TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Feb 12, 2023
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
MIT Full STEAM Ahead - MIT
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): design (79), diseases (66), earth (184), engineering (129), game based learning (205), inventors and inventions (80), makerspace (40), sounds (43), space (222), STEM (297)
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.PictureStem Project - Tamara Moore, Kristina Tank, and Elizabeth Gajdzik
Grades
K to 3tag(s): animal homes (57), animals (294), design (79), engineering (129), geometric shapes (134), main idea (8), measurement (122), numbers (120), patterns (61), phonics (51), preK (270), reading comprehension (149), STEM (297)
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.Those Amazing Engineers - Those Amazing Professions Inc
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): careers (156), engineering (129), STEM (297)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students as part of career exploration lessons. Instead of creating a list of sites to share with students, replace the list by saving bookmarks with Symbaloo, reviewed here, to make information easy to find and access. After researching the different engineering fields ask students to extend their learning and create a web page sharing a day in the life of their chosen field. Carrd, reviewed here, is a free webpage creation tool that provides many tools for professional-looking pages. Find many other resources to encourage creativity and engineering at TeachersFirst Makerspace Resources, reviewed here.Babble Dabble Do - Ana Dziengel
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crafts (64), design (79), engineering (129), makerspace (40), STEM (297)
In the Classroom
Be sure to add this to your toolbox of ideas for teaching STEAM topics and for ideas to use in classroom makerspaces. In addition to adding this site to your favorite bookmarks, consider creating a board on Pinterest, reviewed here, of sites with ideas for STEAM projects. Share the board with your peers and collaborate on adding STEAM sites as a group. Extend learning throughout and after project activities as you include student work as part of a portfolio on Seesaw, reviewed here. Seesaw offers tools for all ages of students to create digital portfolios including written or audio reflections on work. Instead of just sharing images of student creations on your Facebook page or school web page, help students enhance their learning by creating digital books using WriteReader, reviewed here, to share online for family and friends. WriteReader is a site specially created for use with younger students to share their writing and images.OK Go Sandbox - University of St Thomas and Dr. AnnMarie Thomas
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): gravity (43), mass (19), motion (47), sound (72), STEM (297)
In the Classroom
Delight your students with the videos and activities provided on the site to include with your current science lessons. Place students in groups to complete the challenges offered. Have students replace paper and pen and take collaborative, digital notes using Webnote, reviewed here; tell students to be sure to save the URL to share their notes and questions with you and their peers. Ask students to record their work images and video. Redefine learning and challenge students to share their final projects including the digital research notes, images, and videos using a multimedia presentation tool like Sway, reviewed here.SciGirls Connect! - Twin Cities Public Television
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): animal homes (57), animals (294), careers (156), earth (184), engineering (129), environment (252), graphic design (49), heart (27), nutrition (140), space (222), spanish (109), STEM (297)
In the Classroom
Bookmark SciGirls Connect! as a resource for finding interesting classroom activities for both girls and boys. Consider creating an after-school club for girls to explore different STEM careers and activities; if possible, bring in female STEM leaders from your community to help host the club or provide ongoing activities and support. Encourage the use of technology by incorporating and embedding digital tools throughout your STEM lessons. For example, instead of asking students to take notes using pencil and paper, use Google Docs or Microsoft Word. As students continue through their learning activities, use editing tools in these office products to add comments, images, and additional information. Be sure to demonstrate how to view editing changes to your students so that they can look back and reflect on their work throughout the process. Encourage your students to reflect upon their work both during individual activities and throughout the year with the use of a digital portfolio tool like Seesaw, reviewed here. Use Seesaw to create individual accounts for students to take pictures, add video, and add written commentary as part of their reflection and assessment of activities. Really enhance student learning and technology use by letting them become the teacher. Extend learning and technology use by asking students to create podcasts using Anchor, reviewed here, to teach others about concepts in science and technology, or share information about STEM careers. In addition to podcasts, you can also extend technology use and learning by asking students to use a video explainer tool like Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here to demonstrate and share the procedures of experiments.The Curious Engineer YouTube Channel - Omkar Bhagat
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): birds (46), computers (109), magnetism (36), maps (220), oceans (149), space (222), STEM (297), time (91)
In the Classroom
Share videos with students either on an interactive whiteboard, with a projector, or as a link on your class website. Many of the videos discuss computer programming concepts, making them particularly useful for Computer Science lessons. For more advanced classes, provide time for students to choose a video to view and research the underlying concept. Enhance learning by having students make a multimedia presentation sharing their findings using Class Tools', reviewed here Quickslide 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, you may want to use a tool such as Canva, reviewed here, for students to create a custom poster, presentation, or flyer for relaying what they discovered.Try Engineering - IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): careers (156), computers (109), engineering (129)
In the Classroom
Include the Try Engineering website when exploring career options with students, be sure to point it out to students with an interest in engineering and computers. Use the site to help students understand the various options available in engineering and computer careers and the education necessary for different roles. Whether you are teaching about plastics, robots, electricity or many other science topics, check this website out! Enhance student learning by having students create online posters detailing requirements of their chosen career using a tool such as PicFont, reviewed here, or Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here. Alternatively, have students create an infographic showing the steps needed to advance to a career in computers. Use an infographic tool such as Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.The Engineering Place - North Carolina State University
Grades
K to 12tag(s): careers (156), engineering (129)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use throughout the year, and take advantage of the free lesson plans. Share information from the site during career lessons and activities. Share this site with parents as a resource for learning more about careers in engineering. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about an engineer.Instructables - Project Based Engineering for Kids - Autodesk, Inc.
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): engineering (129), makerspace (40), Problem Based Learning (12)