Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

CyArk offers an online library of cultural heritage sites using 3D and digital technology. One of their main goals is to provide a resource for saving representations before losing them to the natural progression of time, disasters, or other unknown factors. View offerings by theme or project for 3D images, photographs, and in-depth information about the site. Within the theme link, use the timeline to view by period, or use the dropdown boxes to choose by culture or country. CyArk also includes many lesson plans based on principles used in creating the website.

tag(s): archeology (30), egypt (59), environment (251), erosion (14), graphic design (49), mayans (32), photography (131), romans (52), speech (69), virtual field trips (131)

Study Jams offers engaging instruction and review activities in both math and science. Some sample science topics include plants, volcanoes, human body, the solar system, weather, matter, and more. Math topics include numbers (place value, number lines, estimation), algebra, addition/subtraction, problem solving, and others. Key vocabulary is presented along with a short video explanation of each topic. In addition to the video, there is an option to test your own ability. Each topic can also be printed to use in the classroom and there is a link to related "jams."

tag(s): addition (127), animals (293), climate (85), decimals (85), differentiation (85), division (96), ecosystems (85), energy (133), estimation (33), forces (37), fractions (159), game based learning (206), human body (91), landforms (39), light (56), matter (45), measurement (123), minerals (12), multiplication (120), number lines (33), percent (59), place value (33), plants (148), probability (99), problem solving (234), rocks (34), solar system (108), sound (71), subtraction (108), weather (160)

Math Salamander offers a huge selection of math worksheets and interactives for preschool through 5th grade. Browse the site by grade level or topic to find the resources available. In addition to worksheets, choose the Online Practice for online interacitves to practice math knowledge and skills.
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tag(s): addition (127), division (96), geometric shapes (133), measurement (123), money (113), multiplication (120), number sense (68), numbers (121), place value (33), preK (289), substitutes (25), subtraction (108), time (91), worksheets (71)

PBS Kids Lab has been archived, but continues to offer access to games, shows, and information on PBS KIDS, specifically for math and reading skills. Choose from the many activities in the Lab Menu such as games, collections, and videos. Educator Resources include classroom and out of school activities to accompany site resources.

tag(s): addition (127), counting (61), data (150), estimation (33), game based learning (206), geometric shapes (133), measurement (123), numbers (121), preK (289), professional development (393), vocabulary (242)

Inquiry Maths provides a large variety of resources for teaching and encouraging inquiry math practices. Choose from different content options to find complete lesson activities with everything needed to guide students through the inquiry process such as a lesson outline, lesson and mathematical notes, examples, downloads for use on whiteboards, and even classroom posters. Other links provide background information to understand and research how to teach using inquiry math concepts. The first set of links found on the site is for upper elementary and secondary math. Use the last link on the list to find prompts and resources for primary students. 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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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.

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This YouTube channel includes a growing selection of math instruction videos for Algebra through AP Statistics. Browse through videos on the home page or go to the site's playlists for videos grouped by topic. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): angles (51), area (53), charts and graphs (169), equations (119), factoring (25), functions (52), inequalities (25), polynomials (20), probability (99), problem solving (234), quadratics (27), statistics (121), video (267), volume (33)

Reason and Wonder is a blog written by an experienced junior high and high school mathematics teacher. Posts offer insight into classroom lessons and explorations. Choose the Lessons link, on the top menu bar, to find several problem-based lessons aligned to Common Core Standards. Another portion of the site includes challenges for learning and using Desmos, an online graphing calculator reviewed here. Be sure to explore archives dating back to March 2013.

tag(s): blogs (68), characterization (19), equations (119), problem solving (234)

MasterMath offers a large variety of resources for middle school mathematics, including videos, worksheets, and quizzes. Choose from 6th, 7th, or 8th-grade math, or Algebra 1 divided into quarters. Click on any lesson description correlated to FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) standards to view all resources offered for that standard. If your district blocks YouTube, you are given an Archive link that should play the video.
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tag(s): charts and graphs (169), decimals (85), equations (119), fractions (159), functions (52), integers (21)

Help Carl and his friends enter the school raft race challenge. Use your math skills to collect the four items needed to build a raft. Complete as many activities as possible to enhance the quality of your raft. Practice your skills with basic operations, symmetry, time, equations, diagrams, and more. When finished, watch what happens when Carl and his friends enter the race!

tag(s): equations (119), symmetry (26), time (91), venn diagrams (15)

The Los Angeles Unified School District offers resources for math instruction in all grades and correlated to Common Core Standards. Choose from elementary, middle, or high school links to find curriculum maps, lessons, and assessments offered by grade level or high school curriculum topic. Middle and High School links also provide intervention through tutorial labs. Be sure to check out the printable article Opening Strong in a Common Core Classroom that provides many suggestions and strategies for the first ten days of school.

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Watch mathematics in action through videos of six seconds or less created using the Vine app. View the title along with the short videos demonstrating equations, patterns, factoring, and more. Some contain links to blog posts with additional ideas and information about the concept.

tag(s): equations (119), factors (29), geometric shapes (133), patterns (61), video (267)

This word cloud generator is similar to other word clouds except it includes a fascinating mathematical twist. Enter any URL or text to begin a word cloud, and then start playing with the different options. In addition to changing the font, take the time to play with the angle parameters. Move the arrowheads and rotate to view different orientations of the same text. Other options limit the number of words, the amount of words per line, or spiral and scale of the image. When finished, download and save the image as a PNG or SVG file. Jason Davies' Word Cloud Generator works on any device with a modern browser and Internet access.
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tag(s): angles (51), measurement (123), word clouds (13)

Oakland Schools provides an extensive collection of Common Core aligned resources for all grade levels. Read through the information on the main page for how to use the site to browse and search features. Items include unit calendars, curriculum maps, and standards alignment in all subjects and for grades K-12. Be sure to check out the Reference pull-down for many resources to use in teaching and planning using Common Core Standards.

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Browse through over 9,000 resources at the National STEM Centre's eLibrary for ages five and up. Search by keyword or use filters to sort by age range, subject, or type of resource. Resources include videos, presentations, activity sheets, and much more. Optional account creation allows you to save resources and add activities to favorites. 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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Explore examples of thinking in math through original solutions found by students! Find ways to include an inquiry-based approach in mathematics education. Each post explores a particular math situation and conversations with students to find solutions. Browse through the blog by scrolling through recent posts or find specific topics by keyword search, tags, and categories.

tag(s): blogs (68), number sense (68), questioning (36)

PrepFactory is a free SAT and ACT preparation site. Sign up using email, Facebook, or your Google account to begin. Choose a test and then start watching videos or answering practice questions. Earn experience points along the way as you unlock different problem sets and view videos.

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This blog details very specifically how to introduce and teach mathematical tasks through storytelling. Begin by choosing the first link that introduces the storytelling tasks through a "brief series" of video clips. On the landing page, click on the video to display the entire 36 minutes. Scroll to the bottom to find the series of clips. Follow the next link to find a Google document with many different tasks. Included in the document is information about the resource, standards addressed, and suggested task question. Click on the Task Title to view the problem.

tag(s): equations (119), geometric shapes (133), money (113), percent (59), perimeter (20), variables (14), volume (33)

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)

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)