TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of May 22, 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
Open Badges - Mozilla
Grades
K to 12tag(s): assessment (146), 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 Open Badges to keep track of student progress with big 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 it. 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.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Interactive Dust Bowl - PBS/Ken Burns
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): 1930s (20), agriculture (49), roosevelt (12)
In the Classroom
Use this tool as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce your unit about America in the 1930's. Share on a projector or interactive whiteboard, then have students explore the interactive on their own. Be sure to share a link to the site on your class webpage for students to explore at home. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Visme, reviewed here. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts demonstrating their understanding of life during the time of the Dust Bowl. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Study Jams - Scholastic
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): addition (128), animals (281), climate (80), decimals (84), differentiation (84), division (98), ecosystems (73), energy (130), estimation (35), forces (37), fractions (159), game based learning (171), human body (93), landforms (37), light (52), matter (47), measurement (126), minerals (14), multiplication (122), number lines (33), percent (58), place value (34), plants (145), probability (96), problem solving (226), rocks (36), solar system (108), sound (74), subtraction (109), weather (164)
In the Classroom
Excite your students with the Jams! Share the Jam videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students sing along and learn more about science and math. Especially younger students will enjoy this feature. Create a link to the site on your classroom website or blog for students to use for review and practice at home. Use the many topics available to differentiate for all students in your classroom. Create learning centers using this site or use it on individual laptops. Print out the quizzes for students to take as an assessment.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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StoryBots - JibJab Bros Studio
Grades
K to 2tag(s): commoncore (75), preK (255)
In the Classroom
Create your class account, share your class code with parents, and ask them to register their child for your class. Assign lessons and activities to individual students or groups to differentiate instruction. Include a link on classroom computers for center use. Take advantage of the opportunity to upload your own lessons to supplement the learning materials available at StoryBots.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Plickers - Nolan Amy
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): assessment (146), DAT device agnostic tool (143), game based learning (171), gamification (74), qr codes (17), questioning (32), quiz (66)
In the Classroom
Create greater student engagement and increased student interest in your classroom with Plickers. Students give their input anonymously. Print out Plickers' cards and hand out to students. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to explain how the Plickers cards work. Create questions, with or without images, and add multiple choice answers. Project your questions and possible answers. Have students hold up their card in the position that reflects their answer. Use your mobile device and Plickers mobile app to scan the cards. You will see a bar graph with student responses on your mobile device. These can be saved to your Plickers account. Use Plickers to answer exit questions or to see what students remember from the previous day. Use for formative assessment to identify misconceptions that students may have at the start of a unit. There are cards with larger fonts for young students or the visually impaired. ENL/ESL teachers could use this for vocabulary or sentence structure practice. Unless your school or district has access to a matte-finish for laminating or matte-plastic pockets, you may want to collect the cards at the end of class.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Quizizz - Quizizz
Grades
K to 12Don't miss the memes that are displayed when students answer a question; these are sure to be a hit with students. You can also customize your Quizizz by creating your own Memes. Use images of the school mascot, students pets, or favorite game characters to create a set of ten or more memes. Click the My Memes from the top menu, then the plus symbol. You are now ready to start. Be sure to Click "Start Game" after students have entered the code. Send the game link to students (or other teachers to use with their classes) by email, website, or social media. Set time limits of 30 seconds to 5 minutes for students to answer each question. This allows more time for more complex questions. Students earn points for speed and accuracy. Unlike other sites, both teacher and students can see the questions, answers, and the leader board throughout the quiz. Most other tools require the teacher to project the answers and leader board on a whiteboard. The leader board can be turned OFF in this tool as well. And, what is the best part of this tool? Two separate classes can play together using this tool. Quizziz works on any web enabled device including smartphones and tablets, and has an iOS app.
You can now email student reports to parents (even send the student reports to multiple/all parents at once), the main navigation bar has moved from the top to the left, and there is a search bar that you can access on all pages, and now you can search both your quizzes and your reports. Quizizz is now available in Spanish and will soon be adding other languages. Don't miss their new Jungle theme with music, backgrounds, and GIFs... oh my!
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (143), game based learning (171), gamification (74), polls and surveys (46), quiz (66), quizzes (89), spanish (105)
In the Classroom
As with other similar tools, Quizizz is a formative assessment tool that is best used to obtain information about how the class as a whole is doing in understanding content material. Use Quizizz when asking questions that require a reading of a passage or longer time to answer questions. Be sure to set the time limit to the upper reaches of 5 minutes. Students can use code names or numerical screen names for anonymity if desired. Create pretests to offer to gifted students to "test out" of already learned material. Students can easily see the choices and choose answers using a browser on a laptop or any device. Make it a class challenge! Use this tool at the start of a new chapter or unit. Students can see who is at the top of the leaderboard during the play and can even ask questions while going through the quiz. Use this tool often to obtain a snapshot of each student's understanding of content. Print individual student reports for use during parent conferences and IEP meetings. As with other tools where there is a leader board, it is helpful to have a collaborative environment where competition is not the goal, instead working together and improving is important. Quizizz is PERFECT for remote learning in that it is engaging for students, works on any device, and you can keep track of how each student is doing with your content and who needs help. Use it frequently during remote learning as an exit to a teaching session.Comments
Great way to conduct formative assessments that students love! Its got a great quiz creation interface and many useful customization options too.Deepak, , Grades: 0 - 12
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PBS Interactive Whiteboard Games - PBS Kids
Grades
K to 5tag(s): design (82), environment (240), estimation (35), game based learning (171), gravity (42), literacy (110), measurement (126), operations (72), painting (56), patterns (63), reading comprehension (143), sight words (23), suffixes (9), vocabulary (237), vocabulary development (90)
In the Classroom
Use activities from this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to supplement current lessons. Create a link to specific activities on classroom computers for use as a learning center. Allow students to explore these sites on individual computers. Share links to games and activities on your class web page for students to try at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bioman Biology - Brett Baughman
Grades
5 to 10This site includes advertising.
tag(s): body systems (40), cells (80), classification (22), dna (44), ecology (100), evolution (85), game based learning (171), genetics (76), human body (93), meiosis (7), photosynthesis (20), respiration (10), scientific method (47)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site to your class on an interactive whiteboard or projector to review and reinforce concepts. If you are lucky enough to have access to iPads for your students, you could have the activities downloaded as apps to use for stations or early finishers. Be sure to include this site on your class webpage for students to access both in and outside of class for further practice. Have students create animated movies online using Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here to demonstrate biology concepts. Use an online flashcard maker, like Flashcard Stash, reviewed here, to review concepts before quizzes and tests.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tynker - Krishna Vedati
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animation (62), coding (88), computational thinking (42), computers (106), critical thinking (112), design (82), game based learning (171), gamification (74), problem solving (226), STEM (263)
In the Classroom
Use this tool to learn basic coding skills. Students will quickly catch on to this program when allowed to "tinker" and see what they can make. Provide a simple assignment with defined rules/tasks to learn the tools. Younger students may familiarize themselves more easily working with a partner. Be sure to recommend that students "ask three before me" (the teacher). Have students use an online storyboard to write down what they plan to do/draw/say with their creation, and to help you keep tabs on students and their progress. For enhancing learning and technology use create a digital storyboard with Story Map, reviewed here, or Storyboard Generator, reviewed here. When finished with these Tynker lessons, move to other free tools such as Scratch, reviewed here. Teachers of even very young gifted students can turn them loose with these challenges when they have already mastered math or science curriculum. Have them create a creature they can explain to the class or share with gifted peers in other classrooms.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Branches of Power - Annenberg Classroom
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): bill of rights (28), branches of government (62), constitution (87), game based learning (171), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
Use the Annenberg Classroom Civics Games to introduce Constitution-related topics to your class using an interactive whiteboard or projector. View videos together and pause as needed to discuss information. Challenge students to try the interactive activities on individual computers or at home. Enhance learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Americans described in the games. Modify classroom technology use and enhance learning by having students create interactive timelines (with photos, text, and more) using Sutori, reviewed here, to trace the path of a bill or the writing of the Constitution.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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