Ideas and Resources for Substitutes from TeachersFirst
This collection of ideas and reviewed resources is selected to help both substitute teachers and regular teachers leaving instructions for a substitute. The list includes useful time-fillers for when plans are not a perfect fit as well as teacher-friendly suggestions to make subbing a positive learning experience for all. Be sure to check "In the classroom" suggestions for practical tips and ways to use these offerings.
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Charity Navigator - Charity Navigator
Grades
1 to 12
0 Favorites
1 Comments
Discover a database of charities that include a rating system done by financial analysts to help you make an informed decision about which charities to support. Top ten lists select...more
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Discover a database of charities that include a rating system done by financial analysts to help you make an informed decision about which charities to support. Top ten lists select charities based on most followed, celebrity related, relying on public contributions, top notch, low rated, a charity worth watching, as well as many more categories. Learn about charities formed to help recent events such as Earthquake & Hurricane victims, California Wildfires, Support Veterans and Active Duty Servicemembers, Immigration and Refugees, and many others. Learn tips for donating such as the Tax Benefits of Giving, a Guide to Volunteering, and the 5 Steps to Informed Giving includes giving in the workplace and questions to ask before donating.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): communities (38), problem solving (294), service projects (22)
In the Classroom
Inspire your students to find worthy causes to give back and help other people in need. Give character education programs real purpose by discovering the many ways people need help. Challenge students to become an active part of your community and help others. Each class can choose a favorite charity to support through time or donations. Throughout the year, find ways to volunteer, collect money, or make a difference. Keep a class blog documenting progress, plans, ideas, and experiences. Substitute pen and paper writing journals by having students create blogs sharing their experiences using Pen.io, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using Edublog, reviewed here. New to blogging? Check out TeachersFirst's Blog Basics. Challenge each class to improve their learning by highlighting the journey of giving to your community through a video documentary using a tool like Wevideo, reviewed here. Share videos using a tool like Schooltube, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Story Map - Read Write Think
Grades
1 to 8
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Focus on the key elements of writing a story with Story Map. Fill out and print graphic organizers for characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. Each organizer has prompts for...more
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Focus on the key elements of writing a story with Story Map. Fill out and print graphic organizers for characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. Each organizer has prompts for what to write. Returning to an organizer to edit is possible. Print your Story Map, since it is not saved.
tag(s): digital storytelling (153), graphic organizers (40), writing (364)
In the Classroom
Substitute paper and pencil story mapping by introducing your class to Story Map and writing a class story. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector and be sure to point out the prompts to answer with each organizer. Bookmark Story Map on class computers as part of stations when developing a writing project. Put a link to this tool on your website or blog for students to access at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Owlie Skywarn - National Weather Service
Grades
K to 5
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Learn Science and Weather Safety with Owlie Skywarn, a site produced by the National Weather Service. Begin with Fun With Owlie and read Owlie's Journal. Participate in a Weather Ready...more
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Learn Science and Weather Safety with Owlie Skywarn, a site produced by the National Weather Service. Begin with Fun With Owlie and read Owlie's Journal. Participate in a Weather Ready Activity for emergency preparedness. Master the weather game to become a young meteorologist or make a copy of Flat Owlie to take with you in any weather! Be sure also to check out the sections for parents and teens with many resources for teaching and learning about weather.
tag(s): weather (205)
In the Classroom
Print and share Flat Owlies with your students to send on travels around the country and the world. Ask travelers to share pictures of Flat Owlie in different types of weather. Include activities from this site with your weather unit. Use Owlie's Journal as a model for creating a class weather journal. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, substitute paper and pen by having students create weather blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Loose Leaves, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using Edublog, reviewed here.Take daily pictures of the weather outside your classroom and create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Celebrate Pi Day - NBC Learn
Grades
5 to 12
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Celebrate Pi Day (or any day) with this collection of 9 video stories and accompanying activities. Taken from NBC news stories, each short video includes an opportunity to apply math...more
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Celebrate Pi Day (or any day) with this collection of 9 video stories and accompanying activities. Taken from NBC news stories, each short video includes an opportunity to apply math concepts to real world situations. Use tabs on the side of each video to view a transcript or suggested math and statistics activities relating to the topic.
tag(s): journalism (57), news (258), pi (28), problem solving (294), statistics (126), video (273)
In the Classroom
Stash this site in your bag of tricks for when you need an easy to teach lesson for a teacher in training or a substitute teacher. Use the videos as inspiration for finding math in other news stories. Have students find videos and create their own math and statistics questions for classmates to answer.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Slidestory - Audio Slideshows & Podcasting (Beta) - Slidestory
Grades
1 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Create a slideshow with voice narrations and images at Slidestory. Download the free slideshow publisher and begin. Publish your work on the site or join an online group to share ...more
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Create a slideshow with voice narrations and images at Slidestory. Download the free slideshow publisher and begin. Publish your work on the site or join an online group to share your work. Find answers to questions in the forum. Find examples of projects on the site categorized by subject. Join the RSS feed to stay up with the latest creations. Under support, find detailed information about each part of this process. When finished, save the file on your computer, publish to the Slidestory site, or copy the embeddable code to post it on your website. There is no need to download Slidestory if you only want to view the examples and selections.
tag(s): digital storytelling (153), podcasts (60), slides (66)
In the Classroom
Use SlideStory in all areas of your classroom life. Have each student substitute paper and pen and manila folders to collect work and ideas in an electronic portfolio for use during the year. Suggested online portfolios are Seesaw, reviewed here, for K-6 students, and bulb, reviewed here, for older students. Have students use Slidestory when writing reading responses. Discover a new format for publishing writing of any genre: narrative, expository, or persuasive. Begin digital storytelling in an easy, simple way with all you need. Become a character from a story and retell the story in that character's words. Have students record lessons of them teaching content to other students. Record your lessons for your blended learning or flipped classroom. Record directions of a big project that your class has and publish it on your website for student reference. Choose a character or period of history and create a memory book. Have students describe their futures in a leadership presentation. Have students make study guides for content review.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Requires download/installation of software
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CommonLit - CommonLit
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
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Access commonly taught themes for classic literature and discussion questions for that theme. Plus there are Text Sets perfect for social studies teachers! Choose a Lexile'''® grade...more
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Access commonly taught themes for classic literature and discussion questions for that theme. Plus there are Text Sets perfect for social studies teachers! Choose a Lexile'''® grade level for reading and download the text in PDF format or read online. Each text has a menu across the top offering Paired Texts, Related Media, Teachers Guide, and Parent Guide. Accompanying the text are critical thinking questions, an Assessment, and some have Guided Reading Mode. Choose the size of the font, listen to the Read Aloud (and pause it), translate to Spanish, and Highlight. Track student progress. All of this for free! What else could one want? Well, you can also request a text, and they will negotiate with the copyright holders to have that text on their site. Take a look at their blog, too! You'll find lots of suggestions and thoughtful reflections for using nonfiction texts with your students.
tag(s): critical thinking (117), literature (265), themes (12)
In the Classroom
CommonLit is an excellent resource for literature teachers, speech and debate teachers, and history teachers. Share the site with students on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and ask the class what themes they would like to investigate. Under each theme are two questions. Divide the class into small groups with each group investigating one of the questions for one of the themes and reading the accompanying text. Differentiate for students by having students read on the same theme, but at their reading level. Challenge individuals, pairs, or small groups to create a graphic organizer for the story they read replacing paper and pencil and using a tool like Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, reviewed here. You could take this to another level and have two groups read different selections on the same theme, use a graphic organizer to make comparisons for how the theme was presented, and then modify learning by challenging the groups to present their findings to the class via video. Use a simple video creator like Biteable, reviewed here. This site would also work when you have to make substitute plans unexpectedly. Just put the link in your plans and tell the sub what theme you want students to read about, or better yet, let the sub choose!
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Clyp - Audiour, LLC
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Easily record and share audio with Clyp. You can use Clyp on a web browser or as an app from the Apple store or Google Play. You have two options ...more
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Easily record and share audio with Clyp. You can use Clyp on a web browser or as an app from the Apple store or Google Play. You have two options when creating your file. You can scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Start Recording" button and use the microphone on your computer to record a message. You can also upload an audio file from your computer. Use the social network links to share via Facebook, Twitter, email, and more. To save your file, create an account using your Facebook profile or email. Account creation allows you to manage Clyps across devices (with a modern web browser and Internet access), make files private, and disable downloads. Recording works best with the iOS or Android apps. Caution: This site is open to the public and anyone can post material (title and songs) that may not be appropriate in a classroom. We do NOT recommend allowing students of any age to explore the already created content on this site.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (177), speech (87)
In the Classroom
When using this site in the classroom in any capacity, we highly recommend providing the direct link to your created material (or your students). This will limit students' exposure to questionable songs on the homepage. Record snippets of information as reminders on your class website or instructions for students to follow. This is terrific for learning support students or non-readers! Have students describe aspects of classroom learning experiences to share with others, such as what they learned from a science experiment or found out about life in Colonial America. Record a quick message for an absentee student and email the link to him/her explaining how to catch up on missing work. Create tutorial pieces that students can use as study aids (or have them create them for each other). Use this site in world language classes or for ESL/ELL students: have students record and listen to their own pronunciation or send short messages to each other to translate. Have students use this site to practice speeches before the presentation to hear their speed, tone, and words. Use this site for research presentations, instructions for a substitute, or many other possibilities. With younger students, read a short story on Clyp, and have students follow along using a picture book. Alternatively have the students read their own stories into Clyp and email the readings to their parents! For Mothers Day, why not have students record messages for mom or grandma? Another idea: Create a class wiki where parents can "find" the entire selection of Clyps for Mother's Day (or another holiday). Record Clyps of each student talking about the importance of Moms for Mother's Day or how grateful they are for certain things at Thanksgiving. Embed them all in a class wiki to share with parents. Just email the URL for the collection. Again, be sure to provide direct links to the students' Clyps.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Secondary Sample Mathematics Tasks - The Dana Center - The University of Texas at Austin
Grades
K to 12
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The Dana Center offers this set of 30 rich instructional tasks correlated to American Diploma Project Benchmarks. Topics include several secondary math topics such as geometry, algebra,...more
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The Dana Center offers this set of 30 rich instructional tasks correlated to American Diploma Project Benchmarks. Topics include several secondary math topics such as geometry, algebra, and trigonometry. Activities include some or all of the following: an introductory rationale, specific directions with images, discussion questions and questions, and sample solutions. Choose the PDF link to print any activity for easy download.
tag(s): data (157), functions (69), patterns (87), professional development (160), pythagorean theorem (33)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and use activities from this site throughout the year for homework, centers, or use in your substitute folder for a quick and enriching activity while you are away for the day! Share a link to one of the activities with parents throughout the year as a supplement to classroom resources.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Form Time Ideas - Jonathan Hall
Grades
5 to 9
5 Favorites
1 Comments
Form Time Ideas offers a constantly changing selection of daily quick activities in many subjects. (For American teachers, "form time" is roughly equivalent to "homeroom" time.) Choose...more
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Form Time Ideas offers a constantly changing selection of daily quick activities in many subjects. (For American teachers, "form time" is roughly equivalent to "homeroom" time.) Choose the Home Page to view a mix of topics such as Brainteasers, In the News Today, and Word of the Day. Select links to choose activities for only specific topics such as literacy, numeracy, or news. Easily print any page using the link in the top right corner of each section. If finished early, refresh the page for a new set of activities! You can also click on the button under each question to only refresh that particular question/statement. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.
tag(s): grammar review (41), literacy (103), news (258), numbers (193), riddles (16), substitutes (17), vocabulary (315)
In the Classroom
Form Time Ideas is perfect for daily review and bell work as students arrive in class or as a quick review at the end of class. Print out different pages for use during quiet times or send home for absentee students to complete. This site is excellent for enrichment. Include it on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Substitutes will love the handy ideas on this site!Comments
AWESOME RESOURCE!Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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Cartoons for the Classroom - The Association for American Editorial Cartoonists
Grades
6 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
A picture is worth a thousand words, and editorial cartoonists have been boiling down the foibles of politicians and public figures throughout history. One needs only to know about...more
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A picture is worth a thousand words, and editorial cartoonists have been boiling down the foibles of politicians and public figures throughout history. One needs only to know about Thomas Nast and his cartoons of Boss Tweed during the 19th century to know that cartoons have a deep impact on political discourse. Cartoons for the Classroom offers over 250 one-page downloadable lessons featuring two or three political cartoons related to current events and several questions for discussion that relate to those cartoons. Alternatively, download the cartoons alone along with space to "draw" your own conclusions. Click on "Welcome" on the top left of the list to go to the home page and "Today's Political Cartoon."
tag(s): comics and cartoons (62), politics (99), satire (5)
In the Classroom
These one-page discussion starters could help students keep up with current political issues, provide an opening or closing activity, or serve as an enrichment activity for students who move through other assignments more quickly. Available either with or without guiding questions, and covering a wide range of relevant and timely topics, they are perfect to keep as a Plan B or for an emergency substitute teacher activity. Elsewhere on the site are links to other information about political cartooning through history; most of these links connect to outside sites so be sure and preview carefully. In Art class, create a "political" option during a line drawing unit for current events enthusiasts to draw their own political cartoons. Include these cartoons during a unit on humor and satire in an English/Language Arts class or gifted program.
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moovly - Brendon Grunewald
Grades
K to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
moovly is a wonderful animation tool for creating videos and presentations. Create an account with your email and watch the two-minute video about how to use this tool. Click on ...more
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moovly is a wonderful animation tool for creating videos and presentations. Create an account with your email and watch the two-minute video about how to use this tool. Click on "New Moov" to begin. Give your moov a title and description then choose from templates offered or create your own moov from scratch. Modify slides, text, font, image holders, and props. Preview your creation at any time with the play button. Stop and make changes as needed. Upload sounds from your computer in MP3 format: voice, music, or noises. These can be used in parallel, or click the microphone to record your voice. You can also make your moovly interactive by using Flash. Save and share via YouTube, Facebook, or email. You can also download to your computer using mp4 (video) or swf format. Download the 28-page PDF guide for step-by-step directions and answers to specific questions. Emailing customer support will get you answers within 24 hours.
If you scroll to the bottom of the landing page and click on Education, you'll now find Moovly Studio for Education. This is a new version of moovly that offers special FREE plans to teachers, students and employees with email addresses from educational email domains. Users from educational email domains known by moovly automatically get a free Education license. If your educational email address is not recognized on sign-up, you can request access. You can now search the VideoBlocks catalog of stock video, sound and graphics via the extended library search. And upload it into your story in just one click! Free accounts can create unlimited videos that are each ten minutes long. The intro videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
If you scroll to the bottom of the landing page and click on Education, you'll now find Moovly Studio for Education. This is a new version of moovly that offers special FREE plans to teachers, students and employees with email addresses from educational email domains. Users from educational email domains known by moovly automatically get a free Education license. If your educational email address is not recognized on sign-up, you can request access. You can now search the VideoBlocks catalog of stock video, sound and graphics via the extended library search. And upload it into your story in just one click! Free accounts can create unlimited videos that are each ten minutes long. The intro videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
tag(s): animation (60), movies (69), multimedia (57), slides (66), video (273)
In the Classroom
Modify or redefine learning and challenge older students to create their own moovs. Students can use moovly to share their ideas or to "prototype" an idea. Students can create videos to show math processes, explanations of complex concepts, review new learning, teach others, explain scientific processes, tell stories, or present research. Flip your classroom using moovly presentations. Use moovly to create teacher-authored animations for students in ANY grade. This is a great way to present new information or ideas for discussion. It is an easy way to prepare information for the class when a substitute is coming. Embed moovly creations on your website or blog for students to review at home. Use a moovly video on the first day of school to explain class rules or give an exciting introduction to the year ahead. Use moovly to create movies or presentations for back to school night or conference nights to display on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Teacher-librarians can ask students to create moovly book reviews to share kiosk style in the library/media center.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NameCoach - Praveen Shanbhag
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Never mispronounce a name again, thanks to the help of NameCoach! Users record their names using their own computer or any other device. Add phonetic spelling or pronunciation tips....more
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Never mispronounce a name again, thanks to the help of NameCoach! Users record their names using their own computer or any other device. Add phonetic spelling or pronunciation tips. You can listen to the names as often as you wish. Create your account to make lists for Back to School, award ceremonies, graduations, and much more. After creating your name page, share a link to participants through email or as a link on your class webpage or blog. Create a master list with sublists for use in different departments, classes, or for individual events.
tag(s): classroom management (151), pronunciation (41)
In the Classroom
Create a master list of student names in your school or class using NameCoach. Provide a subset for different activities such as award ceremonies, after-school programs, or for student tutors. Share with your school's ESL/ELL teacher as an authentic way to learn and practice unfamiliar names. Provide this list (and URL) to any substitute coming to your classroom. Use it in world language classes to help students learn pronunciation of new names.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Chinese Checkers - Jerome Meriweather
Grades
1 to 9
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0 Comments
Put a technology twist on Chinese Checkers without losing any marbles! Play with 2, 4, or 6 players. Follow the score and number of moves. Just click on your color ...more
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Put a technology twist on Chinese Checkers without losing any marbles! Play with 2, 4, or 6 players. Follow the score and number of moves. Just click on your color choice to begin. The Help page wasn't working at the time of this review.
In the Classroom
Introduce Chinese checkers on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Offer this game as a writing prompt for students to learn how to write directions. Give it as a challenge without any spoken or visual directions. Challenge student groups to plan and explain a strategy to be the winner with the fewest moves. Have students determine ways to earn extra points in the game. Share this site with your gifted students for some extra mindbending challenges. Substitutes will want to keep this site tucked in their bag of tricks.
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Powtoon - powtoon.com
Grades
K to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
PowToon is an amazing, free, animated presentation tool. Choose from one of many templates available to edit, or start from scratch. Then start making magic! Label your title and description....more
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PowToon is an amazing, free, animated presentation tool. Choose from one of many templates available to edit, or start from scratch. Then start making magic! Label your title and description. Modify slides by changing text, font, image holders, and props. Preview your creation at any time with the play button. Stop and make changes as needed. Change styles easily by choosing a different style within the program. Select from the royalty free music options offered by Powtoon to enhance your presentation. Share the finished presentation via social media buttons on your page to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other popular pages or export to YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then using YouTube may not be your best option. Use the embed code provided to easily embed in your website or blog -- or simply share your Powtoon using the URL provided. Exports are not included with the free membership plan. Email is required to register and use Powtoon.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animation (60), digital storytelling (153), movies (69), multimedia (57), slides (66)
In the Classroom
Challenge older students to create their own PowToons. Students can use PowToon to share their ideas or to "prototype" an idea. Students can create videos to show math processes, explanations of complex concepts, review new learning, teach others, explain scientific processes, tell stories, or present research. The possibilities are really endless, and students will come up with hundreds more uses. Flip your classroom using PowToon presentations. Use PowToon to create teacher-authored animations for students in ANY grade. This is a great way to present new information or ideas for discussion. It is an easy way to share information with the class when a substitute is in your classroom. Embed your PowToon creations on your website or blog for students to review at home. Use a PowToon on the first day of school to explain class rules or give an exciting introduction to the year ahead. Use PowToon to create movies or presentations for back to school night or conference nights to display on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Teacher-librarians can ask students to create PowToon book reviews to share kiosk style in the library/media center.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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Teachable Moments - Walch Education
Grades
5 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Find several "teachable moments" lesson plans based on articles and current topics, ready for download in PDF format. There are a variety of topics such as Pluto is no Longer ...more
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Find several "teachable moments" lesson plans based on articles and current topics, ready for download in PDF format. There are a variety of topics such as Pluto is no Longer a Planet, Vending Machine Bans in Schools, and Is the Internet Making us Dumber? Click to download and view each lesson including background information, standards, worksheets, and options for use. The lesson plans are quite thorough and include links to related articles. They encourage "close reading" a la CCSS with engaging material in science, social studies, and other subjects. You can ignore the ads for purchase of "related materials."
tag(s): canada (31), civil rights (121), differentiation (48), energy (210), planets (131), poetry (222), politics (99), population (64), recycling (59), slavery (66), sports (98)
In the Classroom
These interesting, topical lessons would make a great resource for days when a substitute will be in your classroom or may fit perfectly in your regular curriculum. The Internet plan is well suited for digital citizenship and/or research curriculum. Save in your sub folder for a ready-to-go class activity. Print and use lessons as part of class debates and projects. Replace paper and pen and use a tool like Zoho Show (similar to Powerpoint, but easier and free), reviewed here, for students to present results.
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Free Math Worksheets - Pre-Algebra through Calculus - Kuta Software
Grades
7 to 12
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Find and print many worksheets for upper level math skills. Worksheets are divided by subject and content at this easy to navigate site. Subjects include Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra...more
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Find and print many worksheets for upper level math skills. Worksheets are divided by subject and content at this easy to navigate site. Subjects include Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra 2, Geometry, and Calculus. Choose your course then topic area to find a problem set. Click to print. View answers on a copy of the worksheet included.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): area (71), equations (153), exponents (44), factoring (31), factors (40), geometric shapes (167), inequalities (25), polynomials (28), quadratics (30), ratios (62), transformations (18), volume (53)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use throughout the year. Quickly download and print worksheets for review. Use with a substitute or for extra student practice. Share a link to the site on your class website for students to access at home for review and practice of concepts.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Vision of Humanity - Institute for Economics and Peace
Grades
6 to 12
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View interactive peace maps, reports, and news pertaining to peace around the world. A variety of qualitative and quantitative indicators are used to create a Global Peace Index. View...more
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View interactive peace maps, reports, and news pertaining to peace around the world. A variety of qualitative and quantitative indicators are used to create a Global Peace Index. View changes from 2008 to present. Choose various indicators to portray on the map and compare different countries. Click in the middle of the map on "About the GPI" (or other index you have opened) to read how it is calculated. Be sure to check out the Terrorism Index as well as a US Peace Index that compares each of the States in the United States. Hover over that State to view the actual rank. When the site introduces a new topic, that topic appears on the main page of this site. To get to the other topics, use the top tool bar.
In the Classroom
Use this tool to brainstorm questions about the various indicators shown on this site. Substitute a digital idea bin for paper and pen using lino, reviewed here, that allows for stickies, images, and commenting. What cultural, religious, and political forces affect each of the countries and their resultant scores? What factors can be changed in each of the countries to improve their scores? Debate various policy changes in your own or other countries. Explore possible changes the world can take in order to provide a better life for all citizens of the world. What are many of the differences that exist among the states in the United States? Consider adding this resource when students complete a study of an individual state or country.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cube Creator - Read Write Think
Grades
2 to 12
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The Cube Creator offers four different options for creating and personalizing a printable cube for summarizing or story-telling: Bio Cube, Mystery Cube, Story Cube, or Create your Own...more
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The Cube Creator offers four different options for creating and personalizing a printable cube for summarizing or story-telling: Bio Cube, Mystery Cube, Story Cube, or Create your Own Cube. Follow prompts to create the cube. The planning sheets help you collect information before making the actual printable cube. Once you have entered all your information, print and follow directions to assemble the paper cube. Follow links to find lessons that use this interactive as well as suggestions for other uses. There are lessons for grades 3-4 up through grades 11-12. Note: Read Write Think has added the capability for students to save their work to continue later. In the last paragraph of the Overview, there is a link to watch the video: Saving Work With the Student Interactives.
tag(s): biographies (88), firstday (24), mysteries (23), printables (39), summarizing (17), word study (78)
In the Classroom
Use the Cube Creator for virtually any lesson or activity as a substitute for a paper and pen project. Try printing on heavier card stock so cubes are durable. Create a cube to practice math problems, describe habitats, outline important story events, and much more. Have students create a cube and share with other students to practice retelling, summarizing, adding synonyms, or review for tests. Have each of your students create an All About Me cube for parents to view at Open House or to get to know each other during the first week of school. Have others guess which cube belongs to which classmate. Create a cube review game where others must answer the question that comes up when you "roll" the cube. The possibilities are endless. Challenge your gifted student(s) to create a "Who Am I?" cube about a famous person they research. Use the Bio Cube option with one variation: DO NOT include the person's real name. Share the cube as a game for the rest of the class to guess (and then create their own similar cubes). Your gifted students may also come up with new ways to Create Your Own Cube that could become a class game! Invite them to try their creativity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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EZVid - ezvid.com
Grades
K to 12
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EZVid is a video screencasting tool that captures everything that appears on your Windows computer screen. Once recorded, you can edit videos, add voice, add text, draw directly on...more
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EZVid is a video screencasting tool that captures everything that appears on your Windows computer screen. Once recorded, you can edit videos, add voice, add text, draw directly on the screen image, or control playback speed. Be sure to watch the video tutorial for all features. Upload finished videos directly to YouTube. Once uploaded, share using social networking links. At the time of this review, this tool was not compatible with a MAC. The website does offer some suggestions to MAC users (such as using Bootcamp). If your school blocks YouTube, you will not be able to use this site while at school.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): video (273)
In the Classroom
Use EZVid to record instructions for using websites. Share how to perform problems, step by step directions for any project, and much more. Leave a video message for your substitute teacher or even your class! Create a video message to share with parents about current projects, clips from field trips, and more. Share on your class website for students to view at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Creativity Games - Ryan Chadwick
Grades
5 to 12
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Creativity Games offers challenges, games, and puzzles to encourage creative thinking. Find new activities each week such as random word identification, code breakers, or creative challenges....more
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Creativity Games offers challenges, games, and puzzles to encourage creative thinking. Find new activities each week such as random word identification, code breakers, or creative challenges. Choose the Random Word Generator link to generate a set of random words to use in creative writing, or choose a preset creativity game from the drop-down box provided. Read several great creative writing tips in the creative writing prompts section of the site. This site also features blog entries on a variety of topics related to creativity and education.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative writing (169), creativity (119), logic (246), poetry (222), puzzles (204), substitutes (17), writing prompts (92)
In the Classroom
Use any of the challenges on this site as a brain warm-up as students trickle into class or before the homeroom bell rings. Display the Random Word Generator on your interactive word (or projector). Choose a link to provide a set of random words to use in poetry or creative writing assignments. Use logic games to warm up brains in math class. Assign weekly games for students to complete in free time or for use with gifted students. Read through the creative writing tips together as a class then add you own ideas. Post your ideas in your classroom using an online poster creator, such as Padlet, reviewed here. Teacher-librarians can post a weekly brain challenge to inspire students who visit the media center. Any teacher will want to include this link on your class web page for students to access from home or during study periods. Substitutes will want to mak this one in favorites to always have something ready to go when the lesson plans go missing!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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