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

 

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SciJinks: Its All About Weather! - NOAA/NASA

Grades
3 to 12
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SciJinks offers informative articles and games geared toward middle school students as they learn about weather, satellite meteorology, and Earth science. Use the list on the left side...more
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SciJinks offers informative articles and games geared toward middle school students as they learn about weather, satellite meteorology, and Earth science. Use the list on the left side of the page to choose from topics, answers, find games and videos, and much more. Select the Topics section to find many ideas for use in science classrooms including content aligned to Next Generation Science Standards. The videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(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.
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Vanishing: The Extinction Crisis is Far Worse than you Think - CNN

Grades
6 to 12
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This CNN interactive takes an in-depth look at vanishing species around the globe along with the reasons for their disappearance. Scroll through to discover how humans are causing species...more
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This CNN interactive takes an in-depth look at vanishing species around the globe along with the reasons for their disappearance. Scroll through to discover how humans are causing species to go extinct at a rate 100 times faster than normal. Watch videos as scientists describe physical changes occuring on the earth's surface, view interactives demonstrating animal habitat changes, and more.

tag(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.

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Get Your Hands Dirty Guide - Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens

Grades
K to 12
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Get Your Hands Dirty is a guide to growing plants and keeping animals at school. Download this packet for specific information on enhancing learning opportunities through the nurturing...more
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Get Your Hands Dirty is a guide to growing plants and keeping animals at school. Download this packet for specific information on enhancing learning opportunities through the nurturing of growing things. Also, this guide provides tips and directions for getting started in many different situations including those with little or no land. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): animals (278), nutrition (134), plants (141)

In 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!
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Beach Chair Scientist - Ann McElhatton

Grades
5 to 12
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Discover science while enjoying the beach and the outdoors with Beach Chair Scientist's blog. Read the latest posts on the site's homepage featuring titles such as "Seven silly science...more
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Discover science while enjoying the beach and the outdoors with Beach Chair Scientist's blog. Read the latest posts on the site's homepage featuring titles such as "Seven silly science sea words." To find specific topics, scroll down the page to find links to archives and categories including Citizen Science and Environmental Education.

tag(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.

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Project BudBurst - Chicago Botanic Garden

Grades
K to 12
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Collect data about plants, learn about climate change, and participate by posting your findings for both with Project Budburst. Join Project Budburst and become part of a community...more
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Collect data about plants, learn about climate change, and participate by posting your findings for both with Project Budburst. Join Project Budburst and become part of a community of citizen scientists! Record the observations of first leafing, first flower, etc. (especially for native plant species), and have them reported to a national database. Under the Activities tab at the top find For Educators and from there scroll down the page to choose curricula by grade level (PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, and Higher Education). You may also want to check out Groups. For K-12 there are lists for National Science Education Standards (NSES) and Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics. Under each level find helpful guides for using the site and supplemental activities. Registration is free and allows for reporting data and becoming a citizen scientist.

tag(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.

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Educators Guides to Lyme Disease - Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Grades
3 to 8
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This site offers a free mini-unit on tick bite prevention and Lyme disease. Download the teacher overview (correlated to Next Generation Science Standards), PowerPoint, and student...more
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This site offers a free mini-unit on tick bite prevention and Lyme disease. Download the teacher overview (correlated to Next Generation Science Standards), PowerPoint, and student packet for use in any classroom. The full-color presentations include easy to understand information and activities including a graph, crossword puzzle, wordsearch, fill-in-the-blank worksheet, and a design your own brochure assignment.

tag(s): diseases (66), insects (67)

In 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.
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Tread Lightly! - Tread Lightly! Inc

Grades
5 to 12
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Tread Lightly! is an organization devoted to balancing the needs of outdoor recreation with environmental stewardship. Learn about conservation methods and ideas through Tread Lightly!'s...more
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Tread Lightly! is an organization devoted to balancing the needs of outdoor recreation with environmental stewardship. Learn about conservation methods and ideas through Tread Lightly!'s blog and education resources. Be sure to follow links to teaching resources including many files available for free download. There are also videos to watch under the Education tab. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
This 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.
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Ultimate Camp Resource - Ultimate Camp Resources

Grades
K to 12
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Enter the world of Ultimate Camp Resources and find a myriad of songs, games, and more to use at home, at camp, or in a classroom. Download and print all ...more
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Enter the world of Ultimate Camp Resources and find a myriad of songs, games, and more to use at home, at camp, or in a classroom. Download and print all skits, songs, games or just the one you're interested in. Some of the songs even have videos!

tag(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.

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Ranger Rick - National Wildlife Federation

Grades
K to 7
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Access trivia, jokes, interactives, and information about animals and people that are helping wildlife and the environment. Ranger Rick includes information geared more toward the primary...more
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Access trivia, jokes, interactives, and information about animals and people that are helping wildlife and the environment. Ranger Rick includes information geared more toward the primary grades and the Ranger Rick Magazine is geared toward grades 4-7. Find videos, projects, crafts, songs, printables, recipes, and outdoor activities to use with individuals or a class. It is full of bright colors, kid-friendly graphics and real life pictures that go along with the information. There is no login required for this site; you can hop on and dive right in. Be sure to see the Parents and Educators sections. Ranger Rick will work on any device with a browser and Internet connection.
This 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 12
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Jump onto your computer and start your road trip! Choose a destination, and start planning the Hotels, Attractions, Natural Wonders, and Weird Stuff for your trip. Plan your trip by...more
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Jump onto your computer and start your road trip! Choose a destination, and start planning the Hotels, Attractions, Natural Wonders, and Weird Stuff for your trip. Plan your trip by entering the starting address and the final destination. Instantly discover the journey's duration, the amount of money needed for gas, and the mileage. Choose the dates you will travel and save your trip. Print your plans, email them to yourself or others, or access your trip plans on the app. Plan several trips and save them in your account. Not sure where you want to go? Discover interesting areas by viewing the stories posted on Roadtrippers. Be sure to preview what you will show students as not all journals are kid friendly.
This 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.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

Comments

This is a great tool to explore the world. Melissa, , Grades: 0 - 5
Tammy, OR, Grades: 0 - 9
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 6
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Implement every aspect of the curriculum through gardening using this TeachersFirst special Help! I Lost My Library/Media Specialist article. Find suggested books (many with links for...more
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Implement every aspect of the curriculum through gardening using this TeachersFirst special Help! I Lost My Library/Media Specialist article. Find suggested books (many with links for activities for the book), background knowledge, a section on gathering information (with suggested activities), suggested activities for growing your garden, ISTE Standards for Students and AASL National School Library Standards, extension activities and more. The ideas and activties can range in grade levels from kindergarten to seventh grade. This is only one of many classroom-ready articles in our Help! I lost my library/media specialist!. If food and nutrition are more of a focus, you will want to check out this article from the Help! I lost my library/media specialist! series.

tag(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.

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CurriConnects Booklist: Weather, Climate, and Earth's Atmosphere - TeachersFirst

Grades
K to 9
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Brace yourself for the weather in these books about storm phenomena, weather disasters, climate change, and weather's causes and effects. These non-fiction selections offer possible...more
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Brace yourself for the weather in these books about storm phenomena, weather disasters, climate change, and weather's causes and effects. These non-fiction selections offer possible informational texts to practice Common Core science literacy skills and experience with "close reading." The interest levels for this list are predominantly elementary and middle school but include selections for more able readers. CurriConnects thematic book lists include ISBN numbers for ordering or searching, interest grade levels, ESL levels and Lexiles''''''''''''''® to match student independent reading levels to challenge, not frustrate. For more on text complexity and Lexiles''''''''''''®, see this information from the Lexile Framework. Don't miss other CurriConnects themes being added regularly. If your library does not have the books, try interlibrary loan!

tag(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 .

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