TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jul 23, 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
Roadtrip Nation - Mike Marriner, Nathan Gebhard, Brian McAllister & PBS
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Include Roadtrip Nation as part of your career exploration activities. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts sharing information about their chosen career field. Encourage students to interview someone in that field either in person or online. Use a site such as podomatic, reviewed here, to record the interview.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Coaching Boys Into Men - Futures Without Violence
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): bullying (49), character education (76), difficult conversations (58), mental health (34), mentoring (6), school violence (10), social and emotional learning (81), social skills (22), sports (77)
In the Classroom
Share this program with your school's athletic coaches, physical education teachers, school counselors, and parents who coach athletic teams. Use the program locator to find nearby communities involved with the program. Invite a local coach to speak to young men in your school regarding healthy relationship skills. Extend technology use and student learning by having them create a newspaper featuring sports role models using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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From Provocative to Productive - NewseumEd
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): character education (76), debate (37), difficult conversations (58), listening (68), speaking (22)
In the Classroom
Have this lesson handy when a controversial or contentious subject emerges. You just never know when that will happen, but you can run with it if you prepare using these NewseumEd guidelines. Share them with students, so they will understand what they need to do to participate successfully in a discussion or debate. Are there no issues at hand? Try finding one using Code Switch, reviewed here. At Code Switch find award-winning journalists from a variety of races to share their perspectives on current issues. Try giving students a choice! Show them several subjects and use Dotstorming, reviewed here, to comment and vote on topics for the discussion. Use the opportunity to hone students information literacy skills by reviewing how to evaluate and cite sources. Once they have researched their topic, and are ready to discuss, use a tool such as Thinkalong, reviewed here, to practice their discussion and argument strategies. With older students, a next step might be to take the debate public using Virtual Debate, reviewed here, which has online examples and resources for conducting virtual debates.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Amazing Things Happen! An Introduction to Autism - amazingthingshappen.tv
Grades
K to 12tag(s): autism (13), brain (54), disabilities (29), Special Needs (53)
In the Classroom
Share this short video with your class as part of any discussions on autism. Stop the video at different points along the way to discuss the information and develop knowledge of how to understand and work with autistic students. Consider enhancing classroom technology use and giving all students a chance to voice their opinions (even the shy and quiet ones) by using a tool like Yo!Teach, reviewed here. Backchannel Chat is an easy tool to manage if you are starting the process of integrating technology into your classroom. If you and your students are more advanced with technology, you may want to modify technology use in your classroom with a tool such as Vibby, reviewed here, where you AND your students can annotate, highlight, and ask questions or make observations about the content of the video. This video is also perfect for use during staff meetings as an introduction to considering tools and guidelines for working with autistic students. Include a link to this video on your class webpage to share with parents.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ChatterHigh - Lee Taal
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
Include ChatterHigh as part of any career exploration opportunity for students. This site was created in Canada, so many quizzes relate to Canadian sites; however, the information may be useful for many career searches. Use the information found on quizzes as the basis for students creating their own questions for career and college searches. After researching information, have students make a multimedia presentation to discuss with their peers what they discovered about a career path they may want to take. Replace traditional presentations by using Slides, reviewed here, if you are starting the process of integrating technology into your classroom. Slides is an easy tool to manage if you are familiar with PowerPoint or Keynote. If you and your students are more advanced with technology, enhance their learning with a tool such as Canva for Education, reviewed here, for students to create a custom, multimedia poster, presentation, or flyer for the career path they are interested in pursuing.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Art of Storytelling - Pixar/Khan Academy
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): creative writing (121), descriptive writing (39), movies (51), writers workshop (31), writing (315)
In the Classroom
This site is a perfect addition to any creative writing class or any teachers who would like to have students create a digital story as a project. Share videos on your interactive whiteboard to watch together, or embed onto your class website for students to view on their own. Take advantage of the activities to help students identify what makes them connect to their favorite movies. Have students or groups collect ideas and findings. With younger or less technically experienced students, use an online tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, for the collection of ideas. The Padlet application creates free online bulletin boards. With older or more technically experienced students, use a tool such as Voxer, reviewed here, for students to discuss what they learned. Voxer is a combination of instant voice and text messages. You can also text images.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Children and Youth in History - Center for History and New Media
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): africa (137), china (62), england (50), japan (56), primary sources (117), Research (83), slavery (75), south america (36)
In the Classroom
Save time with the ready-to-go, free resources found on this site during your studies of geography and cultures. Compare and contrast life in your area to those around the world. Modify classroom technology use by having students create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map as they learn about children around the world.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Choose 2 Matter - Choose2Matter Inc.
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): back to school (63), character education (76), differentiation (84), mentoring (6), professional development (394), social and emotional learning (81)
In the Classroom
Even if you don't plan on teaching any of the modules, use the included activities and videos to support SEL learning in your classroom. Extend student learning by having students upload a photo they have taken and add their voice with their manifesto using a tool such as Blabberize, reviewed here. Include an area on your LMS or class website for you and your students to share actions that contribute to helping themselves and others.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Booklist: Taking Care of Me - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (161), cooking (30), dental health (15), fitness (38), independent reading (85), nutrition (134), sports (77)
In the Classroom
This collection could accompany a unit in health, science, or physical education. These books provide experience with both fiction and nonfiction informational texts. They often require students to draw inferences about the "facts." Allow students (or partners) to choose their own book. Share this list with your school library/media specialist or public library, as well, for them to "pull" books in support of your science/social studies units. Extend the experience by having students create visual presentations of the concepts they learn. Challenge students to create a presentation using Prezi, reviewed here, or Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Mighty Girl - Carolyn Danckaert and Aaron Smith
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): biographies (93), book lists (161), cross cultural understanding (157), literature (217), women (137), womens suffrage (44)
In the Classroom
Choose from books included on this site for classroom use portraying strong female role models. Share with parents through your website for use at home when choosing books, movies, and toys. After reading two books, compare characters using an online tool such as the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Gifts of Character Readalouds - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 6tag(s): christmas (37), holidays (163), independent reading (85)
In the Classroom
Mark this one in your favorites to bring out in late November, just in time for the holiday season. Or include it during a character education unit. Maybe invite some parents to volunteer as readers, modeling how adults give of their own time to support others.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Do Something.org - Do Something.org Team
Grades
7 to 12There are suggestions, resources, and support to empower young people and give them the energy to take action and make a difference. Whether their passion is to feed the homeless, end bullying, help even the playing field of educational inequalities, or many more needy causes, this website is chock full of easy to access information and strategies that encourage teenagers to decide for themselves how they can contribute their time and desire to make a difference.
tag(s): character education (76), Project Based Learning (25), service projects (17)
In the Classroom
Do you believe that kids can change the world? What are you doing about that? If you have been thinking about involving your class in some type of community service and project based learning, but need some direction, DoSomething.org is a phenomenal place to "shop" around for ideas. Perhaps you may want to start by showing the film, Pay It Forward, or with a writing prompt, "If you were given time in school to come up with one idea that could be put into action right now by people your age that would make this school or this community a better place, what would it be and how would you put your plan into action?" Have students share ideas in small groups, then introduce them to DoSomething.org by projecting it on your classroom whiteboard or projector, viewing some of the short videos, and using the power of the internet to empower them to act now. Challenge students to collect Internet resources for their cause using Wakelet, reviewed here, where they can add a cover image, background, collaborate with others, and chose the layout they prefer. Next, enhance learning by asking your students to create an interactive infographic using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to explain their ideas about their cause and how they would put their plan into action. Club advisers, school counselors, and teachers of gifted can use the empowering resources of this site to inspire students to ACT.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Parent and Teacher Association
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
The PTA holds a Reflections contest, with a theme, each year. Students can write essays, or create art and music. There are several categories for possible student products to submit. The search is on for a future National PTA Reflections theme! One theme will be chosen on February 1, 2018 to inspire creativity for the 2019-2020 PTA Reflections program theme. The winner will receive $100 and recognition at the Annual National PTA Convention. Visit your state's Reflections program page for an entry form and deadline.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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