TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Mar 27, 2011

Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive

 

Less
More

A+ Click - A+click

Grades
1 to 12
3 Favorites 0  Comments
This site offers practice with math and challenging problems for all grade levels. If you teach math to grades 1-12, this site is a MUST SEE. It contains a graduated ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

This site offers practice with math and challenging problems for all grade levels. If you teach math to grades 1-12, this site is a MUST SEE. It contains a graduated set of over 1,000 problems starting from very easy and working up to very difficult levels. Each problem contains a short description and an image to help visualize the problem. Problems adapt to the skill of the person answering problems, grade levels cannot be increased until 5 correct problems in a row have been solved. The tests concentrate on understanding, spatial reasoning, and problem solving rather than math rules and theorems.

tag(s): decimals (84), fractions (159), logic (164), operations (72), order of operations (28), test prep (66)

In the Classroom

Share this site on your classroom newsletter or blog for students to access at home. Introduce the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector then create a link on classroom computers. Challenge students to progress through different grade levels and share problems with the class.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Teachley's Amazing Talking Brain - Donna Sawyer

Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites 0  Comments
Teachley's Amazing Talking Brain offers tips and suggestions for increasing student learning. Each portion of the brain offers suggestions for How to Increase Intrinsic Motivation,...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Teachley's Amazing Talking Brain offers tips and suggestions for increasing student learning. Each portion of the brain offers suggestions for How to Increase Intrinsic Motivation, Balancing Stress in the Classroom, 6 Ways Movement Can Help in the Classroom, and much more. Below the brain image are also links for other brain resources to use in the classroom. Some of the links are broken; however, the Amazing Talking Brain information is worth the time to visit this site.

tag(s): brain (54), psychology (67), stress (8)

In the Classroom

Share one thought a week with your building's teaching staff or teachers you mentor for motivation throughout the school year. Share this site with classroom tutors when training them to work with students. New teachers or student teachers will also benefit from this clever compilation of tips. With older (or more advanced) students or psychology classes, have cooperative learning groups research one of the topics at this site and create a multimedia presentation. Challenge students to move past PowerPoint and create an online Prezi presentation (reviewed here) or another reviewed presentation tool from the TeachersFirst Edge to explain the topic.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Historvius - Historvius

Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
Historvius is a user-created database about historic sites; the majority of the sites currently entered into the database are in Europe. Click "Explore" to see what locations are already...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Historvius is a user-created database about historic sites; the majority of the sites currently entered into the database are in Europe. Click "Explore" to see what locations are already included in the database. Click "Upload" to add your own information. When you upload information about a site, follow a standard format which means that there is predictable information about each place. The places range from obscure to common.

tag(s): europe (75)

In the Classroom

Because the information uploaded to Historvius is user generated, teachers should preview the site before using it with students. Because the site is constantly growing, it may be most useful as an opportunity for students to research their own local sites and create a collective submission as a group or whole class under teacher supervision. Since Historvius editors must approve and edit any submissions, the upload won't be instant, but students should find it exciting to be part of building the database themselves. The editor-approval process makes the site "safer" and far less likely to include inappropriate content.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Flower Power - Manga High

Grades
4 to 9
0 Favorites 0  Comments
  
How much money can you make growing and harvesting exotic flowers? In order to be a professional grower, you need to order decimals, convert fractions to percentages and decimals, and...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

How much money can you make growing and harvesting exotic flowers? In order to be a professional grower, you need to order decimals, convert fractions to percentages and decimals, and more. The better you are at these skills, the stronger and more interesting flowers will develop. This activity doesn't require a login; however, teachers can create an account and add student information so that scores can be saved. Be sure to check out the Achievements section which lists math skills practiced at each level.

tag(s): decimals (84), fractions (159), percent (58)

In the Classroom

Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of percentages, decimals or fractions. Use on the interactive whiteboard as a springboard for classroom discussion on conversions of decimals, fractions and percentages. Install as a center on classroom computers for student practice of skills. Share this link on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Physics To Go - APS, AAPT, and NSF-NSDL

Grades
7 to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
  
Physics To Go is an online, biweekly magazine with great ideas for physics related teaching, experiments, and pictures. The site is easy to navigate and is formatted much like a ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Physics To Go is an online, biweekly magazine with great ideas for physics related teaching, experiments, and pictures. The site is easy to navigate and is formatted much like a page out of a newspaper. Archives are accessible through issue and topic organization, subjects under browse, and are fully searchable within the site. Many additional links for more research are available. This could prove to be indispensable for the high school physical science and physics teachers.

tag(s): experiments (52), motion (49), photography (126)

In the Classroom

Use this site to encourage your students to read about science outside of the classroom. Share the link on your website or class wiki. Start by assigning an article to students and have them highlight and annotate important information and questions they have and discuss it in class or on a blog. Have students use a digital tool like Hypothesis, reviewed here, for highlighting and annotating. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Weebly, reviewed here. Or, if you are teaching a unit on something specific, such as Earthquakes, once students have learned essential vocabulary, have them read the issue and follow the links on the page. Have students discuss in class what they have learned. Then, have small groups create "Top Five Facts" to summarize what they have learned. Challenge students to create a talking avatar using a photo or other image (legally permitted to be reproduced). The avatars can be used to explain the "Top Five Facts" the group wishes to share with the class. Use a site such as Blabberize, reviewed here. Reading teachers can also use the articles on this site for reading comprehension practice with nonfiction selections.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close