TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Apr 10, 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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Tarr's Toolbox - Russel Tarr

Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites 0  Comments
Tarr's Toolbox contains many quick and easy suggestions for spicing up lessons. Although created by a history teacher, most ideas can easily adapt to any subject. Click on any text...more
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Tarr's Toolbox contains many quick and easy suggestions for spicing up lessons. Although created by a history teacher, most ideas can easily adapt to any subject. Click on any text box for a complete description of activities. Some of the descriptions have suggestions for use of the tools found on Classtools, reviewed here. Be sure to subscribe to Tarr's Toolbox blog to receive updates as new ideas are added.

tag(s): classroom management (128), differentiation (83), game based learning (171), professional development (388)

In the Classroom

Bookmark this excellent resource to use when looking for new ideas for your classroom. Choose from ideas such as "Hands up if you DON'T know" or "Sock puppets in the secondary classroom" to inspire and motivate your students. Look to this blog to differentiate for students of all levels. Divide students into cooperative learning groups using different ideas found on Tarr's Toolbox.

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Today I Learned - National Geographic

Grades
3 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Do you love to learn crazy facts and obscure information? The Today I Learned YouTube playlist from National Geographic is perfect for you! Each video is under three minutes, ideal...more
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Do you love to learn crazy facts and obscure information? The Today I Learned YouTube playlist from National Geographic is perfect for you! Each video is under three minutes, ideal for quick bits of information. Learn why the brain is wrinkly or why the ocean is salty and much more. This playlist is frequently updated, so be sure to return to continue adding to your knowledge of obscure facts! If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animals (278), archeology (24), birds (42), dinosaurs (38), moon (70), oceans (146), video (256)

In the Classroom

Create a link to this playlist on classroom computers for students to view during center time or share a video of the week on your interactive whiteboard. Use these for journal prompts, quick writes, or topics to research. Have students create an annotated image of information learned including text boxes and related links 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. To share a single video from this site without all the YouTube clutter, View Pure, reviewed here, and create a shortcut to the View Pure page directly on the desktop.

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Making the Grade - PBS NewsHour

Grades
K to 12
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Making the Grade is the weekly online accompaniment to the PBS series of the same title exploring issues in education from preK through higher education. Scroll down the page to ...more
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Making the Grade is the weekly online accompaniment to the PBS series of the same title exploring issues in education from preK through higher education. Scroll down the page to view segment titles and a short description of the content. Click the link to see the transcript, watch the video, or listen to the podcast. Each resource also includes links to additional information. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): news (229), newspapers (91), professional development (388)

In the Classroom

Use information from this site as part of your ongoing professional development and discussion within your school and district regarding educational issues. Have debate students use this site as a resource for topics or to find information for their viewpoint in a debate. Challenge students to read articles and write about how they would address the issues if placed in a position of power. Challenge students to create a multimedia presentation representing their viewpoint using Vevox, reviewed here. Vevox offers interactive features such as real-time polls and comments to keep viewers interested and involved in the presentation. Vevox allows adding polls, videos, embeds, web links, and PowerPoint.

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Space - Time - Time Inc.

Grades
4 to 9
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Stay up to date with the latest news from Space with this resource from Time. Scroll down the page to view articles organized by date. Click to see any article ...more
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Stay up to date with the latest news from Space with this resource from Time. Scroll down the page to view articles organized by date. Click to see any article with included images. Explore topics further by clicking links to additional information found within the articles.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): explorers (64), nasa (30), space (212)

In the Classroom

Include a link to this site on classroom computers as a non-fiction resource for reading material. This site will be especially helpful for students with a high interest in space exploration. If you want to remove distracting advertisements, use a site such as Juicy Studios: Readability Test, reviewed here. Use this site on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector as you explore the latest news from space.

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NBC Learn Free Resources - NBCUniversal Media, NBC News

Grades
5 to 12
3 Favorites 0  Comments
  
This collection of free streaming videos, mostly under six minutes, supports school curriculum using material from NBC News, one of the largest news archives in the world. Topics include...more
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This collection of free streaming videos, mostly under six minutes, supports school curriculum using material from NBC News, one of the largest news archives in the world. Topics include language arts, humanities and social sciences, and parenting information. The majority of videos feature STEM content. Specific sample topics include: Mysteries of the Brain, Writers Speak to Kids, Science of NFL Football, and many others. All videos include transcripts. Some have lesson plans and/or activities which are available in a side tab in the video window when launched. Most have closed captioning, and a few have a Spanish language option. The majority of NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBC News, is fee-based. This review is for the free material.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): brain (54), civil rights (193), news (229), olympics (40), pi (26), sports (78), STEM (259), sustainability (44), video (256)

In the Classroom

This site is perfect for flipped or blended learning classrooms but will spark interest in most classroom lessons. Use the search box in the upper right corner to find free content of interest. The whole class can watch the videos, many of which are parts of a series. Create a Padlet, reviewed here, for each group and have individuals or small groups view and extend their learning by sharing information. The transcripts and close captioning will be helpful for struggling learners. Transcripts can be used alone for informational text reading practice. If your school or district doesn't block YouTube, you may want to investigate the NBC Learn playlists here.

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Badge List - Knowledgestreem

Grades
K to 12
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Build your own digital badges to award and share. Badge List offers the ability to design a badge using their built-in badge designer. You can also upload your own. Share ...more
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Build your own digital badges to award and share. Badge List offers the ability to design a badge using their built-in badge designer. You can also upload your own. Share with those seeking to earn the badge; they upload evidence of accomplishment using one of the five supported formats. Once achieved, awarded badges are displayed on an individual's profile and can easily be shared online. Since the free portion of Badge List is public, it is important for teachers to keep student identities anonymous. Use a code for the student name that is only known by the teacher. Also, be sure to obtain parent permission before using this tool with students. At the time of this review, stated by Badge List: "Badge List is currently developing simpler privacy settings to help K12 teachers protect student data. Until these features are released, teachers will need to take extra precautions to make sure that student data is safe."

tag(s): assessment (147), behavior (43), classroom management (128), game based learning (171), gamification (74), organizational skills (90)

In the Classroom

Badges are the "stickers' of today and much more. Use Badge List to keep track of student progress with large assignments, rewarding badges for each completed step. Present awards using badges such as Student of the Month, Math Hero, Perfect Attendance, and more. Share this site the first week of school as you set up your classroom expectations. Autistic support and behavior support teachers will find this tool useful and easy to use for reinforcement and tracking. Gamify your class using badges as reward levels. Challenge students to progress through different achievement levels by providing badges along the way. Share student login information with parents so they can track progress and accomplishments at home. (Be sure to keep the login information yourself, just in case students misplace their login). Keep track of mastery of various topics or skills, much like a sticker chart! Students can embed their class badges in other sites, such as personal blogs, using the embed code.

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TinyTap - Yogev Shelly

Grades
K to 12
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Create interactive games, books, and presentations with TinyTap. Choose the Activities link to access resources made by teachers. Sort by category, age, and language. TinyTap allows...more
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Create interactive games, books, and presentations with TinyTap. Choose the Activities link to access resources made by teachers. Sort by category, age, and language. TinyTap allows creators to include drag and drop activities, videos, quizzes, and more - all in one activity. Create groups to assign activities to different students. Most games are free; however, some games by professional authors are not free. Play games and activities on any device; however, creation of games requires you to download the free iPad app. At the time of this review, TinyTap worked well on most browsers (except Safari). The free version is public and comments are permitted. Be sure to preview anything before you share with students.

tag(s): assessment (147), DAT device agnostic tool (143), game based learning (171), quiz (67), quizzes (90), Teacher Utilities (146)

In the Classroom

Use the embed code provided with activities to embed activities on your class website for play at home. Create a link to activities on classroom computers. Create your own activities (or have older students create review materials) to include with lessons. Be sure to watch the demo video for information about creating your own games.

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The Guide to Pinterest for Educators - USC Rossier/Leah Anne Levy

Grades
K to 12
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The Guide to Pinterest for Educators is an excellent resource for teachers and administrators with tips and information for managing Pinterest as a powerful learning tool. Divided into...more
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The Guide to Pinterest for Educators is an excellent resource for teachers and administrators with tips and information for managing Pinterest as a powerful learning tool. Divided into eight sections this handbook discusses the basics of pinning, organization, collaboration, and more. Each section is short and simple to read, making this an outstanding guide for using Pinterest as part of your professional planning and teaching tools.

tag(s): bookmarks (47), professional development (388), social media (53)

In the Classroom

Use this resource to understand how to use Pinterest for your personal and professional use and also for student collaboration. Share ideas with other staff members to collaborate on shared interests. Discuss one section a month with your professional learning network (PLN) and reflect together how to make the most of Pinterest in your educational setting.

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Creating Safe Spaces: Lesson Plans for Social-Emotional Learning - Michelle Manno/USC Rossier School of Education

Grades
K to 6
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USC Rossier School of Education offers several lesson plans for K-6 students, providing support for dealing with bullying and strengthening social-emotional skills. Lessons include...more
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USC Rossier School of Education offers several lesson plans for K-6 students, providing support for dealing with bullying and strengthening social-emotional skills. Lessons include links to downloads for supporting materials. Additional links on the site provide further information about other programs with anti-bullying information.

tag(s): bullying (49), emotions (46), racism (76), social and emotional learning (80), Special Needs (53)

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lessons offered on this site; many include suggestions for use on special dates such as Random Acts of Kindness week or Martin Luther King Day. Include ideas found on the site as part of your lessons that teach about racism and how it relates to bullying by others. Share with your school's guidance counselor as a resource for activities and lessons. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, replace paper and pen and enhance learning by having students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Penzu, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using Edublog, reviewed here.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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YOUGLISH - Youglish

Grades
7 to 12
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This simple, widget-like site lets you hear the pronunciation of English words by viewing YouTube videos of native speakers. YOUGLISH gives English, spoken by real people and in context....more
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This simple, widget-like site lets you hear the pronunciation of English words by viewing YouTube videos of native speakers. YOUGLISH gives English, spoken by real people and in context. Type in a single word or phrase, choose UK, US, or all pronunciations, then a captioned video appears in the results and starts playing automatically. Additional results are available by clicking an arrow button below the video. YOUGLISH has a Restricted Mode you can use in the classroom. When activated the Restricted Mode will stay activated for any other sessions until deactivated. A logo with (RM) will appear when you are in Restricted Mode. If your district blocks YouTube; the videos may not be viewable. WARNING: Inappropriate words can be entered, and adult-level content results returned. Be sure to discuss expectations and consequences with students before allowing them to use this site on their own. If you are sharing videos with the class, always preview!
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): dictionaries (48), multilingual (63), pronunciation (33), vocabulary (235)

In the Classroom

YOUGLISH is a helpful site for ENL/ESL learners or students encountering new words for the first time. Be sure to activate the Restricted Mode on all devices using YOUGLISH. Look for the (RM) logo while students are using this tool. Since inappropriate content can be search and displayed, this is best used with teacher direction as a group activity, perhaps using an interactive whiteboard or projector.

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Go! Ask, Act, Achieve - INFOhio

Grades
4 to 10
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Go! Ask, Act, Achieve is a free online interactive and engaging tool for students to learn the formal research process. There is no registration required. The information is divided...more
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Go! Ask, Act, Achieve is a free online interactive and engaging tool for students to learn the formal research process. There is no registration required. The information is divided into three modules, introduced by teenage Voki avatars, reviewed here. Each module links to resources and materials from various reliable sources. Using these activities, students work through each section learning how to select a topic, evaluate, use and cite information, and create a final product.

tag(s): citations (34), digital citizenship (83), evaluating sources (28), inquiry (24), media literacy (102), organizational skills (90), Research (83), search strategies (23)

In the Classroom

Go! Ask, Act, Achieve is an easy-to-use introduction which demystifies and simplifies teaching the research process. Use this to meet the Common Core standards for research in a content area. Have students work through the site in sequence or pull out areas to teach skills, as needed.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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