TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Oct 8, 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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Twig Science Reporter - Twig Education and Imperial College London

Grades
K to 8
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Twig Science Reporter provides high-quality videos and resources for teaching K-5 students science with real-world news through scientific inquiry and reasoning. Weekly content additions...more
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Twig Science Reporter provides high-quality videos and resources for teaching K-5 students science with real-world news through scientific inquiry and reasoning. Weekly content additions ensure fresh content for viewers. Scroll through the home page to view the most recent content. Each item includes information on the type of material within the link such as articles, video, or news update all correlated to NGSS standards. Also, all content includes learning points for discussion, curriculum keywords, and links to additional information. 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), endangered species (28), energy (131), environment (238), glaciers (17), human body (93), insects (67), oceans (146), weather (163)

In the Classroom

This site is a must-include for any elementary classroom (and perhaps middle school). Subscribe to receive emails with weekly updates. Include a link on classroom computers to use for both a science and non-fiction reading center. Have students create blogs using Telegra.ph here. Telegra.ph will create a "quick and easy" blog to be used one time only. A unique URL is provided, and with Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer. Add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. It's as easy as using a basic Word program! For K-2 students, consider using Easy Blog, here.

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Climate Kids - NASA

Grades
3 to 6
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Learn about climate change through games, articles, and interactives at Climate Kids. Choose from different aspects of climate change including atmpsphere, water (oceans) or plants...more
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Learn about climate change through games, articles, and interactives at Climate Kids. Choose from different aspects of climate change including atmpsphere, water (oceans) or plants and animals, or use links at the bottom of the page to choose the type of activity, video, games and more. In addition to student activities, this site features information and ideas for teaching about climate change.

tag(s): air (106), animals (278), carbon (15), climate (80), climate change (87), energy (131), oceans (146), plants (141), weather (163)

In the Classroom

Include Climate Kids with any unit on weather, oceans, or climate change. Share the site on your interactive whiteboard to feature specific games and activities for your students. The entire site may be overwhelming for younger students; instead of creating a link to the main site, create separate links to games and activities on classroom computers and on your class website. Upon completion of your unit, enhance learning and modify classroom technology by having students create a simple infographic sharing information about climate change using Infogram, reviewed here. Extend learning by having students take pictures of your local environment, then create an annotated image sharing potential effects of climate change, including text boxes and related links, using a tool such as a tool such as Image Annotator, reviewed here, for younger students, or Google Drawings, reviewed here, for older students. 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: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Weather Lab - Smithsonian Science Education Center

Grades
5 to 12
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Weather Lab is a browser-based app that allows you to take on the role of a meteorologist in North America. Interact with weather processes to predict spring weather and appropriate...more
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Weather Lab is a browser-based app that allows you to take on the role of a meteorologist in North America. Interact with weather processes to predict spring weather and appropriate clothing for different regions of the United States. Follow the instructions to choose an ocean current and air mass, then make your prediction for preparing for the day's weather. Correct predictions initiate an animation showing the weather event, or click to see a satellite image of a similar event.

tag(s): air (106), oceans (146), temperature (35), weather (163)

In the Classroom

Use this interactive as an introduction to weather patterns and wind movements in North America. Provide time for each student or groups of students to play with the different options and make observations about the weather that results. Make this assignment an online lab activity including an analysis portion about what temperature variations create similar weather outcomes. If they are able, have students research online, or use a textbook, to look for reasons for the weather patterns. This activity can also be used after a class discussion to check for understanding of the concepts.

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Life of a Can - Novelis

Grades
3 to 6
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This engaging interactive and classroom program demonstrates the impact of recycling just one can. Students make eco-friendly choices within the interactive to explore Cantown and earn...more
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This engaging interactive and classroom program demonstrates the impact of recycling just one can. Students make eco-friendly choices within the interactive to explore Cantown and earn Green Points for helping to recycle a can. Resources for educators include standards-aligned lessons to download.

tag(s): conservation (82), earth day (60), recycling (46)

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lesson plans shared on this site for use with Earth Day activities, or recycling and conservation units. Share a link to the interactive on classroom computers or your class website. Ask students to create a concept/mind map to organize the information they are learning. This could be done conventionally or digiatally. Consider using a digital concept mapping tool to replace the paper/pencil version of a concept map with MindMup, reviewed here. Next ask students to create a simple infographic sharing information on recycling using Visme, reviewed here, or create an interactive poster using Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Science4Fun - Abdul Wahab Malik

Grades
K to 5
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Science4Fun is a place for learning about science through short articles and interesting experiments. Choose a science topic to begin your learning experience. Easy to read information...more
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Science4Fun is a place for learning about science through short articles and interesting experiments. Choose a science topic to begin your learning experience. Easy to read information and images provide background on subjects including plants, animals, and more. Scroll down the home page to find experiments for learning about floatation, magnets, and energy. Each experiment includes a complete materials list and instructions.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animals (278), density (18), earth (185), electricity (60), energy (131), forces (37), friction (9), gravity (42), heat (15), magnetism (36), mass (19), motion (49), periodic table (44), planets (111), plants (141), preK (254), temperature (35)

In the Classroom

Bookmark Science4Fun as a resource for interesting, classroom-friendly science experiments. Share a link to experiments on your class web page for families to complete at home. Consider taking photos of the different stages of an experiment your students are doing in class. Use Google Slides, reviewed here, to display them on your webpage for students and families to view at any time.

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2 Minute Geology - Nick Zentner and Tom Foster

Grades
6 to 12
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2 Minute Geology is a YouTube playlist featuring short, informative videos discussing geological features from around the world. Topics include petrified wood, the Seattle earthquake...more
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2 Minute Geology is a YouTube playlist featuring short, informative videos discussing geological features from around the world. Topics include petrified wood, the Seattle earthquake fault, and more. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): earthquakes (44), floods (10), geology (64), rocks (36), volcanoes (55)

In the Classroom

Flip your classroom and use a video as homework. Have students take notes on the material and write down questions they still have and topics that confuse them. Or, use a tool like EdPuzzle, reviewed here, for students to pause videos and ask or answer questions right on the video. These activities can uncover misconceptions. Show the video to the class, and then discuss the concept at length. Use these videos to introduce geology concepts, then have students choose an idea to research further. For more advanced classes, provide time for students to choose a video to view and research the underlying concept. Challenge students to make a multimedia presentation of their findings using Sway, reviewed here, or Vevox, reviewed here. Vevox offers interactive features such as real-time polls and comments to keep viewers interested and involved in the presentation. To share a single video from this site without all the YouTube clutter, use a tool such as View Pure, reviewed here, and create a shortcut to the View Pure page directly on the desktop.

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Global Forest Change Explorer - Univ of MD, Google Earth Engine & Science in the Classroom

Grades
6 to 12
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Discover and learn about changes to forests from around the world with this interactive tool. Explore the data from three different perspectives - countries, ecosystems, and hotspots....more
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Discover and learn about changes to forests from around the world with this interactive tool. Explore the data from three different perspectives - countries, ecosystems, and hotspots. The Global Forest Change Explorer also includes a downloadable curriculum and a four-page questionnaire for students to guide them around the site and test knowledge.

tag(s): conservation (82), forests (28), maps (208)

In the Classroom

Encourage students to explore this tool with a focus on a specific area or country. Have them create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Visme, reviewed here. Have students create commercials with their ideas for saving the forests using a tool such as Powtoon, reviewed here.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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National Geographic Kids - National Geographic

Grades
K to 7
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National Geographic offers this kid-centric site as a companion to National Geographic Kids magazines and Little Kids magazines. The focus is on information about animals, geography,...more
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National Geographic offers this kid-centric site as a companion to National Geographic Kids magazines and Little Kids magazines. The focus is on information about animals, geography, and the natural world presented in a fun and engaging format. Use this busy interactive site for free, register to gain access to more content. Buttons on the home page lead to short videos, images, stories, polls, news bites, games, and activities. The site includes heavy advertising for the magazine subscriptions. A search box at the top right allows for exploration of the extensive content.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animals (278), countries (69), endangered species (28), environment (238), plants (141), reading comprehension (142)

In the Classroom

This site is perfect for interactive whiteboards or projectors. Display the site on your whiteboard to use as a learning center for students. Select videos for lesson introductions for flipped or blended learning activities. For language arts, practice finding the main idea or summarizing stories using these interesting informational texts. ENL/ESL learners can also find accessible news stories here. Choose words from stories to include with weekly spelling tests or as vocabulary builders. Assign different stories to groups of students to summarize and present to the class. Enhance learning by challenging cooperative learning groups to create videos about any article on the site. Upload images (use Creative Commons or other copyright-safe pictures) and use moovly, reviewed here, for this project. Then share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Use the site for learning games that will appeal more to younger students. Preview all video since some feature animals hunting which may upset some students.

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Climate Change Resources - TeachersFirst

Grades
K to 12
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This collection of resources about climate change is selected to help teachers and students learn more about the short and long term impact of climate change. As students read ...more
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This collection of resources about climate change is selected to help teachers and students learn more about the short and long term impact of climate change. As students read and see images of climate change then, now, and in the future, they will gain a better understanding. Younger students may have more questions as you explore together.

tag(s): climate change (87)

In the Classroom

Use these resources with your students to find ways you can all make a difference. Use this opportunity to teach about persuasive writing (letters to the editor or government officials), careers in science, current events, and more.

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CurriConnects Book List - Earth Science - TeachersFirst

Grades
K to 12
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Use this CurriConnects list to find books related to Earth Science. CurriConnects thematic book lists include ISBN numbers for ordering or searching, interest grade levels, ESL levels...more
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Use this CurriConnects list to find books related to Earth Science. CurriConnects thematic book lists include ISBN numbers for ordering or searching, interest grade levels, ESL levels and Lexiles''® to match with student independent reading levels to challenge, not frustrate. Don't miss other CurriConnects themes being added regularly.

tag(s): book lists (159), earth (185), reading lists (80)

In the Classroom

Build student literacy skills, reinforce what students are learning about Earth Science, and help students build the important reading strategy of connecting what they read to prior (classroom!) knowledge. Share this link on your class web page or wiki so students can select independent reading books to accompany your unit on Earth Science. Don't forget to share the list with the school and local libraries so they can bring in some of the books on interlibrary loan. CurriConnects are a great help for teachers who have lost school library/media specialists due to budget cuts.

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