Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Access high-quality math and language arts resources on Open Up Resources. Register on the site to view and gain access to course materials. Select the grade level and choose the teacher, parent, or student materials. The math curriculum supports grades 6-8 and high school content; English language arts (ELA) is available in grades K-8. Content is divided into units and lessons and includes all materials except assessments. Provide additional information related to your school affiliation to gain access to available assessments. Other options include downloading resources as a print file or import into a Microsoft OneNote Class Notebook.

tag(s): data (151), decimals (85), differentiation (84), exponents (35), factoring (25), fractions (160), guided reading (33), measurement (122), OER (43), remote learning (54), transformations (12), writing (325)

As you might guess from the title, this site is all about numbers. Their goals are to promote numeracy, develop number sense, and have fun along the way. Use the search bar to ask about any number; the results provide context and relationships to your query. Results might include comparisons to items that are bigger or smaller and equivalent items. Choose other links to learn number facts about countries, ratios, or take a number quiz.

tag(s): measurement (122), number sense (69), numbers (120), ratios (47)

Explore and find math activities for middle school students (grades 5-8) aligned to Common Core Standards at this comprehensive site. Find materials through several different search avenues; browse standards, search by grade level, choose a domain, or use a keyword search. Content includes lesson plans, interactive activities, and videos.

tag(s): commoncore (73), decimals (85), equations (119), exponents (35), fractions (160), functions (52), geometric shapes (135), mass (19), measurement (122), operations (72), order of operations (29), place value (34), ratios (47), volume (34)

Access the Illustrated Mathematics Grades 6-8 curriculum for free through the Open Up Resources site. Register on the site to view and gain access to course materials. Select the grade level and choose teacher, parent, or student materials. Content is divided into units and lessons and includes all materials except assessments. Provide additional information related to your school affiliation to gain access to assessments. Additional options include downloading resources as a print file or import into a Microsoft OneNote Class Notebook.

tag(s): data (151), equations (119), exponents (35), factoring (25), factors (29), fractions (160), geometric shapes (135), measurement (122), OER (43), percent (59), probability (99), pythagorean theorem (19), ratios (47), transformations (12), volume (34)

Mathematical Thinking for English Language Learners contains 14 math tasks designed for middle school students. Each task includes five support tools: warm-ups, sentence starters & frames, word chats, support notes, and a Spanish translation of the task. Tasks focus upon geometry concepts such as area and shapes. Download individual tasks in PDF format using the links provided.

tag(s): area (53), geometric shapes (135), measurement (122), rotation (3), tangrams (8)

We know our own lifetimes are but a tiny hiccup in the long history of the Earth. But what HAS happened since we were born? The BBC will tell you. Simply enter your date of birth (using the day/month/year format) and some other information (you can choose either metric or Imperial/US measurement), and a wonderful series of charts appears! How many times has your heart beat? How old would you be on Venus? How has the Earth changed since you were born? How has humankind changed the Earth since you were born? How many volcanoes have erupted? What's happened to the sea levels? How many endangered species have become extinct? This site is created by the BBC (United Kingdom). American English speakers may notice some slights spelling differences. It is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer 10 and above.
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tag(s): climate change (99), earth (184), earth day (60), earthquakes (46), planets (113), writing prompts (61)

Dandy Candies provides open-ended practice and exploration with problem solving and measurement skills, grouped into three "Acts." View a short animated video exploring different options for packaging candy. Then solve four questions about the best way to pack candy. Act Three offers solutions along with a link to all packaging options. Click on the Prologue to view links to standards. Be sure to click on Teacher Notes to view more information on the different steps.

tag(s): area (53), measurement (122), perimeter (20), problem solving (233), volume (34)

Prepare your students for success with Common Core Math skills at this excellent site presented by Khan Academy. 50,000 unique questions cover conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and real world applications. Use the link to "Browse Our New Common Core Map" to find interactive math problems for grades K-12. Each activity lists the number of skills and problems available for each level. View step by step solutions to each problem. Many problems even include video explanations. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and Illustrative Mathematics partnered with Khan Academy to ensure the rigor of materials and full alignment to the Common Core Standards. Learn more about Khan Academy reviewed here. Videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): addition (129), angles (52), base ten (5), coordinates (15), counting (60), data (151), division (98), equations (119), factoring (25), fractions (160), functions (52), geometric shapes (135), measurement (122), mixed numbers (8), multiplication (122), negative numbers (13), number lines (33), number sense (69), polynomials (20), prime numbers (26), probability (99), quadratics (27), rounding (8), square roots (15), statistics (121), subtraction (110), transformations (12), vectors (16), whole numbers (9)

The Mathematics Assessment Project aims to bring life to the Common Core Standards by offering assessments for use in middle school and high school classrooms. Assessments are both summative tests or tasks and classroom performance based. Classroom research and feedback led to the development of all tasks. Choose from complete lessons including Common Core standards goals, print-outs as needed, and directions. Also included are tasks separated by middle school or high school level and high school tests for college readiness. There is an excellent professional development portion on the site for incorporating activity based learning in classrooms along with videos, session guides, and handouts. Download modules as needed for offline use. Find a step by step overview of how to use the site at the instructions tab at the top of each page.

tag(s): angles (52), area (53), assessment (147), charts and graphs (171), decimals (85), equations (119), estimation (33), measurement (122), negative numbers (13), percent (59), pythagorean theorem (19)

Answer the questions on each of the tabs to determine the amount of carbon dioxide you are responsible for emitting by the products you choose and your lifestyle. You are given the options to measure/calculate using money spent or gallons (or other form of measurement). This calculators is quite detailed.
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tag(s): carbon dioxide (10), carbon footprint (5), climate change (99)

Interested in learning more about the vast nano-sized world? Easy to understand, basic information coupled with current advances give you a taste of what is possible with nanotechnology. Be sure to navigate near the bottom right side of the page where there is a tab labeled DIY Nano. Here are some sensational activities to assist in visualizing and experimenting with nano-scale! Thoughts will charge as you think, learn, and wonder about nano-science! The site includes activity and classroom ideas for grades K-12.

tag(s): atoms (44), engineering (129), gravity (43), matter (46), measurement (122)

This site shows the scale of items from the atom to the universe by using an interactive Infographic. Choose from nine items to begin comparison. Use the blue dot to zoom in and out by sliding it up and down. The dial gives the difference in size. Be sure to view the Infographic full screen.

tag(s): animals (295), atoms (44), earth (184), measurement (122), planets (113), space (222)

This site offers tutorials, videos, publications, and more for users of GeoGebra (free downloadable software reviewed here). Links on the site include math modules with ready-to-use problems categorized by subject - Measurement, Algebra 1 & 2, and Calculus. Holiday and fun activities are also included. Be sure to check out the TeacherTube and YouTube videos with many explanations and tutorials of GeoGebra lessons and activities. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): angles (52), geometric shapes (135), holidays (187), measurement (122)

Math is Fun when you visit this website that is loaded with games, activities and much more! Math activities are divided into topics such as Algebra, Data, Games, Dictionaries, Worksheets, and more. After choosing a topic there are several choices for appropriate activities within the category. The teachers page has links to many virtual manipulatives, puzzles, speed math and other classroom activities. All activities contain an explanation and solution to the puzzle. Although this site may appear as another "drill and kill" site, is also has a lot of extra features and activities included. If you are a math teacher, this is definitely a site worth taking a look at.

tag(s): logic (161), measurement (122), problem solving (233)

Get a grasp on math concepts by grabbing short snacks of animations and math activities illustrating the concept. Many lessonsinclude teacher guides. View the descriptions and topics addressed for each Math snack and download the learners guide using Adobe Acrobat. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): animation (65), charts and graphs (171), coordinates (15), measurement (122), numbers (120)

This site uses Google Earth to teach Math! If your school does not allow access or installation of this free software, use this site as justification for the power of GE in the curriculum. Use higher level thinking skills and provide active learning by using the lessons on this site. Visit the "Lessons" page to view lessons grouped into four categories: Concept Lessons, Project-Based Learning, Exploratory, and Measurement. Use the "Community" page to collaborate or submit lesson ideas. Click on the "Update" page to view new lessons or resources added. The "Resource" page contains links to other sites and tutorials that are useful. NOTE that you must have the FREE Google Earth reviewed hereinstalled on your computer to use these terrific ideas.

Be aware that the "Community" link has been moved off-site and is designed for teachers, not students.

tag(s): data (151), earth (184), measurement (122), problem solving (233)

The NIST Physics Laboratory offers this condensed history of time measurement, which chronicles the evolution of time-keeping from ancient calendars through the establishment of time zones and atomic clocks. The text is readable and the graphics are interesting while still loading quickly. Depending on the amount of detail you want to absorb, this one would work well for upper elementary through secondary students.

tag(s): time (91), time zones (7)

No matter what you want to measure, you'll find information on how to quantify it here. While some browsing is required, teachers will find applications for this information in science, math, geography, and other subject areas. The reference possibilities are also extensive. Add this one to your toolkit of web reference specialties.

tag(s): measurement (122)