Graphic Organizer Resources from TeachersFirst
Whether you call them concept maps, mind maps, KWLs, or graphic organizers, these visual diagrams show relationships between concepts and provide a powerful tool for learning and connecting new ideas. Creating graphic organizers also helps today's visual learners build reading comprehension. This collection of reviewed resources includes tools for creating graphic organizers and many suggestions for ways to use them in teaching almost any subject or grade. Be sure to read the "In the Classroom" suggestions for examples of ways to use graphic organizers as part of a lesson or unit.
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Wisconsin Biographies - PBS Wisconsin Education
Grades
3 to 6
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Wisconsin Biographies is a robust collection of information sharing the stories of famous people from Wisconsin. Each biography includes an interactive featuring videos, images, teaching...more
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Wisconsin Biographies is a robust collection of information sharing the stories of famous people from Wisconsin. Each biography includes an interactive featuring videos, images, teaching activities, and leveled reading booklets. Use other site features to create trading cards and build graphic organizers and timelines. Learn more about Wisconsin through three thematic videos that analyze the stories and provide context for how events connect over time.
tag(s): agriculture (48), biographies (87), civil rights (140), environment (252), journalism (66), native americans (77), recycling (47), slavery (52), wisconsin (5), womens suffrage (31)
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 Spark 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.
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'Not Racist' Is Not Enough: Putting In The Work To Be Anti-Racist - Eric Deggans/NPR
Grades
8 to 12
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This article from National Public Radio (NPR) is part of their Life Kit series that provides advice from experts on everyday problems. The discussion focuses on the topic of racism...more
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This article from National Public Radio (NPR) is part of their Life Kit series that provides advice from experts on everyday problems. The discussion focuses on the topic of racism and suggestions on how to be anti-racist. The author shares four tips to use as guidelines on personal behaviors at home, work, and everyday life.
tag(s): bias (15), black history (81), cross cultural understanding (140), racism (58)
In the Classroom
Include this article with your other materials when discussing racism and bias. Engage students in a collaborative discussion of this article and others using Fiskkit, reviewed here. Add a link to the article in Fiskitt, then share with students to add questions and comments as they discuss the article together online. To help students focus on the topic, consider providing a list of possible questions before reading the article. Extend learning by asking students to use graphic organizers such as a 4-Circle Venn Diagram Creator, reviewed here, to compare and contrast information. For example, ask students to explore different media forms such as television, social media, podcasts, and literature and compare different presentations of racism and bias.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Discovering My Identity Lesson Plan - Tolerance.org
Grades
3 to 7
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This standards-based lesson for upper elementary students provides directions that guide students toward understanding different identity aspects using diverse book characters. Students...more
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This standards-based lesson for upper elementary students provides directions that guide students toward understanding different identity aspects using diverse book characters. Students work toward answering essential questions that identify similarities and differences between themselves and others and explore how stories teach us about identity. This site provides video clips, small group discussion directions, and graphic organizers to use during the lesson.
tag(s): bias (15), character education (66), identity (21), racism (58)
In the Classroom
Include this lesson during character education lessons that teach students about racism, bias, and identity. Use edpuzzle, reviewed here, to enhance students' viewing of the video included with the lesson. Search the YouTube portion on edpuzzle to find the video, then place the discussion questions within appropriate portions of the video. edpuzzle integrates with several learning management systems, including Canvas, reviewed here, making it easy to include your annotated video as part of a larger teaching unit. As students complete their book reviews during the lesson, use FlipGrid, reviewed here, to create video book reviews. Use this FlipGrid topic throughout the year to add additional book reviews for students throughout the school year. Upload the book review graphic organizer to your topic for easy access whenever students are ready to add a new review.
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Design for Change USA - Design for Change
Grades
K to 8
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Design for Change uses a virtual platform to engage students and build social awareness through activities that critically look at themes. Create an account to view your dashboard and...more
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Design for Change uses a virtual platform to engage students and build social awareness through activities that critically look at themes. Create an account to view your dashboard and options found on the site. Content is based upon three themes - Racial Injustice, Educational Equity, and Climate Action and is delivered in a content framework of feel, imagine, do, and share. Lessons begin with an empathy warmup podcast. The following steps engage students in understanding the problem of each theme before developing suggested solutions. Download educator toolkits for all activities found using your account dashboard.
tag(s): character education (66), climate (85), climate change (71), empathy (25), racism (58)
In the Classroom
Bookmark activities and podcasts shared in this site to use when teaching about racial bias, empathy, and climate. Download the educator's toolkit to use as an excellent resource for graphic organizers for students to organize information and plan action steps for multiple different uses. As a culminating activity, engage learners to share their ideas by creating digital books using Book Creator, reviewed here. Have students create books that include images, videos, and written text that share their ideas on steps to take to address social issues.
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Using iPads for Literacy and Research in Kindergarten - Dr. Kristi Meeuwse
Grades
K to 3
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This article shares information on a kindergarten class's use of iPads to research and create digital books based on their exploration of the rain forest. Follow the learning process...more
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This article shares information on a kindergarten class's use of iPads to research and create digital books based on their exploration of the rain forest. Follow the learning process beginning with the research anchor chart and discussion of the different methods students used to demonstrate learning. As a culminating project, students use Book Creator, reviewed here, to create and share digital books based upon their research of rain forest animals.
tag(s): descriptive writing (35), preK (257), Research (51), writers workshop (31)
In the Classroom
Use this article as a starting point to develop a research unit on any topic for students in primary grades. Engage students in the learning process by offering a variety of learning materials that appeal to different learners. Use a bookmarking tool such as Symbaloo, reviewed here, to curate and share online resources with students. Symbaloo is especially helpful for younger students because the linked icons make it easy to organize information into groups and provide a visual clue to the linked information. Enhance learning further using resources found at ReadWriteThink, reviewed here. Search for the Animal Inquiry Interactive, for example, to use in creating a graphic organizer sharing animal facts, including habitat, interaction with others, and more. In addition to using Book Creator, reviewed here, to create students' final projects, consider using WriteReader, reviewed here, for younger students and emerging readers and writers. WriteReader offers unique features, including the option for students to tell a story in their writing, while the "adult" version is shown below with correct spellings.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Copyright & Creativity For Ethical Digital Citizens - Copyright & Creativity.org
Grades
K to 12
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Digital Literacy is an important topic to teach to students, and understanding copyright is increasingly essential as all students are now publishers and creators. This site provides...more
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Digital Literacy is an important topic to teach to students, and understanding copyright is increasingly essential as all students are now publishers and creators. This site provides a free curriculum for all grade levels to teach copyright and fair use. Choose from one of the three grade-level bands - elementary, middle school, or high school to access the shared lessons. Each of the grade-level content areas includes lessons, slides, videos, and all materials needed to teach the curriculum fully. In addition to the student lessons, Copyright & Creativity also includes an on-demand teaching unit for professionals that is hosted on Canvas, reviewed here. Videos included with the lessons are hosted on YouTube.
tag(s): copyright (43), digital citizenship (72)
In the Classroom
Utilize the free curriculums offered on this site to teach students (and yourself) about the proper use of copyright. If you are unable to download the videos, this site recommends viewing the videos using View Pure, reviewed here, to remove all of the annoying "extras" included with YouTube videos. As you teach lessons and ask students to brainstorm ideas or compare and contrast information, use a graphic organizer tool such as Popplet, reviewed here, to create and save visual displays of students' ideas that include both text and images. Ask students to include a link to their Popplet organizer on Seesaw, reviewed here, along with original drawings, recordings, or other materials created during your unit. As a final project, extend learning by asking students to create a tutorial about copyright based upon their knowledge. Provide a variety of resources for creating the tutorial as a way to differentiate learning. Examples of some tools to include are Book Creator, reviewed here, or Adobe Spark Video Creator, reviewed here, or create an infographic using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.
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Where to? What next? - National Park Service
Grades
5 to 8
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Where to? What next? includes a film and accompanying lesson plans dedicated to the life of American poet, Carl Sandburg. The short (9 minutes) film explores Sandburg's childhood and...more
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Where to? What next? includes a film and accompanying lesson plans dedicated to the life of American poet, Carl Sandburg. The short (9 minutes) film explores Sandburg's childhood and how his love for words developed into a love of poetry and stories. The lesson plans include an exploration of essential questions based on family heritage and future aspirations.
tag(s): authors (97), family (57), famous people (22), genealogy (7), poetry (186), racism (58)
In the Classroom
Include this video and these lesson plans with your current poetry unit. Engage students by creating a Padlet, reviewed here, to learn more about Carl Sandburg and other poets. In your Padlet, post links to poems to read and watch as they are read by poets and entertainers. Find some ideas and examples to use at the Archive of Recorded Literature, reviewed here. Encourage students to collaborate as they plan and create their own poetry by using a shared whiteboard tool such as Draw.Chat, reviewed here. Draw.Chat doesn't require registration, invite collaborators by sharing the link. Use the whiteboard to upload images, create graphic organizers, and brainstorm ideas for poems. Share your class's poetry using Synth, reviewed here. Synth is an audio podcasting tool that automatically creates podcasts with short segments of up to 256 seconds each.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thinkalong - Conneticut Public
Grades
6 to 12
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Improve and build students' critical thinking skills, debate skills, and media literacy using Thinkalong. Present students with provocative questions such as "Should performance-enhancing...more
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Improve and build students' critical thinking skills, debate skills, and media literacy using Thinkalong. Present students with provocative questions such as "Should performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in professional sports? Should schools provide a laptop and internet for every student? Should social media companies be allowed to sell your data?" to name a few of the many topics. Topics focus on science, social studies, and current events. After clicking a topic, find three main categories: Teachers (a teacher's guide), Investigate (usually a graphic organizer), and Contemplate (question the authorship, format, audience purpose, etc.). However, that's not all! Under those categories, you'll find even move resources listed as Watch, Listen, Think Deep, and Contemplate (deeper thinking questions about the message); after all this, students have the opportunity to test their opinions through a structured debate in class or online with another class. Although the resource states it's for middle school students, these lessons could easily be adapted for high school.
tag(s): critical thinking (104), debate (40), inquiry (29), media literacy (84), news (242)
In the Classroom
Whether teaching in a classroom or online, scan the included PDF or Word documents into Google Classroom or your school student/teacher platform to share and assign to students. Enhance student learning by asking students to use highlighting and note-taking tools within their word document to provide documentation for their responses. To prepare students for Common Core Assessments on evidence and arguments, have them choose a popular topic, research it (with the materials provided) so they can provide evidence for their stance when writing about their opinion or to refute another's. The debate section is the perfect opportunity to teach students about countering an opposing opinion, deciding which is the strongest point, and then teach them how to address concerns of others in their writing or debate. For example, they can concede it is a valid point and then counter with another strong argument. Consider sharing the activities found on this site with your peers as a model for redesigning lessons you already use in your classroom (for online learning during absences and crises?). Use Padlet, reviewed here, to collaborate and share ideas, activities, and resources as you work toward incorporating inquiry lessons into your classrooms.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Book It! - Pizza Hut
Grades
K to 6
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Book It! is the popular free reading program provided by Pizza Hut since 1984. The program is available October through March each year and encourages students in grades K-6 to ...more
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Book It! is the popular free reading program provided by Pizza Hut since 1984. The program is available October through March each year and encourages students in grades K-6 to set and accomplish monthly reading goals. Educators help students set achievable goals and provide a free pizza certificate upon completion.
tag(s): independent reading (103)
In the Classroom
Encourage student reading by signing up and sharing the Book It! program with your students. Set goals together with your students that match individual reading abilities and interests. Use a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to document student progress and accomplishments. Visit ReadWriteThink, reviewed here to find a large variety of activities and templates to extend learning with any book. Be sure to visit the section with printouts that contains many graphic organizers, writing starters, and assessment tools.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nonfiction Text Features: Books and Lesson Ideas - Minds in Bloom
Grades
K to 6
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This blog post shares teaching strategies to increase student comprehension with nonfiction text. The author shares images and information with guidelines for using anchor charts, how...more
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This blog post shares teaching strategies to increase student comprehension with nonfiction text. The author shares images and information with guidelines for using anchor charts, how to focus on specific text features, and spiraling learning. Additional suggestions share ideas for differentiating learning to increase student engagement and interest. As a bonus, the author includes a link to the graphic organizers and pacing guide to download for free use.
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tag(s): reading comprehension (121), reading strategies (53)
In the Classroom
Use this blog post as a starting point for ideas to use when teaching with nonfiction text. Create a book list using Padlet, reviewed here sharing ideas for nonfiction books with your students. Organize them into categories using the "stream" option. Ask students to share their comments and short book reviews as a way to share reading materials with classmates. Enhance learning further using nonfiction materials and lesson ideas found at ReadWriteThink, reviewed here. Type in "nonfiction" using the keyword search at ReadWriteThink to find printable materials such as a nonfiction pyramid, a lesson plan using guided inquiry to learn about nonfiction, and use of the THIEVES strategy as a guide to previewing nonfiction reading materials. Extend learning further by asking students to incorporate nonfiction text features within their writing. Share student work using Edublogs, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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5 Ways to Practice Nonfiction Text Features - Raise the Bar Reading
Grades
K to 6
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This blog post shares easy to implement ideas to share nonfiction text features with students. Each of the suggestions also includes pictures of each of the elements in use in ...more
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This blog post shares easy to implement ideas to share nonfiction text features with students. Each of the suggestions also includes pictures of each of the elements in use in a classroom setting. Use the links at the top of the home page to find additional tips for incorporating reading and writing activities into classroom lessons.
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tag(s): reading comprehension (121), reading strategies (53)
In the Classroom
Although many of the links to materials found on this site link to a paid site, the ideas are easy to incorporate without purchasing information. Use the ideas on the site to create your materials to fit your lesson needs. For example, use Google Slides, reviewed here to create and print visuals to display on your bulletin boards. Take your slides digital and add links to online learning resources to create a complete learning activity. Learn more about how to create interactive lessons using hyperdocs by watching the archived recording of the July 2019 OK2Ask Session: Believe the Hype! Using Hyperdocs for Innovate Instruction, located here. Find many different types of graphic organizers to use online or offline at the TeachersFirst Special Topics Resource Page, located here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Education for the Real World - EVERFI
Grades
2 to 12
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EVERFI provides free digital curricula in real-world skills through interactive, game-based lessons. Topics include financial education, STEM and career readiness, social and emotional...more
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EVERFI provides free digital curricula in real-world skills through interactive, game-based lessons. Topics include financial education, STEM and career readiness, social and emotional learning, remote learning, summer learning, and more. Select any topic to view the courses offered with a summary and grade-level suggestions. Each unit is correlated to Common Core Standards and includes features such as videos, games, digital lessons, and teacher guides. Use the teacher dashboard to create classes and enroll students after completing the free registration information. Once registered, use the site's features to assign topics that are available for both online and offline learning.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (140), financial literacy (100), literacy (87), mental health (28), social and emotional learning (43), STEM (215), Teacher Utilities (104)
In the Classroom
Discover the many free resources on this site to provide individual lessons or complete learning units for your students. As students complete assignments, use the many offerings found at Class Tools, reviewed here, to enhance learning through creating timelines, completing graphic organizers, and more. For activities that include new vocabulary, use a digital game creation site such as Baamboozle, reviewed here, to review and practice new words and terms. Have students show what they know upon completion of any of the activities using Adobe Spark in K-12, reviewed here, to create a video, collage, or presentation sharing their knowledge of the subject.
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Coronavirus - BrainPOP
Grades
3 to 8
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Get the facts on how coronavirus works, how it spreads, and the best ways to prevent the spread with this video and the related activities from BrainPOP. The video shares ...more
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Get the facts on how coronavirus works, how it spreads, and the best ways to prevent the spread with this video and the related activities from BrainPOP. The video shares information in a matter-of-fact manner without hyperbole or scare tactics. Use the additional tools to create movies, print a graphic organizer and worksheet, and to make a map. Supplementary materials for educators include a standards-based lesson for use with the BrainPOP video and related materials.
tag(s): diseases (73), respiration (13)
In the Classroom
Use the video found on this site and the related materials as a starting point for students to understand the coronavirus and its effects on their community and the country. Incorporate resources from this site as part of a digital learning unit using TES Teach Blendspace, reviewed here. In addition to materials from BrainPOP include YouTube videos, documents you create, and quizzes. Ask students to demonstrate and enhance their learning using materials such as those found at Class Tools, reviewed here. Have students use the Szoter, reviewed here, to upload a picture of their learning area and add "hotspots" showing surfaces where the virus might be found. Use the Crossword Generator and ask students to create crosswords to practice vocabulary, or have students use Qwikslides, reviewed here, to create and share a presentation about the coronavirus.
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Reading Treks: Bud, Not Buddy - TeachersFirst
Grades
3 to 7
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TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration...more
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TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using Bud, Not Buddy with students in grades 3-7. Take advantage of the robust teaching guide. This historical fiction novel takes place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, during the time of the Great Depression. Content correlates to Common Core Standards, ISTE Student Standards, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks here.
tag(s): civil rights (140), cultures (97), great depression (23), michigan (4), racism (58)
In the Classroom
Encourage students to understand the Great Depression's impact upon everyday life in the 1930s and explore these periods of history using primary sources. As you discuss the book and incorporate the suggested activities, be sure to include discussions on racism's effect upon the book's characters. Use this curated list of primary source resources to engage students in learning about the past through comparisons to current day life. Use an online tool such a Creately, reviewed here, to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers to compare and contrast the different periods. Engage students as they explore events shared in the book through the use of bite-sized podcasts using Synth, reviewed here. Synth is an easy to use audio tool that encourages students to share their thoughts and learning reflections in 256 seconds or less.
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Harriet Tubman: Abolition Activist - PBS Learning Media
Grades
3 to 7
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This lesson teaches students about the accomplishments of Harriet Tubman through the use of two primary sources. After watching a biographical video as an introduction to Tubman, students...more
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This lesson teaches students about the accomplishments of Harriet Tubman through the use of two primary sources. After watching a biographical video as an introduction to Tubman, students examine a photo and letter sent to her by Frederick Douglass to learn more about her life. As a culminating activity, students then compare and contrast Harriet Tubman to modern-day females who confronted risks as they helped others. The lesson includes all materials needed to teach the activity, including the video and a graphic organizer. The lesson is correlated to National Social Studies Standards.
tag(s): black history (81), civil rights (140), civil war (126), primary sources (99)
In the Classroom
This lesson provides an excellent starting point for lessons about Harriet Tubman, strong females, and the Underground Railroad. Use the provided links to assign to students within Google Classroom and other media tools. Take advantage of technology to enhance student learning beyond the basics of this lesson. Instead of using the printable graphic organizer, use an online tool such a Creately, reviewed here, to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers. Use the Venn Diagram feature to compare and contrast Civil War times to the present, use the flow chart to help students visualize the flow of events leading up to and through the Civil War, or use the diagramming features to organize Civil War information including events, people, and places. Use an online bookmarking tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to organize and share online resources with students. Extend student learning even further by asking them to use a game-creation tool like Scratch, reviewed here, to create a game. Use facts, places, and events within the games to reinforce and teach about Harriet Tubman and her peers.
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Cooper-Hewitt Lesson Plans - Cooper-Hewitt & The Smithsonian Institution
Grades
K to 12
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Cooper-Hewitt Lesson Plans shares almost 500 lesson plans for educators from PreK through high school. Topics include all content areas, including the arts and technology. Use the site's...more
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Cooper-Hewitt Lesson Plans shares almost 500 lesson plans for educators from PreK through high school. Topics include all content areas, including the arts and technology. Use the site's filters to search for lessons by content and grade level or sort by newest first to find the most recent additions to the collection. Each lesson is correlated to Common Core Standards and includes attachments with supplemental materials when indicated as part of lesson activities.
tag(s): commoncore (86), preK (257), Teacher Utilities (104), teaching strategies (33)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to find lessons to supplement your current curriculum in any subject. As you plan and teach any of these lessons, consider different options for using technology to enhance and extend student learning. Take advantage of the many resources found at Class Tools, reviewed here, for your or your students to create quizzes, graphic organizers, timelines, and more. As you include the lessons into your teaching unit, use bookmarking sites to organize information for your students. Symbaloo, reviewed here, is excellent for use with younger students because of the simple, easy to follow design. For older students, try SearchTeam, reviewed here. Search Team includes tools for you to collaborate and add notes while saving and sharing resources. Extend learning for students of all ages with Edublog, reviewed here. Consider using Edublog for students to write blogs, respond to their peers, and interact with a larger global community.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Drawings - Google
Grades
K to 12
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Google Drawings is a collaborative drawing tool included with your Google Drive account. This link will take you to the basic tool where you can make an original drawing. If ...more
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Google Drawings is a collaborative drawing tool included with your Google Drive account. This link will take you to the basic tool where you can make an original drawing. If you wish to use a template, select "file" from the top menu, "new," and then choose a Google Drawings template. Use the tools found on the site to add shapes, lines, text, and more. Import images from your drive or save Creative Commons images for use. Use the share option to send the links to others to edit (be sure that your settings allow others with the link to edit the document). To view the revision history for any drawing, select "file" and "see the revision history." Images automatically save to your Google Drive and can be downloaded to your computer by saving in a variety of formats, including JPG, PDF, and PNG. Use the publish option to create an embed code and embed it into your website.
tag(s): collaboration (69), drawing (59), images (260)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of this easy to use tool for a variety of classroom uses. Upload images and use the text tool to add digital annotations. Ask students to add digital annotations to images, for example, different landforms or to share as an assessment. Use the shape tool to create quick and easy timelines. This is perfect for use as a quick activity on your interactive whiteboard (or with a projector) to help students understand the sequence of a story or a timeline of historic events. Create graphic organizers and mind maps easily by using the shapes tools, drawing lines, and adding text with links to additional information. When working on group projects, suggest students collaborate together to create and annotate images to include with a final multimedia presentation. Use Google Drawings to easily create infographics to share information on any topic.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Read. Inquire. Write. - University of Michigan
Grades
6 to 10
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Read. Inquire. Write. is a free curriculum using investigations to support middle school social studies learning through inquiry-based lessons; also, this site provides many supports...more
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Read. Inquire. Write. is a free curriculum using investigations to support middle school social studies learning through inquiry-based lessons; also, this site provides many supports for English Language Learners within the activities. Use the provided literacy tools to guide students in analytical reasoning and argument writing within the 5-day investigations. Each investigation includes all materials needed including teacher's guides, student packets, rubrics, student models, and a PowerPoint presentation. Also, all activities provide video models demonstrating methods to encourage student thinking and investigative responses. Each lesson includes correlation to Common Core Standards. Registration is required to download materials from this site. Videos reside on YouTube. If your school blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.
tag(s): civil war (126), colonial america (94), concept mapping (16), debate (40), democracy (16), evaluating sources (15), greece (25), inquiry (29), maps (227), mexico (28), middle east (42), native americans (77)
In the Classroom
Instead of using paper documents, scan the included PDF or Word documents into Google Classroom or your school student/teacher platform to share and assign to students. Be sure to include mentor texts for student use. Enhance student learning by asking students to use highlighting and note-taking tools within their word document to provide documentation for their responses. Although this site includes many high-quality graphic organizers, create your own and using Diagramo, reviewed here, to personalize for your classroom use. Have students use a digital portfolio tool to share their investigations. PorfolioVillage, reviewed here, includes many resources for creating online portfolios and web pages. Consider sharing the activities found on this site with your peers as a model for redesigning lessons you already use in your classroom. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to collaborate and share ideas, activities, and resources as you work toward incorporating inquiry lessons into your classrooms.
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Engaging Congress - Indiana University
Grades
5 to 12
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Engaging Congress is an interactive game that uses primary sources to help students evaluate information as they learn about the United States government. Download the app from Google...more
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Engaging Congress is an interactive game that uses primary sources to help students evaluate information as they learn about the United States government. Download the app from Google Play or the iTunes store, or select the webGL link to play on the web. Begin play by choosing a story, primary source, or pick a trivia challenge or practice. Use the Teacher Toolbox to find documents by era or topic, learning objectives matched to Common Core Standards, and compelling questions for use with each issue and story. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the home page to find the link to request classroom giveaways to encourage play!
tag(s): branches of government (55), congress (37), DAT device agnostic tool (167), primary sources (99)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free games and materials on this site to use as a supplement to your current resources for teaching history and government. Instead of written notes, strengthen learning by having students use an online tool such as Creately, reviewed here, to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers. To compare and contrast information found in different primary sources, create a Venn Diagram using Creately. As students prepare to share their findings and summarize their learning, have them modify their learning by creating infographics using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to visually represent facts and information. As a final assessment for your unit using these materials, ask students to form teams to debate different sides of the issues presented. Share their debates as a podcast using Anchor, reviewed here. Anchor is a simple to use podcasting tool offering several free options for creating, hosting, and sharing podcasts. As an alternative, ask other students redefine their learning and to create multimedia presentations using Sway, reviewed here to share text, videos, images, and more.
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UL Xplorlabs - Underwriters Laboratories
Grades
7 to 12
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Xplorerlabs provides free STEM learning activities for middle school educators through exploration modules and hands-on learning all correlated to Next Generation Science Standards....more
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Xplorerlabs provides free STEM learning activities for middle school educators through exploration modules and hands-on learning all correlated to Next Generation Science Standards. Begin each module with a short overview of the topic then follow each step to investigate and solve through evidence-based collaboration. Each module requires one to two class periods to complete. In addition to learning modules, Xplorerlabs also includes Xtensions including additional experiments and challenges. All of the experiments on the site include student and teacher guides for download.
tag(s): electricity (71), energy (166), fire (24), fire safety (14), heat (15), problem solving (247), STEM (215)
In the Classroom
You and your students will benefit from this site's free materials to include in your science lab activities to teach content, problem-solving, and scientific investigation techniques. As students begin activities replace paper and pencil and use a digital graphic organizer such as one found at TUZZit, reviewed here, to organize questions and gather information. Upon completion of experiments, enhance learning and have students share their work using Printing Press, reviewed here, to create a one-page newspaper or brochure including images and text. At the end of your unit, have students use Biteable, reviewed here, to redefine their learning and create an explainer video sharing and demonstrating the results of their lab activities.
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