Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This site contains several templates for familiar TV games useful for teacher (or student) created review. The activities include Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and others. Most of the games are done in PowerPoint. Depending on the version of PowerPoint you have, the formatting may be slightly off once you input your words, questions, or answers. Original games created by a teacher complete the offerings. Our editors note that the sound files included with some templates may be copyrighted material, and TeachersFirst does not condone the use of this content without the permission of the copyright holder(s). Most templates are "clean" of such potential problems. This website requires PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat. Download both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

tag(s): air (102)

This is a comprehensive site offering detailed information on the black leagues and the players who made them great. This is an excellent addition to Black History Month! There are links to learn about the history of black leagues, the players of black leagues, and the teams of black leagues. Be aware - there is a link to buy merchandise from the Negro Baseball League. However, all of the information provided is free.

tag(s): baseball (32), black history (133)

Come to this website for one-stop learning about baseball. Some of the many activities and links at this website include "Stathead," "Teams," "Players," "Seasons," and more.

tag(s): baseball (32), sports (82), statistics (121)

This content-rich website, from the Baseball Almanac, offers definitions of some of the more common - and also more obscure - offensive, defensive, and pitching statistics. There are links to learn more about abbreviations, a baseball stats calculator, history of baseball, players of baseball, quotes about the game, and several others. This site does include some small advertisements.

tag(s): baseball (32), statistics (121)

Africa Focus offers a wealth of digital images and sound recordings from contemporary Africa. This collection from the University of Wisconsin contains more than 3000 slides, 500 photographs, and 50 hours of sounds from 45 different countries. Click Search the Collection to see image categories which include artisans, buildings and structures, cities and towns, education, landscape, religion, and women. Sound recordings include drums, greetings, rites and ceremonies, songs, and signing. The site is easily searched by keyword or by subject heading.

tag(s): africa (148), air (102), architecture (75), black history (133)

Annenberg Media has created this fantastic interactive tool that allows you to trace the growth and settlement of the United States by using a map. Throughout this interactive challenge, students learn about map legends, the compass rose and cardinal directions, and different types of maps. Students also learn about the various regions of the United States and the rivers, lakes, mountains, oceans, and more that are located in the United States. This website even delves into U.S. History by displaying major Indian tribes (and regions), explaining colonists, and the expansion of the great nation.

tag(s): colonial america (95), directions (11), india (32), map skills (63), maps (220), westward expansion (39)

This wonderfully informative website provides numerous "case files" about many famous people from the world of science and technology. There are five major areas including computing, transportation, cosmic inquiry, energy, and communications. Click the names of the famous people to learn more about their specific inventions and/or contributions to science and technology. The downloadable PDF also includes images of artifacts from each scientist's life: diaries, writings, and more. Numerous famous scientists and inventors are included (Alexander Graham Bell, William Jennings, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Catherine Gibbon, and many others).

tag(s): aviation (40), energy (133), inventors and inventions (80), scientists (67), transportation (30)

This online unit plan includes seven lesson plans plus extension activities. The topics all relate to the Statue of Liberty and national symbols. Specific lesson plan topics include "Isn't it Symbolic," "A Mighty Women with a Torch," "Built-in Symbols," "Using the Symbol," "Choose a Symbol, any Symbol," "Create a Symbol," "The United States Symbol," and various lesson extensions. There are objectives provided, but formal standards are not listed. Many of the lesson plans include interactive components.

tag(s): landmarks (22), symbols (15)

If your class is studying chocolate or investigating nutrition or agriculture, look no further than this website dedicated to this delicious delicacy. Some of the unique topics include "Chocolate in the Forest" (which takes students to the Amazon rainforest), the health risks and benefits of chocolate, the history of chocolate, and many other "yummy" bits (or bites) of information. There are a couple of features that requires Real Video, however there is a lot to learn from the information that doesn't require Real Video.

tag(s): aztecs (9), chocolate (4), mayans (23), nutrition (140)

This Wikipedia-type dictionary includes more than 33,000 biographies on men and women from ancient times to today. Search by birth or death dates, professions, achievements, name or other keywords. Anyone can register to edit or add to a biography. If you do recommend this site as a source for research, be sure to have the discussion about its unknown authorship and usefulness as a general information tool but not as a "scholarly" resource.

tag(s): critical thinking (127)

This site provides a quick and easy way to create a time line. Clear, step-by-step directions explain the process in language that even younger students can follow. Time lines cannot be saved, but can be printed horizontally (6 events) or vertically (9 events).

Although this website doesn't have a lot of "bells and whistles." It is very useful to learn more about the physics behind thrill rides, the history of the roller coaster, and more. The site provides statistical information, historical information, construction information, and more about various thrill rides (mainly roller coasters). Did you ever wonder what the tallest steel roller coaster was in the world? This website provides a "record book" with a wide variety of statistical information about what roller coasters can claim to be the tallest, longest, fastest, and more.

tag(s): motion (47)

The National Women's History Museum site includes a rich collection of resources. Although the collection is certainly deep on issues related to women's suffrage, there is also information on women in World War II, women and education, women and the Progressive movement, and women spies. There are good photographs of artifacts from the women's movement, and a nice collection of lesson plans, grouped by grade level.

tag(s): jamestown (6), women (151), womenchangemaker (37), womens suffrage (52), world war 2 (161)

Boost understanding of civil rights issues by reading the interviews and playing the games at this site. Choose answers from interactive games, then read biographies of civil rights leaders in various issues --from farm workers to black rights. An extensive interview by Melba Beals (one of the Little Rock Nine), articles on women's rights, and religious freedom round out this site on civil rights in America.

tag(s): civil rights (209), women (151)

This Alphabet Organizer makes learning words and terminology exciting-- and organized. All levels may use this--from primary students learning the alphabet to secondary students learning advanced vocabulary. On the interactive keypad, key in the beginning letter of a word. Key in the rest of the word on the blanks provided. You also have the option of typing in the word's meaning. When your list is entered, you may choose a booklet or a chart format for the presentation of your information. Studying content-area words or vocabulary meanings have never been so easy.

tag(s): alphabet (53), vocabulary (238)

This is a general "go-to" website all about social studies. There is information about current events, culture, holidays, languages, religion, economics, geography, maps, government, U.S. presidents, timelines, and many other social studies topics. The highlight of this website is the Current Events segment. This is an easy way to incorporate age-appropriate current events in your classroom.
Note: an annoying audio ad plays when you first enter the site. Turn OFF your sound!

tag(s): holidays (187), maps (220), presidents (135), renaissance (38), timelines (56)

There is so much to explore on this site, you will need to place limitations on it! Digital Collections of everything from clothing to chronology, turns of the century exhibits, in the classroom activities, curricula, New England architecture and tools, manuscripts from people who lived in the time-- this site is truly a museum on the web made student-friendly. The activities section is full of ways to involve students with real objects from history. Students can actually hear some of the artists and writers reading their own words -- which is remarkable. If you teach American literature or history or are interested in artifacts from the past, this is a great site. If you choose, you or your students can create a login and save to "my collection."

tag(s): colonial america (95), england (50), slavery (79)

This is a wonderful compilation site of news from all over the world. Users can read the home page or search news of a specific geographic region. An excellent plus here is the ability to choose to read the news in a variety of languages. World Photos today, multimedia, global weather, and sports are just a few of the many attractive sections that add to this site's appeal.

tag(s): news (229)

This crafty website provides students (and teachers) with directions to create paper toys. The patterns are printables on the web page. The website provides instructions for approximately 100 unique models. The types of models vary from monuments (such as the Chrysler Building or the Eiffel Tower) to holiday creations. There are printable instructions provided for each model. This website is a refreshing activity for art classes, social studies classes or any class seeking a creative method to use to re-create famous monuments and other objects or buildings.

tag(s): architecture (75), paper folding (3)

The Mayflower comes alive as you explore the passenger list with accompanying personal history and genealogy. Click on the Pilgrim History link for a history of Thanksgiving and other Mayflower-era topics, including authentic recipes.

tag(s): genealogy (8), pilgrims (12), primary sources (117), thanksgiving (24)