Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Here is your one stop for FREE training on Microsoft Word and Excel, Typing challenges, and activities in several subjects. There are activities for typing, math, spelling, and life skills geared toward elementary and middle school students. The menu at the left provides links to all activities except Excel. Find those at the top of the page. If you find an activity you like, easily share using links on each activity via email or social networks. Some of the video clips are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): grammar (137), keyboarding (28), Microsoft (79), operations (71), parts of speech (38), spelling (98), spreadsheets (23), vocabulary (242)

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 (395), Teacher Utilities (201)

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 (395)

Discover a collection of resources for the teaching and learning of fractions, decimals, and percentages. These resources will work on your interactive whiteboard, most tablets, iPad, or a regular computer! This site does seem ideal for BYOD classrooms, but they do mention that some of the activities run slow on a standard Android browser. An app (non Internet) version will be available soon for a small fee. This review is for the free portion of the site. At the time of this review, there were 15 free resources to explore. Some sample topics include Fraction Bars, Decimal Compare, Percent to Fraction, Decimal Lines, and more. Some activities require flash which is not supported on all browsers.
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tag(s): decimals (85), fractions (159)

Remember playing Spirograph as a kid? Now you can create and play online with Inspirograph! Choose from fixed and rotating gears, and then change the size of the gears. Change the background and pen colors using the toolbar. Click on the + sign to personalize colors. Be sure to view the gallery of saved designs for lots of inspiration when beginning. Click the download icon to save images to your computer.

tag(s): angles (51), critical thinking (137), gifted (66), problem solving (233)

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 (118), exponents (35), fractions (159), functions (52), numbers (120), perimeter (20), quadratics (27), rounding (8), subtraction (108), video (267)

The Annenberg Learner Foundation's goal is to advance excellent teaching in American schools. Annenberg Learner's multimedia resources help teachers increase their expertise in their fields and improve teaching methods in all grade levels in all subjects. There are video resources for all subject areas. Find lesson plans for all subjects by grade level. A variety of interactives accompany lessons or can also stand alone. Follow the monthly updates and blogs for the latest information.
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tag(s): art history (107), butterflies (13), conversions (37), critical thinking (137), dna (43), earth (182), environment (250), geometric shapes (132), immigrants (48), medieval (33), native americans (116), patterns (61), periodic table (43), renaissance (38), rocks (34), russia (34), south africa (15), spelling (98), statistics (120), volcanoes (55), weather (160)

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 (132), number sense (68), numbers (120), preK (291), problem solving (233), professional development (395), spreadsheets (23), statistics (120)

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 (118), estimation (33), fractions (159), geometric shapes (132), inequalities (25), mean (19), measurement (123), median (16), mode (13), multiplication (119), probability (98), problem solving (233), pythagorean theorem (19), quadratics (27), sequences (12), square roots (15), subtraction (108), time (91), transformations (11), volume (33)

Join a journey to eleven countries and three continents as part of a global STEM learning adventure aligned to Next Gen and Common Core Reading standards. The site navigation itself takes a little "exploration," but the time is well worth it. Learn about locations around the world as you explore science and technology at each stop along the way. Learn about the captain and crew under Flight Briefing. Follow the clickable flight route under Flight Tracker. Take a flight tutorial at Fly with Us (under Flight Briefings). Explore videos on the Blog and under Flight Briefings. Watch the intro video on the home page. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): aircraft (17), animals (292), architecture (84), ecosystems (85), endangered species (27), flight (34), oceans (149), STEM (312), volcanoes (55), weather (160)

Find many resources for using pattern blocks at this site. Choose from many different pattern block templates sorted by categories such as holidays, vehicles, and alphabet. Click any template to view the PDF for instant printing. When printing, do NOT "scale to fit page." Be sure to print at 100% or the actual size. The site is designed for use with standard pattern block pieces. However, if you don't have any, no worries! Select the Printable Blocks link for many print-and-cut options to use.

tag(s): geometric shapes (132), manipulatives (8), patterns (61), problem solving (233)

Visit Cool Kid Facts to find information for just about anything in this world or even out of this world! Select from Geography, History, Science, Animals, and Human Body. There are also topics in the right menu on the home page that range from Albert Einstein to Volcanoes and nearly everything else you can think of (alphabetically) in between. There are articles, videos, pictures, and quizzes, too. The videos are from various outside sources and are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): animals (292), australia (29), brain (56), china (83), deserts (17), earth (182), egypt (59), greek (46), heart (27), human body (91), italy (30), magnetism (35), mars (26), mexico (46), moon (71), newton (21), photosynthesis (21), rainforests (18), rome (37), sun (69), tornadoes (14), tsunamis (15), volcanoes (55)

Beyond Traditional Math is an interesting blog written by a fourth-grade teacher who was "appalled to be handed a math book in which all instruction was whole group." This inspired her mission to move beyond the traditional classroom model for teaching math. Informative articles discuss building strong classroom cultures through standards, writing clear learning targets, and discussions on classroom activities. Explore this blog to find many lesson ideas along with practical classroom tips for use throughout the year. The ideas are adaptable across several grade levels. Click on tags at the bottom of each blog post to find archives of posts about similar topics.
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tag(s): problem solving (233)

Math Fact Cafe is a free math worksheet generator for grades K-5. Choose from pre-made worksheets or use the custom worksheet generator to create your own worksheets. To customize your worksheets, choose from options including the range of numbers, degree of difficulty, and name and date. Topics include basic facts, money, time, and word problems. In addition to worksheets, Math Fact Cafe offers three online games featuring problem solving and trivia skills.
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tag(s): addition (127), counting (61), division (96), money (112), multiplication (119), preK (291), problem solving (233), subtraction (108), time (91), worksheets (71)

Bring music into your math lessons! Appeal to your auditory learners with short samples of math Songs for Learning. Choose from three different CD titles to view song titles with links to download a small portion of each song. Download in wma, mp3, or Realaudio format. Titles cover a range of math topics from number lines through the Pythagorean Theorem. Although the CDs are for sale, you can listen to the snippets for free.
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tag(s): decimals (85), exponents (35), integers (21), mean (19), number lines (33), operations (71), percent (59), prime numbers (25), probability (98), pythagorean theorem (19), roman numerals (7)

Prodigy offers engaging interactives for seven to twelve-year-old students to practice their math and English! Use the anime-style avatars to travel the world and meet wizards and confront challenges. As math skills improve, your characters earn new spells that can be used only when math and English proficiencies are strengthened and expanded. The activities will differentiate, assigning and reviewing new math or English skills. Track your success and get help in areas where you are struggling. Some of the instruction videos (for parents and teachers) are hosted on YouTube. If your school blocks YouTube, you may want to familiarize yourself with this site at home.

tag(s): addition (127), division (96), fractions (159), game based learning (208), number sense (68), numbers (120), subtraction (108)

Learningpod offers a large database of free practice test questions. Find free Common Core aligned question sets in English Language Arts and Math for grades 2-8. There are practice sets for standardized tests. Search the database of over 49,000 practice questions. Questions are in "pods" containing 2-12 questions on each of the individual topics. Use your email to create a free account. Assign and share with students by embed code, link, or print in PDF format. Answer keys and explanations are easy to access. Keep track of progress through your account, and view summaries of your results on each pod. View comparisons to how other members fared with the same content.

tag(s): advanced placement (26), test prep (69)

Learn to draw, paint, or design following step-by-step tutorials from Artyfactory. Discover basic techniques of drawing and painting through Still Life lessons. Practice perspective, proportions, drawing animals and portraits, and more. Artyfactory's slideshows are an engaging way to increase your knowledge of art, art appreciation, and design.
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tag(s): africa (170), art history (107), artists (86), bulletin boards (15), design (80), egypt (59), perspective (20)

Diagnostic Questions offers over 2000 quick questions for an immediate and accurate look at student understanding of math concepts. Choose the question link to browse and find questions by topic. Choose "Random Question" for one question on any topic. Each question offers multiple choice answers and checks for the correct response. View each response to find out how many others made that choice. Optional site registration allows you to assemble collections of questions into quizzes to save and share. Use the online editor to create and share your own quizzes and questions in just seconds. The site was created in the UK, so it has some pronunciations and spellings different from American English.

tag(s): angles (51), area (53), assessment (146), charts and graphs (169), data (150), decimals (85), equations (118), exponents (35), fractions (159), functions (52), geometric shapes (132), median (16), order of operations (29), statistics (120), time (91), vectors (16)

Bring art alive for young students. Paint and color, clay, fabric and fiber, drawing, construction, and print are the six strands of visual art covered by I Am An Artist. Click on a strand to view short videos, about six minutes in length, designed to keep your attention. Each strand also has a "Look and Respond" stimulating slide show with discussion questions. The "Can You?" section under each visual strand provides steps for a hands-on explanation. I Am an Artist allows you to explore the visual arts with various materials and tools, allowing students to express their world in a visual, tangible form. The "For Teachers" section on each strand page provides child-centered lessons developed to foster creativity and design with printable activity sheets. The site also provides weblinks and interactive games on a wide range of visual arts topics. Explore the I Am an Artist Gallery for examples. Find information about how to submit your own work to the gallery. The content for I Am an Artist has been created in consultation with Irish teachers.

tag(s): colors (63), crafts (76), creativity (87), design (80), drawing (62), makerspace (40), painting (54), sculpture (18)