TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Nov 8, 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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Tunes2Teach YouTube Playlist - Dana Lawrence Gillis and Ellie Rubenstein

Grades
K to 6
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Learn about The Scientific Method, Writing Style, and Behavior Rules with these engaging videos from Tunes2Teach and their students. Each short video teaches content through current...more
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Learn about The Scientific Method, Writing Style, and Behavior Rules with these engaging videos from Tunes2Teach and their students. Each short video teaches content through current music trends in a positive manner. Other videos introduce you to the professors responsible for Tunes2Teach and include information for making the most of summer reading. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): back to school (62), behavior (43), creative writing (122), descriptive writing (38), paragraph writing (15), scientific method (47)

In the Classroom

Use the Behavior Rules video as part of your Back to School activities. Challenge your class to create their own Behavior Rules video specific to your classroom, and then share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Share the other videos during appropriate English and science units. Be sure to create a link to these videos or your creations on your class website for viewing at home.

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Musanim - Music Animation Machine YouTube Channel - Stephen Malinowski

Grades
4 to 12
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Described as a "GPS for Music", Music Animation Machine features mainly classical music set to an animated graphical score. Different shapes represent families of instruments that light...more
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Described as a "GPS for Music", Music Animation Machine features mainly classical music set to an animated graphical score. Different shapes represent families of instruments that light up as played throughout the musical score. Be sure to read details for viewing (located in the Stravinsky, Rite of Spring video). If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): music theory (45), musical instruments (45), musical notation (35)

In the Classroom

Use this YouTube Channel as an excellent addition to any music class to help students "see" music in a new way. Play videos on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) during quiet times in your classroom. Stop videos during play to analyze and understand the representations created and view specific instrument families used at each moment.

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QuickRubric - Clever Prototypes, LLC

Grades
K to 12
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Develop rubrics to assess what you expect students to learn with Quick Rubric. Registration is free and allows for saving the rubric. Click Create a Rubric and add a title, ...more
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Develop rubrics to assess what you expect students to learn with Quick Rubric. Registration is free and allows for saving the rubric. Click Create a Rubric and add a title, brief description, and the maximum and minimum scores. Describe your indicators, add descriptors, and even include standards. At any time during the formation of the rubric add columns and rows. Save and share via URL or printing. The ability to copy and modify a rubric from your account is a great time-saver.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): assessment (147), rubrics (33)

In the Classroom

Use this online tool to create original rubrics before introducing a new project. Be sure to review the rubric with your students on a projector or interactive whiteboard, to be certain that they understand your expectations. As you approach the project deadlines, consider reviewing the rubric again having students mark or highlight key terms in the rubric that will help them get a better evaluation. Have a question and answer period at this time. Rubrics can be created for any task or project. For example, prepare rubrics for silent reading time, science labs, skills tasks in physical education, and all presentations. Visit Rubrics to the Rescue to see examples of topics and wording.

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Google Newspaper Archives - Google

Grades
6 to 12
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Browse and read hundreds of newspaper archives from around the world at Google Newspaper Archives. Information under each publication title includes the number of issues included and...more
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Browse and read hundreds of newspaper archives from around the world at Google Newspaper Archives. Information under each publication title includes the number of issues included and dates of publication. After choosing a publication, view thumbnails of available issues and click on the title of any article to read. Share articles using the link provided.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (156), media literacy (102), news (229), newspapers (91)

In the Classroom

Share with students to show them different perspectives on historical events. This site would also provide contrasting texts for close reading as required by Common Core. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast information. After researching events in history, have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Build student awareness of the limited view provided by some publications, especially during times of international tension. Explore this site during Newspaper in Education Week or as part of a unit on the basics and nuances of journalistic writing. World language teachers can use newspapers to teach about both language and culture. Have world cultures or social studies students learn about local culture through advertisements and articles and share their findings using a screencast (or screenshots) of the newspaper and talking about their discoveries.
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Brain Pump - brainpump.net

Grades
6 to 12
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Learn something new every day with Brain Pump videos. Choose from the many topics including game design, history, science, math, technology, nature, business, casual science, and more...more
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Learn something new every day with Brain Pump videos. Choose from the many topics including game design, history, science, math, technology, nature, business, casual science, and more to view a random video about the topic. Not interested? No problem, click the next video link to watch another on the same subject. Sign up isn't necessary but allows you to "star" videos to find for later viewing. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Online-Convert, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.
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tag(s): business (47), critical thinking (112), earth (185), financial literacy (91), fish (18), human body (93), marine biology (25), natural resources (35), plants (141), psychology (67), rivers (13), space (212), spanish (104), video (256)

In the Classroom

Use the short videos found at Brain Pump to introduce content and assess prior knowledge. Create a link to videos, or embed them, on your class website for student viewing at home. Use a video tool such as EdPuzzle, reviewed here, or ComentBubble, reviewed here, to have students answer questions, from home, on the content of the video. Back in the classroom, have students talk in small groups about any video and their questions and ideas about the topic. Have the student groups share out the important questions and thoughts with the whole class. After the class discussion, have the students write a group response, either on paper or on your class blog or wiki. Completing a group response now, could evolve into students writing journal entries at home or during class about the topic of a video. These videos make powerful writing prompts. After viewing a few videos in this manner, you may want to have older students select videos they want to watch (or you can assign them) and have the students respond.

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Story Map - Read Write Think

Grades
1 to 8
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Focus on the key elements of writing a story with Story Map. Fill out and print graphic organizers for characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. Each organizer has prompts for...more
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Focus on the key elements of writing a story with Story Map. Fill out and print graphic organizers for characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. Each organizer has prompts for what to write. Returning to an organizer to edit is possible. Print your Story Map, since it is not saved.

tag(s): digital storytelling (142), graphic organizers (48), writing (315)

In the Classroom

Substitute paper and pencil story mapping by introducing your class to Story Map and writing a class story. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector and be sure to point out the prompts to answer with each organizer. Bookmark Story Map on class computers as part of stations when developing a writing project. Put a link to this tool on your website or blog for students to access at home.
 

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History/Social Science Resources - Los Angeles Unified School District

Grades
K to 12
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The Los Angeles Unified School District offers a large selection of resources for teaching history and social sciences aligned to Common Core Standards. Choose from elementary, middle,...more
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The Los Angeles Unified School District offers a large selection of resources for teaching history and social sciences aligned to Common Core Standards. Choose from elementary, middle, or high school to find curriculum maps and lessons. One very useful portion of the site includes lessons created in partnership with Reading Like a Historian, reviewed here, that engage students in the creation of historical knowledge. Both sites are a must-visit for anyone teaching Social Studies!

tag(s): assessment (147), commoncore (75), professional development (388)

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this site for use throughout the school year. Be sure to take advantage of the lesson plans and curriculum guides. Share with other teachers as you collaborate and plan together.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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