TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jun 11, 2017
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
SciJinks: Its All About Weather! - NOAA/NASA
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): atmosphere (23), careers (139), hurricanes (35), oceans (146), science fairs (19), scientific method (47), scientists (62), seasons (36), space (212), weather (163)
In the Classroom
Although geared toward middle school students and educators, anyone who teaches weather will want to take the time to explore this site for student and teacher resources. From the top right menu find the Educators section for activities, science fair ideas, and content aligned to standards. Share a link to games and activities on classroom computers and your class website. Upon completing activities, have students create an online or printed comic about an element of weather, climate, meteorology, or any aspect of Earth science. Use a tool such as Printable Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here, for a nontech rough and final draft. If you're new to using technology with your students, or teach younger students enhance their learning and augment techology use with ToonyTool, reviewed here, for their final drafts. To to enhance learning and modify tech use in your class for more experienced, older students try Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Vanishing: The Extinction Crisis is Far Worse than you Think - CNN
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): animals (278), conservation (82), earth (185), earth day (60), endangered species (28), habitats (87)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use on interactive whiteboards as an introduction to any unit on animals, habitats, or earth conservation. Explore together, then allow students to explore in depth on their own. Have students either individually or as groups choose a topic found on this site to research further. If you are new to integrating technology you may want to have students create a presentation using Slidestory, reviewed here. Looking for something different? Have students use Microsoft Sway, reviewed here, to create an interactive presentation including charts, videos, and images.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Get Your Hands Dirty Guide - Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Download this guide as a resource for starting "growing" opportunities at school, or for suggestions on keeping animals in the classroom. If your school has a gardening club, this guide is perfect as a resource for new ideas. If you don't have a gardening club, use the guide as a starting point. Perhaps find a parent volunteer to get your club going!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Beach Chair Scientist - Ann McElhatton
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): animal homes (56), birds (42), environment (238), fish (18), oceans (146), reptiles (11)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students as part of your study of biomes or the ocean. Transform classroom technology use by having students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as Genial.ly, reviewed here, or for those new to integrating tecnology enhance technololgy use by trying PicFont, reviewed here, to share information about ocean animals or conservation of the oceans. Be sure to check out the Resources & More section for lesson plans and links to other resources about the ocean.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Project BudBurst - Chicago Botanic Garden
Grades
K to 12tag(s): citizen science (21), environment (238), plants (141), Project Based Learning (25), scientific method (47)
In the Classroom
Bring your science class to life and the "real world" for students using Project BudBurst's free resources. Captivate student interest by having them discover the importance of nature and our interactions with it. Participants must be 13 years of age to set up an account. Since participation requires registration with email, for young students consider using a "class set" of Gmail subaccounts, explained here; this tells how to configure Gmail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Using Gmail subaccounts will provide anonymous interaction within your class. Add to the growing database and document plant phenology as seen in your area. As you discuss various types of plants, assign students to take pictures of the stages observed, make observations about the stages, and then modify classoom technology use by having students create an infographic sharing their findings using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. This resource is perfect for use in a project based learning unit.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Educators Guides to Lyme Disease - Bay Area Lyme Foundation
Grades
3 to 8In the Classroom
Explore these free materials when teaching about insects or disease. Are you integrating technology in your class? Instead of the traditional brochure suggested, enhance classroom technology use by having students use Lucidpress, reviewed here. As a follow-up, you could assign students to investigate and create reports on other insect-born diseases, then use PDF to Flipbook Converter, reviewed here to turn their Word documents, PDFs, and images into an online book. Have students create an interactive image describing ticks and Lyme disease including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Genially, reviewed here. Genially can be used for a variety of assignments in any classroom that is integrating technology as an enhancement, modification, or transformation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tread Lightly! - Tread Lightly! Inc
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): conservation (82), environment (238)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many free materials for use in classroom lessons about the environment. Use the magnifying glass and search bar to find the Quick Tips Home Page. Then, have students explore the Quick Tips portion of the site and create their own environmental Quick Tips online posters individually or together as a class. For the novice technology user try these two tools to enhance technology use in your classroom: PicLits, reviewed here, or Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here. For the more experienced transform the use of technology in your class with Sway, reviewed here, or give students a choice of projects to complete with Genial.ly, reviewed here. Both Sway and Genial.ly will allow your students to create multimedia projects. Consider becoming a Tread Lightly! member as a class or school and apply for a recreation stewardship grant to organize a clean-up day in your community.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ultimate Camp Resource - Ultimate Camp Resources
Grades
K to 12tag(s): back to school (62), crafts (50), family (53), makerspace (41), seasonal (17), songs (44), sports (78), summer (28)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this tool for the first week of school or any time that you want to experience some "team-building" in your class. Use this site to find games and activities for classroom icebreakers. Find ideas on this site to build relationships among students. There is even an Art Project section (scroll to the bottom menu to find it) that has lots of crafts for your makerspace! Share this site with parent helpers to find ideas for classroom parties.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ranger Rick - National Wildlife Federation
Grades
K to 7This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animal homes (56), animals (278), game based learning (171), guided reading (33), independent reading (85), scientists (62)
In the Classroom
In the Animals sections, elementary students can conduct research on different kinds of animals including their place in the animal kingdom. At computer stations/centers have students look at the sets of animal pictures and identify common characteristics that are found for each set of animals to determine why they are categorized into each part of the animal kingdom. Use the interactive games as a center at an interactive whiteboard/projector. The games are fast and simple and can be used as a lesson opener to engage and capture the students attention.As a culminating activitiy, challenge students to write an adventure story where Ranger Rick and his animal friends have to get our of a sticky situation. Use a tool such as Printable Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here, for a nontech rough and final draft. If you're new to using technology with your students, or teach younger students augment techology use with ToonyTool, reviewed here, for their final drafts. To modify tech use in your class and for more experienced, older students try Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here.
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Roadtrippers - Roadtrippers
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (143), field trips (8), virtual field trips (80)
In the Classroom
Bring the world of road tripping to your class! Plan journeys as math challenges to determine the amount of money required. Give students a budget and see what happens. Challenge students to create a dream trip and a budget trip. Find the difference between the two. You could use an online tool such as the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to replace a paper and pencil Venn Diagram. Bring the settings of your favorite stories to life! Introduce a travel blog by pursuing the saved trip journals. Again, preview what you will show students as not all journals are kid friendly. Post the trips with pictures and a travel diary on your class blog or learning management system (LMS) class group.Comments
This is a great tool to explore the world.Melissa, , Grades: 0 - 5
Great resource!Lacey, , Grades: 0 - 5
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How Does Your Garden Grow? A Project-Based Approach to Learning - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 6tag(s): book lists (159), life cycles (21), plants (141), soil (16)
In the Classroom
After reading one or two of the suggested books as a class, brainstorm what students know about gardens using your interactive whiteboard or projector. Consider setting up stations around the room with the other recommended books and their activities; be sure to request some of the books on inter-library loan if you do not have them in your school. After completing the stations, return to the brainstorm and revise what students know about gardens and planting. Use some of the ideas from Gather Information to implement spring garden planting, literacy, and a growing understanding of science. Next step, planting! Use one or more of the ideas in this article for planting your garden. You might even consider working across grade levels and subjects and planning a school garden together. Your health/PE teacher will probably join in the effort! Follow through with one or more of the Show What You Know suggestions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Booklist: Weather, Climate, and Earth's Atmosphere - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 9tag(s): atmosphere (23), book lists (159), climate (80), earth (185), independent reading (85), weather (163)
In the Classroom
Encourage students to select from this list for independent reading to support your unit on disasters, weather, or the Earth's atmosphere. Share it with your school library/media specialist or public library, as well, for them to "pull" books in support of your science units. Extend the experience by having students create visual presentations of the concepts they learn. If you're a novice to using technology in your classroom, or you have young students, you may want to use a tool such as Fotor, reviewed here. For more experienced technology users try an online simple web page using WebNode, reviewed here, or a brochure, newsletter or poster using Sway, reviewed here. You could also look for a different tool for creation and sharing from this TeachersFirst Edge list of reviewed presentation tools .Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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