TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jun 7, 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

 

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Word Counter Tool - wordcountertool.com

Grades
5 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
The Word Counter Tool offers a word and character counter and a typing speed finder. Simply type or paste in your text to see your word and character count. To ...more
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The Word Counter Tool offers a word and character counter and a typing speed finder. Simply type or paste in your text to see your word and character count. To find your typing speed, press the start button and type for one minute.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): editing (93), process writing (38), word choice (14), writing (315)

In the Classroom

Post a link to the Word Counter Tool on your webpage for parents and students to use at home to check the length of written assignments. Use this tool when teaching summarizing. Provide students with a lengthy summary then challenge students to reduce the word count.

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OneGeology Kids - OneGeology

Grades
1 to 5
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Explore different parts of geology through OneGeology's cartoon-like characters. Each character provides information about topics such as fossils, rocks and minerals, energy, earthquakes...more
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Explore different parts of geology through OneGeology's cartoon-like characters. Each character provides information about topics such as fossils, rocks and minerals, energy, earthquakes and more. Click on the character and go to their page. Pages include a short overview of information, links to more information, photos, and maps with additional detail.

tag(s): dinosaurs (38), earthquakes (44), energy (131), fossils (39), geology (64), maps (208), rocks (36), volcanoes (55), water (101)

In the Classroom

Share OneGeology on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to introduce your geology unit to students. Enhance learning by having students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. Create a link to the site on classroom computers for students to explore on their own. Transform technology use and enhance learning by having students create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Postit Image Annotator & Labeling Tool, reviewed here, to explain different geologic phenomenon.

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The Roosevelts - PBS

Grades
7 to 12
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PBS offers this series of lessons aligned to their popular mini-series, The Roosevelts. All lessons include alignment to standards, background information, discussion questions, and...more
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PBS offers this series of lessons aligned to their popular mini-series, The Roosevelts. All lessons include alignment to standards, background information, discussion questions, and evaluation rubrics. Choose from full-length Lesson Plans or Snapshot Lessons containing quick, adaptable activities for classroom use.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): 1900s (73), presidents (120), roosevelt (12)

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lesson plans offered to supplement your current lessons based on the Roosevelt family. Have groups of students complete different Snapshot Lessons then share with the class. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Multimedia Edge tools, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a member of the Roosevelt family.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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YouTube EDU - YouTube

Grades
K to 12
5 Favorites 0  Comments
  
YouTube EDU features some of the most popular educational videos across YouTube. Explore both elementary and secondary topics. This channel integrates content across 100 colleges and...more
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YouTube EDU features some of the most popular educational videos across YouTube. Explore both elementary and secondary topics. This channel integrates content across 100 colleges and universities and offers access to campus tours, research, and lectures. Scroll through to find videos sorted into many categories such as science, mathematics, arts, languages, and much more. Subscribe to receive updates about new videos added. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): video (256)

In the Classroom

Bookmark YouTube EDU as an excellent resource of videos for classroom use. Share videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Embed videos onto your class web page for student viewing at home. Challenge gifted students by sharing university level videos.

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Color Schemer - colorschemer.com

Grades
K to 12
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Choosing color schemes for web pages, projects, and displays becomes easier with Color Schemer! Click on any color in the color bar at the bottom of the page to view ...more
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Choosing color schemes for web pages, projects, and displays becomes easier with Color Schemer! Click on any color in the color bar at the bottom of the page to view a display of compatible colors along with hex and font color numbers for HTML use. Choose "lighten scheme" or "darken scheme" to adjust and personalize colors as desired.

tag(s): colors (65)

In the Classroom

After sharing and teaching students how to use this resource, create a link to the Color Schemer on your class web page for student use with projects, displays, and more. Share with your school's art teacher as an excellent resource for artwork.

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Mosa Mack Science Detective - Lissa Johnson

Grades
5 to 9
2 Favorites 0  Comments
    
Mosa Mack Science is a web-based library of animated science mysteries with hands-on activities. All are aligned to Science standards. Each unit contains a short animated film, discussion...more
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Mosa Mack Science is a web-based library of animated science mysteries with hands-on activities. All are aligned to Science standards. Each unit contains a short animated film, discussion guides, and engineering design challenges in addition to the hands-on activities. Create your free account using email and a password to access the four free units with topics of photosynthesis, climate change, food webs, and diabetes.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): climate change (87), food chains (17), photosynthesis (20), STEM (259)

In the Classroom

Download materials from Mosa Mack lessons to supplement your current teaching materials. View videos on your interactive whiteboard and post a link on your class website for students to view at home. If you have a flipped classroom, have students view videos before coming to class and beginning lessons. Use ideas from this site for science fairs and projects.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Molecular Workbench - Dr. Charles Xie and The Concord Consortium

Grades
8 to 12
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The Molecular Workbench is a free downloadable software resource for designing and conducting computational science experiments. Download the software and create your own activities...more
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The Molecular Workbench is a free downloadable software resource for designing and conducting computational science experiments. Download the software and create your own activities or explore and use the many existing materials. The software covers a range of topics from gas laws through quantum phenomena. Explore the Showcase to find already-created simulations including directions for use and exploration. Be sure to allow Java to run on your computer when prompted.

tag(s): atoms (42), chemicals (39), experiments (52), gravity (42), mass (19), matter (47), science fairs (19), scientific method (47)

In the Classroom

The Molecular Workbench is perfect for use on interactive whiteboards or projectors. Share simulations with students and explore options within each simulation to view changes. Create a link to simulations on your class website and allow students to explore at home. Ask students to write a blog post for each simulation completed at home. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Penzu, reviewed here. Challenge students to download the software and create their own explorations. Have them use a screencast tool such as Awesome ScreenShot, reviewed here, to show evidence of their work and share with others. Use Molecular Workbench as an excellent option for challenging gifted students or for use when creating science fair experiments.

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