Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This site is an interactive, collaborative project that uses Google maps with you and your students to provide content. You can also see Math maps created by others. By following the directions, you can create math problems utilizing information from your own city or town. Once the math problems are posted on the map, you can tweet or blog to inform others about them. In addition to creating problems, your students can view the contributions of others and solve real world math problems. Be aware: pop-up messages do appear across the bottom of the screen. These messages are recent posts to the site. Teachers who wish to contribute must submit a Gmail address to be offered access to add their own "Maths Maps." (Note to U.S. educators and students: What you know as "math" is known as "maths" in the UK, Australia, and some other countries. The "s" is NOT a typo!)

tag(s): map skills (57), maps (207), measurement (123)

This is a resource for teachers, students and anyone that wants to learn about time. Students will find interactive games, quizzes and a telling time practice clock. Teachers can access lesson plans, a class clock, and worksheets. There is also a brief history of clocks, links to world clocks, information about time zones, and more. Students must be able to count to 60 to use the various activities.

tag(s): time (92), time zones (7)

Build students' sense of historical context year by year. Help them to realize that Gershwin did not write during the Vietnam War and that World War II preceded the Beatles. This site gives an overview of any year students click on from 1900 to the present, including cultural events, national and world news, politics, sports, prize winners, movie releases, deaths, and --for more recent years -- links to news focusing on other topics such as science and people. It provides an interesting summary of any particular year; most students find it interesting to check the year of their birth and those of their family members. Many highlighted keywords link to the Infoplease encyclopedia and other reference sources.

tag(s): 20th century (62), news (228), politics (116), sports (81)

Energize your Writers Workshop by creating stopmotion movies. This is a highly engaging way to teach your students about story elements, dialogue, character development, and storyboarding. Filmmakers can first organize their ideas on downloadable planning sheets. Make the characters for the movie out of clay, wiki stix, paper, or even found objects. Some free animation and movie software links are available. Step by step directions on how to create a stopmotion movie, and Windows Moviemaker, and iMovie tutorials are available.

tag(s): acting (19), creativity (92), movies (53)

Roam the halls of the Louvre without having to sign one field trip form (or gather passports). This virtual museum experience contains an on-line collection of 35,000 pieces and spans across 60,000 square feet. Features such as "My Personal Space," allow you to bookmark and store your own personalized art collections in multiple albums. Each art piece includes a label that states basic information such as the name of the artist, date, period, and medium. For more in depth information simply click the label and view a short narrative written by the Louvre's own curators and staff. Search their database by keywords or exact phrases or use the "kaleidoscope" to locate artwork organized by themes such as: mythology, landscape, and even sports. By downloading 3Dvia, you can also view imaginary architecture and exhibitions in 3D. The work displayed at the Louvre spans from the medieval period to 1848.

tag(s): europe (83), france (40), italy (18), sculpture (19)

Ready for a little get-away? Take the virtual tour of the Taj Mahal! Created by the Arm Chair Travel Co., and described by the New York Times as "Thrilling, Sumptuous, Exotic, ... with astonishing detail" this site is a very thorough trip through the beautiful Taj Mahal and its grounds. This site is so extensive and the visuals so gorgeous, it has to be seen to be believed. For example, click on the top of the Mausoleum to see a panoramic view of the city, or click on an interior view for a 360'? inspection of The Cenotaphs.

This site has "Downloadable Assets for Schools," and can be toured in English, French, Japanese, Hindi, or the Indian Native Language. There is inline text for the hearing impaired. The Taj Mahal tour includes 360'? panoramas, videos, narration, maps, music, text, and visits to areas that are off-limits to the public. Ancillary materials can be found at the bottom of the first page, and at the bottom of the tour page. A few of the titles are: Arches of the Taj Mahal, Calligrapy and Inscriptions, Islamic architecture, and The History of the Taj Mahal.

tag(s): india (25)

The Old Man and the Sea, written by Ernest Hemingway, is one of the cornerstones of the literary canon. This beautifully illustrated animated film version enhances students' comprehension at all skill levels and helps teachers introduce students to the rich and varied elements of this classic story. The aesthetically pleasing presentation of Hemingway's vivid imagery serves to present the story in an enjoyable and memorable fashion. Additionally, Turkish subtitles are included in a closed captioning option, which can easily be turned on and off by clicking on the CC button located directly below the video.

tag(s): literature (218)

Compile and share information from all over the web -- and text and images you add -- with others by creating a Livebinder on a topic or theme. Add tabs with specific information, easily accessed across the top of the binder. Interested in sharing information in a new way? Check out this extremely easy and exceptional site that can easily manage digital clutter. Gather and organize links, videos, information, charts, news, etc. in one neat and organized binder. As you update your binder in the future, all your changes automatically show to everyone who accesses the binder by URL or embedded version. Binders can be public or password-protected ("private"), so use of copyrighted images is possible under Fair Use, as long as you limit access to your own students via password (they call it a "key").
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): bookmarks (45), organizational skills (89)