NBC, NPR, or USA Today. Challenge yourself to stay up to date and think visually. Cycle back through the daily entries since early 2013 or search by clickable tags to see the breadth of news represented here and find related stories. You can also sign up to receive the daily stories via email.
tag(s): news (227), visual thinking (7)
In the Classroom
Encourage students to connect with current events by sharing the daily post (or one per week) on your projector or interactive whiteboard as students enter homeroom or settle in for the start of class. If you teach reading, this is the perfect way to entice students to READ informational texts with a visual image in mind, adding a purpose to their reading of non-fiction. This is a very creative way to practice close reading, as students look for the reasons behind the illustrator's choices. Extend the activity by challenging students in reading OR social studies classes to create their own Wordless News illustrations to reflect a news story they find on their own. Share the challenges on a class wiki for other students to "guess" and include the links to the stories. Art teachers can use this blog as an example of the many ways artists find inspiration in everyday life. Even the very young can "draw" a news story they read. ESL/ELL teachers can use these illustrations to build speaking vocabulary as students discuss and guess the news stories and practice their language skills reading the actual text. Use this blog in social studies class to inspire historic " wordless news" stories with accompanying articles written by students (or primary source stories from the time). What would the illustration and article be like for the Emancipation Proclamation?You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Letters of Note - Shaun Usher
Grades
8 to 12
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Letters of Note is a blog that shares letters from a book of the same name, but you never have to buy the book! The collection includes over 900 interesting ...more
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Letters of Note is a blog that shares letters from a book of the same name, but you never have to buy the book! The collection includes over 900 interesting letters from many different sources such as Leonardo da Vinci's 's job application, a letter from Steve Albini to the band Nirvana, and Virginia Woolf's suicide letter. Start from the archives to find over 900 more examples sorted in different ways such as typed/handwritten, by date, name, or correspondence type. Or click in the sidebar to access most popular or even view a random letter. Most letters include an image along with a short description of the context of the correspondence included. Letters include the original language so be sure to read for yourself before sharing with students.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): acting (19), authors (104), europe (75), letter writing (18), politics (111), primary sources (118)
In the Classroom
Find letters from authors to read when studying their novels. Choose letters from different time periods to share with students as an authentic look at life during that time (primary sources!). Have students share what they learned using a tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (on a map) where the story takes place. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president, famous scientist, or nearly any other real or fictitious person.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PledgeCents - pledgecents.com
Grades
K to 12
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Do you need funds for a classroom project or equipment? PledgeCents is a quick and easy solution to classroom and school fundraising. Begin with a fundraising idea and a goal. ...more
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Do you need funds for a classroom project or equipment? PledgeCents is a quick and easy solution to classroom and school fundraising. Begin with a fundraising idea and a goal. Create your class page with a project description, pictures, videos, and other relevant information. Share your page through social media links to Facebook, Twitter, and more. More simply, share the link on your class web page. Donors click to "invest" in your cause and are guided through a simple process to donate either by name or anonymously. After the project deadline, collect funds easily and safely for use with your project.
tag(s): grants (16), service projects (17)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a potential funding source or make a donation. Join the site (free). Then take the time to write up a clearly-worded project proposal along with pictures and video. You can even make the project a challenge to your school community, if you wish. If you are a student council or Key Club adviser, make one or more of the projects on this site your targeted service project for the year. Or use this venue to collect funds to purchase materials for your own school or club service projects. Encourage philanthropy to support good causes: kids helping kids! Share with your school's Parent Teacher Organization as a fundraising tool for any and all projects. Don't forget to send the project descriptions with local media such as small town newspapers, local TV, or service groups who might make a donation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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antiAtlas of borders - Migrations Map - Martin De Wulf
Grades
6 to 12
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Where are migrants coming from and where have migrants left? Find answers using Migrations Map's interactive map. Click on any country to view a short overview of population, gross...more
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Where are migrants coming from and where have migrants left? Find answers using Migrations Map's interactive map. Click on any country to view a short overview of population, gross domestic product per capita, child mortality, disease rate, and more. Choose arrivals or departures to view the number of immigrants to and emigrants from the country and percentages on where they come from or go. Simply click on the country of your choice to begin. Note that much of the data displayed is from 2007, so is better for longer term trends than for recent times. Read "About" for more about the data sources.
tag(s): immigration (65), maps (208), population (48)
In the Classroom
Use Migrations Map during your study of any country to view immigration and emigration statistics in social studies, science, health, or even world language classes. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Ask WHY these immigration patterns exist. What factors lead to immigration? What environmental impacts does it have? Be sure to point out the data lag -- is from 2007. You can also send them to find updated stats at the World Bank and other online sources. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, or Venngage, reviewed here. Have students collaborate to create interactive maps using MapHub, reviewed here. Students can add icons, text, images, and location stops!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zidbits - Zidbits media
Grades
3 to 12
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This tool is cool little tidbits of knowledge. The subtitle is "Boldly Exploring Life's Little Mysteries." Zidbits include facts such as "What is the hardest language to learn?" "Do...more
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This tool is cool little tidbits of knowledge. The subtitle is "Boldly Exploring Life's Little Mysteries." Zidbits include facts such as "What is the hardest language to learn?" "Do trees die from old age?" or "What is the most lethal poison?" Find facts for history, science, health, entertainment, and news on this site as well as fun facts. This site doesn't provide just a quick tidbit, but also gives background information and additional details.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): infographics (56), questioning (35), speaking (22)
In the Classroom
This resource is useful to hook your students at the beginning of your lessons or simply to get them reading non-fiction text. Use these as hooks to get your students thinking about content that will be introduced in the lesson. Students can find a Zidbit they are interested in. Poll students about possible answers and then report the actual answer and content needed in order to understand and explain it. Learn a new Zidbit yourself every week. If you teach public speaking skills, have students use these stories as inspiration or "hooks" for informational speeches, as well.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sketchometry - Sketchometry
Grades
4 to 12
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This tool is an amazing geometry playground. Select points on your screen and connect them. On tablets, draw roughly with your finger (such as a circle), and the tool will ...more
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This tool is an amazing geometry playground. Select points on your screen and connect them. On tablets, draw roughly with your finger (such as a circle), and the tool will generate a real circle. Use the Help page to identify the gestures that can be used on a tablet. The interface uses icons that are easy to find and follow. This web tool is designed to work on mobile browsers on any device.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (148), functions (52), geometric shapes (135), perspective (12)
In the Classroom
This tool is great for creating and visualizing math concepts from basic geometric shapes and area to complex constructions and trig. Use on a whiteboard or with a class projector for interactive classroom use. Save or retrieve creations with Dropbox, reviewed here or Google Drive, reviewed here. Use for hands-on work with any geometry or trigonometry functions. Since this tool works on such a variety of devices, it would be ideal to use in a BYOD (or 1:1) geometry class. Art teachers who want to "draw in" their more mathematical students can offer this as a design option, especially when teaching about perspective.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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