TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Sep 27, 2020
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
NASA Science - NASA
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): earth (185), explorers (64), solar system (108), space (212), STEM (259), sun (69)
In the Classroom
Become acquainted with the information shared on this site to use within your current lessons on space and science. View videos together on your interactive whiteboard or have students view videos at home and share questions and their thoughts in class. Include information from this site with other web resources to share with students. Use a bookmarking site like Raindrop.io, reviewed here, to share online resources collaboratively. In addition to saving bookmarks, Raindrop.io allows you to add comments to saved resources. Work together as a class to create resources for researching science topics. Instead of just watching videos, increase and enhance student learning through the use of a site such as playposit, reviewed here. playposit offers tools for adding both student and teacher comments to online videos. Use this resource to point out important information, ask critical questions, and challenge student thinking. Instead of assessing student learning of your science topic through tests or research projects, offer students the opportunity to share learning by creating their own game based on their research using a game-creation tool like Scratch, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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SCALE Science Education - Stanford University
Grades
6 to 8tag(s): adaptations (14), biodiversity (30), cells (80), chemicals (39), climate change (87), earth (185), ecosystems (71), energy (131), genealogy (8), genetics (76), matter (47), oceans (146), solar system (108), space (212)
In the Classroom
Save yourself a little time with these free units and include them with your current teaching materials. Also, take advantage of the site's free webinar introducing the materials and how to use them in the classroom. Instead of using written journals throughout your unit, ask students to replace these by keeping online journals with Microsoft Word or Google Documents: alternatively have students use a blog tool such as Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. With Telegra.ph have students click on an icon to upload related images, add YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. Throughout the lessons ask students to highlight and share important information, add annotations, and add links to additional information. As you add resources for students, use Wakelet, reviewed here, to share information on your website or blog. Ask students to enhance their learning and create personal Wakelets including images from projects and their journal entries. As a final project, have students extend their learning by creating an explainer video of their activities using a video creation tool like Typito, reviewed here. Typito includes a broad range of editing tools in an easy to use format for creating video explainers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NASA Image and Video Library - NASA
Grades
K to 12tag(s): images (270), planets (111), space (212), stars (65), video (256)
In the Classroom
Include this site with your other bookmarks for images and space-related content. Use Symbaloo, reviewed here, to share all of your space bookmarks in one easy to find location. This NASA site is an excellent resource for finding images to use with creative writing prompts; display an interesting image from the site for student storytelling lessons. Exchange paper and pen writing journals, and share their writing using Edublog, reviewed here. As students learn about space topics, ask them to find an image on this site then use Image Annotator, reviewed here, to enhance their learning by annotating the image with text, video, and web links to additional information. Extend student learning by having students create a video presentation about space using a video creation tool like Typito, reviewed here. Typito includes templates and additional tools to create professional-looking videos or use your own images and video.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ESASky - European Space Agency
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
If you teach astronomy be sure to bookmark this site for easy reference at any time. Make it easy for students to find bookmarked sites like this by creating a Padlet, reviewed here, with all of your shared resources. Create columns in your Padlet to organize resources by type or topic. For example, create columns for interactives like this site, video explainers, and informative websites. Use the share button included on this site to share specific regions or resources with students for use in class or research. As students learn about different star formations, have them modify their technology use and enhance their learning as they create infographics using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to describe and share facts about their research. As a final project, have students redefine their technology use and extend their learning by including their infographic in a multimedia presentation as an alternative to a typical research paper. Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, offers tools for creating web pages that include videos, photos, and slide presentations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Science News for Students - Society for Science and the Public
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): body systems (40), brain (54), careers (139), earth (185), environment (238), evolution (85), genetics (76), human body (93), space (212), STEM (259)
In the Classroom
Include a link to Science News for Students on classroom computers to include with other non-fiction reading resources for students. Have students browse through the site to find information of interest when choosing science fair or research topics. Enhance students' learning by asking them to create an infographic related to a science topic using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. This very easy to use tool includes drag and drop tools for easy creation of infographics using included templates or your own design. Take student research a step further and redefine their technology use by having students use Google Drawings, reviewed here, to upload an image related to their science research and add annotations. 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. to upload an image related to their science research and add annotations. Weaker readers will need a reading buddy for some of the more challenging articles. Classes in lower grades will want to read the articles together. A quick check on one article using Juicy Studio's Readability test, reviewed here, provided an approximate grade level of 6.5. Check articles before assigning to elementary students. You might also want to use Word Sift, reviewed here, to quickly identify important words that appear in the text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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3D Apollo 11 Command Module - Smithsonian Museum
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): explorers (64), moon (70), space (212), STEM (259), virtual field trips (80)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site on classroom computers for students to explore during your space unit or when studying modern explorers. Introduce the site on your interactive whiteboard to demonstrate the different features before having students explore on their own. Use Wakelet, reviewed here to curate and share additional web resources about space exploration as a class, or have students create their own Wakelet sharing resources found through individual research. As a culminating project for more advanced technology users, have students create an interactive timeline using Timelinely, reviewed here, or choose from other timeline creation tools located here to tell the story of space exploration and man's mission to the moon.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Universe and Space - Science Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): space (212)
In the Classroom
If you are teaching about the universe and space, be sure to bookmark (or save) this collection. There are resources here for all grades, plus many extra tools on the tagged list. Share sites on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Provide the link on your class website for students to access both in and out of class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Smithsonian X 3D - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): coral (10), dinosaurs (38), electricity (60), fossils (39), jamestown (7), lincoln (59), magnetism (36), museums (43), presidents (120), space (212), STEM (259), virtual field trips (80)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these many resources to take a virtual visit with your class to the Smithsonian Museum. View artifacts and tours together on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector then allow students to explore on their own. After viewing a tour, ask students to research a topic further. Instead of a written report have students create an online quiz for fellow students using a quiz tool like QuizWhizzer, reviewed here. Use a video response tool like Flip, reviewed here, for student collaboration and sharing of research. Extend learning by asking students to create their own virtual field trip using Google Earth, reviewed here. Have students add articles, images, and videos to locations featured on their virtual trip.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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AeroSpaceGuide - Vic Stathopoulos
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): explorers (64), solar system (108), space (212), STEM (259)
In the Classroom
Use AeroSpaceGuide as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Allow students time to explore as a starting point for further research into space-related topics. Enhance learning and modify classroom technology use by having students create an infographic sharing their space research using Visme , reviewed here. Upon completion of your space unit transform classroom technology use by having students make a multimedia presentation featuring information learned using slides, reviewed here, or Lucidpress, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Exploratorium - Exploratorium
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): atmosphere (23), colors (65), earth (185), electricity (60), energy (131), geology (64), light (52), magnetism (36), matter (47), motion (49), oceans (146), optical illusions (10), optics (12), sound (74), space (212), STEM (259), temperature (35), time (91), water (101)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many resources found on Exploratorium to supplement science lessons. Resources include animations, songs, activities, and more. Share this site with students to use as inspiration for science fair projects. After using resources from the site, enhance learning by having students make a multimedia presentation including information learned, using Sway, reviewed here. Sway creates unique multimedia projects using text, images, and media. Change the look of your Sway using the Mood and Remix tools to change the color palette, layout, and fonts. Alternatively, choose one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Space - Time - Time Inc.
Grades
4 to 9This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Include a link to this site on classroom computers as a non-fiction resource for reading material. This site will be especially helpful for students with a high interest in space exploration. If you want to remove distracting advertisements, use a site such as Juicy Studios: Readability Test, reviewed here. Use this site on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector as you explore the latest news from space.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Space - BBC
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): solar system (108), space (212)
In the Classroom
Include this site with your other bookmarks for images and space-related content. Use Symbaloo, reviewed here, to share all of your space bookmarks in one easy to find location. As students learn about different star formations, engage and enhance their learning by inviting them to create infographics using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to describe and share facts about their research. As a final project, have students extend their learning by including their infographic in a multimedia presentation as an alternative to a typical research paper. Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, offers tools for creating web pages that include videos, photos, and slide presentations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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