Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The Problems of the Month offer problems (divided into 5 difficulty levels) to be used school-wide as part of a problem-solving theme. View videos to learn more about the program and get started in your school. Expand the Getting Started link to find scoring guidelines, sample letters for teachers and parents, and more. Video examples demonstrate the use of different levels within each of the problems. Click on the "download problems of the month" link on the left side of the page to access problems by grade level.

tag(s): critical thinking (137), problem solving (234)

Expand your technology library for free at Free Tech Books! Find a variety of ebooks with topics such as computer science, math, operating systems, programming, scripting, web design, electrical circuits, and engineering. Join the RSS feed to keep up with the latest new additions. Although this site is plain vanilla in appearance, it is full of "sprinkles" of information!
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tag(s): book lists (168), STEM (312)

This YouTube channel provides a large selection of short, easy to understand math help videos. Scroll through the videos to find tutorials for all math topics beginning with Algebra. Find featured videos sorted into categories on the site home page. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.
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tag(s): addition (127), angles (51), area (53), decimals (85), division (96), equations (119), factoring (25), fractions (159), mass (19), multiplication (120), percent (59), subtraction (108), volume (33)

Find interesting discussion topics for high school math classes at Math Arguments 180. This blog offers 180 days of ideas for discussion in math class. In fact, it has gone beyond 180 and is still counting. Scroll through by date to view topics or search the archives for past posts. Try clicking on the categories to find specific content such as geometry or probability. Find the most popular posts by viewing links on the right side of the home page.

tag(s): logic (160), probability (99), problem solving (234)

Find over 300 free ebooks, lectures, and notes in the areas of biology, business, computer science, math, and physics. Find many other subjects and topics in the right menu titled Latest Resources and Most Popular. Some of those have a fee. Subscribe to the RSS feed to keep up with the latest resources.
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tag(s): ebooks (47)

Still wrestling with Common Core? Let Shmoop help with math and language arts Common Core resources. Search for any standard or browse through standards links to begin. Links to each standard offer a tab explaining the standard and another tab with aligned resources. Resources may include videos, teaching guides, sample assignments, and more. Not all standards include resources, but most do.
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tag(s): commoncore (73)

edX offers access to many of the best courses offered at top learning institutions - for FREE! Institutions include MIT, Harvard, and Berkley. Classes are available to complete for a Certificate of Achievement or as an audit. Choose from courses with topics in many areas including computers, literature, and humanities. Each course listing offers a short description of the course, details about the university offering the course, estimated time involved, course staff, and available options for taking the course. Start any course at any time. Take the edX Demo course to get a good idea of how courses work and find out about the online learning experience.

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Common Core Math is a PDF document providing an overview of mathematics skills developed through Common Core Standards. Designed for use with curriculum nights or conferences in mind, information on each grade level fits on the front and back of one page when printed (two pages for high school). View advice for use as a parent or teacher on the first page. Be sure to scroll down to the two last pages providing an excellent overview of the big picture of teaching math and general tips for parents.

tag(s): commoncore (73), parent conferences (21), parents (56)

GraphFree is an online graphing tool built by a high school math teacher to meet the needs he didn't find in other online tools. Choose the User's Guide to get started. The Quick Start feature provides basic information on using the graphing features. Short videos explain other options for drawing and labeling graphs. When finished, follow instructions for saving graphs to your computer or into popular office software programs.
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tag(s): calculators (36), charts and graphs (169), data (150)

What is Mathematics? is a very helpful article for understanding that mathematics is about process not numbers. Dr. Lewis takes his readers through the thought process of providing insight into what math is by comparing it to early reading instruction, sports analogies, and more. His explanations give readers an understanding of the true meaning of mathematics - "true mathematical understanding, the true ability to think, perceive, and analyze mathematically."

tag(s): logic (160), problem solving (234), professional development (393)

Did you know the first known use of the + symbol was sometime between 1323 and 1382? Learn more about this and the origins of other math symbols at this interesting site. Choose from different links to learn about the origins of geometry, fractions, and other symbols. Each description includes a background on its original use along with information about pertinent mathematicians.

tag(s): biographies (94), symbols (16)

Mathematical Symbols and Abbreviations is a nine-page PDF leaflet describing symbols and notations commonly used in mathematics. Along with each symbol, learn how to say it, what it means, see an example, and view a search topic. For further information, use the URL given in the first paragraph (second line) and search box provided there to search the main Math Centre site. This site was created in the United Kingdom. If you speak American English, you may notice some slight spelling differences.

tag(s): printables (36), symbols (16)

Youcubed is an up and coming mathematics education site for grades K-12. See short video presentations about how to build confident, math-loving students. In addition, the site plans to include tasks and lessons correlated to Common Core Standards. One interesting feature discusses mathematic tasks used by today's companies such as Google. Another section will feature information, resources, and tools for parents. This site continues to grow. Be sure to sign up with your email to receive site access and all of the latest updates. Browse through a few examples currently on the site for a preview of upcoming features. Search for lesson plans by using the word Tasks. (Don't be shy about adding comments on this TeachersFirst review as new features roll out!). Some videos are hosted on YouTube (others on Vimeo). If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): professional development (393), STEM (312)

Discover some of the world's best online courses with Springboard's search engine. Enter what you want to learn into the search bar. Explore the offerings provided or browse by subject, university, or providers. Narrow results down by starting date, teaching method, or credentials. Each entry includes a short description of the course, fees (many are free!), start dates, length of course, and skill level required. Many classes also include reviews from other Springboard's users. Click the "Enroll" link to go directly to the course or save to your wish list after creating a free account. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. Most do not require Flash. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): professional development (393), search engines (47)

This site offers over 10,000 lessons aligned with the Common Core and the Next Generation Science Standards. The lessons were created by 130 Master Teachers. You can browse resources without registering. Click the blue "Browse" button to get started. Choose along the top from Common Core Math, Common Core ELA, or Next Generation Science. Lessons are arranged by grade level or Math, Language, and Science subjects. However, if you want to create your own resources, registration is required. After registering, create a class and then create a unit for that class. Finally, create a lesson for that unit, fill in an objective, select a state standard, and estimate the total time on task. Upload files (or drag and drop) to assign them to the lesson or keep them "unassigned" for later use. Additionally, simply add other members' files to your own curriculum. Search for files by keyword, age-level, and type of format. Click on a result to see every lesson plan using that file.

tag(s): commoncore (73), professional development (393), Teacher Utilities (202)

The North Dakota Curriculum Initiative offers this informative site containing many downloadable documents. Use these documents when implementing and planning ELA (English/Language Arts) and Math Common Core Standards in all grades. Choose from grade level links to begin browsing available content. Choose from lists of standards, lesson and unit plans, pacing calendars, and much more.

tag(s): commoncore (73), professional development (393)

The Mathematics Center is an excellent site full of mathematics teaching resources aligned to Common Core Standards. Choose options from the menu on the home page such as lessons, videos, applets, and Common Core resources. Links lead to offerings sorted by grade level and topic. Most content is available for easy download in PDF format. Be sure to check out the parent guides available in both English and Spanish.

tag(s): area (53), decimals (85), division (96), equations (119), exponents (35), fractions (159), functions (52), numbers (121), perimeter (20), quadratics (27), rounding (8), subtraction (108), video (267)

New Zealand Maths provides a large number of teaching and professional development resources in mathematics. Choose a topics such as Number & Algebra or Problem Solving to view activities sorted by levels 1-6. These levels correspond approximately to US Grades K-12. Select Early Childhood Education to browse resources for PreK/K students. Also check out the sections for parents and professional development that contain many helpful ideas for any education setting. The site was created in New Zealand, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): geometric shapes (133), number sense (68), numbers (121), preK (291), problem solving (234), professional development (393), spreadsheets (23), statistics (121)

This fabulous UK site offers many resources for math practice and instruction. Choose the Videos and Worksheets section to find a large list of topics sorted alphabetically including instructional videos and practice questions. Many also include corresponding textbook exercises. Choose 5-a-day to find another large selection of printables for daily review, choose from three different levels for each date. (U.S. users will need to "translate" the 5-a-day letter equivalents to find approximate grade levels; count backwards from grade 12 being "A.") Conundrums for each day of the year provide short, daily brainteasers ready to print and use. Don't miss the Great Maths Bakeoff, a terrific idea for Pi Day! This site was created in the UK. American English speakers will notice slight spelling differences and use of English currency. There is also mention of Key Stages 3, 4, and 5. In America, these stages equate to Ages 11-14 (Stage 3), Ages 14-16 (Stage 4), and Ages 16-18 (Stage 5). Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): addition (127), angles (51), charts and graphs (169), coordinates (15), decimals (85), division (96), equations (119), estimation (33), fractions (159), geometric shapes (133), inequalities (25), mean (19), measurement (123), median (16), mode (13), multiplication (120), probability (99), problem solving (234), pythagorean theorem (19), quadratics (27), sequences (12), square roots (15), subtraction (108), time (91), transformations (11), volume (33)

Solve My Math offers a wide selection of math calculators, games, and information for all different levels of math. Use the drop down box to choose a math category such as general math or complex numbers and trig. Some calculators offer only a solution while others show step by step ways to obtaining answers. Choose Math Courses for a basic overview of math content sorted by topic. The Math Games section offers games for learning basic math skills. Spend time exploring how the site is organized so you can avoid clicking the ads!
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tag(s): addition (127), calculators (36), charts and graphs (169), decimals (85), division (96), fractions (159), numbers (121), probability (99), statistics (121), subtraction (108)