Investigate Learning and the Adolescent mind for research, ideas, people, practices, and resources to support the best way to reach adolescents. Use professional development resources to deepen your knowledge of best practices. Use classroom tools and readings to go farther. Learn how to motivate adolescents for success.

tag(s): adolescence (12)

Looking for best practices and ways to provide evidence for current practices? Discover Doing What Works! Find research and resources in the subject areas of reading, math, science, English fluency, and how to teach effectively for teachers and administrators. Current national reports reflect recent trends in education. Information is also geared to educating parents.

tag(s): grants (16), parents (58), professional development (395)

Find a constantly updated collection of informational articles about the environment of the Great Lakes. Subscribe to receive news of current feature articles. The variety of article topics is sure to catch the interest of almost any reader. The articles have Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike licenses so are free to use and recopy (be sure to attribute!).
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tag(s): animals (284), fish (18), insects (69), plants (147), pollution (51), water (101), watersheds (8), weather (164)

Get lost in the world of Mathigon - a visually beautiful, interactive online library of math animations, games, illustrations, and more. Choose to begin with the World of Mathematics e-book or explore one of several slideshows, movies, and explorations. The Mathematical Origami and Panorama math applications sections are fabulous, though a little text-heavy. Take a trip with Alice in FractalLand using Disney clips to learn about sequencing, fractals, and triangles. Explore Mathigon Ideas containing short video explanations of important math ideas using only graphics and animations. There is much to explore and see on this interesting and colorful site. Be sure to allow plenty of time to find it all! Check back often as new explorations are currently under development. If your district blocks YouTube, then parts of this site may not be viewable. The site operates well on any mobile browser, too!

tag(s): charts and graphs (169), fractions (159), geometric shapes (136), origami (15), probability (96), problem solving (225), tangrams (8)

Use this simple, online collaborative writing editor with up to 32 people! No registration is required. Create a free meeting room, and share the link with others or send an invitation email. Use the chat space along the right to comment to one another, perhaps explaining why you made the changes you made to the text. Save versions, view and revert to earlier versions, import/export, and use simple editing tools. Be sure to use or edit at least once per week, if you intend to keep your project. The site is clear on its intention to be a real-time collaboration tool among up to 32 people, not meant for long-term storage. "Pads" may be deleted if they haven't been edited in more than seven days. Be sure to mark the url for your pad as a Favorite or send it to yourself so you can find it again (before the seven days run out).

tag(s): editing (90), proofreading (21), writing (317)

Achieve the Core provides high-quality resources to assist with implementing Common Core Standards. Whether you are already a Common Core whiz or just a beginner, this site will help you grow and learn. Choose from three main portions of the site: Professional Learning, Planning for Instruction, and Classroom Resources. Search the site by selecting Classroom Resources, which has subject area, lessons, student samples, tasks, assessments, and more. Begin your professional development with instructional modules found under the Professional Development tab and Instructional Materials and Assesments. Modules include a facilitators guide, a video, and hands on activity with discussion ideas. Content includes both ELA and Math. Some lessons can be found (in ELA) that also incorporate science and social studies. Filter by individual grade level or by elementary, middle school, or high school. Under ELA/Literacy, examine text dependent questions and text complexity. You will also find instructional videos, sample lesson and assessment questions, instructional practices, and aligning materials. Math activities include videos, examining the shifts, and evaluating yourself. Another area to explore is the Leadership Tools. To the far right of the Classroom Resources, find Early Reading Accelerators which includes Foundational Skills and Knowledge and Vocabulary. This can be viewed online or downloaded in PDF format. Under Early Reading you will also find special materials for fractions.

tag(s): commoncore (75)

Learn about the fascinating world of bees with this beautiful and comprehensive site. Begin your exploration as you choose from different categories such as What is a Bee?, Pollination, Life in a Hive, or The Beekeper. The entire site is also available in French. Explore each topic as you view images and descriptions of the life of bees. Find the Glossary link near the top of each page to view a selection of vocabulary words and definitions. Be sure to view the Activities page including recipes, crafts, printable activities, and an image gallery.

tag(s): insects (69)

A-Z Animals is an online animal encyclopedia and much more! Browse through the large list of animals in several different ways. Sort by alphabetical listing, Scientific names, group, location, endangered animals, pictures, or favorites. Each selection contains beautiful images and extensive information including basic facts, habitat, and behavior. Click the "listen" icon near the top of the page to listen to all text on each page (read by a synthesized voice). Print each page in PDF format using the Print link also located on a tab near the top of the page. In addition to the animal encyclopedia, explore the large selection of reference articles including many topics such as habitat, life cycle, and evolution. Other great features of this site include online quizzes and games. This site is one you will want to explorer and save! The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.
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tag(s): animal homes (56), animals (284), biodiversity (31), evolution (85), habitats (86)

This interactive social bookmarking and collaboration tool does so much more than any ordinary bookmarking tool. It is a research curation tool, knowledge-sharing community, website annotation tool, and social information network all rolled into one "cloud" package. To get started, check out the About link. You will find information and videos on the uses of Diigo. Set up an account, being sure to click the FREE education edition upgrade. This is a device-agnostic tool, available on the web but also available for free as both an Android and iOS app. Use it from any device or move between several devices and still access your work. App and web versions vary slightly. At this time Diigo is experiencing issues with the "Top 10 Tags" from the menu on the left.

This tool can be used as a basic bookmarking tool, simply allowing YOU to save, sort, and access your own bookmarks from ANY computer or mobile device (once you are logged in). You have the choice whether your bookmarks are public or private. You can gradually ease into more advanced and interactive features: highlight parts of sites and save or share those annotations, add sticky notes to parts of websites, pictures, screen-shots, documents, audio, and more. Do group collaborative research. Organize your bookmarks by tags. Unlike sorting bookmarks into file folders, adding tags permits you to put multiple tags or "labels" on one site. The same site you tag for book reports could also be tagged for biographies, for example. Additional Diigo features include groups (a way to share and exchange bookmarks with a certain group of Diigo users), messaging, and search features. You can search all the public bookmarks made by others and discover other people with similar interests, already bookmarked and ready for you to mark as your own. There are many groups you can join, such as those with a specific teaching interest or hobby. See "Tools" for many helpful options, including bookmarklets to make bookmarking instant on multiple devices. Bookmarklets drag directly to the toolbars on your computer and are well worth it. It goes beyond simple bookmarking and adds options like highlight, capture, send, read later, comment, search bar and Diigo message options. You decide your own level of use and desired tools to be shown on the bar. If choosing not to install the toolbar, then there is an applet called Diigolet that will be used in its place. It is not as strong a tool as the toolbar, but will work well if the toolbar installation is not possible. Check our sample group. You can also install a widget on your blog (or class web page) that will show your bookmarks there.
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tag(s): bookmarks (46), collaboration (89), curation (35), DAT device agnostic tool (144), forum (2), organizational skills (89), social networking (65)

Teach Dear America offers a large array of resources to learn and understand about life and times in Colonial America. Begin with a short overview of the time period including a timeline and information about the home and school life of Colonial children. Explore the large collection of downloadables including maps, timelines, sheet music, artist prints, and more. Choose from a large selection of student activities such as quizzes, arts and crafts, and recipes. The Books and Authors links include suggestions for reading material to include with any Colonial America unit.

tag(s): 1600s (20), 1700s (36), colonial america (95)

Screencastify is a screen capture/screencast software created for use ONLY with Chrome browsers. It even runs on Chromebooks. Choose the "Free" link to add the extension to your Chrome browser. Screencastify captures video and audio within tabs. Find the application icon on your browser toolbar and click Record to easily record presentations, tutorials, and more. Be sure to ALLOW Screencastify access to your microphone to enable voice recordings. Choose from recording tabs, your entire desktop, youe webcam, or embed your webcam only. Once your recording is complete, return to the Screencastify icon on your browser to name the recording, download to your computer, save to Google Drive, or upload to YouTube.

tag(s): tutorials (54), video (260)

Learn about theater and theater arts in this site about the French-language theater in Canada and beyond. Explore over one hundred and fifty headings divided into six sections, a reading list, and a games section. Investigate theater genres or the history of the theater from Ancient Greece through Theater after World War II until now. Read about major playwrights such as Sophocles, William Shakespeare, Moliere, and many more. Find information on famous directors, great designers, major actors, and theater architecture. Get down to basics by investigating the various aspects of a theater production, specialized vocabulary, and a description of the tasks and trades involved. There are also links and information about professional training for those interested in a theater career. For extra fun, read the site IN French by clicking the link top right.

tag(s): acting (18), architecture (62), design (79), plays (27), producers (6), shakespeare (93)

Use Literably to assess students' oral reading and comprehension. Literably will display a text, administer the reading assessment, score it, generate an audio recording, and keep a running record. It will also report words correct per minute, percentage accuracy, and a leveling recommendation. Literably also provides readers' Lexile measures, grade levels, and guided reading levels. Test comprehension levels using open response or multiple choice questions. Register with an email, and set up a class easily. Keep your username short for ease of registration by primary students. The free account allows for testing 10 students per calendar month. Student sign in is extremely easy, even for a first grader. Print results or email to parents for easy sharing. IMPORTANT Note: Results (accuracy and WPM) are not available instantly and take up to 18-24 hours to arrive via email or be posted on the site. Literably is compatible with most browsers, and there is a free iPad app.
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tag(s): assessment (146), fluency (24), literacy (110), reading comprehension (142)

The Nazi and East German Propaganda Guide Page offers a massive collection of resources demonstrating the use of propaganda leading up to and throughout World War Two. Explore categories such as posters, essays, and other reading materials. Each resource includes a short explanation of the source and how the material was used to promote the Nazis. For a full explanation on the background of the site and options for using materials included make sure you read the FAQ section. Although the presentation of this material is plain vanilla, the actual artifacts are powerful.

tag(s): germany (25), history day (40), holocaust (41), nazis (8), primary sources (117), propaganda (9), world war 2 (151)

Turn any document, image, or video into an online conversation with the NowComment collaborative tool. Choose any of the public documents available on the site or upload your own (using the free membership). NowDocument works best with Microsoft Word and HTML web documents. They offer PDF conversions. but say they are not as reliable. Invite members to join private conversations or choose to make conversations public (use caution with students!). Link comments to specific portions of any document such as a sentence, image, or even video. Sort documents in several ways to view by commenter's name, date of the comment, or included tags. Be sure to check out NowComment's FAQ and Features Gallery for in-depth presentation of features. The introduction video is hosted on YouTube. If YouTube is blocked at your school, be sure to view this video at home.

tag(s): communication (133), media literacy (103), questioning (32), reading comprehension (142)

Texas Law Related Games provides many civics-related games, and many are not specific to Texas laws. Topics include American Symbols, Branches of the Federal Government, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and others. There is a pledge of allegiance that is TEXAS ONLY and one that is U.S. so be sure you click the one you want. There is also an interactive Safety game available in both Spanish and English. Click any game to begin play; most include short instructions. If using an iPad, be sure to choose the link to access game versions that work with iPads. There is a link for teachers to access Lesson Plans and Curriculum in the footer of the page.

tag(s): bill of rights (28), branches of government (62), declaration of independence (15), game based learning (173), presidents (122), safety (71), symbols (15)

Book lovers rejoice; this site is just for you! Any New Books? delivers weekly email notifications with new books in the subjects you love. Enter your email to get started. Choose genres of interest to receive weekly emails with information about new books in each category. Categories range from Children's books to the types you might see in a real or online bookstore. Choose three categories to receive three weekly emails. If you prefer, subscribe to the RSS feed for any category instead of signing up for email notifications. The lists include links to purchase on various web sites and ebook formats. The introduction video is hosted on YouTube. If YouTube is blocked at your school, you may want to view the video at home.
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tag(s): book lists (162)