TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Feb 21, 2021
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
Wisconsin Biographies - PBS Wisconsin Education
Grades
3 to 6tag(s): agriculture (49), biographies (93), civil rights (193), environment (237), journalism (70), native americans (91), recycling (46), slavery (75), wisconsin (5), womens suffrage (43)
In the Classroom
Use this fabulous site as part of your lessons on biographies or as you learn about the states. Ask students to choose one of the biographies as a starting point for researching other Americans. For example, after learning about Walter Bresette, challenge students to learn about others who teach about American Indian rights and protecting the earth. Extend learning by using this site as a model for student-created projects or as a class project. Use a website creation tool like about.me, reviewed here, to build a webpage to tell about the famous person being researched. Include a video created using Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, to bring their story to life; find many ideas and templates to help students organize information on Read Write Think, reviewed here. When finished, upload student-created documents similar to the booklets found on the site. Use the idea maps found on the Wisconsin site to create a timeline or other graphic organizer and include it on the student webpage using a link or by uploading their saved PDF. Create and include a trading card using Canva Edu, reviewed here, and sharing a link on student pages.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Ford's Theatre Abraham Lincoln Teaching Resources - Ford's Theatre
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): civil war (133), lincoln (59), presidents (120), primary sources (113)
In the Classroom
Use the materials found on this site to supplement your lessons on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Find additional Lincoln and Civil War materials at Actively Learn, reviewed here. Lessons on Actively Learn include embedded questions correlated to Common Core Standards for developing reading and comprehension skills. Organize your entire Lincoln unit and share materials (including videos with embedded questions) with students using Canvas Free LMS, reviewed here. Create an entire learning path with all of your materials using Symbaloo Learning Paths, reviewed here. Symbaloo Learning Paths includes options for embedding videos, texts, quizzes, and more. In addition, Symbaloo Learning Paths allows the creator to create optional paths for participants to follow allowing for differentiation of activities. Modify older students learning by having them create their own Learning Path as an alternative to a research project to share information they learned and create quizzes for fellow students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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George Washington's Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1700s (36), presidents (120), virginia (14), virtual field trips (79)
In the Classroom
Ideal for use on an interactive whiteboard or for students to access individually, this virtual tour has many features. You can explore the buildings, zoom in on items in the buildings, access stories and discussions that highlight features of the property and the daily lives of those who lived at Mount Vernon. Enhance learning by having students share their impressions of and questions about Mount Vernon and more with video, using a tool like Flip, reviewed here. Flip provides a means for video responses to a question along with comments from peers. There are additional links to lesson plans and other student resources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The National Archives Activities and Games - The British National Archives
Grades
1 to 12Download lessons, Resource Packs, and Podcasts. Be sure to check out the extensive section for students including games, study skill tips and advice, and information on using primary sources. Learn about important people, government officials, and heroes of the past and present such as Charles Dickens and Florence Nightingale. Explore and research famous events/times such as American Civil Rights Movement or Life During War Times. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from American English. A very few resources require Flash, but there is so much more here, that the site is worth your time.
tag(s): dickens (8), great britain (16), heroes (22), industrial revolution (20), medieval (31), victorian (16), world war 1 (72), world war 2 (149)
In the Classroom
Keep this site in mind as an easy place to find games and lessons related to British history (and even some world history topics). Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Present the same time period, such as World War II, from a British and American point of view using this site and similar primary source images from U.S. collections like this one or this one. Have students create timelines using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Timeline JS offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps making it interactive. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a British resident during any time periods involved with these activities. Take advantage of the ready to go lesson plans, interactives, podcasts, and videos. Literature teachers will also want to explore and share the information about British authors.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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edX - Anant Agarwal
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): aeronautics (9), architecture (64), artificial intelligence (89), china (62), circuits (20), civil rights (193), computers (105), electricity (60), engineering (117), environment (237), evolution (85), folktales (34), greeks (31), magnetism (36), medicine (54), nutrition (134), poetry (188), psychology (67), religions (75), shakespeare (93), solar energy (34), speech (66), statistics (114), terrorism (41)
In the Classroom
Share with students on your interactive whiteboard and take the demo course together. This is perfect for use with gifted and advanced students as an option for college level courses and enrichment. 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 topics 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.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Who Was Nelson Mandela? - BBC
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): biographies (93), civil rights (193), heroes (22), south africa (11)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson for Black History Month or about heroes in Civil Rights. As you discuss Martin Luther King, Jr, include discussion of major Civil Rights leaders from other countries. Enhance student learning by having them choose one of the following projects. Have students create an annotated image of Nelson Mandela including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Have students collaborate to create maps of Mandela's journeys using Maphub, reviewed here. Students can add icons, text, images, and location stops! Have students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List - Inventors and Inventions - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (158), inventors and inventions (71), reading lists (80)
In the Classroom
Build student literacy skills, reinforce what students are learning about Inventions, and help students build the important reading strategy of connecting what they read to prior (classroom!) knowledge. Share this link on your class web page or wiki so students can select independent reading books to accompany your unit on Inventions. Don't forget to share the list with the school and local libraries so they can bring in some of the books on interlibrary loan. CurriConnects are a great help for teachers who have lost school library/media specialists due to budget cuts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Rosa Parks: How I Fought for Civil Rights - Scholastic
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): african american (109), black history (121), civil rights (193), cultures (132), martin luther king (43), rosa parks (9), tolerance (9), women (135)
In the Classroom
Spark your students' interest in how one brave individual changed history by not giving up her bus seat to a white passenger. Whether you are doing a unit on people who make a difference, civil rights, tolerance, or studying women and events in history, this self-contained website provides resources and materials that you can display on your classroom whiteboard (or with a projector). Involve students in using the interactive links to enhance learning and springboard discussions on what still needs to be done in regards to acceptance and embracing racial, ethnic, and cultural differences. Use an online tool like The Interactive Three-Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast discrimination in our country then with similar challenges we face today, and what still needs to be accomplished for a better tomorrow. Broaden the concepts to include that even when we are brave and have courage, change doesn't come about immediately; it takes time and continued perseverance. Culminate the unit with a writing prompt for students to reflect on and explain: Have you ever faced something that you thought you couldn't stand up to? Instead of using paper and pencil, integrate technology by having students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. With Telegra.ph have students click on an icon to upload related images, add YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Inventors and Inventions Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): inventors and inventions (71)
In the Classroom
This collection includes resources for all grades. Each review includes several classroom use ideas. These are excellent tools to use to study science, social studies, and more! Explore the activities suggested. 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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The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion - Annette Whipple
Grades
K to 6In the Classroom
Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to introduce your students to the lovely Laura Ingalls Wilder. After introducing the site, ask students to read parts of the blog in pairs or small groups. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students replace pen and paper and create their own blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Weebly, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding challenge your students to replace pencil and paper and create a blog using Seesaw, reviewed here. Take this a step further with older students and enhance student learning by asking them to use their blog entries to create an interactive timeline of Laura's life using Knightlab's multimedia timeline creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thomas Edison's Inventive Life - Smithsonian
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): inventors and inventions (71)
In the Classroom
Share this site at the beginning of a unit on inventors and inventions using your whiteboard or projector. Create a Padlet, reviewed here, with columns for students to list and describe Edison's inventions. Enhance learning by asking small groups of students students to look through the tag Legendary inventors to find another inventor to read about and research. Then challenge the groups to choose one of the following tools to create a presentation about what they learned to share with their peers: a multimedia presentation using Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, a video using Typito, reviewed here, a podcast using Buzzsprout, reviewed here, or a blog post using Edublog, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Charles Lindbergh
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Open this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector and use it to introduce a lesson on the history of flight. Play the video clips for students before or after a lecture, depending on whether or not you want to preview or re-enforce the information. You will need RealPlayer or Microsoft Media Player to view the video clips.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Judy Blume's Home Base
Grades
3 to 9tag(s): authors (103), book lists (158), book reports (28), writing (314)
In the Classroom
This website is an excellent addition to any teacher introducing a creative writing project. Include this link on your class website (or wiki) for students to examine both in and out of the classroom. Recommend the site for any who seem to be having writer's block or need a bit of inspiration. Like Judy, start with a writers notebook, engaging students by using Google Keep, reviewed here, to jot down their ideas about characters, setting, dialogue, etc. Google Keep can be accessed from any device.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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