TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Dec 16, 2012
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
Lingo Hut - lingohut.com
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): japanese (72), chinese (83), russian (40), spanish (165),
In the Classroom
This is a wonderful site to use with students to get a taste of other languages, including during study of world geography or cultures. Assign different tutorials that complement classroom activities. Share this site on your class website or blog as a resource for practice at home. Use this site on your interactive whiteboard to introduce and review world language terms. Obviously this site has many uses in the world language classroom. But this tool could also be used as enrichment for students or even an after-school club! Your verbal-linguistic gifted students would also enjoy learning and comparing basics in several languages. If you have ENL/ELL students who speak one of these languages, invite others to learn basics to converse with and respect their peers.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Reading Hawk - Clark Ness
Grades
K to 2tag(s): sight words (51), phonics (114), preK (423), printables (52), guided reading (63),
In the Classroom
Learning support teachers, reading specialists, and ESL/ELL teachers can use this site to individualize reading materials for students. Share the stories on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share this link with your families using your class website or wiki. Send home specific pdfs for students to practice at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math in Unexpected Spaces - Malke Rosenfeld
Grades
K to 4tag(s): origami (20), geometric shapes (230), number sense (127), division (215), logic (326), multiplication (285), problem solving (407), numbers (259), patterns (119), substitutes (38), addition (307),
In the Classroom
Subscribe to this blog to explore creative ways for finding math in your everyday life and that of your students. Challenge your students to create their own "everyday math" videos and/or activities to share with the class using FlexClip, reviewed here. Share the videos using a tool such as SchoolTube reviewed here. Have a Math Fun Day and share the videos and activities. If able, invite parents in to participate. Extend student learning and enhance student interest in math by sharing your findings of math in the everyday world. Use Flip, reviewed here as a starting point to involve students and encouraging them to share their examples of math around them. Start with a prompt asking student to share pictures of objects that include math and discuss the math concept involved.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SoundCities - Stanza
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): cross cultural understanding (214), sounds (84), maps (415), sound (135),
In the Classroom
Use SoundCities as a complement to information found on any map to give students another perspective of what it would be like to be in any city. Compare and contrast sounds from any included city to what is found in your community. Talk about what development does to noise and sound. Ask students to create a list of sounds found in your community (or school) that could be included in the site. During a unit on sound, talk about the ways communities handle excessive sound, applying principles of sound waves and sound transmission. In world language classes, use this site to "hear" the culture in far off cities. Allow students to create similar projects using Zeemaps, reviewed here. This tool allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (on a map). Students could also use Google Earth, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bite Sci-zed Videos - Alex Dainis
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): nutrition (234), dna (98), scientific method (84), human body (171),
In the Classroom
Use the basic concept in each video to poll students about what they already understand about the concept. Uncover misconceptions, show the video to the class, and then discuss the concept at length. For more advanced classes, provide time for students to choose a video to view and research the underlying concept. Use specific videos to "flip" your classroom by assigning the videos to be viewed in advance as homework. To share a single video from this site without all the YouTube clutter, use a tool such as Clipchamp, reviewed here, or Watchkin, reviewed here. Students can create a mini-lesson which can be shared with the class or on a blog, wiki, or site. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos and share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. Some video tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, FlexClip, Powtoon, and Renderforest.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Desktop QR code reader - DANSL
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): qr codes (28),
In the Classroom
The use of QR codes in the classroom is limitless. Set up student computers with a QR desktop code reader, and it is easily assessable by all students young or old. Share this link on your website so families can download the QR reader onto home computers. Create QR codes for assignments for directions, rubric information, editing instructions, or the places in which to find resources. For a model, create QR codes to describe any part of the model. Create a QR code to go home on student planners reminding them about homework. Place outside your classroom door to describe your classroom. Add another QR code to tell your schedule, or learning goals. Send home audio announcements of special events to your families. When students are absent, create podcasts of missed class discussions, shared on a QR code. For study guides, provide a QR code with answers so students can self -check. Create a living history museum with in-depth explanations in QR codes. For vocabulary words in English or any other language, provide correct pronunciations and definitions of each word. Have student create QR codes as study guides or a way to present information. Create a problem solving page which is completed by each student. Using a QR code, scan to self check. QR codes can be used everywhere!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ClassTools - Russel Tarr
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): venn diagrams (29), word choice (36), word study (102), spelling (225), vocabulary (467), qr codes (28), twitter (77), social networking (179), essays (38), quiz (131),
In the Classroom
The possibilities abound in nearly any subject area. Be sure to check out all of the free templates to use. Use the many tools yourself or have your students create a Fakebook page or use the Z (still called Tweet) Generator to present information in any subject area. Create a Fakebook page about a famous historical person or government figure in social studies or science class. Share the Burger Diagram for writing essays. Use the Arcade Game Maker to create practice activities for students who need the extra help. Create a random word generator with vocabulary from a science or social studies unit to review before testing. Allow students to create Venn diagrams to be posted on the class website using information from current lessons. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. Save this site in your Favorites on your teacher computer! Use the embed code or URL created when saving your project to include with other items such as maps, videos, and images within class presentations made using Sway, reviewed here or Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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