TeachersFirst Resource Listings

Subject Results by title Records 1 to 11 of 11

Activity Bank for Literature Resources - S.C.O.R.E.

Grades 3 to 12

Need a quick activity to enhance a literature lesson? Schools of California Online Resources for Educators amassed an activity bank of useful suggestions for teachers. Just click on the links at the left from this homepage, and you will find a wide array of teacher and student activities: Graphic Organizers, Journaling, Literature, and Rubrics. Although the site is intended for California teachers, most teachers across America will find the resources conducive to their state's requirements.

NOTE: SCORE Cyberguides announced that they are no longer checking links and maintaining these excellent resources as of April 2008 due to lack of funding. You will want to verify all links before using the cyberguide in class. You may want to use portions of this cyberguide in combination with other online resources.
9250

In the Classroom:
Use these fabulous resources to introduce your students to new styles of graphic organizers. Find many new ideas and approaches at this website to use to differentiate your curriculum and keep your students interested in the topic. Allow students to choose among several types of graphic organizers to use for a project, rather than having the entire class use the same format. Many of these organizers can easily be created on PowerPoint slides or in Word using Autoshapes, then right-clicking to "add text." They also work well in Inspiration software. Collect electronic copies of organizers on your classroom computer or teacher web page for students to see as examples in the future.

Cogito - Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth

Grades 7 to 12

This powerful site will challenge your brightest students and get everyone thinking. Designed to spark interest of young scientists and thinkers in real world issues, this site is run by Johns Hopkins' famous program for gifted youth. Find feature articles on current research, Nobel laureates, and hot topics such as global warming. Explore the links for MANY outstanding sites not specifically for "education" as much as for real-world investigation and learning.
8023

In the Classroom:
Teachers with high level, AP, or gifted students will want to explore this site during the summer months for inspiration and resources to use throughout the year. If your gifted program requires individual projects, send your students here to find ideas and to get energized! Even "regular" teachers, especially in the sciences, will want to share some of the current research topics and interviews that fit their curriculum. If you are looking for ways students and environmental clubs can get involved, check out the "Get Involved" section in the Sites and Tools menu.

One simple way to use the Interviews in a regular science classroom would be to have students research and act out an interview with a "mock" scientist, explaining what he/she does in order to expose students to the many fields included in the sciences.

Earth2Class - Columbia University

Grades 1 to 12

This is a site for earth science teachers. It offers a collection of resources, professional development opportunities, and a huge archive of data sources for earth science activities. The site itself assumes significant technical capabilities on the part of the user, especially for the use and implementation of the data sets. This site could be a gold mine for teachers with the appropriate technical skills
3949

Find the State -

Grades 4 to 6

Use this interactive site as a review game for recognizing and locating each of the fifty states. The game provides instant feedback and the opportunity to rethink an incorrect response. Great for independent practice.
6238

Find Your Longitude -

Grades 5 to 7

Imagine that you are lost at sea with only a sextant. Could you figure out where you are? By applying logic, simple math skills, and knowledge of Greenwich time students can solve the problem of finding longitude and pinpointing a location. Background information, hints, and animations are provided.
5823

Inspiration and Graphic Organizers - SCORE

Grades 1 to 12

This SCORE page offers teachers a comparison of several different graphic organizer strategies and software applications that are appropriate for different teaching situations. This page can be helpful in showing the variety of options available for concept mapping.

NOTE: SCORE Cyberguides announced that they are no longer checking links and maintaining these excellent resources as of April 2008 due to lack of funding. You will want to verify all links before using the cyberguide in class. You may want to use portions of this cyberguide in combination with other online resources.
1186

Inspiration Tutorial -

Grades 1 to 12

Here's a step-by-step Inspiration tutorial for those already familiar with the software. The site includes links to examples and related information.
1826

Place the State - Sheppard Software

Grades 4 to 8

Drag each state to its correct position on the map. This interactive game keeps track of "average miles of error" and challenges students to learn more about names and locations of states. No hints are provided.This site requires FLASH.
5615

Terra Server USA - U.S. Geological Survey

Grades 2 to 6

Enter an address in the United States, and view an aerial photo or topographical image of the location. Although the images are several years old, they do provide a great perspective for students learning to read and interpret maps.
5417

Uuorld - Uuorld.com

Grades 6 to 12

Teachers First Edge Review: For adventurous MAC or Linux users with permission/ability to download software. Have fun and create four dimensional maps with chosen data. Choose data and view on a map that can be rotated, zoomed, and followed over time. Uuorld (pronounced "world") is a download application available for Mac OsX, Windows, and Linux. Uuorld is a free download but with some limitations. For example, the noncommercial (free) version has a maximum limit on data that can be exported to Google Earth. Any user can VIEW the gallery of Uuorld map images created by others and use them as a visual way to share data, no download necessary.
10309

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Users must be able to download and install the application. Many districts have restrictions on what can be downloaded and used on district computers. Be sure to check with your school policy before downloading. To first use data, create an account using your email address (though verification of email is not required). Data for the free version is found in the downloaded application.

Using Uuorld: Use data from reliable sources by going to the data portal. Along the top left of the panel, click "Data" to show the sets that you have chosen, "Display" to change colors and other parameters, "Analyze" to view all the data included in the image, or "Export" to create an image, a Google Earth file, or a comma separated value (csv) file. Below the map, click the world icon to browse over 10,000 data sets. Click "Metadata" to view the URL of the data, name of data set, source name and date, and other information. Change the tilt to really view the height dimension of the data. Zoom in and out of areas on the map. Many data sets have data over several years. Play the data to see the changes as they occur through those years.

Safety/Security Concerns: As email verification is not required, anyone can use this resource. If you do use email addresses, rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.

Be aware, there are restrictions on the noncommercial free version. Be sure to read the licensing agreement prior to using.

Possible Uses: Data topics are quite varied and include everything from economics to health and even the Olympics! Before creating your own graphics (or if you are unable to download the software), have students browse the Gallery on your interactive whiteboard to become acquainted with reading visual representations of data. Use the sets to explore social and environmental issues and encourage critical thinking questions about WHY this data is as it is. View any data set as an inquiry activity in the classroom. For example, view "Calories Emanating from Animals" to view the animal calories consumed by countries over a 36 year period of time. Follow the viewing of the data by asking questions about what they see. From these questions, research the diet of various countries, identify the major biomolecules in the foods we eat, and identify nutrition, social, and ethnic issues. View this resource on an interactive whiteboard or projector for great impact. Students can create conventional or multimedia displays of information learned. To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online graphic to share using Tabblo reviewed here.

Zoom into Maps - Library of Congress

Grades 5 to 12

Browse through this extensive collection of maps from 1500 AD to modern times and discover some incredible gems to supplement everything from a history lesson to a study of Shakespeare's plays. Start with the site's downloadable graphic organizer that guides students through map analysis. A series of questions and tips for interpretation accompany each type of map and help with understanding of orientation, legend, and scale.
5699

In the Classroom:
Use this site for a geography course, or in a world history course when discussing the importance of cartography and its many varieties. Use this site as an anticipatory set or “activator” to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector. Work through the examples as a class, highlighting the images and what can be observed in each. This is a great way to show students concrete examples of how maps are and can be used.

Records 1 to 11 of 11

previous 20 - next 20 - New Search