TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Aug 29, 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
WittyWe - Yafit Ohana Baruch
Grades
K to 9
tag(s): body systems (43), branches of government (58), business (50), communication (137), electricity (61), environment (226), financial literacy (92), human body (90), internet safety (109), marine biology (25), native americans (85), photosynthesis (21), social and emotional learning (72), social media (47), world war 1 (65)
In the Classroom
Use the activities found in WittyWe to provide instruction in content not typically covered in all curriculums. For example, assign activities related to entrepreneurship to complete during computer centers or include free lessons about the law as part of civics lessons. Share links to free lessons using Symbaloo, reviewed here, for easy access by students. Include a link to your Symbaloo on your class website for students to access at home. Supplement your current lessons with those found on WittyWe using a learning management system such as TES Teach Blendspace, reviewed here. Include the free activities from this site along with videos, quizzes, and additional articles of your choosing. When it is time for students to demonstrate learning, provide options for showing what they know using Book Creator, reviewed here, or a video creation tool like Animoto, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Virtual Manipulatives - Toy Theater
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): charts and graphs (163), decimals (86), fractions (160), measurement (124), money (119), number lines (33), number sense (70), place value (34), tangrams (7)
In the Classroom
If you teach elementary math, this site is a must-have to include with your bookmarked sites. Include manipulatives from this site with blended learning and remote teaching lessons to provide students opportunities to explore and practice math content. Include a link to manipulatives and other student sites using Symbaloo, reviewed here, and share with students as a resource for practicing math concepts. Items to include might be instructional videos, online games, and other practice activities. Add manipulatives within a learning system such as TES Teach Blendspace, reviewed here, to create a complete online lesson that has opportunities for students to share and discuss their learning. Encourage students to share their findings by creating a screen recording using Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here. Ask students to conduct a math talk as a response to a teacher prompt after having the opportunity to explore and interact with the virtual manipulatives.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
PictureStem Project - Tamara Moore, Kristina Tank, and Elizabeth Gajdzik
Grades
K to 3tag(s): animal homes (57), animals (268), design (82), engineering (112), geometric shapes (131), main idea (8), measurement (124), numbers (118), patterns (62), phonics (48), preK (246), reading comprehension (128), STEM (229)
In the Classroom
Enjoy these free, high-quality STEM units to use in your elementary classroom. As you teach lessons found on this site, enhance learning using a portfolio-creation tool like Seesaw, reviewed here, to share student work and reflections. Upload images of student projects then use Seesaw to add video reflections, students' written responses, and more. Share Seesaw portfolios with parents during parent/teacher conferences to demonstrate student learning. If you are unable to use the complete units in your classroom, be sure to look through the many lessons to "mine" for shorter activities that work in your teaching situation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
K-3 STEM Foundations - Life Science - BioEd Online
Grades
K to 4tag(s): animals (268), brain (52), environment (226), habitats (82), OER (43), plants (136), preK (246), senses (19), water cycle (19)
In the Classroom
Reduce your planning time with these free lessons to use when teaching life science concepts in your classroom. Instead of printing worksheets for students, use a digital tool like Duck Soup, reviewed here, to scan the worksheet and create a digital activity. This tool allows students to "write" on worksheets digitally instead of using paper and pencil. Duck Soup includes features for allowing students to retry and submit work and also allows you to set a deadline for work submission. Enhance student learning by using Flip, reviewed here, to create video response questions for your students. Use the questions provided with the lesson units to challenge student thinking, then ask them to respond in Flip.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
STEM Resource Finder - The Concord Consortium
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animals (268), cells (79), dna (45), earthquakes (45), engineering (112), equations (117), genetics (70), measurement (124), plants (136), pollution (47), problem solving (214), space (206), stars (60), STEM (229), temperature (33), weather (155)
In the Classroom
Be sure to bookmark this site as a resource for many interactives and activities for teaching STEM topics. Place students in cooperative groups to complete activities or share ideas from this site for science fair projects. Ask students to share their research and projects and extend their learning using a tool like bulb, reviewed here. bulb offers a variety of options for building a personalized webpage without knowledge of coding.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Curious George STEM Collection - PBS Kids
Grades
K to 6tag(s): air (106), architecture (62), careers (131), charts and graphs (163), engineering (112), measurement (124), recycling (46), rockets (11), senses (19), simple machines (17), soil (17), sorting (4), STEM (229), water (96)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free lessons and videos to add to your current STEM teaching resources. Ask students to blog about their experiences as a substitution for handwritten journals using a tool like Seesaw, reviewed here. This tool makes blogging easy, even for the youngest students. To enhance learning for students, take pictures of class activities, then have students annotate images using ThingLink, reviewed here. Use ThingLink for students to extend their learning by adding a voice recording of their understanding of science and math concepts learned during lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Robotics Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): makerspace (42), robotics (23), STEM (229)
In the Classroom
Use these robotics resources during National Robotics Month (April) or any time of the year. If you are just getting started with Makerspace, and looking for some new resources, check out these sites!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Siemens STEM Day - Siemens Foundation and Discovery Education
Grades
K to 12tag(s): dna (45), ecosystems (68), energy (127), environment (226), erosion (13), fossils (40), genetics (70), human body (90), nutrition (134), oceans (134), rocks (35), senses (19), STEM (229), structures (19)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for STEM activities and support throughout the year. Reduce your planning time by using the free lessons available on the site. Before starting activities, have students create a word cloud of terms they know using a site such as Word Clouds for Kids, reviewed here, for younger students, or WordClouds, reviewed here, for older students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
STEM Careers Coalition - Discovery Education
Grades
K to 12tag(s): energy (127), geology (64), recycling (46), STEM (229), water (96)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and interactives. This site is excellent for enrichment; consider using the lessons with gifted students for independent learning or as project ideas for math and science fairs. Enhance student learning and classroom technology use by challenging students to make a multimedia presentation demonstrating ideas from this site 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. Challenge students to find photos or diagrams about what they learned (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate and annotate the photo with essential information. Use a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. With Thinglink, students can also add videos and links to help explain what certain parts of the image are about. Thinglink presents a variety of levels for technology use depending on teacher requirements for the project, or even student ability.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
City Technology - The City College of New York
Grades
K to 6tag(s): circuits (19), energy (127), engineering (112), forces (34), friction (8), gravity (42), motion (44), STEM (229)
In the Classroom
Use this site as part of any unit about force, motion, or energy. Have student groups create the different projects found on the site, and share their creations with classmates. Have students upload a photo they took of their project, and add voice bubbles to explain what they learned using a tool such as Phrase.it, reviewed here. Have students create projects found on City Technology, then host your own Science Fair!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
CurriConnects Book List - Solar System and Space - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): scientists (62), solar system (103), space (206)
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
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Free Online Science Games - Sheppard Software
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animal homes (57), animals (268), body systems (43), cells (79), dinosaurs (38), life cycles (20), nutrition (134), oceans (134), periodic table (43), preK (246), seasons (32)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use throughout the year with science lessons. Nearly all activities would work well on your projector or interactive whiteboard. For Example, use the Cell Games (including animal, plant, and bacterial cells) to introduce and explore parts of cells. Create a link on classroom computers or use on laptop carts for students to explore on their own. Simple online coloring science activities require no reading. Share this site on your school website with parents for exploration and reinforcement at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Close comment form