TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Apr 11, 2021
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
Daily Do Playlists - NSTA (National Science Teaching Association)
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animals (284), biomes (113), climate change (88), colors (64), diseases (67), earthquakes (45), planets (112), plants (147), seasons (36), stars (68), STEM (267), temperature (35), water (101)
In the Classroom
Use the lessons found in the Daily Do Playlists to provide valuable science lessons throughout the school year. Download and save the PDF versions to have available for use at any time. Consider saving all lessons for your grade level in Wakelet, reviewed here, to make them easy to locate. As you complete activities, use Google Jamboard, reviewed here, to enhance learning through a variety of activities. Create columns and ask students to sort information by different categories, create an exit activity and have students add sticky notes sharing their learning or add an image and ask students to label different parts of the image. Have students or groups of students share their understanding of science topics by creating digital books using Book Creator, reviewed here. Include students' research reports, have students record videos explaining the science content and add pictures of students as they complete the experiments and activities.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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MIT Full STEAM Ahead - MIT
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): design (79), diseases (67), earth (184), engineering (120), game based learning (175), inventors and inventions (70), makerspace (41), sounds (43), space (215), STEM (267)
In the Classroom
As students participate in the activities and lessons shared on this site, utilize the many features of Google Documents or Microsoft Word to gather information, and collaborate with peers. Use spreadsheet tools to record findings and create graphs to evaluate the results of experiments. Engage students in the learning process by adding questions and comments to the videos in the learning packages using edpuzzle, reviewed here. Ask students to use Sway, reviewed here, to share the products of their learning activities. Add text, images, videos, and more to create multimedia presentations. Use the learning packages to find activities and resources to incorporate into your current learning units. Be sure to check out the interactives (games) that focus on problem-solving and collaboration skills.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Hubble Birthday - NASA
Grades
5 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site to engage students in learning about space exploration and the universe beyond planet Earth. Share images on your interactive whiteboard or have students explore on their own on their mobile devices. Ask students to use one image as the starting point for a research project based upon your curriculum. Encourage students to keep notes using Google Documents or Microsoft Word. Have students use a photo collage creation tool such as PhotoCollage, reviewed here, to combine images with common characteristics or ask them to use Image Annotator, reviewed here, to annotate images to discuss features including the location of the image, add links to additional information, and more. As an extension activity, ask students or groups of students to create digital books using Book Creator, reviewed here, about their research. For example, have groups create books about stars, planets, or the solar system that include images, videos, and student research.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Genetics - Science Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
List these tools on your website for students to use for review and preparation for a test. Share the interactive sites on your projector with the class. A few of these are device agnostic and available as both an app and on the web.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Young Scientist Lab - Discovery Education and 3M
Grades
K to 8tag(s): careers (139), data (148), forces (37), light (51), magnetism (36), recycling (45), rockets (11), sound (73)
In the Classroom
Add this site to your science lesson resources. As students complete activities ask them to create blogs describing their experiments and results. Webnode, reviewed here, is a simple tool for creating and sharing blogs for all grade levels. Have students share their science experiments through weekly or monthly podcasts using a podcasting tool like Podcast Generator, reviewed here. Don't forget to ask students to include both failures and successes when discussing their experiments!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Amazing Space - Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): gravity (41), measurement (125), solar system (109), space (215), stars (68), statistics (116), STEM (267), telescopes (10)
In the Classroom
Be sure to bookmark this site if you teach space science for the many available resources shared with educators. Share the various resources on your whiteboard or with a projector then let students explore on classroom computers or their own device. Include a link to this site on your class website for students to access from home. Use an online portfolio site like Seesaw, reviewed here, for younger students, or about.me, reviewed here, for older students to collect artifacts and share their thoughts throughout your space unit. Extend student learning and ask them to use an augmented reality application like Metaverse Studio, reviewed here, to create an augmented reality display of different portions of our solar system.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Galaxy Zoo - Zooniverse
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): classification (21), space (215), stars (68), telescopes (10)
In the Classroom
Display Galaxy Zoo on an interactive whiteboard or projector and work together to compare and classify different images of galaxies. Be sure to create a Zooniverse account and save your classification choices. Use the data provided in the Navigator to further explore the data supplied. Have students create a simple infographic displaying different characteristics of galaxies using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Even if you aren't studying galaxies, this site provides many opportunities for teaching how to classify and compare information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List - Solar System and Space - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): scientists (63), solar system (109), space (215)
In the Classroom
Include this booklist as you count down to a unit on space so each student can do some personal exploration - and sharing with the class during the unit. Reading a book or two independently will help them will build "prior knowledge" and personal connections with the science concepts and give them more experience to bring to class discussions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Famous Scientists - famousscientists.org
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): inventors and inventions (70), scientists (63)
In the Classroom
The reading level of this site is rather challenging. Have weaker readers work together with stronger ones. While discussing scientists and inventors, use this site as a resource for gathering information. Have small groups of students research scientists from the same time period. Have them research their contributions including reactions of others to their discovery or invention. Research why these inventions were particularly important and the scientific knowledge that changed as a result. Have them present their findings to the class by creating a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online. Then, if you would like to take your students critical thinking up a notch and extend their learning, you could have the small groups compare the different inventions and decide how and why the earlier inventions had to come before a later invention could be developed. For this you might want to have students use a collaborative graphic organizer like Canva Edu, reviewed here, and have them report out their thoughts and discoveries to the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GeneBoy - Dolan DNA Learning Center
Grades
9 to 12Need some help navigating this site? Check out the "How To" button to learn how to use Gene Boy.
tag(s): dna (44), genetics (76), sequencing (17)
In the Classroom
This web application would be useful in higher level to advanced biology courses and college level biology courses. The application could be used in the classroom with students working in pairs or independently on laptops. Be sure to demonstrate the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Case Files - The Franklin Institute
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): aviation (38), energy (130), inventors and inventions (70), scientists (63), transportation (32)
In the Classroom
Why not use this website as a resource for "case file" research projects. Assign each student (or groups of students) a different person to investigate. Weaker readers may need a partner with strong reading skills. Then have the students present a multimedia presentation about their "case file." Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online. Or have a day when students actually portray their scientist and interact with others "in character."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Gene Scene - American Museum of Natural History
Grades
3 to 8In the Classroom
Assign students to explore a section and complete the genetic journey then use the computers to organize data and graph their D.N.A. findings. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to share and compare findings.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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USPTO - United States Patent and Trademark Office - United States Patent and Trademark Office
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): crafts (54), digital citizenship (92), inventors and inventions (70), sound (73), sports (81), STEM (267), video (257)
In the Classroom
Whether an elementary, middle, or high school teacher you'll find ideas for building model rockets and more. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector and start by viewing the video on the home page titled Extraordinary Innovations. Or, in your blended or flipped class have students watch the video at home and enhance their learning by using playposit, reviewed here, to take notes, make comments, or ask questions to document what they learned from the video. Be sure to have a small or whole group discussion about what they learned from the video using their notes & comments the next day! At the end of your lesson or unit on patents and trademarks, transform learning by challenging students to create a timeline for the invention of the snowboard, or motorcycles, or another topic of interest. Why not modify classroom technology and make this an interactive timeline with music, photos, videos, and more using Timeline JS, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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