TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Nov 15, 2015

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

 

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FutureLearn for Schools - FutureLearn

Grades
7 to 12
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FutureLearn for Schools offers a large variety of free online courses presented by leading universities for students aged 13 and older in a variety of topics. Choose a category to ...more
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FutureLearn for Schools offers a large variety of free online courses presented by leading universities for students aged 13 and older in a variety of topics. Choose a category to begin browsing topics offered. Content includes history, creative arts and media, literature, and much more. Watch a short video to learn specifics about the course offerings and objectives. This site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): advertising (24), business (48), computers (109), creative writing (121), cultures (131), dental health (15), environment (237), financial literacy (92), gifted (65), literature (216), photography (118), politics (111), professional development (404), psychology (67)

In the Classroom

Allow gifted students to enroll in courses that interest them or that provide enrichment beyond classroom content. Share with others in your building as a resource for professional development. Explore the topics yourself for some new, engaging material to round out your own expertise. Allow students to enroll in a course that would fit into their career goals as an exploratory opportunity in that field. With older students you may want to consider requiring them to take a course with the idea that it is a model.
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Learn Engineering - The Physics Behind Engineering - Lesics

Grades
8 to 12
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The goal of Learn Engineering is to present "tough engineering concepts" in a logical and simple way. Click Blog to choose from one of the main fields of engineering on ...more
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The goal of Learn Engineering is to present "tough engineering concepts" in a logical and simple way. Click Blog to choose from one of the main fields of engineering on the top menu- automobile, mechanical, electrictronics, aerospace, and others to begin. Subcategories within each section answer questions using labeled images and detailed image explanations. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): careers (138), engineering (123), STEM (269)

In the Classroom

Share information on the site during career lessons and activities. Share this site with parents as a resource for learning more about careers in engineering. During a unit in careers, divide students into small groups (their interest) to cover all engineering fields, and challenge them to create a multimedia presentation using Presentious, reviewed here, and present their findings about that field to their classmates. Presentious is a mix of the best parts of slide and video recordings, in one new format and is easy to use.

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Television Archive News Search Service - TV News Archive

Grades
5 to 12
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The Television Archive News Search Service is a comprehensive resource for finding news video clips from the United States and Great Britain. Scroll through to view clips by most popular...more
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The Television Archive News Search Service is a comprehensive resource for finding news video clips from the United States and Great Britain. Scroll through to view clips by most popular or sort by title, date, archived, or creator. Use the search bar to search by keywords for specific information. Choose any clip, and then choose any minute from the filmstrip to view clips.

tag(s): d day (9), journalism (72), news (227), world war 2 (155)

In the Classroom

This site is ideal on an interactive whiteboard or projector, learning station, or on individual computers (with headsets). Provide students with a topic for a keyword search and allow them to explore on their own. Embed video clips into your class web page or view together on an interactive whiteboard as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson. Looking for video clips for D Day? Click here.

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MasterMath - Stan Lisle

Grades
5 to 9
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MasterMath offers a large variety of resources for middle school mathematics, including videos, worksheets, and quizzes. Choose from 6th, 7th, or 8th-grade math, or Algebra 1 divided...more
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MasterMath offers a large variety of resources for middle school mathematics, including videos, worksheets, and quizzes. Choose from 6th, 7th, or 8th-grade math, or Algebra 1 divided into quarters. Click on any lesson description correlated to FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) standards to view all resources offered for that standard. If your district blocks YouTube, you are given an Archive link that should play the video.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): charts and graphs (169), decimals (84), equations (120), fractions (158), functions (51), integers (22)

In the Classroom

Use MasterMath resources as part of your flipped classroom. Have students watch videos before coming to class, then discuss questions and problems together. Create a link to videos on your class web page for students to view at home for additional practice. Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Share this site with other math teachers on your campus, especially NEW teachers.
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Quizalize - Zzish

Grades
4 to 12
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Track learning in real-time with Quizalize. Student answers are color-coded on the teacher dashboard for ease in identifying who needs more help. Create scrambled word, multiple choice...more
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Track learning in real-time with Quizalize. Student answers are color-coded on the teacher dashboard for ease in identifying who needs more help. Create scrambled word, multiple choice questions, and ChapGPT quizzes, and each question can have a custom timer. View reports for each student's progress and learning gaps. Create a quiz or select one from Quizalize's growing library. Quizzes can be "gamified" by showing the teacher dashboard as a leaderboard to see progress against other contestents. Quizalize works on any device with a browser and Internet connection. Sign up with an email and password. Create a quiz, assign it to classes, get a code, give it to students, and let the fun begin! The free account provides 3 classes and 5 activities.

tag(s): differentiation (88), game based learning (179), gamification (78), polls and surveys (48), quizzes (90)

In the Classroom

Make a class challenge! Create practice quizzes to review the material just learned in class. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector for students to view the "leaderboard" (teacher dashboard) as in a game. Students score more points by answering questions quickly. As with other tools with a leaderboard, it is helpful to have a collaborative environment where competition is not the goal, instead working together and improving is important. Use Quizalize as a formative assessment and to differentiate to see what material needs more review with classes (or individual students). Use this tool often to obtain a snapshot of each student's understanding of content (subtopic/standards); quickly see who understands a concept and who needs some individualized practice. Share with students as a resource for creating quizzes for studying at home. When students are using surveys and polls for reports, introduce them to Quizalize since it works on any device. Share quizzes with your fellow teachers.

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Story Maker - ABCya

Grades
K to 6
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Create simple and easy stories using ABCya's Story Maker. Without registering, draw a picture using the drawing and erase tools provided. Type the story, and add pages for a...more
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Create simple and easy stories using ABCya's Story Maker. Without registering, draw a picture using the drawing and erase tools provided. Type the story, and add pages for a longer story. Once finished, save to your computor or print. This tool is so easy Pre-K students can use it. Since all pictures are hand drawn your older artists will love it, too.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): digital storytelling (150), drawing (60), writing (318)

In the Classroom

Story Maker is so simple very young students can use it successfully after a demonstration on a whiteboard or with a projector. Use this tool to design simple projects using student drawings to tell the story. At the beginning of the year have students draw and annotate stories to tell about their summer and share with classmates. Students of any age love to draw, so why not enhance their learning by having them draw their impression of a message to the reader from a story and then explain it in writing on Story Maker?
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4 Win-Win Math Games - Marilyn Burns

Grades
K to 5
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Support learning of numbers and operations with these four activities requiring nothing more than pencil and paper. These game-like activities offer practice in mental computation,...more
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Support learning of numbers and operations with these four activities requiring nothing more than pencil and paper. These game-like activities offer practice in mental computation, column addition, combinations of 10, and multiples of 10. Be sure to check out the Math Game Tips offering excellent advice for all math activities.

tag(s): addition (127), base ten (5), game based learning (179), mental math (19), multiples (15)

In the Classroom

Add these activities to your toolbox of math games for classroom use. Take advantage of the tips to teach one at a time and create a list of math game-like activities that students know. These are perfect for differentiating instruction. Adjust numbers used in each for different groups of student abilities. Use as one of your station activities. Teach a parent volunteer how to play these game-like activities and use for tutoring sessions. Be sure to share a link to this PDF with parents to play at home. If your school holds a math night, these are perfect for use! Share a link to this article on your class website or print and include with your class newsletter.
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Seesaw - Charles Lin, Carl Sjogreen , Adrian Graham

Grades
K to 10
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Seesaw is a digital portfolio that is totally free for all devices and on the web. Students can showcase their work, videos, text, drawings, and images, and get feedback from ...more
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Seesaw is a digital portfolio that is totally free for all devices and on the web. Students can showcase their work, videos, text, drawings, and images, and get feedback from teachers and parents. Create a class blog in your Seesaw for students to write blog posts. Teachers create an account with email and then start creating as many classes as needed. There is no limit on the number of students a class can have. Once students have parental permission, give students a "join" code for their class, and they sign up from there, choosing to access their account through a Seesaw generated QR code or their email. Teachers can enable or disable student likes, comments, and editing. Blog posts and comments must have teacher approval before becoming public. Students will be able to reflect on their work with a voice recording or text, and can share artifacts from their portfolio by clicking the red button at the bottom of the screen and then either print or get the item QR code. Once you have an account, click Help & Teacher Resources to find Getting Started Tips, Tutorial Videos, FAQs, and Activity Ideas grouped by grade level. If your district blocks YouTube, the tutorials may not be viewable. Please be aware that Seesaw falls under the FERPA laws for "directory information" and "educational records." Any school getting funds from the Department of Education (public schools) is required to disclose to parents and get written consent to use Seesaw with their child.

tag(s): blogs (64), communication (138), DAT device agnostic tool (147), digital storytelling (150), Learning Management Systems (20), portfolios (23), Teacher Utilities (157)

In the Classroom

Sign up for Seesaw, and after students have parental permission, generate a join code for the class from the menu at the upper right corner or by clicking your name or initials in the left corner to get a drop down menu. The join code expires in 15 minutes, so it is best to do this in your classroom or computer lab. Teachers can add photos, drawings, links, notes, and upload a file from this same menu by clicking the + symbol. You can even add a co-teacher! See Seesaw's FAQs for ways for parents to sign up and letters to send home. Use Seesaw portfolios for any subject or grade level. Once your account is set up, create a simple project or borrow one from the Activities on the Help and Teacher Resources page. Share the project on your interactive whiteboard or projector to get your students started. The teacher portal allows you to access and comment on student work. View the work of an individual or the entire class. The ability to import work from many creation apps to Seesaw makes this a perfect portfolio tool. Don't forget to watch the video about setting up blogs for your students. Remember, this is all free! Science teachers could have students write up their lab reports, take photos of their labs and label them in a portfolio. History teachers could set up portfolios for student report writing or digital storytelling projects. Seesaw is the perfect tool to use during parent conferences.

Comments

I love using Seesaw with my elementary school students. It's great that parents can comment also. Katy, , Grades: 0 - 12

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