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Embrace Civility In The Digital Age - Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
Grades
4 to 12
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This site provides professional resources, articles, and handouts for parents, teachers, counselors and librarians to use to educate themselves and students about cyberbullying. Nancy...more
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This site provides professional resources, articles, and handouts for parents, teachers, counselors and librarians to use to educate themselves and students about cyberbullying. Nancy Willard is the head of the center. She is one of the top U.S. researchers and voices on Internet Safety and teaching about responsible Internet use. There are some materials for sale on this site, but there is plenty that is free.
tag(s): bullying (49), cyberbullying (41), internet safety (113), safety (71)
In the Classroom
Use the handouts and resources as part of a schoolwide anti-cyberbullying campaign. Have a parent information night, and provide them with the Parent Information Handbook that can be found in the "Articles and Reports" section. Send articles home with your weekly newsletter to keep parents informed about the latest information on cyberbullying. Have students create anti-cyberbullying posters using Poster My Wall, reviewed here, or traditional paper posters.
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Cyberbullying Research Center - Cyberbullying Research Center
Grades
4 to 12
4 Favorites
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This site provides parents and educators with handouts, publications, and videos that can be used to educate students, parents and teachers about cyberbullying. This website is updated...more
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This site provides parents and educators with handouts, publications, and videos that can be used to educate students, parents and teachers about cyberbullying. This website is updated frequently, so check back often as you teach your students about the dangers of cyberbullying.
tag(s): bullying (49), cyberbullying (41), internet safety (113), safety (71)
In the Classroom
This site is a one stop shop for information on cyberbullying. Use the resources from this site to put together a parent information night on cyberbullying. Teachers, librarians and counselors can use the videos and present them at a staff meeting. Purchase copies of the book "Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard" and run a book club. Post the links to the resources for students on your website for students to access from home or during library time. Include this resource as part of a schoolwide anti-cyberbullying campaign, challenging students to make their own anti-cyberbullying posters, videos, or songs.
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ccMixter - Dig - ArtisTech Media
Grades
K to 12
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This site offers a library of legal, copyright-safe, free music available for download and podcast use. Students looking for pod-safe audio, music remixes, and background music will...more
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This site offers a library of legal, copyright-safe, free music available for download and podcast use. Students looking for pod-safe audio, music remixes, and background music will be delighted to utilize this dandy library of recordings. You do not need to join in order to listen and/or download the MP3 files. Music and sounds are organized by use categories such as podsafe, soundtracks, and general listening. The songs include current hits, historical music from the U.S. and around the world, and much more. Note that the public can submit works, so -- although our editors have not seen any-- the submissions could include lyrics not appropriate for listening in school.
In the Classroom
A music site that is not just for musicians and music teachers! Students in all classes can use files from this site when preparing multimedia class presentations that require music or background sounds. Use this site when preparing lessons on plagiarism, copyright, and the open source software concept. Musically inclined students who enjoy this site should check out ccMixter reviewed here for more enriching types of musical interaction and collaboration!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Coloring Page Tuesdays - Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Grades
K to 3
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As the name of the depicts, this site offers FREE coloring pages. Children's books' author and illustrator, Elizabeth Dulemba, creates an assortment of "coloring pages" every week that...more
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As the name of the depicts, this site offers FREE coloring pages. Children's books' author and illustrator, Elizabeth Dulemba, creates an assortment of "coloring pages" every week that accompany her stories. There are images of animals, people, and various themes such as holidays, patriotism, and school. Simply click the image to open a .jpg to print and color. Sign up to receive alerts when new coloring pages are posted each week.
In the Classroom
Although the original intent of the coloring pages are meant for younger students, they are perfect if you are looking to build a library of readily accessible images that can be categorized and saved into folders for quick display on your whiteboard or to embed in PowerPoint slides or documents. Simply right click on any image, and then remember to choose save target as, and name the image. You are then able to open it and size it accordingly.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What you need to know about energy - The National Academies
Grades
4 to 12
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Use this site to find relevant and dependable information about energy and conservation that is objective and based on science. Choose from topics such as "How we use energy," "Our...more
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Use this site to find relevant and dependable information about energy and conservation that is objective and based on science. Choose from topics such as "How we use energy," "Our Energy Sources," "The Cost of Energy," and "Energy Efficiency." Find definitions of related terms such as "Cap and Trade" along the side of this site. Answer the "What do you know about energy" quiz questions. Easily view the full source library that provides the details for the site. Find the following interactives along the bottom of this site: "Understanding Efficiency" or "Our Energy System." Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find a short video on "America's Energy Future."
tag(s): conservation (86), energy (130), environment (238)
In the Classroom
Find a wealth of information on this site. Identify misconceptions about energy use and energy availability by assigning students to read blogs, news reports, and editorials or through use of a teacher made quiz identifying attitudes and understandings about energy. Divide students into groups to peruse the site and verify the information given with the sources listed on the site as well as other sources. Be sure to discuss credibility of sites and how to determine this with the students as well. Assign blog posts, conventional or multimedia posters, and other assignments to share the information learned. Create a concept map that showcases attitudes and reasons why they are so prevalent. Be sure to add facts to this as well. Create a campaign at school or in your community so that others can benefit from understanding the science behind energy use and availability. Have your students create an interactive online poster using Visme, reviewed here. Follow with an energy audit of the school or student homes to analyze ways to save energy.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Befunky - Tekin Tatar, Tolga Birdal, and Mehmet Ozkanoglu
Grades
2 to 12
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Turn photographs into oil paintings, stencils, line drawings and much more with Befunky. You can doctor photos with bad lighting, fuzzy image, or poor exposure. The humorous elements...more
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Turn photographs into oil paintings, stencils, line drawings and much more with Befunky. You can doctor photos with bad lighting, fuzzy image, or poor exposure. The humorous elements on the "goodies" screen will allow you to add glasses, facial hair, picture frames, doodles, or speech bubbles. The text feature contains 11 different kinds of fonts. Befunky can directly post photos onto social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Flicker, Bebo, PhotoBucket, and Picasa. Befunky will automatically store all original and manipulated photos into a private personal library. 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. Photo effects come with a free account and pop up ads. Other subscriptions and site capabilities cost money. There are drawbacks: "Befunky.com" is in the bottom right corner of the final product, they continually ask about upgrades, and the photo file is the size of a thumbnail.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (144), design (79), impressionism (6)
In the Classroom
Create more compelling graphics for presentations, multi-media projects, reports, yearbooks, newsletters, or class websites. When publishing student writing, liven up the "About the Author" page with a more artistic photograph of the author. Instead of using a dull student mug shot for the class job board or for class routine charts, replace it with photo illustrations. Share class rules through interesting "characters" speaking on the bulletin board! The speech bubble option may help students learn to write in the first person narrative, or reveal the unspoken thoughts of a character from a book or point in time. Use BeFunky characters in a center for creative writing or as visual writing prompts for the entire class. Use the images for creating political posters for fictitious candidates and their platforms. Photograph a reenactment of scenes from a fairy tale or folktale. Transform these photos into illustrations for a wordless interactive online book using a tool such as on Bookemon reviewed here. Students participating in a social network for class such as a blog or wiki, will enjoy using Befunky to create entertaining profile pictures. Use this tool easily in your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) classroom since all students will be able to access it for free, no matter what device they have. Many schools prohibit use of "social networking" sites. Check your school policies and/or obtain parent permission before allowing students to use social features. Spell out specific permissions and consequences. Of course you will also want written parent permission before submitting student work to this online gallery.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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StoryCorps - Dave Isay
Grades
4 to 12
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StoryCorps is a nonprofit site where Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs can record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives. It is one of the largest oral history ...more
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StoryCorps is a nonprofit site where Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs can record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives. It is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. At the site you can download a "Do it Yourself Guide", find resources for teachers, and a list of great questions. You can subscribe to their podcast, e-newsletter, and blog, or you can upload your own story or that of a loved one or friend for free. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
tag(s): questioning (32), writing (317)
In the Classroom
Grandparent's day is in September. What better gift to a grandparent than to be able to spend time with their grandchild and tell them a story about an important time in their lives? Of course, you'll want to prepare students with some interviewing skills and questions before they interview their grandparents, and show them how to record the interview with some type of recorder (tape recorder, cell phone, video camera, etc). This recording can then be submitted to StoryCorps and it will then reside at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Students can also interview parents about their first memories of school, and what they remember about the grade that the student is currently in. Share these interviews during the first week or month of the school year. Not only can these interviews be submitted to StoryCorp, but students could then do a write up of their interviews and publish them in a classroom book of memories. Have students create online books to share with the class about their interview. Use a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. Or have students narrate a photo of the person they interviewed using a site such as ThingLink, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Online Math Learning
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Online Math Learning is a huge website with numerous resources including interactive problem generators, a video library, worksheets, and links all organized by grade level and subject...more
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Online Math Learning is a huge website with numerous resources including interactive problem generators, a video library, worksheets, and links all organized by grade level and subject level. This site is very well organized, easy to use, and has something for every grade level and nearly every subject/topic area. Advise students to ignore the advertisements.
tag(s): charts and graphs (169), equations (120), statistics (116)
In the Classroom
Use the interactive section's problem generator to create team competition as students use the site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Check out the videos to reach struggling students or help deepen understanding of concepts. For a project, have students recreate a video using a site such as SchoolTube (reviewed here) and share with classmates. Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class for further practice.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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60 Second Recap - DimSum Media
Grades
9 to 12
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60 Second Recap introduces students to literature in one-minute video bites. Most are YouTube video clips. Before you decide that this is what's wrong with education today, take a look....more
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60 Second Recap introduces students to literature in one-minute video bites. Most are YouTube video clips. Before you decide that this is what's wrong with education today, take a look. Each book in the 60 Second Recap library (classics like Lord of the Flies, Frankenstein, Brave New World, Hamlet and Jane Eyre) is summarized with a one minute "teaser," an overview, a look at the cast, the plot, the theme, motifs, symbols--all the elements we would want students to pay attention to when encountering a new work of literature. There is also a general section on the analysis of literature, and a "Pick of the Week" which introduces students to a more contemporary book for leisure reading. The site is still in development and more works of literature are being added. Since many of the videos are hosted on YouTube, you may need to view them at home due to school filtering.
tag(s): independent reading (86), literature (218)
In the Classroom
These short film clips are perfect for introducing lessons with a quick attention-grabbing recap. The clips preview material that you can discuss more in depth as you analyze the works in question, and provide a useful review for students throughout the unit. It may be tempting to treat them like all the other on-line cheats for students who don't actually want to read the book, but these are more likely to help focus attention and clarify main points. They would also be good for less-able readers as a way to increase interest in the classics. The clips are perfect for your interactive whiteboard or projector. As a special challenge, assign students to create their own 60 second recaps of works they have read and share them on TeacherTube reviewed here or SchoolTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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FluxNow - fluxnow.com
Grades
8 to 12
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This blog style book review source, aimed at teen readers, offers annotated listings of the newest "literature" on the teen scene. Many are done by teen writers, with cover illustrations,...more
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This blog style book review source, aimed at teen readers, offers annotated listings of the newest "literature" on the teen scene. Many are done by teen writers, with cover illustrations, summaries, author info, and selected chapters available. Although it is a sales site, the information about the literature is free. The store is accessible only by clicking on "Trade." Archives of other blog entries about older books offer more breadth in book descriptions. Be sure to advise students to avoid clicking "Trade." Since the content of teen literature is gritty and can include many controversial topics (sex, drugs, alienation, family problems, etc.), you may want to use this site as a library/media specialist without recommending it directly to students. Teachers should make that decision based on their local school community.
tag(s): literature (218)
In the Classroom
Offer this site only to your most discriminating readers. Look at this site frequently since its offerings change weekly. Offer this site only to your most discriminating readers. Look at this site frequently since its offerings change weekly. Share selections on a projector or interactive whiteboard for "quicky" book talks or take a screen shot (with credit, of course) to display a selected review on a digital picture frame in your library/media center. Set the frame to cycle through a slide show of new book selections! Other options for cycling book reviews would be to paste them into PowerPoint slides to run in a looped show on selected media center computers or to run the screenshots as screensaver images.Now sure how to take a screen shot? Press the PrtScrn button on a Windows computer (sometimes combined with SHIFT or Ctrl key, depending on the computer), then CONTROL+V to PASTE the screen image into an image program such as Paint so you can save it. Screenshots are even easier in Vista using the Snip tool. On a Mac, the screen shot function is Command+Shift+4 (the number 4), and the "picture" (a png image file) gets saved to your chosen location, usually your desktop. Be sure to copy the URL of the page you are "shooting" to give proper credit and place a label with your frame providing this information.
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Great Debates in American History - Peter Pappas
Grades
9 to 12
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This collection of downloadable PDF documents provides lesson plans, handouts, and text readings to accompany the twelve units in Daniel Boorstin's A History of the United States...more
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This collection of downloadable PDF documents provides lesson plans, handouts, and text readings to accompany the twelve units in Daniel Boorstin's A History of the United States Daniel (Needham: Prentice-Hall, 1989). Though the materials are very traditional (paper, pencil), the concepts demand a more thoughtful, sophisticated approach to U.S. history via essential questions. The units are intended to serve as support materials for debates in one of several formats explained in the Overview document.
tag(s): bill of rights (28), constitution (88), foreign policy (12), immigration (63), migration (44)
In the Classroom
Teachers do not need to start from scratch to develop the themes, nor do they need to be using Boorstin's book to use these activities. Use these handouts and themes to prompt traditional debates or challenge student teams to prepare position videos or multimedia presentations using resource images and texts both from these files and from public domain files and other resources from the Library of Congress. Invite your students to choose from the many multimedia tools on the web to present their position. See the TeachersFirst Edge for reviewed suggestions including Image Annotator, SchoolTube. or TeacherTube for videos, or podomatic for audio-only arguments. Embed the products on your class blog or wiki and let classes vote on the debate "winners."
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Kate's Book Blog: Authors Who Skype with Book Clubs - Kate Messner
Grades
K to 12
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Find authors willing to pay a "virtual visit" to your classroom or school library from this list of author names collected by author Kate Messner. She explains that these authors ...more
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Find authors willing to pay a "virtual visit" to your classroom or school library from this list of author names collected by author Kate Messner. She explains that these authors "offer free 20-minute Skype chats with book clubs that have read one of their books!" Longer visits are usually for a fee. The author list is sorted by age group, and each name links to the author's web site for more information. If you are not familiar with Skype, all you need is a computer with the free, downloadable Skype software, speakers, and a microphone. If you have a webcam, you may be able to make your visit a two-way video chat. See tech tips below.
tag(s): literature (218)
In the Classroom
Plan a series of author visits or one special virtual visit to motivate your club or class to read! Have students prepare questions in advance and maybe even dress as a favorite character if you plan to use video. Make the best of your short visit by refining questions in advance and having everything ready to run with no wasted time. Have students step up to the microphone quietly and smoothly to ask their questions.Since authors book up easily and may not respond quickly to email, you should plan well in advance to arrange such a visit.
Some technical tips: Share the Skype screen on a projector or whiteboard so more students can see it. Be sure to turn up your speakers and connect a microphone (even a cheap one) to the computer handling the Skype call. Pretest your visit by having a virtual visit from a friend outside of the school, loading Skype and using the same equipment you plan to use for the real visit. You may need to request that the school unblock Skype for your use during a specific time frame, since many schools do not allow such a "pull" on the network without special permission. Once you have a successful test, make a diagram of what you did so you will remember and can share with other teachers. Once you master the set-up, you can do it over and over! Need to learn more about Skype? Read TeachersFirst's review here. Learn other ideas for using Skype in your classroom
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Design by the Book - New York Public Library
Grades
6 to 12
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How does an artist find inspiration, even in less likely places? This collection of four videos draws on real artists to open our eyes to inspiration from a library building ...more
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How does an artist find inspiration, even in less likely places? This collection of four videos draws on real artists to open our eyes to inspiration from a library building and its contents. The New York Public Library inspires this series of four videos about real artists and how they find new artistic ideas within the Library: from its books, its map collections, its light fixtures, and more. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
tag(s): creativity (91)
In the Classroom
Share one or more of these videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard as you talk about artists and art history, and-- perhaps more importantly -- about what "inspires" your students to their own creations. Share digital pictures of a local library or landmark on a projector as inspiration for in-class artwork after watching one of these videos. As you study famous artists, compare the experiences of these New York artists, talking about their own creative process, with accounts by Van Gogh's diaries or authors' writing journals. As your art students prepare portfolios, use these videos as a model for blog entries (or videos of their own) sharing students' thoughts on their own creations and what inspired them. Have students make whole-class or individual wiki portfolio pages with digital pictures of their art projects and reflecting on the ideas behind their work in written text or embedded video clips. Use a safe video sharing site such as SchoolTube reviewed here to post student video; then "embed" them in a class wiki collection.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lessons From Literature - NCTE, Family Violence Protection Fund
Grades
9 to 12
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This site offers lesson plans for teachers using Their Eyes Were Watching God and Lord of the Flies and other poems and plays from the point of view of preventing ...more
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This site offers lesson plans for teachers using Their Eyes Were Watching God and Lord of the Flies and other poems and plays from the point of view of preventing and dealing with violence and abuse in teens' lives. Besides the specific lesson plans, it offers a complete manual explaining to teachers how to help their students with these too-common problems, particularly focusing on relationship abuse. Other supports on the website include a printable poster, a resource library, extensive materials on how to help teens with date abuse, and links to NCTE standards as well as to other support organizations. This site requires Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
In the Classroom
Read these materials carefully to learn how to introduce lesson plans that focus on relationship abuse. As with all sensitive issues, be sure you are within school policies in holding discussions, perhaps by involving the school counselor or health teachers, as well. Share this site with your counseling staff and psychologists. Create a class wiki to discuss this and other "hot topics." Obviously, students should not share specific personal experiences, but create more of a "what to do" type of wiki. Not sure what a wiki is? Check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.
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Primary Research: Bring History Closer to Home - Primary Research
Grades
9 to 12
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Primary Research is an archive of student projects related to local history near Beverly, Massachusetts. Projects range from an examination of local cemeteries and tombstones...more
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Primary Research is an archive of student projects related to local history near Beverly, Massachusetts. Projects range from an examination of local cemeteries and tombstones to the lives of African Americans in antebellum Boston. The site represents an excellent example of the kind of innovative projects student groups can undertake, and might spark ideas for similar projects regardless of the location. The "Library" section of the site provides primary documents used in the student projects, while the "Guides" section gives additional instruction used in the analytical sections of the projects.
tag(s): history day (40), local history (14)
In the Classroom
Provide this site to students who are considering group History Day projects, and it will surely encourage creative ideas. Consider adapting one of the projects to your local area for an entire class, or for a group of students looking for additional challenge. Why not make the projects even more interactive, by having students create multimedia projects. Have students narrate a photo using a site such as ThingLink, reviewed here. Have students create online books using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. Challenge students create using a site such as Powtoon, reviewed here, and share them SchoolTube, reviewed here. "Map out" your local history using a tool such as MapHub, reviewed here. The project possibilities are endless!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mathcasts Library - Tim Fahlberg
Grades
K to 12
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View math screencasts for grades K-7 or by topic (algebra, trigonometry, calculus, pre-calculus, or financial math). The topics for grades K-7 range from number sense to mathematical...more
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View math screencasts for grades K-7 or by topic (algebra, trigonometry, calculus, pre-calculus, or financial math). The topics for grades K-7 range from number sense to mathematical reasoning to statistics, data analysis, & probability. Follow common problems, example exam questions, and problems of the day. View video clips (some made by students)!. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
tag(s): addition (128), counting (60), measurement (125), numbers (119), probability (96), statistics (116)
In the Classroom
Use this site for homework help, explaining solutions to problems, and extra credit problems to solve. Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to a new topic or for review, especially for your visual learners! Have students think out loud and create their own instructional videos for math concepts and share them on a tool such as SchoolTube (reviewed here). Be sure to list this link on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom. Note: since content is user-contributed, you will want to talk with your students about who created the materials (students, teachers, professors) and how to tell.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lexile - MetaMetrics, Inc.
Grades
K to 12
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Whether or not your school uses the Lexile system to measure reading levels, you will want to become familiar with it as one way to measure the reading level ...more
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Whether or not your school uses the Lexile system to measure reading levels, you will want to become familiar with it as one way to measure the reading level of a book. Lexile level information, along with the student's own participation in the choice, can make book selection a positive experience for any reader. Many publishers are now offering Lexiles to measure the reading levels of their materials. Many schools use Lexile measuring to determine the precise reading level of their students. Explore "About Lexiles" menu for more information on 'how' the measuring is done. On the homepage, click on the Tools menu to find a Lexile Analyzer that allows you to cut and paste text into an entry box to determine its Lexile readability level. (You will need to register for the free use of the Analyzer.) Choose English (or another language) book database to find the Lexile level of your classroom books. The Lexile Calculator lets you figure out the rate of comprehension based upon Lexile scores. Lexile leveling is also available for Spanish text. Explore the variety of tools to help analyze and match books for your students.
Registration is free. An email address is required, as is some other information. Some materials on this site require Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
Another helpful resource in understanding Lexile levels is this pdf comparison chart from Harcourt (opens in Acrobat Reader).
Registration is free. An email address is required, as is some other information. Some materials on this site require Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
Another helpful resource in understanding Lexile levels is this pdf comparison chart from Harcourt (opens in Acrobat Reader).
tag(s): readability (5)
In the Classroom
Make Lexiles one of the tools you use to make reading a positive experience for your students. The more you know about the student and the actual content of the books, the more helpful the Lexiles can be in assisting a match. If your school reports data to parents using Lexile scoring, download the white papers to give to them at conferences to explain Lexile scores in 'parent friendly' language. Include this link on your classroom web page. If your students know their Lexile level, you will want Lexile levels on your classroom library materials so students can match a book to both their reading level and their interests. As an FYI, SOME books listed on Barnes and Noble's online site include Lexile levels in the descriptions (just after age level). Lexile connects to Barnes and Noble directly from this site.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Every Child Ready to Read - American Library Association
Grades
K to 2
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The resourcea on this site suggests behaviors and activities that can assist parents, preschool teachers, and early elementary teachers in getting children ready to read. Available...more
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The resourcea on this site suggests behaviors and activities that can assist parents, preschool teachers, and early elementary teachers in getting children ready to read. Available in both color and black and white formats, the brochures are also downloadable in Spanish. The brochures encourage people to use books, songs, stories, and word games to reinforce the importance of reading in education.
tag(s): literacy (110)
In the Classroom
Make these aticles, videos, etc. available to parents of the very young. The added bonus of having some of the brochures available in Spanish makes the development of good readers a task shared by parents and educators alike. PLace some on the table in your conference waiting area or send them home in backpacks!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Early Childhood Handouts - Zero to Three
Grades
K to 1
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A series of resources and web information assist parents with helping children develop pre-literacy and other developmental skills. Click on Early Language & Literacy to find out how...more
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A series of resources and web information assist parents with helping children develop pre-literacy and other developmental skills. Click on Early Language & Literacy to find out how to use books and stories to help children prepare for school-age tasks and reading. Other topics include Brain Development, Health & Nutrition, Social & Emotional Development, and several others. Though the information and handouts seem to be for much younger children, they will also be helpful for parents new to English and the American school system.
In the Classroom
Print out these handouts and copy when meeting pre-kindergarten parents for the first pre-registration meeting. List this site on your class website. Use with international parents whose cultures might not include using books and America's free public libraries. Encourage international parents to tell stories from their cultures and families to help children succeed in school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Traci's List: 10 Unusual Sources for Research Papers - Traci Gardner
Grades
9 to 12
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Another of Ms. Gardner's "Lists of Ten," this one is a nice twist on getting students to think beyond the usual for sources for research information. While students often stick ...more
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Another of Ms. Gardner's "Lists of Ten," this one is a nice twist on getting students to think beyond the usual for sources for research information. While students often stick to what is in the school's library or what they can find with an internet search, this site offers some great ideas that explore humanities based approaches to research: such as art, interviews, music, advertising, and others. Although this site was originally created in 1998 and updated in 2005, nearly all of the information is still useful in today's classrooms. The link included with idea #5 (Web Evaluation Link) was inactive at the time of this review.
tag(s): advertising (24), interviews (14)
In the Classroom
An interesting way to teach this kind of research to your students would be to assign one topic to a class and have different students or groups of students investigate the different research ideas. This could serve as a model when assigning individual work for students later in the semester. Encourage students to think "outside the box" when looking for new and supportive information for their theses. Share this list on your teacher webpage as a reference for students to access outside of class, as well.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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