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The Children's Book Council
Grades
1 to 6tag(s): reading lists (79)
In the Classroom
Use the book lists on this site for recommendations to parents who want suggestions on outside or summer readings. The lists are separated by age, gender and all kinds of category's - making it easier for parents to find what they need.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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The Civil War: Soldiers and Sailors Database - National Park Service
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): africa (139), african american (111), battles (18), civil war (135)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector. Demonstrate how to use this site for research about various topics involved in the Civil War. This site does require basic searching/research skills. Some pages include a lot of text, so be sure help your weaker readers and ENL/ELL students by sharing the vocabulary words prior to reading, either on a handout or by projecting on an interactive whiteboard and highlighting them in the text as you come to them.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Webquest 101 - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
Mark this in your Favorites as a professional reference. You may even want to assign students to create their own webquests following these guidelines. If you mentor new teachers, share this resource when they are designing their first web-based projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Spell A Roo - Funbrain
Grades
2 to 5This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
SpellaRoo can be used in the classroom or a link on your class website for extra enrichment and practice. Use as a center activity, interactive white board game, or offer as reward time. Challenge your students to create their own "spellaroo" challenge to share with the class. How about an online poster creator, such as Padlet (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brainyquote - Brainymedia
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): authors (105), themes (10), writing (317), writing prompts (58)
In the Classroom
Save this site in your favorites on Teachersfirst. If you are not already a member, just click on "My TF" to join for FREE. When you are searching for a writing prompt or universal theme to connect with your curriculum area, a famous quote provides a springboard for students to reflect on the topic they just read or studied. After reading two or three literary works or studying historic figures, you might try changing the quote into a question. Have students compare/contrast how each of the characters would respond, and support their responses by citing specific examples. Then, students could answer the question from their own point of view to relate the meaning of the quote to their lives. Create a class wiki for the quotes of the day (and student responses). Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through. Or invite students to choose a favorite quote from this site and interpret it both visually and verbally by creating an online poster using ThingLink, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kids Know Your Rights - American Library Association
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): bill of rights (28), constitution (88)
In the Classroom
Share this pdf on an interactive whiteboard or projector as part of a class discussion (great for reading comprehension in the content areas, too!). Then allow students to use it and other resources for a class debate on the pros and cons of intellectual freedom. The consitution will come to life in a context students care about.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Reader's Theatre Scripts and Plays - Colleen Gallagher
Grades
1 to 9Editor's note: There is one group of links (to sites that start with "hometown.aol") that no longer work. Since this is only a small portion of the site, TeachersFirst continues to list the resource for its many GOOD links. Roll your mouse over the links before clicking and check the address in the gray bar at the bottom left of your screen. Don't bother with the hometown.aol links.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): readers theater (10)
In the Classroom
Mark this one in your favorites, then let student groups select from scripts to record their own audio podcasts or create a Thinglink, reviewed here, of a tale, illustrated with a selection of copyright-safe images or student drawings. Or have students make a high-tech excerpt from a reader's theater script by creating avatars to read each part using Voki, reviewed here. Sequence the embedded conversation bits on a class wiki so viewers can enjoy the performance by clicking through them in order. These wiki excerpts could be used to "advertise" an upcoming performance or a featured literary piece.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bookemon - Bookemon, Inc.
Grades
K to 12After you save and publish the work, share the URL so people can read the entire book online, either among an audience of "just my friends" or publicly. They also offer the embed code to place your books on a class or school web page, wiki, or blog. The easiest option is to copy the address of the new window displaying the interactive book. There is an option to have the book printed for a fee, but this is not required. You can also read books created by others (if they make them public). Use the fully-public option to create learning materials for classes to access year to year for at-home review or reading practice.
This site requires a simple registration. Teachers can set up an edCenter for their school or class in accordance with school policies. See more detailed suggestions "In the Classroom" below and in our sample book! Newer mobile device options include players to view your books on iPads and more.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative writing (119), digital storytelling (144), writing (317)
In the Classroom
SKIP the profile and friends areas to get to the book creator to play with the tools a bit. Before you get too involved, create an edCenter to minimize advertising and create books in your own teacher-friendly class environment. Use the edCenter to register students and establish privacy settings for your class. No student emails are required.On the Create Books page, choose from using a blank book, starting from a file, or using a template. Choose "school" to see projects from other classes or a sample created by you or a student team working in advance along with you. Explore ready-made themes (seasonal, topical, etc.) or use "open theme." Choose book dimensions (match layout shape to any uploaded files, such as PowerPoint slides). Enter settings and description of your book (editable later), including who is allowed to "see" it: everyone, just friends, or private. Again choose a "theme" - more of a category where Bookemon will list your completed book. A logical option is "school." Experiment with tools to upload files (within file limits), add images, add text, etc. Written help is offered as you go, but there is no video demo. SAVE often. Turn margins on to avoid chopping content. To share the book, you must "publish" it (i.e. finalize).
Once published, locate the book under "My Books" and use options to share (by email--and see the URL to copy from there), "Make a new edition" to create a new version--also useful for treating the original as a template for later books), Post to Other Sites offers embed codes. The BEST option is to click the book COVER which opens a new window without ads or "stuff," and copy the ADDRESS of that window to paste into email, etc. You can also mark that clean window view as a Favorite on a classroom computer!
Use your edCenter settings to manage social networking features. This will avoid the "public" Bookemon features such as opportunities to share address books, use social tools such as Facebook to share your books, etc. Teacher-controlled edCenter accounts are probably the easiest option for managing within school policies.
With younger students, have them begin their work in PowerPoint then upload for whole-class books. See an example, created by the TeachersFirst Edge editors . The example is full of ideas for classroom use from Kindergarten to high school, including science concept tales, poetry books, general writing, math problem solve-its, and more. ANY grade can use this tool, depending on the amount of direction by the teacher. (By the way, the correct answer to the problem in the sample book is c. 27.) Another idea: have students create personalized books for their parents or grandparents for special occasions (Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Grandparent's Day).
Use the mobile device features offered in your BYOD classroom to make and share books, PDF's, and more. Tip: Use this site for a guided introduction to social networking as a class, an excellent teaching opportunity for digital citizenship in the context of a project.
This is one of the best creative tools for gifted students to go above and beyond regular curriculum. Don't let the "juvenile" appearance fool you. Even older students can write and include images to create and share books of any length. Any independent research or writing project can become an interactive book. Even advanced science experiments and lab reports can be shared online using this tool. Once you have one book, you can use that as a template for others. Inspire your gifted students to create literary magazine or even a personal online "portfolio" of writing, artwork, or photography presented in interactive book form.
Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log in (NO email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
Comments
This is one of my all time favorite creative tools. Very versatile. Great for making "buddy books" or for teacher-created learning "books." Make one as a whole class to summarize a science unit in primary grades. I even use it personally to make fee online "gifts" for children I know. I did purchase one print version, and it looked great.Thinking, PA, Grades: 5 - 10
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Live Science - TechMediaNetwork.com
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (284), environment (238), news (229), video (260)
In the Classroom
Use as a resource for research or science current events. It is a great site to aide you in increasing reading across the curriculum. Try finding a short article and having your class read it at the beginning of a session (choose something related to your content.) Ask the students two or three thinking questions. Give them time to think and then give time for them to share with a partner or two. Then, have a discussion and tie the article to the content that you are teaching. Appropriate discussion is a very valuable learning tool and skill that students need to develop.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sound Sleeping - Tony Spencer
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): behavior (43), mental health (34), senses (20), sound (73), sounds (43), stress (8)
In the Classroom
Enhance student listening ability with this sound-mixing tool. Ask students to visit this site to create their own musical mix. Afterward, ask others to guess the tracks in the music. Students can also identify to which speaker the soundboard's pan tool is sending various sounds. Activities such as these are the perfect addition to a science unit about the five senses. Consider having students create a their own personal mix to use while learning deep breathing, practicing creative visualizations, or engaging in class relaxation exercises. You could also plan these sounds during creative writing exercises or independent reading time. Headphones or speakers are necessary for this site, if you don't wish to share with the entire class. Students in need of "cooling off" time may enjoy playing Bubble Burst. Choose to create music with the vibes soundboard and student creations will automatically play with Flickr photographs of nature. Emotional support teachers may find this tool useful in helping students develop self-control mechanisms. Share this link on your class web page and/or in a parent newsletter and suggest ways to enhance relaxation techniques at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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School for Champions - Chemistry - Ron Kurtus
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): atoms (42), chemicals (39), molecules (42), resources (88)
In the Classroom
Add this site to your class website or wiki. Have students view pages of this site rather than textbook readings and ask them discussion questions about the content. The audio feature is very useful! Have students, or a small group of students, use a tool such as Mindmeister (reviewed here) to create and share concept maps of the important ideas and their details for their assigned assigned reading. Post these as links on your teacher website, so all students can benefit from them. Once created, the concept map can be used as a study aid for tests and quizzes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Hohli - Charts Builder/Anton Shevchuk
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): charts and graphs (169)
In the Classroom
You will want to play with this tool before using it in class, but it is very simple to use. Use anywhere numerical data is collected and is best shown in a chart. Collect data in a science, survey, or math class and display it using different graphs to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each graph type. Use for quick creation and sharing of created graphs. Create charts together easily on an interactive whiteboard when introducing the different types to elementary students. Have students operate the board so their peers can see how the tool works and give each other oral directions as they problem solve together. Then make the chart site a small group center during math class for further practice on a computer or interactive whiteboard. Save this site in your favorites for quick retrieval any time students need to make a quick chart. For student practice, have them chart time spent on homework or hobbies, favorite pets, etc. Reinforce good study habits in middle school by having students make charts of their average grades or time spent on independent reading.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Connect With English - Annenberg Media
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (155), idioms (32), listening (73)
In the Classroom
This activity would work well for individual or pairs of ESL/ELL students in a lab or on laptops. Share the site so students can use it outside of class too. List the site on your class website, wiki, or blog. Many of the videos have the closed caption feature. If you have students in your language arts or special education classroom who are reading below grade level, have them watch the video once through, then turn on the closed caption option and have them watch it again reading along with the dialog.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mr. Guch's Cavalcade o'Chemistry - Mr. Guch
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): chemicals (39), equations (120), experiments (52), tutorials (54)
In the Classroom
Try using some of the more complicated labs as demonstrations for younger students. Have older students work through the labs to arrive at their own conclusions. The tutorials are heavy with text. Have students select one for a concept they are having trouble with and group the students with the same concept problems together. Have students, or a small group of students, use a tool such as Mindmeister (reviewed here) to create and share concept maps of the important ideas and their details for their assigned reading. Post these as links on your teacher website, so all students can benefit from them. Once created, the concept maps can be used as study aids for tests and quizzes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Economics and Money: TeachersFirst Editors' Choices - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): financial literacy (92), money (119), recession (3)
In the Classroom
Browse these editors' choice resources to find the best for your classroom needs. Don't forget that you can use economics information to teach math concepts. Make your lessons relevant in today's world by connecting the economic concepts as you teach writing, reading, and more. As your students master the concept, have them create a "Kids Guide to the Economy" on a class wiki or make videos on single concepts to be shared via tools such as SchoolTube, reviewed here, or TeacherTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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podomatic - podOmatic
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): communication (133), DAT device agnostic tool (144), digital storytelling (144), podcasts (81)
In the Classroom
podOmatic does not allow memberships for those under 13. Teachers using this tool with younger students should do so under supervision and with a teacher-controlled account. You will want to supervise or establish consequences so students do not spend time on the public areas of the site and instead proceed to creating their podcasts. This is an opportunity to teach about digital citizenship and safety, such as steering clear of interaction and avoiding sharing any identifiable information about yourself in a podcast. You may want to share the links to class podcasts only with your students and parents. If you have students record podcasts as assignments, you may need multiple accounts because the free accounts have limited file space. An elementary teacher might have enough space for 25 students to keep a limited number of products on his/her own account, depending upon length.Create regular or special podcasts to share on your class web page or wiki. Create a mini cast of images taken during a lab or a portfolio of images from a photography, art, or any other class. Add music and share as part of a digital portfolio. More ideas: record class assignments or directions, record story time or a reading excerpt for younger ones to listen to at a computer center AND from home, adding a touch of blended learning to your classroom! Have readers (perhaps older buddies) build fluency by recording selected passages for your non-readers. Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Have students create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events, Make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News." Have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!), Have students write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings; language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages. Allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Have your Shakespeare students record a soliloquy. Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person.
If you have gifted students who lean toward the dramatic, this tool is simple enough for them to create dramatic mini casts without needing a video camera. They can collect images at Vecteezy and write a drama to accompany them, showing what they have learned in independent learning beyond the regular curriculum.
Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Comments
I can see this resource being fun and interactive, while also offering a technology tool that does not rely on video for some of our students that struggle with that. The only thing that gives me pause is the age limit/appropriate level of other "public" pods on the site.Arielle, IN, Grades: 0 - 8
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BookRix - Gunner Siewert
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): creative writing (119), ebooks (39), independent reading (86), writing (317)
In the Classroom
There are several ways you can use this site. For young readers and writers: Select a story from the children's book area. Use your whiteboard or projector and select a story to read with your students. Then as a class, have the students change the ending of the story, or write a sequel. You can then publish this class book on BookRix. Older students can publish their poems, short stories, current event articles, persuasive writing for an issue they are into... for free. Some teachers have their students write novels for National Novel Writing Month, and at BookRix they will be able to publish them. Don't miss the great collection of audio books at TeachersFirst, found here.Books are tagged, so you can search by keywords. You can also go to the "Books" tab and search by "Popular Categories." Click on the "See all" to find the "Children's Books" category. If your intent is to publish yours or your student's writing, then you will need to know how to navigate the site. You have three choices for the book format: text only, illustrated book, and audio book.
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Read the Words - Educational Utilities
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): listening (73), podcasts (81), text to speech (19)
In the Classroom
Primary or resource reading teachers may want to use this site for students to practice reading fluency "side by side" with the online avatar. World language teachers and teachers of limited English speakers will love this website as reinforcement for language learning. Students can listen as they read. They can also practice their pronunciation and compare it with any selected avatar. Use the oral readings on an interactive whiteboard or projector (with speakers turned up) for class dictations and discussion starters. Preview the vocabulary words in any file or website by selecting the read/edit option before students listen to it. Check school policies regarding individual student accounts on web sites. Here are some tips on managing student memberships that require email. Beware - if you are having students use this site, "inappropriate" words will not be filtered, and anything typed is pronounced. So be sure students are aware of guidelines and consequences.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GoodReads - Good Reads
Grades
10 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): authors (105), independent reading (86), quotations (20), social networking (65)
In the Classroom
Share this site to promote independent reading as a life habit or as a way to facilitate book discussion and book sharing among your mature students. Since the site is intended for the general public, not just for schools, it includes ALL books and open discussions. Be sure to have discussions about safety concerns in an online environment. You might also want to use a whole-class account to be able to monitor activity. Have students initial their own comments. Use the quotes available on this site as writing prompts or daily class starters or encourage students to "collect" their own favorite quotes about writing and other topics. For more visual students, suggest that they create an online multimedia response space for their independent reading using Dotstorming, reviewed here. They can include quotes, images, and responses (and accept comments) to the books they discover via Goodreads.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Audio Books with Text Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): audio books (23), preK (258)
In the Classroom
Mark this one in your professional favorites AND share it on a class web page for access by students and parents. The helpful reviews suggest ideas for ways to use the books in the classroom or outside of school to reinforce literacy skills, improve English skills, or study literature in new ways.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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