Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Empathy is our desire and ability to understand and share another person's feelings and use that information to guide our actions. It's the foundation of respect and inclusivity and is an essential component of relationship building, resolving interpersonal conflicts, and understanding cause and effect. In this collection, we share resources that will help you create lessons and experiences that cultivate empathy in your students and informational websites about this important topic.

tag(s): empathy (34), perspective (14), racism (79)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session is from May 2020. You can register and immediately view the archive of the session.

The authentic nature of simulations can be highly motivating for even your hardest to reach students. When used properly, instructional simulations can empower student learning, helping students to set goals, seek feedback, and demonstrate what they have learned. Learn to choose simulations that model the relationships between concepts studied. In this session, we will discuss how to best use simulations in the classroom to increase student achievement, allow students to reflect on what they have learned, and transfer their knowledge to new problems and situations. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Understand the value of using simulations in the classroom; 2. Explore instructional simulations; and 3. Plan for the use of simulations in the instructional setting. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

tag(s): professional development (385), simulations (19)

TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using the trade book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Follow Claudia Kincaid and her brother Jaimie when they decide to run away from home and end up hiding out in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Use our robust Instructional Guide with students in grades 4-8. Content correlates to Common Core Standards. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks here.

tag(s): 1960s (26), new york (24), virtual field trips (128)

TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using the trade book, A Long Way from Chicago. During the time of the Great Depression and the beginning of WWII, Joey and Mary Alice, city children from Chicago, spend a week each August with their eccentric Grandma Dowdel in her rural home town. Over the eight years the story takes place, they learn to appreciate their Grandma's spunkiness and get to experience many situations that their parents would never allow them to encounter. Use our robust Instructional Guide with students in grades 4-8. Content correlates to Common Core Standards, ISTE Student Standards, National Core Art Standards, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks here.

tag(s): 1900s (72), 1920s (6), 1930s (20), 1940s (14), family (51)

Remote teaching involves a different mindset than in-classroom lessons. This collection shares tips, resources, and assessment tools to get remote learning off to a successful start. Follow the advice to encourage continued interactions with students through the use of digital tools. Use the instructional tools to provide interactive learning activities. Follow up learning activities using the assessment suggestions offered in the collection. Extend learning with continued use of the shared resources following your return to your regular classroom routines.

tag(s): branches of government (65), capitals (16), maps (220), professional development (385)

TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using the trade book The Journey of York The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. York, the only enslaved man on the journey, did not choose to go. Slaves did not have choices. However, his contributions to the expedition were valuable, and this is his story. Use our robust Instructional Guide with students in grades 2-6. Content correlates to Common Core Standards, ISTE Student Standards, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks here.

tag(s): 1800s (75), commoncore (73), explorers (64), lewis and clark (14), native americans (108)

TeachersFirst Reading Treks creates a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using the trade book, Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles. Use our robust Instructional Guide with students in grades K-4. Content correlates to Common Core Standards, ISTE Student Standards, National Core Arts Standards for Visual Arts, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks here.

tag(s): 1900s (72), 20th century (62), elections (82), virtual field trips (128), womens suffrage (52)

TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using Bud, Not Buddy with students in grades 3-7. Take advantage of the robust teaching guide. This historical fiction novel takes place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, during the time of the Great Depression. Content correlates to Common Core Standards, ISTE Student Standards, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks here.

tag(s): civil rights (209), cultures (180), great depression (30), michigan (5), racism (79)

TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using the trade book, A Year Down Yonder. Use this historical fiction book to help students to learn about the Great Depression in a small town in Illinois. Use our robust Instructional Guide with students in grades 4-8. Content correlates to Common Core Standards, ISTE Student Standards, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks here.

tag(s): 1900s (72), commoncore (73), great depression (30)