TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Apr 23, 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
Spent - Urban Ministries of Durham
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): difficult conversations (67), empathy (34), character education (84), financial literacy (129),
In the Classroom
Include Spent as a learning resource to use with your lessons on empathy or difficult conversations. Ask students to spend time playing Spent as a way to explore how choices they make affect their living situation. Enhance learning by asking students to take a screen recording of a difficult choice they make while playing Spent and discuss their thinking behind the option chosen. Use ScreenPal (was Screencast-o-matic), reviewed here, to record and share student's recordings. If you teach older high school students, use Spent to introduce a research unit into understanding poverty in your community. Have students share their learning using multimedia presentation tools like Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, or Visme, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Education for the Real World - EVERFI
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): literacy (184), cross cultural understanding (214), STEM (353), mental health (43), social and emotional learning (106), financial literacy (129), Teacher Utilities (201), game based learning (255),
In the Classroom
Discover the many free resources on this site to provide individual lessons or complete learning units for your students. As students complete assignments, use the many offerings found at Class Tools, reviewed here, to enhance learning through creating timelines, completing graphic organizers, and more. For activities that include new vocabulary, use a digital game creation site such as Baamboozle, reviewed here, to review and practice new words and terms. Have students show what they know upon completion of any of the activities using Adobe Express for Education, reviewed here, to create a collage, poster, flyer, or multimedia presentation sharing their knowledge of the subject.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Inflation Calculator - Morgan Friedman
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): financial literacy (129), 20th century (85), 1900s (90), calculators (63),
In the Classroom
Although this calculator seems relatively simple, use it for many purposes in your classroom. When reading stories set in different times throughout the 1900's use the calculator to compare costs in the story to 21st-century costs. Use the calculator for student writing projects set in the past to add authenticity to information included. Take student learning a step further and ask them to create an infographic comparing prices, technology, populations, workforce, or other important indicators of two different eras. Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, will modify student learning and is a very easy to use tool for creating infographics using their many available templates. Challenge math or economics students to enhance learning and create an inflation calculator based on different sets of statistics using Microsoft Excel or Google Forms. Work together with a history teacher to include those statistics on a history timeline with a tool like Time Graphics Timeline Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Budgeting for the Future - Committe for a Responsible Federal Budget
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): financial literacy (129), politics (170),
In the Classroom
Share this interactive with students to increase understanding of different budget options. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast options found in different plans.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Fiscal Ship - Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy at Brookings
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): financial literacy (129), branches of government (83), game based learning (255),
In the Classroom
Share this game with students as part of your study of government and economics. Choose YouTube video explanations of taxes and entitlements to help students understand these topics, then use a tool like Edpuzzle, reviewed here, to add questions and comments to the videos to increase student understanding. Ask students to explore one of the topics found during the game and create an infographic using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Beginner\'s Guide to Bitcoin & Blockchain Technology - Lisa and bitcoinfy.net
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): financial literacy (129), money (262),
In the Classroom
Share this infographic with students as part of finance and economics lessons. Include this infographic and others using a bookmarking tool like Wakelet, reviewed here. Have students find and share additional websites explaining cryptocurrencies to your Wakelet. Ask students to create explainer videos describing different cryptocurrencies using Clipchamp, reviewed here. As an ongoing project, have groups of students create a weekly or monthly podcast using Podcast Generator, reviewed here, to discuss the latest economic news including cryptocurrencies.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Economic Games - Nicolas Gruyer and Nicolas Toublanc
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): business (85), stock market (24), financial literacy (129), game based learning (255), simulations (9),
In the Classroom
Include games from this site as part of economics and financial literacy lessons. This site is perfect for use with gifted students for independent study with peers. After completing games, ask students to use a digital storytelling tool like Book Creator, reviewed here, to explain complex financial concepts in an easy to understand manner.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dollar Street - Gapminder
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): globe (21), family (108), homes (18), financial literacy (129), cross cultural understanding (214), cultures (215),
In the Classroom
Most teachers will want to bookmark this site to use in many different situations. Share Dollar Street on your interactive whiteboard to compare and contrast your community and living situation to those around the world. When reading books mentioning other countries, look up financial information using this site to help students understand typical living situations. Use Dollar Street as a starting point for research projects. Ask students to create a virtual field trip to their chosen location using Google My Maps, reviewed here. Google My Maps includes tools for labeling stops on a map as participants follow locations created.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids - Discovery Education and Jackson Charitable Foundation
Grades
K to 6tag(s): financial literacy (129), money (262),
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free lessons and videos to teach financial literacy in your classroom. Collect student ideas on how to save and earn money onto an online bulletin board like lino, reviewed here. lino offers the ability to include images, videos, and comments. Have students take pictures of different ways financial situations were faced over the course of a month then create a collage for your class using an image editor like Photo Joiner Collage Maker, reviewed here. Extend learning by challenging students to use their imagination to create a financial adventure game using Scratch, reviewed here. Scratch is an easy to use program that brings adventures to life through interactive stories, animations, and games.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Investing for Beginners - Fidelity Investments
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): investing (10), financial literacy (129), stock market (24),
In the Classroom
Share videos with your students on an interactive whiteboard or projector. You may be interested in continuing the investment study by having students set up their own practice portfolio for a no-risk option to dabble in stock trading and buying. Use a program like Wall Street Survivor, reviewed here, to do this. Extend student learning by having cooperative learning groups research other aspects of economics or business, then challenge the groups to create videos using FlexClip, reviewed here, and share them on a site such as SchoolTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Banzai! - Banzai.com
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): financial literacy (129), game based learning (255),
In the Classroom
Banzai is an excellent resource for any financial literacy course, or for those who don't have financial literacy classes as an option for your school. Create your classroom account, and then provide students with a class code to sign in to their account. Create as many classes as you like then have students follow the curriculum including pre-tests, simulations of life scenarios, interactives, and post-tests. The Banzai tool grades it all. Set up student accounts and assign activities based on your state standards. Be sure to share Banzai on your class website for students to explore at home. Enhance student learning goals by having students reflect on their learning using a blogging tool such as Penzu, reviewed here. Banzai would work well for blended or remote learning since it works on any internet connected device, including tablets and smartphones at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Financial Literacy Resources - KQED Education
Grades
9 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): financial literacy (129),
In the Classroom
Discover the many ready-to-go, free resources that go with these free lesson plans for use with all students, not just English language learners. Include this site on your class web page for students and parents to access as a reference when discussing financial issues at home. Use the calculators found on the site as part of any financial unit or as a math problem solving lesson. Oh, and by-the-way, students will also practice listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mint - Intuit
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): financial literacy (129), money (262), DAT device agnostic tool (247),
In the Classroom
Share Mint with students as part of any consumer education lesson or course as a resource for managing their money. Even if you don't sign up for mint, take advantage of their Tools and Tips section to find money management articles for many different financial situations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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WeTheEconomy - 20 Short Films You Can\'t Afford to Miss - Vulcan Productions/Cinelan
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): money (262), supply and demand (6), DAT device agnostic tool (247), financial literacy (129),
In the Classroom
Sign up to download the support materials and plan one or several lessons to demystify the economy as part of a civics/government class or an economics course. Transform the technology use in your class by assigning students to watch films in small groups and create digital booklets explaining the key concepts to the class using a multimedia tool such as Calameo, reviewed here. As economic issues come up in current events or during an election cycle, use these films to explain the underlying issues.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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