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 Halloween. Find interactive vocabulary activities using Halloween 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): halloween (32)

Want to make more connections between the smallest things in the world and the largest? Universcale has an opportunity to view vast differences in size using a slider and images from the largest of things (planets, etc.) to the smallest (portions of atoms). Additional information is provided with the images. Choose "Full Screen Mode" or "Normal Screen Mode." Grasp the physical differences and presence of various objects in the living world around us.

tag(s): matter (47), organisms (15)

As part of their extensive site for vocabulary, roots, and more, MyVocabulary.com has added a themed area for Columbus Day. Find interactive vocabulary activities using Columbus 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): columbus day (8), holidays (187)

Do you sometimes just want to compare two things and not need a lengthy explanation of either? Diffen offers the simple goal of entering two terms and instantly receiving the similarities and differences in a table format. View simple definitions under the information table. Need more information? Wikipedia style entries of information area also available on the page. There is a Top 5 list. At the time of this review, the Top 5 included "Gross vs. Net," "Affected vs. Effected," "Meiosis vs. Mitosis," "DNA vs. RNA," and "Fruit vs. Vegetable. While not ALL topics are included, the variety is impressive. You can add your own comparison of terms to the list. You may want to discuss with your class the fact that the information here is only as reliable as the people who submitted it, and ask them whether they agree with the comparisons you find here. NOTE: If you explore some of the ready-mades or requested topics, there are some topics "compared" that are not school oriented, such as comparisons of popular television characters. Preview before turning students loose or simply direct them to a specific "diffen."

tag(s): vocabulary (237)

This site offers essay-writing tips, podcasts, and more. Useful across a wide array of humanities topics, including English, social studies, art, music, religion, and speech, this site is an inspiration to students and can serve as an essay starter, a discussion starter, or contemporary information about politics, economics, and the world. On its home page it states that this is "an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives." There are essays from the 1950's when the first incarnation of this idea was heard on the radio from famed journalist Edward R. Murrow. There are essays from those who are famous and those you never heard of. All of the essays are short--usually no more than 400 words. You can hear some of them as they were first broadcast on NPR, and there is a general podcast you can play which defines the site. Anyone can submit their own "This I Believe" essay as long as it follows the guidelines given, and they include essay-writing tips and advanced essay searches to assist anyone interested. The site includes special features which deal with specific topics and there are ideas for educators, students, and community leaders. The printable curricula require Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

tag(s): 1950s (8), writing (325)

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 (39), local history (14)

A great, concise, focused site on the American Presidents. Click on any President (including Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden), and you get a thumbnail sketch of that President, as well as a more in depth resource list of primary documents and essays. There is also a multimedia gallery related to each President. You can access audio recordings of either the President himself, or of others reading his words, and there is a link to oral histories related to the presidents. There are narratives about each first lady and timelines that detail significant events in each administration. The "Ask a Question" feature allows visitors to submit a question to the site's editors and researchers.

tag(s): presidents (135)

This ambitious site has something for anyone who teaches American history. In fact, if you love history, be prepared to completely lose track of time as you explore the site. Discover American History through images, exhibits, primary sources, and more with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Click Education on the top menu where there are special programs and exhibits for teachers and students. A large collection of primary sources complements many studies in social studies-- and literacy. As a member, save all of your favorites and make lists for each area of study. The multimedia tab reveals documentaries, videos and virtual field trips. History Now publishes monthly newsletters.As a teacher or student, you can have free access to the website.The site may be useful to students working on research for History Day projects.

tag(s): 1600s (20), african american (115), american revolution (82), black history (133), civil rights (209), civil war (139), colonization (21), foreign policy (13), great depression (30), history day (39), immigration (68), industrial revolution (22), migration (45), native americans (110), primary sources (117), westward expansion (39), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

This collection of Cinco de Mayo videos and more from The History Channel explores many angles on this important day. Learn about the food and fun! Learn about the historical impact of the holiday and its significance to Mexicans (and folks from other countries, as well). There is even a Meciao Memory game (click "interactives"). Read the backgound historical information and explore related articles, even a Mexico timeline.

tag(s): cinco de mayo (10), hispanic (36), mexico (37)

Padlet offers many tools and resources for creating online bulletin boards to display and organize information on any topic. Create a new board from scratch or choose from many templates, including timelines, maps, storyboards, KWL boards, and many more options. Padlet also offers AI features to use as a tool to automatically create interactive activities and custom boards based on topic, grade level, and additional details such as standards or teaching objectives. Padlet Sandboxes allows members to interact and collaborate in real time using sticky notes, drawings, and more. Customize the appearance and format of your Padlets using options such as allowing comments on posts, moderating posts and comments before they are publicly posted, and sorting options for easier viewing. When adding posts, you can add links, images, videos, documents, polls, and more. This is a link to Padlet's Help section for posting a video or an image. Free accounts allow you to make 3 Padlets that include search, themes, stats, premium wallpapers, and cross-device support for uploaded videos. You can always delete an old Padlet to create a new one. Find video tutorials and examples by scrolling to the bottom menu and clicking "Support" on the left side of the page. Padlet 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.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (177), biographies (94), blogs (65), book reports (28), brainstorming (18), bulletin boards (15), DAT device agnostic tool (146), images (263), journals (15), rubrics (37), timelines (56)

As part of their extensive site for vocabulary, roots, and more, MyVocabulary.com has added a themed area for Lewis and Clark's Exploration. Find interactive vocabulary activities using Lewis and Clark related 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): lewis and clark (14), louisiana (6), louisiana purchase (5), vocabulary (237)

This is a fun (and easy to use) site to add to an Egyptian unit or any unit based on historical types of writing or communication. By simply typing in their name, students will see how it might have been written in hieroglyphs by an ancient scribe. The maximum number of letters is 16. After you enter your name and click inscribe, you are linked to a page with your name written in hieroglyphics.

tag(s): egypt (56)

Although this site is constructed for students who are learning English, the language and the writing, it is a great site for all students who need practice in such skills as writing paragraphs, listening skills, word choice, reading strategies for academic texts, and reading for thinking. Almost all of the links include interactive exercises which allow students to work independently, testing themselves as they go. The site includes tutorials, self-quizzes, and more. There are links to podcasts, videos, songs, "Grammar Safaris," and many other English topics. If you go to Internet Resources (the link is found at the top of the page), you will find addition subject areas: Business English, Science and Technology, Reading, Art, and others. There is also a link to Primary Level. Go there to find interactive flashcards, online stories, and printable pages, and much more.

Be sure to check out the videos, which include commercials from the 1960s!

tag(s): vocabulary (237), writing (325)

Ever wonder what it would be like to have open access to lectures at Harvard? Stanford? MIT? Academic Earth gives you that access in a limited fashion. This site contains thousands of video lectures by some of the most well-regarded professors at several of the top universities in the US. You can sort the lectures by subject, by lecturer, by university, or by "playlist." The playlists sort lectures from various topics and multiple professors into thematic groups. Within individual subjects, there are individual lectures and courses--collections of lectures by the same professor on a general subject. Watch a lecture on "The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877," or "The American Novel since 1945," or "Linear Algebra." The topic possibilities go on and on.

tag(s): college (45)

Comprised of images of women working (both inside and outside of the home) from the 18th and 19th centuries, this site is a good source of primary images of women from the time period. The images are organized in several themes: domestic work, women as merchants, women and war, teaching and education, factory workers, performers and artists, and miscellaneous workers. Each theme contains some brief discussion and several primary images.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), images (263), women (150)

This is a great site to mine for quick lesson plans, ideas on thematic units, or simply daily writing prompts. There are detailed lesson plans available for math, arts and crafts, nutrition, health, music, math, reading, physical education, technology, writing, science, and social studies. Visit the Seasonal Items link to find even MORE resources related to Read Across America, 100 Days ideas, Daily seasonal writing prompts, and much more! Many of the links will take you to other sites, but the onsite printable worksheets and calendars make it worth a visit. Note: the site is laden with advertising, something TeachersFirst users may not appreciate!

tag(s): fractions (160), nutrition (140), parts of speech (39), phonics (51), speech (69), themes (16), writing (325)

"How Stuff Works" created this simple explanation of the history of Mother's Day. This is a great reference for teachers to have while preparing for their classroom's Mother's Day activities. This site highlights the connection of Mother's Day to Greek Mythology, U.S. history, European history, and more. There are some unobtrusive advertisements at this site.

tag(s): greek (47), mothers day (13)

Use the "On Roman Numerals" page to learn how Roman Numerals are used. Visit the Roma Nova main page for more information about Roman culture.

tag(s): latin (23), roman numerals (7), rome (37)

As part of their extensive site for vocabulary, roots, and more, MyVocabulary.com has added a themed area for Abraham Lincoln. Find interactive vocabulary activities using Lincoln-related 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): lincoln (66), presidents (135)