Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The Crash Course has over 45 videos on topics ranging from Anatomy to Zoology, Artificial Intelligence to Outbreak Science. There are the more common topics one might want to learn about, like Ecology, Films, Geography, and much more. All videos are free to watch. Each video also includes a short description (some with lesson stem ideas). Crash Course videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district/school blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. The good news for teachers whose schools block YouTube is that you can download the video if you fill out a form. Go to the Download tab from the top menu, select Students & Teachers, scroll down the page, and follow the directions.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (136), black history (129), branches of government (63), business (48), climate (82), computers (109), copyright (46), ecology (98), energy (130), engineering (123), human body (94), literature (216), media literacy (103), myths and legends (24), plants (147), politics (111), space (214), statistics (119), video (260), zoology (8)

Monterey Bay Aquarium offers several live webcams showing ongoing activities in the facility. To find the webcams, go to the top menu, click Animals, and on the left, you will see a link for Live Cams. Viewers can watch the penguins swim and the otters watch the people. There are many things to see here, and there are also lots of instructional activities that can go along with the tour. A high-speed connection is a must for this one, though.
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tag(s): animals (283), oceans (149), virtual field trips (84), webcams (11)

Developed with funding from NASA, Infiniscope offers space-related digital learning resources, professional development, and content creation opportunities for educators. Explore the site's home page to find the featured and newest content. Choose the Content Library to find links to lessons and collections relating to earth and space topics sorted by content type, grade level, and more. The Quick Start Guide is located under For Educators and provides an overview of how to navigate Infiniscope and an overview of the content and creative tools available. Although registration isn't required, registering as an educator offers access to additional tools and features of Infiniscope, including enrolling students in lessons, tracking their progress, and creating virtual lessons and tours.

tag(s): earth (185), fossils (41), light (52), moon (72), planets (111), plate tectonics (21), professional development (404), seasons (37), space (214), stars (69)

Skype a Scientist connects classrooms and groups with scientists for live Q&A and scheduled live-stream sessions. Visit the Livestreams link to find upcoming sessions and reserve your free ticket. If you and your class can't attend, archives of all sessions are available on YouTube. You can find them by visiting the provided link. Visit the signup section on the site to learn how to find a scientist and request a private session for your class; this process takes about a week, and teachers connect via email to set up a convenient time for your chat. Scientists are available in many different fields and languages.

tag(s): scientists (62), skype (2)

Participate in live, interactive events that feature National Geographic explorers to hear behind-the-scenes stories of explorers around the globe. Events focused on an audience of four to eight-year-olds are typically held on Monday mornings, while events for students aged nine to fourteen are held twice on Thursdays. Browse the site to find upcoming events conducted in English and Spanish, focusing on conservation efforts, human history and culture, storytelling, and more. Choose any event to register to participate. Past events are available on YouTube by visiting the link at the top of the website. Find additional learning opportunities National Geographic provides by visiting the Educational Resources link.

tag(s): animals (283), conservation (86), cultures (131), explorers (65), oceans (149), stories and storytelling (47)

National Geographic Education shares many classroom resources for all grade levels, including videos, interactives, maps, and more. Use the keyword search to find content related to specific content, filter by grade, type of learning materials, and subject, or browse the site to view some of the latest resources. Although registration isn't required, creating an account allows members to bookmark and save favorite resources.

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This page provides action guides and lesson plans introducing students to service learning through citizen science projects based on monitoring water quality. Each action guide provides students with a roadmap to participating in service projects, beginning with investigating resources and interests and finishing with telling the story and reporting data. Lessons (available in English and Spanish) provide background information, objectives, student handouts, and assessments. Additional extension resources include illustrated stories that share the importance of observation and the crucial need for healthy waterways.

tag(s): citizen science (27), pollution (51), water (101), watersheds (8)

Discover the many ways to become involved in citizen science projects through local and large-scale observations and activities by visiting the ideas shared on this page from National Geographic Education. Ideas and links include opportunities to participate in a bird census, monitor local bodies of water, collect weather data, and more. Click on each project's shared link to learn more about its activities and how to participate.

tag(s): animals (283), birds (45), butterflies (13), citizen science (27), ecosystems (72), life cycles (21), oceans (149), photography (118), planets (111), plants (147), stars (69), STEM (269), weather (161)

Participate in science activities through gameplay with Citizen Sort. Play Happy Match to help scientists classify photos while earning points, and Living Links, an AI-generated activity in which participants identify twenty species of animals in Serengeti National Park. Registration isn't required; creating an account allows users to save their game progress. Citizen Sort also offers a third game, Forgotten Island, but it requires Flash, which is no longer supported by current web browsers.

tag(s): animals (283), classification (21), insects (68), plants (147)

Nova Education provides STEM activities and lessons based on the popular PBS series Nova. Information on the site includes articles, videos, and links to external websites. Scroll down to find filters to sort the content by media types, categories, and newer or older additions. The media types category allows users to find lesson plans, collections, teacher guides, and more. Each lesson plan includes detailed instructions, student handouts, and correlation to Next Generation Science Standards.

tag(s): archeology (25), engineering (123), environment (237), forensics (12), paleontology (29), space (214)

Overheard at National Geographic shares weekly podcast episodes from 2019-2023 featuring a range of topics related to the world around us. Episodes feature conversations with National Geographic photographers, explorers, and scientists with hosts Peter Gwyn and Amy Briggs. Podcasts run from approximately thirty to forty-five minutes and are available on most podcast-hosting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.

tag(s): africa (139), animals (283), anne frank (10), china (62), explorers (65), native americans (92), oceans (149), photography (118), podcasts (95)

Upschool provides many free learning opportunities aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The core of Upschool's content includes a selection of 10-week and short courses with topics such as The Solar System and Beyond and The Importance of Mountains. Additional learning opportunities include Social Scenarios, Comprehension Corner, SDG Challenges, and Teacher Training. Upschool also has a library of over one hundred books submitted by authors with a special message to share. Read the books online or download them as a PDF for free. Many of the books also include teaching resources such as task cards.

tag(s): animals (283), antarctica (29), careers (138), climate (82), earth (185), explorers (65), food chains (17), gifted (65), glaciers (17), journalism (72), mountains (10), oceans (149), Online Learning (42), photography (118), planets (111), plants (147), rainforests (18), social and emotional learning (94), solar system (108), sustainability (42), weather (161), writing (318)

Plix (Play, Learn, Interact, and eXplore) shares over 1,000 interactives, providing practice and exploring math and science concepts. Math topics range from adding whole numbers to calculus concepts; science content includes biology, physics, earth, and life science, among others. Follow the directions found in each interactive to move the slider to show changes in each story problem or question. Plix integrates with several learning management systems, including Google Classroom, Schoology, and Canvas. Share Plix activities by creating a new class on the Plix site or assigning it to your learning management system.

tag(s): angles (51), area (52), atoms (44), charts and graphs (169), data (147), decimals (84), earth (185), earthquakes (45), equations (120), fractions (158), geometric shapes (135), integers (22), latitude (10), magnetism (36), molecules (44), oceans (149), planets (111), plate tectonics (21), prime numbers (26), probability (98), rock cycle (12), rocks (35), scientific method (45), seasons (37), simulations (9), solar system (108), statistics (119), STEM (269), Teacher Utilities (157), volume (34), water (101)

Science World takes students on an adventure worldwide to learn science concepts by grade level. The map defaults to lessons for first grade; use the options on the left side of the main page or in the title section of the map near the starting point to change to other grade levels, beginning with kindergarten through sixth grade. Each lesson includes animated videos that explain science concepts and interactive activities for students that allow students to collect stars. To find lessons on specific science concepts, use the Open list view on the main page to see all available lessons for each grade level, including themes for each lesson and the location on the map where the activity occurs. Lessons are available in English and Spanish.

tag(s): adaptations (14), animals (283), bacteria (22), cells (82), circuits (20), colors (63), earth (185), electricity (59), energy (130), environment (237), forces (37), habitats (86), human body (94), light (52), magnetism (36), matter (46), moon (72), motion (49), nutrition (137), oceans (149), plants (147), rocks (35), senses (20), solar system (108), stars (69), sun (71), volcanoes (56), water (101), water cycle (22), weather (161)

Discover the wonders of science from the experts at Purdue University by tuning in to their podcasts and watching their educational video lessons on YouTube. Visit the podcast channel for episodes covering various science topics, including agriculture, space, weather, and more. Superheroes of Science's YouTube Channel includes close to eight hundred videos (with new episodes added weekly) available in several different categories. Visit the channel for science demos and information about the Kids STEM degree program reviewed here, STEM careers, science for kids, and many other topics. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): agriculture (47), engineering (123), friction (9), gravity (42), oceans (149), podcasts (95), rivers (14), solar system (108), sound (73), STEM (269), sun (71), water (101)

Propello offers a standards-based middle school science curriculum based upon Next Generation Science Standards that includes tools that make it easy to personalize content through engaging tools and materials. Begin by creating a course by choosing from the library of materials that include activities, projects, assessments, and more. Use the drag-and-drop features to customize content to add to a learning path. Share lessons with students easily via Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, or with a shared link. Use Propello's formative, summative, and project-based assessments to guide lessons and adjust content as needed. Propello materials include support for all learners, such as translation to over 100 languages using Immersive Reader, leveled readings, text-to-speech features, and visuals. Registration is required using an educator's email address.

tag(s): adaptations (14), animals (283), biodiversity (31), cells (82), chemicals (41), climate (82), climate change (90), conservation (86), differentiation (88), earth (185), ecosystems (72), energy (130), evolution (86), forces (37), genetics (76), light (52), mass (19), matter (46), moon (72), motion (49), natural resources (38), oceans (149), organisms (15), solar system (108), space (214), stars (69), sun (71), Teacher Utilities (157), temperature (35), water cycle (22), weather (161)

Find an abundance of games and learning activities for kids and teens at this engaging site from the experts that The Smithsonian Institution provides. Scroll through the homepage to find activities divided into several categories, including Art, History, and Culture activities and collections, Science and Nature, Art, History activities and collections, and an Art Meets Science collection. Activities include webcams, interactive ebooks, and simulations. Many of the included materials are in Spanish; some activities require downloading from the AppStore from Google Play.

tag(s): alphabet (51), animals (283), colors (63), countries (72), egypt (48), folktales (34), habitats (86), insects (68), inventors and inventions (71), light (52), makerspace (42), museums (45), musical instruments (47), nutrition (137), oceans (149), plants (147), puzzles (143), seasonal (17), space (214), stars (69), STEM (269), summer (29), water (101), weather (161), webcams (11), women (140)

Built to support the next generation of science leaders, The Wonder of Science shares many excellent free resources for science teachers of all grades. Information includes linked lessons offered by grade level, standards, and type of activity. Select the resources link to find printable activities, mini-lessons, assessments, planning, implementation, etc. From the home page, select videos to find videos linked by Next Generation Science Standards. A helpful video walkthrough of the site is available on the home page, and it provides a quick look at what is included and how to find resources. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): biodiversity (31), chemicals (41), climate (82), earth (185), ecology (98), ecosystems (72), energy (130), environment (237), forces (37), genetics (76), life cycles (21), light (52), matter (46), molecules (44), motion (49), oceans (149), planets (111), sound (73), space (214), stars (69), weather (161)