TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jul 15, 2018
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
3D Apollo 11 Command Module - Smithsonian Museum
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): explorers (64), moon (70), space (212), STEM (259), virtual field trips (80)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site on classroom computers for students to explore during your space unit or when studying modern explorers. Introduce the site on your interactive whiteboard to demonstrate the different features before having students explore on their own. Use Wakelet, reviewed here to curate and share additional web resources about space exploration as a class, or have students create their own Wakelet sharing resources found through individual research. As a culminating project for more advanced technology users, have students create an interactive timeline using Timelinely, reviewed here, or choose from other timeline creation tools located here to tell the story of space exploration and man's mission to the moon.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Women with Altitude - NetFlights
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): aviation (38), biographies (93), flight (31), pioneers (9), women (136)
In the Classroom
Share this timeline when studying pioneers in different fields or include in Women's History Month lessons. Each entry provides a short introduction to the featured woman. Challenge students to use the entry as a starting point to research the aviator more fully. Have students save their resources using a bookmarking tool like Papaly, reviewed here, and include a link to their resources with the final project. Papaly allows you to collaborate and add notes to bookmarks making this a useful tool for use with group projects. Replace paper and pen timelines by asking students to create their own timelines exploring the life of a famous pioneer using eStory, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Universe and Space - Science Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): space (212)
In the Classroom
If you are teaching about the universe and space, be sure to bookmark (or save) this collection. There are resources here for all grades, plus many extra tools on the tagged list. Share sites on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Provide the link on your class website for students to access both in and out of class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Moon Phases and Seasons - Science Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Find resources for all grades with great ideas in each review! Share these sites on your interactive whiteboard or have students explore on individual devices. Use these tools for review before the test or for research options. Share the link to this page on your class website.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Challenger Center - Challenger Center
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): careers (139), experiments (52), explorers (64), gravity (42), moon (70), solar system (108), space (212), stars (65), STEM (259)
In the Classroom
Add the Challenger Center to your resources for teaching about outer space. As you begin your unit, create a Padlet, reviewed here, to organize and share information learned. Have students make flashcards and quizzes to review information learned using a site like Flashcard Stash, reviewed here. As a culminating project, have students create explainer videos of any concept using Clipchamp, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Amazing Space - Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): gravity (42), measurement (125), solar system (108), space (212), stars (65), statistics (114), STEM (259), telescopes (9)
In the Classroom
Be sure to bookmark this site if you teach space science for the many available resources shared with educators. Share the various resources on your whiteboard or with a projector then let students explore on classroom computers or their own device. Include a link to this site on your class website for students to access from home. Use an online portfolio site like Seesaw, reviewed here, for younger students, or about.me, reviewed here, for older students to collect artifacts and share their thoughts throughout your space unit. Extend student learning and ask them to use an augmented reality application like Metaverse Studio, reviewed here, to create an augmented reality display of different portions of our solar system.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ready Jet Go! - PBS Kids
Grades
K to 6tag(s): gravity (42), moon (70), planets (111), preK (254), solar system (108), space (212), stars (65), sun (69), temperature (35)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning station or center. Be sure to include a link on your class web page for use at home. If you're beginning to integrate technology in your class or have younger students, augment techology use by creating a word cloud of the important terms students learn from this site using a tool such as Word Clouds For Kids, reviewed here. Alternatively, these students could use an online poster creator such as Printing Press, reviewed here, to present information learned about space. Teachers more advance with integrating technology can tranform tech use with an online poster creator such as Canva, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Exploratorium - Exploratorium
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): atmosphere (23), colors (65), earth (185), electricity (60), energy (131), geology (64), light (52), magnetism (36), matter (47), motion (49), oceans (146), optical illusions (10), optics (12), sound (74), space (212), STEM (259), temperature (35), time (91), water (101)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many resources found on Exploratorium to supplement science lessons. Resources include animations, songs, activities, and more. Share this site with students to use as inspiration for science fair projects. After using resources from the site, enhance learning by having students make a multimedia presentation including information learned, using Sway, reviewed here. Sway creates unique multimedia projects using text, images, and media. Change the look of your Sway using the Mood and Remix tools to change the color palette, layout, and fonts. Alternatively, choose one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List - Flight and Things that Fly - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): aeronautics (9), animals (278), aviation (38), book lists (159), flight (31), STEM (259), wright brothers (15)
In the Classroom
Have students choose a book they can connect to concepts you are studying in science class or have them choose a book of interest and generate a list of questions they would like to investigate further. Share this list with students during your study of the physics of flight and aerodynamics. Include it during study of sophisticated engineering design or of basic concepts such as gravity and air flow. As you study animal adaptations and the differences among species, look closely at how birds fly and how man-made flying machines mimic some of their capabilities. The non-fiction selections offer possible informational texts to practice Common Core science literacy skills.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Solar System Scope - Sunaeon
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): earth (185), map skills (56), moon (70), planets (111), seasons (36), solar system (108), sun (69), time zones (7)
In the Classroom
The change in seasons is a difficult concept for students to understand. Use this interactive tool to show the sun's position at various times of the year and how the sunrise and sunset times change. This is terrific to share on an interactive whiteboard or projector, then have elementary (or even middle school) students "act out" the roles of sun. moon, and earth by moving about the room. Turn down the music to avoid distraction. Show how sunrise and sunset are also different at various points on the globe. Allow students the opportunity to play with the tool first and ask them what they notice and what questions they have. Inquire together to understand the various concepts. Share on an interactive whiteboard or projector with a student emcee to run the inquiry. Be sure to include this site with your study of map skills, longitude, and latitude so students can see how our maps and nature's actions fit together.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Amelia Earhart - The Official Website - Family of Amelia Earhart
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): aviation (38), careers (139), famous people (21), flight (31), women (136)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students when researching famous Americans, women, flight, or careers. Enhance learning by having students use a mapping tool such as Google Earth, reviewed here, to create an audio (and visual) tour of Amelia Earhart's journeys. Her story could also offer a powerful writing prompt for an essay about people who take on formidable challenges/adventures. Substitute a blog tool such as edublog, reviewed here, for paper and pen.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): aviation (38), flight (31), inventors and inventions (71), wright brothers (15)
In the Classroom
Students doing research on the Wright brothers will find this site invaluable. Have students work in cooperative learning groups and research a specific topic found at this site. Exchange paper and pen notes by having students to take notes with an online tool like Simplenote, reviewed here. Have them share the info they learned with their small group. Tell students to be sure to save the URL to share their notes and questions. Simplenote allows you to access and update across all devices. Enhance learning by challenging students to modify their technology use and create a multimedia presentation 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. Alternatively, students could use Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, to enhance their learning and transform technology use by creating an interactive poster for their presentation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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How Things Fly - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): aircraft (16), aviation (38), flight (31), space (212)
In the Classroom
Choose a type of flight to have students study and assign that part of the website as a web search with a question sheet. Or have students create their own journey by picking a learning path using Symbaloo Learning Paths, reviewed here, and then enhance learning by having students explain what they learn as they go through the activity in writing. Before writing, have students organize their thoughts about what they learn with a tool such as bubbl.us, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Man Soars Into Flight - Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): famous people (21), flight (31), inventors and inventions (71), wright brothers (15)
In the Classroom
Use this collection as a starting point for flight-related investigations by student groups. This project could also be an option during a broader unit on invention or the lives of scientists or famous Americans. Ask students to create a multimedia "poster" depicting some aspect of the Wright Brothers' work or a principle of aerodynamics that made it all possible. Use a simple software tool such as PowerPoint or a rich, online tool such as Sway, reviewed here, to create and share the projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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