TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Mar 15, 2015
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
A Sailor's Life for Me! - USS Constitution Museum
Grades
5 to 12
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What was it like to be a sailor aboard the USS Constitution? Take an interactive tour of "Old Ironsides" and meet the sailors, see where they live and work, and ...more
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What was it like to be a sailor aboard the USS Constitution? Take an interactive tour of "Old Ironsides" and meet the sailors, see where they live and work, and learn about the ship from their perspective. Or, Meet Your Shipmates and find out about the men needed to crew a ship like the Constitution. You'll even meet the ship's dog! Finally, there is an interactive game, playable either as a one-time-only game, or by creating a log in and being able to save a game in progress. There are resources for teachers with lesson plans and suggestions for using components of the site for classroom activities. This activity is available for download on your iPad.
tag(s): transportation (32), war of 1812 (14), whales (11)
In the Classroom
The great sailing ships of the 18th and 19th century were important both to the nation's defense and to the growth of the US economy. There are hours of content here and the frustration will be selecting what you can use within the classroom timeframe you have. Consider introducing the site with some small portions on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Allow accelerated students to spend time with further exploration for enrichment.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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100 Years of Parcels, Packages, and Packets, Oh My! - Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Grades
6 to 12
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Click "Add to Cart," enter your credit card information, and a package arrives at your doorstep as soon as the next day. But it wasn't always that way. The Smithsonian ...more
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Click "Add to Cart," enter your credit card information, and a package arrives at your doorstep as soon as the next day. But it wasn't always that way. The Smithsonian Postal Museum provides a look at the history of package delivery in the United States, with an emphasis on the early 20th century. How did the US Postal Service deliver goods across long distances? Why did Congress authorize a government agency to deliver packages? And don't miss the section detailing some of the strangest packages ever mailed!
tag(s): transportation (32)
In the Classroom
The ability to mail packages across the country is an important factor in the growth of the US and has contributed to an ever-more-mobile society. Incorporate some of the historic images here into a discussion of changes in transportation and communication over the 20th and early 21st centuries. Ask students to brainstorm the items in their own bedrooms that might have arrived via Parcel Post. How would their lives be different without package delivery? Why is it important for the US Government to be involved in package delivery? Have students share their findings and thoughts by creating online posters individually or together as a class. Use a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here) or PicLits (reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Jewish Women's Archive - Jewish Women's Archive
Grades
8 to 12
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The Jewish Women's Archive exists to tell the stories of Jewish women, with an emphasis on North America. The Archive can be searched by name or by collection. Collections include ...more
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The Jewish Women's Archive exists to tell the stories of Jewish women, with an emphasis on North America. The Archive can be searched by name or by collection. Collections include categories like Women of Valor, Power Couples, Western Pioneers, and the Feminist Revolution. Filter results by date of birth, place of birth, topic, or occupation. Each profile includes a short biography, often an image, and links to further reading and resources. There is a rich Education section with lesson plans sorted by topic or keyword.
tag(s): biographies (93), jews (23), women (137), womens suffrage (44)
In the Classroom
This site offers an outstanding addition to your resources for student biographical projects, particularly focused on Women's History Month. Students will find stories of women from every walk of life, whose stories have not been often told. Consider browsing the lesson plans and incorporating one of them into a preexisting unit to provide balance and diverse viewpoints.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tableau Public - Tableau Software
Grades
9 to 12
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Tableau is a free tool that brings data to life. Create and share interactive charts and graphs, stunning maps, live dashboards, and engaging applications in minutes. Publish anywhere...more
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Tableau is a free tool that brings data to life. Create and share interactive charts and graphs, stunning maps, live dashboards, and engaging applications in minutes. Publish anywhere on the web. Download Tableau's software for Windows or Macs and follow directions for installation. View the training videos to learn how to build maps, charts, and share data. Other training videos share how to publish your information using direct links or embed in websites or blogs. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. However, our editors didn't find any video that required Flash. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
In the Classroom
View the training videos together as a class before asking students to use Tableau. Have a few students become "experts" on this software and help others as needed. Create Tableaus for any projects requiring the gathering of data such as research into individual countries, comparison of statistics across states, or compiling poll results. Be sure to check out Tableau's Gallery for many ideas on using the software.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GIF YouTube - GIFYouTube
Grades
K to 12
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Did you ever wonder how they make the animated GIF's? You know, the images that look like a video playing the same small and looping video segment? Create your own ...more
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Did you ever wonder how they make the animated GIF's? You know, the images that look like a video playing the same small and looping video segment? Create your own animated GIF images easily from a YouTube video. Simply enter the URL of the YouTube video you wish to use and then click "Create GIF." Move to the part of the video you wish to highlight using the same controls you would use in YouTube. Change the GIF length up to 15 seconds. Enter a title and then click "Create GIF." Once created, copy the URL of the GIF to share with others. Ratings from other users are simply an up or down arrow. A gallery of animated GIFs are found on the main page. Be sure to view these before sending students to this site.
In the Classroom
Create an animated GIF to get student's attention! A cat reading a book is one way to begin reading time! Show any science concept such as development of an organism, cell division, a chemical reaction, formation of stars, a bullet in slow motion, or anything a student should look at several times to see every aspect of the event. Do you want to reveal portions of a video outlining the travels of historic expeditions, addition of the states to the US, or any other historical event captured in video? Use a looping animated GIF! Every subject could use one of these GIFs to generate an interest in a class activity or new content.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SchoolsWorld.tv - Early Years Teacher - SchoolsWorld
Grades
K to 1
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Investigate these videos for teaching young children. Select videos by most recent, most popular, or from the subject menu on the left. Not all of the subjects have an accompanying...more
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Investigate these videos for teaching young children. Select videos by most recent, most popular, or from the subject menu on the left. Not all of the subjects have an accompanying set of videos for this age group. The videos have a written description. Some of the most useful videos not only provide background information, but also suggest and explain activities. Click on the picture of the video to view that video and its description. There will also be a link to the series, if there is one. Clicking on the text link will take you to all of the videos in the series.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): preK (255), professional development (395), video (258)
In the Classroom
Use this site to extend your early learning professional development. Share links to some videos of interest at a staff meeting or as professional development. Use a tool like The Urlist, reviewed here, for sharing the video links. If you are part of a professional development presentation, you may want to edit the videos to show only parts of it. Use a tool such as Clipchamp, reviewed here, or Watchkin, reviewed here. Editing the videos to just what you want to show is a real class time saver.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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EarthEcho International - Philippe Cousteau Jr.
Grades
6 to 12
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EarthEcho International offers a collection of videos, lesson plans, and other materials designed to support high-quality classroom experiences and the exploration and protection of...more
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EarthEcho International offers a collection of videos, lesson plans, and other materials designed to support high-quality classroom experiences and the exploration and protection of natural resources. Many are correlated to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. Find and choose resources by filtering program offerings, grade levels, and type of activity. Program offerings include topics such as rethinking waste, water quality, energy, marine debris, and much more. Register with your email address for free access to materials.
In addition to teaching materials, follow EarthEcho expeditions with day by day updates from the field, including lesson plans, audio and video materials, and much more. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.
In addition to teaching materials, follow EarthEcho expeditions with day by day updates from the field, including lesson plans, audio and video materials, and much more. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.
tag(s): environment (240), oceans (147), recycling (46), water (102)
In the Classroom
Be sure to take advantage of lesson plans and teaching materials found on the site. Create a link on classroom computers and share on your class website for students to explore expeditions on their own. To enhance student's learning ask them to complete one of the following: create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here, to demonstrate information found on EarthEcho, make a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here, or develop maps of explorations using MapHub, reviewed here. Students can add icons, URLs, text, images, and location stops with Map Hub!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Edpuzzle - edpuzzle
Grades
K to 12
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This tool is a great way to take videos and add your own voice or add questions within the video. YouTube videos are viewable in edpuzzle even if your school ...more
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This tool is a great way to take videos and add your own voice or add questions within the video. YouTube videos are viewable in edpuzzle even if your school filters block them! Search for educational videos from sites such as Khan Academy and Learn Zillion. Use the sliders to choose the video section, then insert your voice or comment on the video. Create a series of questions to go along with your selected video and insert them into the correct part of the video. There is no need for students to watch the whole video to access the questions at the end. Follow the on-screen directions to chop the video for the section you need, add your voice, and choose where to add text-based questions. Create a class and add students into the class either in the dashboard or after creating the video. Use student codes to access the video. At the bottom of the page, on the far right click the "Help Center" button. There is also a short demo video hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, find the video you want to use and embed it in edpuzzle. It will be viewable when used through edpuzzle!
tag(s): assessment (146), communication (136), DAT device agnostic tool (143), questioning (32), remote learning (61), video (258)
In the Classroom
Create short review videos or use your own narration with chosen videos to create flipped or blended lessons for your students. Is your school embracing remote learning? This is the perfect tool! Consider the power of students using Edpuzzle to annotate videos to explain the material in their own words. You or your students can use the tool to create and narrate "how-to" videos. Annotate by highlighting the significant features of videos through the creation of voice comments. Students can also create questions to play with each video. Be sure students create a script to read from before beginning their chosen video.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Shotclip (Beta) - Shotclip.com
Grades
K to 12
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Create and edit professional looking videos in a three-step process using Shotclip. Down the app for your operating system. Use the storytelling guide to choose a template. Template...more
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Create and edit professional looking videos in a three-step process using Shotclip. Down the app for your operating system. Use the storytelling guide to choose a template. Template options include My Summer, Halloween Fun, blank templates, and more. Templates provide guidance for scenes or shots to include in your story. Templates also offer suggested length and music for each portion. Upload images, video, audio, add effects, and edit video as desired. When complete, publish and share to receive an email with a link to your video or publish directly to your YouTube account.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): digital storytelling (141), images (262), movies (51), video (258)
In the Classroom
Demonstrate this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. In lower grades, make videos together as a class. Have students create short book reviews for classmates, explain a math concept or procedure, provide a short overview of a class field trip, or demonstrate a quick science experiment. Create a video montage of images taken in the classroom. Use to show a process, explain an experiment, discuss data collected, create club or class movies about happenings throughout the year, and much more. Use this tool as a creative and easy alternative to boring slideshow presentations. Introduce the major points of a topic through images and added text. Use this site to make commercials, science fair previews, and animated shorts in any content area. Have students make "advertisements" for an organism or a literary character. Make a travel commercial for a country being studied or for cultural sites in a world language class. Be sure to share the presentations on your projector or interactive whiteboard.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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