Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

PBS Kids' focus is mainly educational activities and videos for kids in Preschool, Kindergarten, and Primary age students. However, there are a few programs for older students; find them by selecting You Choose. For younger students, select games, videos, and activities about well-known characters like Clifford the Big Red Dog, Arthur, Peg and Cat, Dr. Seuss, and more. Clicking All Games will give you 29 categories to choose from, for example, Team Work, Feelings, Engineering, Spelling, Reading, Healthy Habits, and many more. Click New Games to find topics such as Guess the Feeling, World Orchestra, and others to help familiarize youngsters with flight, trains, counting, and well, you name it, and PBS Kids probably has it!

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (174), game based learning (158), literacy (111), preK (286), video (275)

Can you be a ratification #influencer? That is the goal of this game where players land back in time to the year 1787 and fight to ratify the newly proposed Constitution using the social media of the time - pamphlets. Select from two different game modes - historical and free play. Talk with friends and dissenters as you travel across the 13 states to hear different opinions and attempt to influence others to your point of view. Earn tokens along the way to use in interviews and pamphlets. Although login and registration are available on the site, they aren't necessary to play the game. The educator login gives access to the extension pack that provides additional context and materials for using the game in classrooms.

tag(s): 1700s (32), branches of government (61), colonial america (108), constitution (93), game based learning (158)

Can you track the stolen loot? Follow Carmen Sandiego around the globe to help capture the world's greatest super thief. Begin the chase to receive your first assignment and go to the location provided in the clue. Use magnifying glasses found in the city to interview suspects and collect clues to the next location. Each city stop includes three areas for finding clues to the following site.

tag(s): game based learning (158), maps (295)

Learn computer programming with Blockly Games, developed for students who don't have any prior coding experience. Games progress in difficulty starting with a simple puzzle and increase through creating a pond game with text-based programming. Start from the beginning or choose any game to complete activities at your own pace.

tag(s): coding (80), game based learning (158), STEM (219)

Game Builder offers ready-to-go games and templates for building digital games in a variety of formats. Choose from classic games like Bingo and Jeopardy or try different forms such as Squid Hunter or Chakalaka. Select a game option to begin making games, then follow prompts to add questions and responses. When finished, be sure to choose the option to make your game public making it available to share. Registration is required to create and share games.
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tag(s): assessment (130), game based learning (158), gamification (81), quizzes (91)

Gimkit is a quiz learning game for students and teachers, created and maintained by students. After signing up, you begin by creating "kits" (live learning games) to create quizzes. Create from scratch, import an existing quiz from Quizlet or a CSV file, or copy quizzes from the Gimkit gallery to modify for your use. Follow the prompts to add questions, four answer choices, and add an image if desired. Add class rosters and assign kits for student completion within a specific time frame. Students complete quizzes at their own pace within the due date. As they complete quizzes, students earn money to reinvest in Gimkit upgrades that align with their strengths. Use your Gimkit dashboard to view student progress and earnings and additional formative data. Free accounts provide all core features and the ability to create up to five kits.

tag(s): assessment (130), collaboration (70), game based learning (158), gamification (81), polls and surveys (49), quizzes (91)

Baamboozle is a quick and easy-to-use tool for playing and creating games. It doesn't require registration to play. Choose the "Play games now" link to go to all games saved on Baamboozle. Scroll through to view games, or search for a term. Divide the group into two teams and begin play. Each team chooses a number from the game board and answers the question. Check for accuracy; then, Baamboozle keeps track of scores. Use games found on the site, or create games on any device. Registration with email is necessary to create your own games.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (174), flash cards (39), game based learning (158), preK (286)

Quizlet Live is a classroom quiz game for groups created by the makers of Quizlet, reviewed here. Follow directions to create and share a quiz set and assign to student teams. At least six students are needed to create and play a Quizlet Live game. When students receive the code and log in, they find other team members and begin competing. Accuracy is encouraged over speed, providing a wrong answer will send teams back to start from the beginning of the quiz.

tag(s): collaboration (70), DAT device agnostic tool (174), game based learning (158), quizzes (91), spelling (161), vocabulary (292), word study (71)

Organize and run a scavenger hunt with GooseChase! Sign up for an account to begin creating games. Add your own missions to games or use missions available on the site. Determine point values for completion and optional links or images to provide additional information. Choose to allow participants to submit validation of completion through photos or videos that you can see in real-time. Once your game is set up (using any computer or device with Internet access), invite participants to begin play through a mobile device. Download the free apps for any mobile device through the Google Play Store or iTunes. GooseChase now has free basic plans for teachers where you can have unlimited games and classes and even a team game.

tag(s): creativity (115), DAT device agnostic tool (174), game based learning (158), gamification (81)

Looking for a quiz tool that is better than all the rest? Quizizz is a free tool. It works on any device: web browser, iOS, Android and Chrome apps. You can access hundreds of ready-made learning quizzes or create your own. Join as a teacher, pick a quiz, and use the code for a virtual room to give to your students. Alternatively, you can create your own quiz on Quizizz, even importing questions from excel/CSV files with just a click of a button. Students use the code to enter and submit a nickname, code name, or numerical name (students do not have to register). Better yet, if you have Google Classroom students can join by signing in with their Google Account; just one click. If you assign a Quizizz through Google Classroom, all your data gets updated in your Classroom dashboard. You will get notifications when students complete assignments, and their responses and grades show. Teachers can choose to make their quiz public or private. Embed images with your questions. Check or uncheck the settings including music. You can even duplicate an existing quiz to save into My Quizizz. A created Quizizz can have randomized or non-randomized questions.

Don't miss the memes that are displayed when students answer a question; these are sure to be a hit with students. You can also customize your Quizizz by creating your own Memes. Use images of the school mascot, students pets, or favorite game characters to create a set of ten or more memes. Click the My Memes from the top menu, then the plus symbol. You are now ready to start. Be sure to Click "Start Game" after students have entered the code. Send the game link to students (or other teachers to use with their classes) by email, website, or social media. Set time limits of 30 seconds to 5 minutes for students to answer each question. This allows more time for more complex questions. Students earn points for speed and accuracy. Unlike other sites, both teacher and students can see the questions, answers, and the leader board throughout the quiz. Most other tools require the teacher to project the answers and leader board on a whiteboard. The leader board can be turned OFF in this tool as well. And, what is the best part of this tool? Two separate classes can play together using this tool. Quizziz works on any web enabled device including smartphones and tablets, and has an iOS app.

You can now email student reports to parents (even send the student reports to multiple/all parents at once), the main navigation bar has moved from the top to the left, and there is a search bar that you can access on all pages, and now you can search both your quizzes and your reports. Quizizz is now available in Spanish and will soon be adding other languages. Don't miss their new Jungle theme with music, backgrounds, and GIFs... oh my!

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (174), game based learning (158), gamification (81), polls and surveys (49), quiz (73), quizzes (91), spanish (110)

Ask meaningful questions and see responses in real-time while creating an exciting, game-like environment. Build instant polls, quizzes, or responses through a simple drag and drop interface. Once you create your account, be sure to take the Intro Quiz to learn how to use this tool. When you start the quiz, you will be prompted to open a new tab, create a nickname, and enter the game pin. Now you will be able to take the quiz to learn how Kahoot! works AND be able to see what a teacher sees in your original tab. You will have to go to the Main tab to launch the next question in the Quiz. Find ready-made quizzes on the public Kahoot! menu by entering search terms. Create questions, quizzes, and polls with an optional uploaded image. Kahoot! also has a team option. Groups can use one computer to answer questions. The best part about the team option is it allows groups wait time to discuss their answer before submitting it. The teacher gets the data back instantly, and it is stored on the site or can be downloaded. This is superb for checking the knowledge of your audience/students or to see if they are still paying attention and understand concepts.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (174), game based learning (158), gamification (81), polls and surveys (49), quizzes (91)

In this activity, students check their knowledge of geography by playing a game similar to Tetris. Students are able to choose a "puzzle map" of a continent, country, state, or province. Some examples of the locations offered include Africa, USA, Italy, Europe, France, Germany, Brazil, Japan, South Carolina, and many others. After selecting the puzzle map location, students can choose a difficulty level of easy, medium, or difficult. The easy level has the shape labeled and a non-rotating piece. The medium level offers the name of the state or country, but the piece rotates in a circle. The difficult level offers no names and a rotating puzzle piece. In this game, shapes fall from the top of the screen, students have to maneuver the shape into the correct location on the continent before it reaches the bottom. Watch out - this site is addictive!

tag(s): continents (48), maps (295), states (158)