TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Apr 3, 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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National Robotics Week - iRobot Corporation

Grades
3 to 12
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The U.S. is a leader in robotics technology development! Join the yearly celebration by participating in some of the events and activities found at this National Robotics Week site....more
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The U.S. is a leader in robotics technology development! Join the yearly celebration by participating in some of the events and activities found at this National Robotics Week site. Use the activities on this site to inspire students to pursue careers in robotics and other STEM-related fields. Download robot trading cards featuring 10 of the most famous robots. Cards include their stats, coaches, and fun facts. Read about the Instuctables contest where you can enter to share your robot projects with the world and even win some cool prizes. Clicking on Bleaker the Rechargeable Dog will take you to comics that include robots. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find a map showing events by state. Once you get the map, scroll down the page and find the Filter Events By State and a list of all events.

tag(s): engineering (117), robotics (22), STEM (259)

In the Classroom

Start a discussion about what students know about robots. Introduce them to the National Robotics Week celebration and get them involved in one of the events or the Instructables contest. Not sure where to start? Check out the resources on this page. Replace paper and pencil and ask small teams of students use Mindmeister, reviewed here, and create a mind map for the steps they have to take to build a robot. Modify technology use and challenge students create a comic strip about building a robot or something the robot will do using Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here.

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Classtools Countdown Timer - Classtools.net

Grades
K to 12
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Spice up any countdown with this versatile, yet easy to use, countdown timer from Classtools. Options include running multiple timers, adding music or video, and saving a web link to...more
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Spice up any countdown with this versatile, yet easy to use, countdown timer from Classtools. Options include running multiple timers, adding music or video, and saving a web link to your timer. Choose the Get Started button to begin and follow prompts to choose included music or select your own from any YouTube video. Click the save icon to receive a personalized URL for sharing.

tag(s): classroom management (128), counting (60), time (91)

In the Classroom

There are many uses for this practical online tool. Get out your interactive whiteboard or projection screen (or even the classroom desktop computer) and make sure the speakers are turned up. Use this tool for students to practice speeches, or to limit the time for a quiz or spelling test. Use the countdown feature for timing the rotations from center to center. You can even use the timer for reading fluency exercises or physical education warm-ups! A clever classroom management tool would be to start the visible count-down on your computer screen when you want the class to settle down for directions or to transition to the next subject. Select calming music for quiet times. Students may even want to use this tool for themselves. Kindergarten students can practice counting along with the watch!

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NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover at Namib Dune (360 view) - NASA

Grades
4 to 12
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This video offers a fascinating 360-degree view of Mars from Bagnold Dunes taken on December 18, 2015. Use the arrows or your cursor to move the image around and view ...more
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This video offers a fascinating 360-degree view of Mars from Bagnold Dunes taken on December 18, 2015. Use the arrows or your cursor to move the image around and view from different angles. The 360-degree playback is currently only supported using Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera browsers. If your district blocks YouTube or your browser does not support 360, a static view of this same panorama image is available here.

tag(s): explorers (64), mars (26), space (212)

In the Classroom

Share this video (or the images) with students using your projector or an interactive whiteboard as you explore the surface of Mars together. Have students use Twitter Fictional Account Template, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Twitter about an astronaut traveling to Mars. Challenge student to modify their learning and create a newspaper using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here, with all the latest news on the exploration of Mars. Be sure to check out the NASA YouTube channel for additional videos from Mars and the Curiosity Rover.

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Solvemall Crosswords Online - Solvemall.com

Grades
5 to 12
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Solvemall offers a large variety of online crossword puzzles. Choose from a new daily starter puzzle each day or scroll down to find popular sets. In addition to the daily ...more
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Solvemall offers a large variety of online crossword puzzles. Choose from a new daily starter puzzle each day or scroll down to find popular sets. In addition to the daily puzzle, most days also have a special topic puzzle such as inventors or musicians. Simply fill in each space on the puzzles with your responses and check when finished to view results. Solve blocked puzzles and collect points by creating a free account.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): crosswords (19), problem solving (225), puzzles (143)

In the Classroom

Share the puzzles on your interactive whiteboard or projector to play as a class. Use as a learning center or for rainy day recess. Create a link to the puzzles on classroom computers or your class website. Crosswords are a great find for use with gifted students to practice logic and problem-solving skills. Challenge students to create their own crosswords using a tool like Eclipse Crossword Creator, reviewed here, or Just Crosswords, reviewed here.

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Sketchfab - Alban Denoyel, Cedric Pinson, & Pierre Antoine Passet

Grades
6 to 12
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Sketchfab is a large online community for publishing and viewing 3D materials. Think of it as YouTube for 3D. Explore the site to find over half a million uploads of ...more
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Sketchfab is a large online community for publishing and viewing 3D materials. Think of it as YouTube for 3D. Explore the site to find over half a million uploads of animations, models, and images. Use the keyword search to find specific content or browse through the different categories. Embed or share images using links provided with each image. If you create your own 3D content, free membership allows you to upload using several different file types. Use their online editor to adjust and fine-tune your creations.

tag(s): animation (61), architecture (64), planets (111), plants (141)

In the Classroom

Share some of the many 3D models such as a human heart, the White House, or monarch butterflies. Display these on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Share with students with advanced knowledge of gaming and 3D as a resource for sharing their own 3D models and viewing materials made by others. If your school has a computer club, share this site with its sponsor for use with students. Do you or someone on your campus have a 3D printer? Explore and find printables to download and print. If you don't have access to a 3D printer you may want to write a grant for one. See GetEd Funding, reviewed here, for grant writing.

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MetPublications - Metropolitan Museum of Art

Grades
6 to 12
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Find five decades of the Metropolitan Museum of Art publications available for free download or online reading at this extensive public collection. Browse by keyword, date, title, or...more
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Find five decades of the Metropolitan Museum of Art publications available for free download or online reading at this extensive public collection. Browse by keyword, date, title, or topic as you choose from over 450 available titles. Choose your publication, and then follow the links for downloading in PDF, reading online, or other options. Not all titles have all options available.

tag(s): art history (85), artists (77)

In the Classroom

Share this site with your school's art teacher. Explore artwork from different time periods or places as part of social studies lessons. Encourage students to explore this site on their own to learn more about the various components of art. Have students create an annotated image of different pieces of art including text boxes, related links, and videos using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use it: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Literary Devices - literarydevices.net

Grades
6 to 12
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Literary Devices offers definitions and examples of many different devices used in written work. Although this site is rather "plain vanilla," it offers colorful sprinkles of information...more
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Literary Devices offers definitions and examples of many different devices used in written work. Although this site is rather "plain vanilla," it offers colorful sprinkles of information and definitions. Browse through to explore the different terms, use the search box to find a specific device, or choose from popular literary devices listed on the left side of the homepage. After you choose a term, this site offers a complete definition along with many examples of its use in literature.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): dictionaries (48), literary devices (13)

In the Classroom

Writing and English teachers will want to bookmark this site for use throughout the school year! Share different devices with a projector or interactive whiteboard to help define and understand their use. Introduce a few terms each week for students to explore and find in their reading materials and to use in their writing. Have students create an online or printed comic using different literary devices. First, have students create a rough draft of their comic using Printable Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here. Then, have students create a comic strip online using Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here.

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