TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Mar 27, 2016

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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Journeys in Film - Journeys in Film and USC Rossier School of Education

Grades
8 to 12
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Journeys in Film provides lesson plans for teaching cultural and global understanding through movies. Use links to download lessons including correlation to standards by subject area,...more
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Journeys in Film provides lesson plans for teaching cultural and global understanding through movies. Use links to download lessons including correlation to standards by subject area, global issue, or culture. This site doesn't provide access to films used in lessons, but it does share options for renting. Other downloads include discussion guides for films with accompanying clips available on the Journeys in Film site.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (156), holocaust (41), journalism (71), movies (51), sustainability (44), video (256), women (136)

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lesson plans for your classroom. These resources and videos are extremely flexible for classroom use. Use the film clips for current events, and to highlight events from the past. Use a video segment to get students thinking about their understanding of issues, solutions, and whether today's environment has changed from that of the past. View a variety of clips from one theme and discuss events in the clip or use a writing assignment to provide time to process the events. Discuss in what ways these clips are similar and other societal, economic, and political factors that affected them. Be sure to brainstorm how different people, in other areas of the world, would view these issues. Research these issues using resources from other areas of the world. Use Today's Front Pages, reviewed here, to see editorials and news clippings that are not of American origin. If you'd like to to create your own clips from these films try using a tool like EDPuzzle, reviewed here.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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New York Times Spanish Edition - New York Times

Grades
6 to 12
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Read New York Times articles and original content in Spanish with this site. The information ranges from politics, global news, business, technology - even pop culture. Reading this...more
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Read New York Times articles and original content in Spanish with this site. The information ranges from politics, global news, business, technology - even pop culture. Reading this version of the NY Times will be useful in any Spanish language classroom as well as for ENL/ESL students.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): journalism (71), multilingual (63), news (229), newspapers (91), spanish (104)

In the Classroom

Use this site as a resource for advanced Spanish language learners for current events projects or for ENL/ESL students to stay up to date on current events- assign students different weeks throughout the semester in which they are to be the class news reporter, keeping their peers up to date and informed. Have students research what's going on via this news site, and present a short presentation at the beginning of class every day during their week. Enhance learning by challenging cooperative learning groups to create their own news videos using a tool like Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here, and share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here.

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Introducing Formal Analysis: Still Life - Getty Museum

Grades
6 to 12
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Do you need a crash course on how to discuss art? Formal Analysis is a four and a half minute YouTube video teaching how to compare and contrast two different ...more
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Do you need a crash course on how to discuss art? Formal Analysis is a four and a half minute YouTube video teaching how to compare and contrast two different works of art. The discussion also includes information about identifying key visual elements in the artwork. Be sure to open the information box about the video to find a link to lesson plans and teaching materials provided by the Getty Museum. If your district blocks YouTube, then the video may not be viewable.

tag(s): artists (77), colors (65), geometric shapes (135)

In the Classroom

Share this video using a projector or interactive whiteboard for a quick lesson on comparing and contrasting artwork. Use the information included to create your own class discussions comparing artwork, literature, or any two items. Print out the student handout with elements of art descriptions for students to keep in their art journals or notebooks. Be sure to share this site with your school's art teacher.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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American Archive of Public Broadcasting - Library of Congress & WGBH

Grades
6 to 12
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Discover and watch publicly funded radio and television programs from America's past with the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Built as a means to preserve public broadcast...more
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Discover and watch publicly funded radio and television programs from America's past with the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Built as a means to preserve public broadcast programs from the 1940's through the present, over 7000 programs are available for streaming with additions ongoing. In addition to streaming programs, this site also includes curated exhibits on topics of historical significance, such as Climate Change and Voices from the Southern Civil Rights Movement.

tag(s): 1900s (73), earth (185), radio (20), religions (75), sports (78), video (256), women (136), world war 1 (72), world war 2 (149)

In the Classroom

Bookmark the American Archive of Public Broadcasting for use as primary source material for classroom lessons. Browse by topic or keywords to find videos to share on your interactive whiteboard or share a link on your class website for students to view at home. Enhance students' learning and have them use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about an important figure from America's recent past. Transform student learning by having students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here, to demonstrate what they learned from one of the radio programs, videos, or exhibits.

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Zoom - Eric Yuan

Grades
K to 12
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Collaborate with up to 100 participants from anywhere and at any time with Zoom's free online video conferencing options. Features include screen sharing, scheduled or instant meeting...more
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Collaborate with up to 100 participants from anywhere and at any time with Zoom's free online video conferencing options. Features include screen sharing, scheduled or instant meeting times, and private or group chat. Up to 40 minutes of group meeting time, and unlimited 1:1 meeting time is included with the free meeting plans. Sign up using your email or social network account to begin hosting a meeting. The step by step instructions make it easy to quickly begin video conferencing at your convenience.

tag(s): chat (42), communication (136), DAT device agnostic tool (143), parent conferences (24), video (256)

In the Classroom

Use Zoom to set up virtual parent/teacher conferences with participants located anywhere in the world. This is especially useful when multiple teachers are involved or when parents may not reside in the same location. Share your screen as needed to provide information on assessments and student work. Connect whole classrooms across the country for book clubs. Collaborate with experts such as authors and scientists with classrooms of children. Create connected learning experiences with other students, especially those in older grades. Connect world language classes to classes in other countries. Teachers can hold "office hours" for homework help and asking questions. Create a collaborative space for homework help before or after school or on snow days. Students can meet whenever help is needed or teachers can create a session that can be accessed on any device easily by those who need it. Consider using a tool such as Remind, reviewed here, to alert parents and students when your sessions are open. Use Zoom for group work - no more excuses about not being able to meet for cooperative learning projects! Buildings can collaborate and share professional development with others in their own district and beyond!

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Mindset Kit - The Project for Education Research that Scales (PERTS)

Grades
K to 12
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The Mindset Kit is a large compilation of resources for parents and teachers for teaching and developing growth mindsets. Based on the book, Mindset, by Carol Dweek, these lessons...more
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The Mindset Kit is a large compilation of resources for parents and teachers for teaching and developing growth mindsets. Based on the book, Mindset, by Carol Dweek, these lessons and activities provide tools for developing positive mindsets, in turn, leading to increased academic performance. Choose the section for teachers to find seven lessons for educator teams, or take advantage of ten lessons for parents to learn about growth mindset and how to instill this in students. Other portions contain ideas for specific content areas and mentors.

tag(s): brain (54), learning styles (18), professional development (388), social and emotional learning (80)

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the many lessons and ideas on this site in your classroom and when working with parents. These tools are especially useful for times when a student (or parent) claims that they were never good in a particular subject. Share ideas with your peers as part of your ongoing professional development, discuss ideas from this site and how they can be incorporated as part of a school-wide action. Take advantage of the many ideas featured in the Popular Practices section to learn how to use ideas in any classroom.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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OneNote - Microsoft

Grades
K to 12
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Microsoft's OneNote, a downloadable app, keeps all notes, emails, drawings, photographs, and more organized into folders on a page in different sections of a "notebook." Drag copies...more
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Microsoft's OneNote, a downloadable app, keeps all notes, emails, drawings, photographs, and more organized into folders on a page in different sections of a "notebook." Drag copies of files or documents from your computer into OneNote. Share and collaborate with others. Access your OneNote account by signing in to any computer or device.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (143), Microsoft (84), organizational skills (90), Storage (6)

In the Classroom

Use OneNote for all notes, ideas, and photographs in all aspects of your busy life. Keep your file system with you all of the time! Instruct students in the use of OneNote for notetaking needs. Share outlines and study guides with students. All members can collaborate and add thoughts. Offer as a way to improve organizational skills.

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Great Expectations - National Braille Press

Grades
K to 5
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Promote active reading experiences using the ideas found at Great Expectations. This site is for the visually impaired, but you'll find the ideas and advice can apply to any young ...more
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Promote active reading experiences using the ideas found at Great Expectations. This site is for the visually impaired, but you'll find the ideas and advice can apply to any young reader. Use songs, tactile play, and more from the lessons developed for the three children's picture books on this site. The popular books featured areThe Day the Crayons Quit, Dragons Love Tacos, and Pete the Cat- Rocking in My School Shoes, and 5 more titles with engaging activities.

tag(s): adaptations (14), preK (254), reading comprehension (142), stories and storytelling (40)

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lesson plans when reading stories to your class. These books and activities are not only good to use with visually impaired students; any student will love the different activities. These activities will help ENL/ESL students understand some of the language employed in the books. In your regular or inclusive classroom, you may want to consider making centers for a featured book using some of the activities listed here. Challenge older students to use the ideas developed for these books with their favorite childhood book for a younger sibling or "buddy."

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