Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

As part of their extensive site for vocabulary, roots, and more, MyVocabulary.com has added a themed area for St. Patrick's Day. Find interactive vocabulary activities using St. Patrick's Day vocabulary words. You will also find printable crosswords, fill in the blanks and more, all using the same theme words. This and other "themes" available on the site will make vocabulary development fun.

tag(s): holidays (194), ireland (11), st patricks day (12)

The Library of Congress has collected this exhibit of 2,100 early baseball trading cards, published at a time when collecting was a passion among adults, not children. The site is interesting as a reflection of cultures and interests at the turn of the century, and also for its portrayals of some of the greats of the game as their contemporaries saw them. Click "View All" to see the trading cards.

tag(s): baseball (32)

The close relationship between promoting physical fitness and the White House can be followed through the many topics at this site: Learn the Facts, Eat Healthy, Get Active, Take Action, and Join Us. Some of the more specific topics highlight how to limit TV time, the importance of trying new fruits and vegetables, planting a garden, and more.

tag(s): fitness (39), myplate (18), nutrition (139), presidents (136)

Here is a tribute to baseball as an essential part of American culture. Learn everything you every wanted to know about each of the Major League ballparks, from seating charts to attendance figures, to the history behind former ballparks, you'll find it here. The site does include some minor advertisements.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): baseball (32), sports (84)

Create maps -- for multiple reasons -- with ease. As you 'travel' through your geography or history course, create an ongoing map of the places you've visited and embed/post it on your blog or any webpage. Simply type in the title of your map, choose the land masses you wish to include, and then click on the correct boxes for your particular locations. When finished, click the You're Ready box at the bottom of the screen. Now scroll to the top to see what your map will look like. The embed code (geek-speak term for computer gobble-dee-gook that tells your computer how to find and display the map you have made) for your map is ready to copy and paste into your webpage. You can find the embed code to the right of the map. There is also a button to Reset and Start Over.

tag(s): maps (224)

This site offers a different perspective of the "festival of the dead" on October 31st. This site highlights Day of the Dead celebrations as they relate to Halloween. Although this site is text-heavy, it would be very useful in upper elementary grades and beyond. There are also video clips. The site includes background information, conclusion questions, and class activity suggestions. Very basic standards are included.

tag(s): halloween (33), japan (61), mexico (46)

Use this site to create polls for your students (or have students create their own). The polls are embeddable in your wiki, blog, or class website. The site is still in beta. You can create a name, an expiration date for the survey, questions (multiple choice, yes or no, and ranking), and input your email address to be informed as results come into the site. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Registration is not required to use this site. There are some advertisements and external links at this site (all appropriate at the time of this review). So if you allow students to use this site on their own, be sure to watch carefully.

tag(s): data (150), polls and surveys (49)

Need a PowerPoint? Check this site first to find one on a topic you need from the vast array available. The free PowerPoints and interactive activities are easily downloaded. To find the FREE PowerPoint presentations, click on the FREE Presentations in PowerPoint Format link found directly under the red train. There are literally hundreds of topics (over 1,200 at the time of this review). Topics are listed in alphabetical order. There are so many topics: Plagiarism, Integers, Interjections, IQ Tests, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Graphic Organizers, Graphs, Gold Rush, the Bible, Economics, Amelia Earhart (and many other heroes), Descriptive Writing, Coral Reefs, Civil Rights Movement, Autism, Ancient Civilizations, Presidents, Louisiana Purchase, Money, Music Instruments, How to Write an Outline, Rosa Parks, Resumes, Terrorism, Vietnam War, and many MANY others. Primary teachers will appreciate simple activities on Dolch words and other sight vocabulary! Pages are arranged in topics such as "Plants and Animals," "World History," "Biology, Chemistry, and Physics," and "Problem Solving." There are many professional topics on exceptionalities, as well. Each page includes a vast array of subtopics. Other links on the page include "Greta's Game Station" and "Hannah's Help" which offers information on researching.

tag(s): 20th century (62), adhd (27), back to school (55), electricity (61), flight (34), inventors and inventions (82), literature (221), parts of speech (39), polar (10), politics (118), speech (69), states (125), war of 1812 (15), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (162)

Original illustrations of classic Christmas memorabilia highlight this no-frills site. If you need a quick explanation, with photos, about the origin of Christmas, Christmas trees, and evolution of Santa, this site will suit your purpose well. The four main topics include: Origins of Christmas, Evolution of Santa, The Christmas Tree, and Twas the Night Before Christmas. Students researching old customs will appreciate the simple approach.

tag(s): christmas (38), trees (18)

This short unit examines America's only two father-and-son presidents - John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. Students investigate the role and responsibilities of the presidency while comparing and contrasting each father-son pair. Includes suggested activities and links to online material about the presidents. The lesson plans are aligned to standards.

tag(s): presidents (136)

The Smithsonian's presidential biographies resource offers basic biographical information and images on all American Presidents, along with highlights of their administrations. Useful for both its content and its comprehensiveness. The site offers some basic information about all presidents (Washington through Obama).

tag(s): biographies (95), politics (118), presidents (136)

The White House web site includes short biographies of all the American presidents, suitable for introductory use or to compare presidencies. There are also a few facts about the presidents, presidential "firsts," and the various administration.

tag(s): presidents (136), white house (16)

Looking for some new tricks to teaching this genre (fairy tales, folktales, and Myths) to your students? Check out this site that provides lesson plans, interactives, class activities, reproducible pages, and more. The lesson plans and activities are divided by grade level (K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12). The site says that the lessons (for all levels) will take approximately one day/class period.

tag(s): air (100), folktales (34)

This simple site offers several "Classroom Connections" to use in conjunction with a field trip to the museum. However, many of these ideas could easily be adapted into research projects or writing assignments for students in social studies or history class without a museum visit. All topics relate to Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, or 19th Century Kids.

tag(s): civil war (140), lincoln (67), presidents (136)

The Library of Congress has created this excellent resource that features over 400 images and 2,000 digital files related to the inaugurations of George Washington through Joe Biden (in 2021). There are references, diary entries, letters, and more.

tag(s): inauguration (10), presidents (136), washington (28)

Are you looking for a new way to get your students attention in history class? This site is perfect for those students who view fashion as the only thing worth their attention! The site focuses on the gowns that the first ladies wore to the inaugural ceremony (from a variety of time periods). The significance of the gowns is discussed. Several photos are included. The video clips date back to 2001 and no longer work. For commentary and speculation on what Mrs. Obama and the Obama children will wear, see this article from Womens Wear Daily

tag(s): fashion (13), inauguration (10)

Although TeachersFirst doesn't typically review hotlists, this one provides a great deal of information on the presidents, Inauguration Day, the White House, and other "presidential" topics. There are printables, lesson plans (many with standards), photos, video clips, and more. The link Presidential Inaugurations lists countless resources to use in your classroom.

tag(s): inauguration (10)

This site shares Inauguration Day events: Procession to the Capitol, Vice President's Swearing In Ceremony, President's Swearing In Ceremony, Inaugural Address, Departure of the Outgoing President, Inaugural Luncheon, Inaugural Parade, and the Inaugural Ball. Each topic has a Learn More link and provides authentic photos and historical information.

tag(s): inauguration (10)

This site features countless quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. with reference to where and when he said them. This site can be helpful as a starting point for students to find important dates and events in Martin Luther King's life. Be aware this site is user-contributed, but most quotes include attribution to a source. The Discussion tab at the top reveals comments by other user-contributors regarding certain quotes that they dispute.

tag(s): african american (119), black history (135), civil rights (217), holidays (194), martin luther king (46)