Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Kid World Citizen offers a large variety of resources to encourage kids to become global learners and thinkers. Explore categories such as books, food, and art to find international learning activities. Look for topics on specific countries using the map search. Be sure to check out the For Fun area with links to movies, music, games, and toys.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): back to school (55), chinese new year (5), christmas (38), cross cultural understanding (176), earth day (61), hanukkah (12), hispanic (36), holidays (194), italy (30), Juneteenth (22), mexico (46), native americans (117), ramadan (10), thanksgiving (24)

Discover how the five major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have spread over the world. Follow this interactive timeline video that highlights the areas of the globe where the religion started, as well as the spread of each religion.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): explorers (64), religions (112)

This page from BBC Schools provides a simple overview of the Islamic celebration of Ramadan. Read through and watch the videos to find the meaning of Ramadan and how it is celebrated.

tag(s): holidays (194), ramadan (10), religions (112)

This short video provides an entertaining song featuring children's roles as a part of the Ramadan celebration. Create an account and log in to print the words to the song and download an activity.

tag(s): holidays (194), ramadan (10), songs (46)

This PDF, designed for educators, provides information and resources for understanding the historical, social, cultural, and doctrinal elements of Ramadan. Scroll through to find in-depth descriptions of Ramadan events and traditions. The included lesson plans offer opportunities for understanding and hands-on learning of Ramadan traditions.

tag(s): holidays (194), ramadan (10)

Learn about the complex and changing borders and demographics of the Middle East through the view of 40 different maps. The maps offer a look at the region from many perspectives such as religion, Arabic dialects, and Oil and Gas in the Middle East. Click any map to view the larger image. All maps also include a short explanation of the contents and many include links to additional information. A few maps are presented via video on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): iran (8), iraq (25), israel (14), maps (224), middle east (50), religions (112)

Explore interesting history tidbits and background information about world events including topics from Atlantis to Vikings. Scroll through the list of topics and find links to various podcast episodes with archives going back to 2008. Click to play the episodes or download any episode in mp3 format using the download link. Episodes are approximately 30 minutes in length. You can also search for specific topics using the search tool.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): archeology (30), black history (135), civil rights (217), civil war (140), cross cultural understanding (176), mental health (50), native americans (117), podcasts (114), religions (112), vikings (10), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (162)

Join John and Hank Green on the you Tube channel, Crash Course. Crash Course consists of highly engaging video presentations that explain the basics on many topics: about 10-15 minutes in length, humorous, and engaging! The general topic areas include World History, Literature, and US History. At the time of this review, biology topics include: the carbon cycle, water cycle, molecules, nutrition, animal and plant cells, photosynthesis, heredity, DNA, mitosis, meiosis, natural selection, evolution, genetics, taxonomy, evolution, simple animals, complex animals, animal behavior, various systems of the body, bacteria, protists, and even more. In literature, five videos cover subjects from Romeo and Juliet to The Great Gatsby. There are over forty world history topics: Agricultural revolution, Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, The Persians and Greeks, Buddha and Ashoka, Chinese History, Alexander the Great, The Roman Empire, Christianity from Judaism to Constantine, Fall of the Roman Empire, Islam the Quran, and the Five Pillars, Venice and Ottoman Empire, Russia, Columbus, The Spanish Empire, The French Revolution, Haitian Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Capitalism, Socialism, Imperialism, and many more. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. Tip: to watch or share a video without the ads and clutter, use a tool such as ViewPure, reviewed here, to watch the video ad-free!
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animals (293), bacteria (21), bill of rights (34), body systems (40), chinese (45), constitution (99), declaration of independence (16), evolution (88), genetics (79), greeks (46), literature (221), meiosis (8), mitosis (9), nutrition (139), religions (112), rome (37), romeo and juliet (3), russia (34), shakespeare (99), water cycle (22)

In this Ask Asia lesson plan, students construct their own Islamic geometric patterns as they study the patterns as analogies for the Islamic cultural beliefs.

tag(s): geometric shapes (134), religions (112)

This site includes basic information about Ramadan. The site features and lots of reference information about Ramadan and fasting. Scroll to the bottom of the page where there are also links for teachers, students, activities, coloring pages, Ramadan songs, crafts, e-cards, and other features.

tag(s): holidays (194), ramadan (10), religions (112)

This website offers many Ramadan recipes. There are ethnic names and reference information about the holiday included at this unique website.

tag(s): holidays (194), ramadan (10), religions (112)

This is a basic introduction to Ramadan for non-Muslims. It explains the fasting and obedience requirements of the holiday. Select further topics from the left menu such as The Five Pillars of the Muslim Faith, The Fast of Ramadan, and several others.

tag(s): holidays (194), ramadan (10), religions (112)

Use this searchable resource to foster understanding of Islamic history, law, and practice. The "Discover Islam" section provides a beginner's introduction to understanding Islam and Muslim traditions, as well as essays addressing similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity. The site includes a video about the Qur'an, a PowerPoint title The Rights of Believers, a Shi'ite encyclopedia, photos of sites sacred to Islam, examples of Islamic artwork, and a collection of PDF downloadable fact sheets - available in numerous languages - covering a range of topics.

tag(s): holidays (194), ramadan (10), religions (112)