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Spore Creature Creator - Electronic Arts, Inc.
Grades
2 to 12
7 Favorites
0 Comments
Use Creature Creator to make interesting and imaginative animals. Your students may recognize it as a tool for making characters for the Spore video game, but it is actually a ...more
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Use Creature Creator to make interesting and imaginative animals. Your students may recognize it as a tool for making characters for the Spore video game, but it is actually a useful tool for learning, as well. Use a pre-made creature or create your own custom creature. Add carnivore features to your creation that include mouths, ears, eyes, arms, hands, feet, and legs. Weapons such as horns, spikes, and clubs can also be added to the creature as well as wings. Change the position of the features and alter them through unbelievable joint changes which then alter how your creature walks and moves. Paint your creation when done and place it in its woodland environment. The creature can walk, show emotion, have offspring, and make sounds. Use the software to take a picture, record a movie, and make an avatar. By adding a description and tags, your creation can be uploaded to the spore website or to a You Tube account. Here is the first Spore tutorial , which is hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, it may not be viewable.
Creature Creator is a free download but is a limited version of the original purchased program. The purchased program provides many more choices for the features and environments used to make the creatures. The download is available for both PC and Mac.
Creature Creator is a free download but is a limited version of the original purchased program. The purchased program provides many more choices for the features and environments used to make the creatures. The download is available for both PC and Mac.
tag(s): adaptations (14), animals (280), animation (62), classification (22)
In the Classroom
User needs to be able to download and install the free program. Easy to use interface. Start with a blob, which you manipulate into a shape, pulling its spinal cord in any direction with the mouse, before adding a head, limbs and various optional extra body parts. Choose your part by using the onscreen catalog. Manipulate it further by changing the position of joints or through adding or deleting segments. Add a background and move your creature by dragging your mouse for it to follow. Continue to alter your creature to get the movement or features needed.Pressing "H" brings up the spore guide which includes topic categories such as "Welcome to Spore," "Getting Started," "Build Mode," "Test Drive," and "Paint Mode."
Check your district policy on downloading and installing of programs. Check with your IT department. Teachers who must request software installation by tech staff may want to try this tool at home and create some sample projects to convince administration of its educational value.
Uploading pictures and videos of creations to You Tube or the spore site may expose students to advertising as well as inappropriately created creatures. You may want to send students directly to URLs for their own projects, maintain the creatures on the classroom computer itself, or use Teacher Tube to upload the creations. Uploading creatures enables outsider comments without teacher control. Outsiders can interact or mark the creations as favorites. Many school policies prohibit such interaction, so be sure to check your school policy. You will want to discuss these features in the context of Internet Safety or establish specific written class rules and consequences for interacting with outsiders. Student work can be saved as a picture and printed, as well, for sharing and showing. Check your school policies on whether student work may be displayed online and what information is permitted, then enforce that policy with your students.
The tool does not show which work is attributable to each student. You may want to require student initials on projects in order to get credit.
Use Creature creator to create an unusual creature as a class project. Create a classification system of all the class creatures to demonstrate biology classification skills. When discussing the groupings in the Animal Kingdom, use Creature Creator to create a new organism for that group. Use the tool to create a class creature with adaptations to a specific environment. Have students create a creature and then write a story or poem about it and how it lives. Have students create a creature as a self-portrait of personality or other traits the students possess. Students can design and draw habitats that would house their creation including the calculation of the volume and area the housing would require. Use a classroom projector or white board to share/create creatures in class and discuss specific features of the creatures.
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bubbl.us - Kirill Edelman and Levon Amelyan
Grades
K to 12
14 Favorites
1 Comments
This simple and free online tool allows you to brainstorm ideas and create concept maps with no special software! Bubble.us features some highly interactive abilities: saving your mind...more
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This simple and free online tool allows you to brainstorm ideas and create concept maps with no special software! Bubble.us features some highly interactive abilities: saving your mind map as an image, sharing (emailing) your work with a friend, printing your organizer, creating colorful mind map organizers, embedding your work into a website or blog, and working with friends. You are able to "play" at this site without registering; however registration is necessary for saving, embedding, emailing, and other features. NOTE: the free version only allows you to SAVE three maps, so you will want to save your completed maps as images, then deleted them from your membership to make room for more freebies.
tag(s): brainstorming (16), graphic organizers (49), mind map (26)
In the Classroom
Click "Start Here" to type the subject of your concept map. Hitting your Enter key creates a new level (branch) within the map. Tab creates an additional branch on the same level as the current topic. Experiment with the small icons on each "element" to change colors, drag, make new connections, etc. Save and set sharing (read-only or open access) in the area at the right. You can "send" a read-only link via email or copy the embed code from the Menu at lower right), but you cannot find the URL directly from your map. "Send" it to yourself via email to copy the actual URL.There are countless possibilities at this mental mapping site. Demonstrate the tool on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and then allow students to try to create their own graphic organizers. Use this site for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics of study. Use this site to create family trees. Have students collaborate together (online) to create group mind maps or review charts before tests on a given subject. Have students organize color-code concepts to show what they understand, wonder, question; map out a story, plotline, or LIFETIME; map out a step-by-step process (life cycle); map a real historical event as a choose-your-own-adventure with alternate endings(?) based on pivotal points; plan a "tour" for a "thought museum." Use this mapping website as an alternative to a traditional test, quiz, or homework assignment in literature or social studies: have students demonstrate their understanding by completing a graphic organizer about the main points. To minimize the number of maps on a free account, have students screenshot or print their results to turn them in. See more ideas in the linked example above!
Comments
david, TX, Grades: 9 - 12
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Zunal WebQuest Maker - FREE - Zafer Unal, PhD
Grades
2 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Have you been pining to include pertinent webquests in your curriculum? This site allows you to view already created webquests and/or use their online tool to create your own webquest...more
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Have you been pining to include pertinent webquests in your curriculum? This site allows you to view already created webquests and/or use their online tool to create your own webquest without HTML code or web editor software. This site walks you through a tutorial on creating your own webquest for the parameters YOU want. The tutorial includes planning, building, and getting your webquest published. Best of all-- it is free. This site also includes ready-made webquests in nearly every subject area (math, art, music, social studies, science, etc.) submitted by others like you. There are webquests for all grade level. The webquests are free to use and many include reviews by other educators. An easy to follow webquest matrix is available, with all of the subjects and grade levels. You are also able to do a webquest search for a specific topic. Nearly all of the webquests are in English, but a few are in other languages. Note: the quality of webquests is completely determined by others using the site to create webquests, so PREVIEW before using any webquest in class.
tag(s): calories (8), colors (65), money (119), presidents (121), pyramids (16)
In the Classroom
Search the multitude of webquests that are "ready to go" at this site. If you are looking for a more personal touch, you can create your own webquest for each class, tailored to what you want to cover or want students to research. This site also provides a place to post a personal portfolio of your work (if you choose to include any student work, you must have written permission to do so from the student and his or her parent). You might also want students to create webquests as final products of group research projects. Be sure to provide a meaningful rubric for the essential features.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Judy Moody Official Website - Candlewick Press
Grades
3 to 5
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0 Comments
Being moody is totally RARE, if you're Judy Moody! If you teach 3rd -5th grade, you know how quickly girls devour these books. Find activity suggestions and more Judy Moody ...more
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Being moody is totally RARE, if you're Judy Moody! If you teach 3rd -5th grade, you know how quickly girls devour these books. Find activity suggestions and more Judy Moody information in the Teacher's Guide section. The Clubhouse link includes several printable "not-boring" activities.
tag(s): authors (103), book lists (159), printables (37)
In the Classroom
Plan a Judy Moody Day by using the 'rare' ideas in the Teacher's Guide section. Don't leave the boys out--plan a joint Stink Day as well. (Stink is Judy Moody's brother, and more information about Stink can be found at www.stinkmoody.com.) For writing fun, write a 'moody' scene to expand a Judy Moody or Stink book. Create a Judy Moody comic strip (or one in your own style, perhaps using one of the comic tools found in TeachersFirst Edge ). Have your school's art teacher teach your class how to draw the perfectly temperamental Judy Moody or develop their own characters. (There is also a link at the Clubhouse showing how to draw Judy Moody.)
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The Nile File - Liverpool Musems.org
Grades
3 to 6
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Explore the Nile with Nakht-Amun, an ordinary ancient Egyptian! Dig below the glamour and glitz of Pharaohs and pyramids to discover the daily life of ordinary Egyptians. This simple...more
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Explore the Nile with Nakht-Amun, an ordinary ancient Egyptian! Dig below the glamour and glitz of Pharaohs and pyramids to discover the daily life of ordinary Egyptians. This simple and delightful site offers an easy-to-read tour through everyday ancient life at home and in school followed by a quiz. Each section contains a nugget of information accompanied by drawings, photographs or animations of architecture, artifacts and maps. Underlined words and a clickable glossary take the explorer to brief descriptions and images of arts and crafts, common occupations, temples, and gods. The site includes two simple off-line activities for creating dioramas and drawing Egyptian figures with a grid. The Nile File is presented by the Liverpool Museums in England and does contain unique English spellings of some common words.
tag(s): art history (86), egypt (45)
In the Classroom
This site can be a great introduction to a unit on Egypt for young learners. Put a link to this site on a classroom computer that can be used as an activity center for the Egyptian unit of study. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to take the entire class on an interactive tour of life on the Nile.As a language arts activity, have students adopt the persona of an ordinary Egyptian and write a week-long journal or blog entries about their daily life. Tie in the visual arts by posing and tracing students' outlines on butcher paper on the floor. Students can strike an Egyptian-style pose that reflects their chosen person or occupation, and then draw in the clothing, headwear, and jewelry. Cut out these life-size images and combine them to create an Egyptian wall of stories. Let students fill in the background with hieroglyphic symbols.
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Power Point Games - Jefferson County Schools
Grades
2 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
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,...more
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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 (106)
In the Classroom
Use these templates with any subject you wish to review: foreign language word lists, social studies terms and concepts, science, language arts, art, music, sped, etc. These activities offer an excellent method to review information through a fun and different approach. Teachers can also have students create their own versions of review games.
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Hubbard's Cupboard - a joyful journey into learning - Hubbard's Cupboard
Grades
K to 1
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Hubbard's Cupboard provides early learning through reading activities, math connections, and art projects. The activities are user-friendly and are geared toward primary students. ...more
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Hubbard's Cupboard provides early learning through reading activities, math connections, and art projects. The activities are user-friendly and are geared toward primary students.
tag(s): easter (10), eggs (5), holidays (159), literacy (107)
In the Classroom
Use the site as a guide for planning a traditional holiday celebration in your classroom!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Scratch - Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab
Grades
1 to 12
12 Favorites
0 Comments
Want to get in touch with your inner child? Get Scratch! Warning: The use of this application is quite fun and engaging! Scratch is a downloadable program that creates interactive ...more
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Want to get in touch with your inner child? Get Scratch! Warning: The use of this application is quite fun and engaging! Scratch is a downloadable program that creates interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art. This application can be used for bringing simple ideas and projects to life. It has great use as a paint program without using the animations. Download/install files are available for Mac or PC. Menu tabs include an Idea tab where you will find a Getting Started Tutorial, Activity Guides, Coding Cards, and Starter Projects. FAQs and support pages are also available for help in using the application.
Material created can only be viewed within the program. Drawings are not saved as a JPG or pic file. However, a "snapshot" of the screen can be created by using these keys in Mac: apple, shift, and 4 and click/drag to surround the portion to save. In PC use: control/print screen. These snapshots can be uploaded or used as a picture in other applications.
Material created can only be viewed within the program. Drawings are not saved as a JPG or pic file. However, a "snapshot" of the screen can be created by using these keys in Mac: apple, shift, and 4 and click/drag to surround the portion to save. In PC use: control/print screen. These snapshots can be uploaded or used as a picture in other applications.
tag(s): animation (62), coding (87), computational thinking (41), critical thinking (112), design (83), drawing (60), problem solving (226), STEM (260)
In the Classroom
Be sure to "play" with this program before you present it to students; or, you could have computer savy students in your class pair up with not so savy students to investigate together. There are many tabs, folders; and icons to investigate. You (or students) could click Create and in the center pane, click on the tutorial. To begin your creation follow the steps in the tutorial. Once you have the idea, choose your own features from the menu on the left, and on the bottom right are two more menus; Look for the cat icon and the backdrops. Different colors, pens, and materials can be used to create the background or an image can be brought in from your computer. Objects in Scratch are called a Sprite and can be added in by choosing the folders below the screen. By clicking the script tab, blocks can be moved in to create motion, add sounds (even record your own message), and change the look of the Sprite. Blocks are linked on to each other to create a series of events. A control block dragged to the top of the blocks control which key starts the event. Advanced options include adding variables and other controls.Be sure to check with your Technology Department, as many districts require authorization to download or install new applications. Projects can be shared online; however an account is required.
Work is saved to the computer itself and only shared online via an account. To avoid problems concerning content made by outsiders or issues with sharing, save the work locally and either create your own gallery on a supervised class website/wiki or set up a single account where you share the "best" projects online via your own log-in. Remind students of the school's Acceptable Use Policy and consequences of violations, if you do allow them to join/share. Images used should adhere to all copyright rules. Use pictures taken in class or those with Creative Commons licensing (and provide attribution!).
Practical tips: Students quickly catch on to this program when allowed to play and easily see what they can make from it. Provide a simple assignment with defined rules/tasks to learn the tools. Younger students may familiarize themselves more easily working with a partner. Have students use a storyboard to write down what they will do/draw/say in their creation in order to keep tabs on what students and their creations.
Possible uses: For the lower grades, Scratch provides unlimited possibilities. Use as a new way to show vocabulary usage. Use the paint program to add information to a picture from your class field trip or science experiment. Use Scratch to help in storytelling a concept in a new and unique way, such as how rocks are formed. In the upper grades, use Scratch to show complex material in a new way. For example, students can draw DNA and show replication, etc. through their drawings and storytelling. Draw the different movements of landforms in plate tectonics. Draw or illustrate solutions to Math problems.
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The Art of Ancient Egypt - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Grades
4 to 7
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Lead your students on an exploration of the art of Ancient Egypt! The Metropolitan Museum of Art has created a treasure trove of lesson plans and activities built around their ...more
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Lead your students on an exploration of the art of Ancient Egypt! The Metropolitan Museum of Art has created a treasure trove of lesson plans and activities built around their stellar Egyptian collection. The educational resources integrate Egyptian art into language arts, social studies, math, science, and visual and performing arts. This would be a terrific launch point for a gifted enrichment unit. Dig into the Resources area to get an overview of the printable worksheets, bibliographies, maps, and online features. Be sure to click on the Curriculum Connection area for specific lesson plans and activities for your students.
tag(s): egypt (45)
In the Classroom
After exploring the various activities, students can create their own Egyptian-inspired artifacts for a classroom museum. Invite other classes for a student-docent tour of the museum. Discuss the stylized Egyptian figures that communicate ideas and stories and ask students to strike poses which others try to decipher. Students can add contemporary items to a time capsule and bury it somewhere on the school grounds to be discovered by future archeologists. Discuss why items in the time capsule might mystify people in the future.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Block Posters - blockposters.com
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Make a poster in a snap using this easy tool. Just upload your photo, slice it, and your poster size images will be downloaded to your computer--ready for printing. View ...more
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Make a poster in a snap using this easy tool. Just upload your photo, slice it, and your poster size images will be downloaded to your computer--ready for printing. View the site's gallery for poster ideas. The pictures are downloaded into a PDF file. Adobe Acrobat is required. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
tag(s): photography (131)
In the Classroom
You could actually use this tool in any subject or grade level to create visual displays for your classroom or have students make their own (upper elementary and older). If you allow students to use this site, beware that the images in the Gallery may change frequently. What may be 'art' to some may be questionable to others. For art teachers, the use of this tool offers endless possibilities. Student artwork will take on a different air when blown up to gallery-sized prints. Teachers, think E-A-S-Y bulletin boards!
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Africa Focus: Sights and Sounds of a Continent - University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Grades
3 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
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,...more
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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 (137), air (106), architecture (64), black history (123)
In the Classroom
Teachers will find this site rich in resources for units on science, social studies, geography, architecture, music, art, and culture. Make Africa a "real" place by sharing on a projector as you share stories or learn about homes ("Structures") and habitats or landforms ("Landscape") with younger students. Use the sound recordings for lessons on oral history, myths, languages, and music. Assign student groups a topic area, which they can research and present to the class as a PowerPoint or another multi-media format using an interactive whiteboard or projector.Images, text, or other content downloaded from the collection may be freely used for non-profit educational and research purposes under Fair Use. That means that you may NOT put them on the web in a public site, blog, or wiki, since you would not be limiting access to class members. If you want students to create blog or wiki pages, create passworded access for class members only to areas displaying these images and resources. Check the website for instructions on how students can cite this source in their bibliographies.
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Season Sequence Stories - Crayola
Grades
K to 4
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This mini-lesson plan teaches children sequence, observation, season awareness, and creative expression. The children either make multiple drawings or cards which capture the outdoor...more
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This mini-lesson plan teaches children sequence, observation, season awareness, and creative expression. The children either make multiple drawings or cards which capture the outdoor scene of the present season. They also put the cards or drawings in sequential order. Children who can't write can dictate their comments to the teacher. As the children share their sequential stories with each other, they all practice listening skills, learn new vocabulary, and understand differences in points of view. Children can also take their classmates' pictures and cards and rearrange them and tell or write new stories.
tag(s): drawing (60), seasons (36), sequencing (17)
In the Classroom
Use this activity in response to a field trip or outdoor excursion around the school. This lesson allows ESL and ELL students who can't express themselves as well as the rest of the class to be full participants. Teachers might want to review pertinent meta-questions before taking a trip, such as "What is the name of that?," "How do you spell that word?," and "Can you repeat that?" before going outside the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kidlink - Kidlink
Grades
3 to 12
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0 Comments
To investigate Kidlink, click Teachers Room, and follow the directions on that page to register for free and see what the site has to offer. This website provides an online ...more
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To investigate Kidlink, click Teachers Room, and follow the directions on that page to register for free and see what the site has to offer. This website provides an online connection to students from various areas of the world. There are links provided for students, families, and teachers. The website is available in various languages - English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese. Students can share stories, artwork, and more. The educational content includes life planning skills (careers), social studies (geography, government, history, etc.), writing, and many other academic areas. Free registration is required for each student and teacher. All content is monitored by volunteer moderators. What a fabulous resource to use in geography or language arts class. This website doesn't just teach students about countries throughout the world, but also allows students to interact with students of various cultures as they write and respond to each other in this safe environment.
tag(s): careers (139), communication (136), cultures (132)
In the Classroom
Students need not have their own email to use this site. Kidlink explains that they are permitted to use the teacher's email address (which allows you to monitor their activities, as well). You might want to use your "extra" email account. Set up accounts for your students to communicate in your world language class or as part of your study of other continents. With younger students, you may want to communicate as a whole-class activity, composing on a projector or interactive whiteboard.If your school policies limit your ability to use such a site, see the FAQ information and ready-to-go presentation explaining Kidlink. Share it with your principal and parents. ALWAYS get written parent permission when sharing student work/ideas online.
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Letter Zoo - Chateau Meddybumps
Grades
K to 1
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Letter Zoo is a lesson idea geared to primary-aged students working on letter recognition. The site demonstrates how to create animals and other creatures using various letters of the...more
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Letter Zoo is a lesson idea geared to primary-aged students working on letter recognition. The site demonstrates how to create animals and other creatures using various letters of the alphabet (both uppercase and lowercase). It provides several templates as examples. This is a tactile way for students to learn the letters of the alphabet.
tag(s): alphabet (51)
In the Classroom
Assign each student a personal letter(s) and have him/her create pages for a class book. PowerPoint works well to create BIG BOOK pages electronically using WORD ART of the letters as the graphics (rotate the letter using the green "dot" at the top and drag/resize as you do clip art). Provide a template with the letters already on the slides and allow students to arrange them. Allow students to branch out and create designs other than animals. It is always interesting to see how creative they can be! Have students present their creations in a showcase format and attempt to identify the letters on each display.Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to share these activities (animals) with your class. See if they can figure out all of the letters used in the pictures. Then write some sentences together to accompany the pictures. Make the PowerPoint file available from your teacher web page or by email so students can "read aloud" at home, too.
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Biographical Dictionary - s9.com
Grades
3 to 12
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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...more
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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 (112)
In the Classroom
This site could be a terrific way to publish student research projects to the real world. When you assign research projects on a famous scientist, author, famous American, musician, etc., have students create their written projects in a format that will fit into this online dictionary, including providing links and references for their information. Younger students could write an entry together as a class (perhaps on an author whose book you have just read). Challenge middle and high school students to find articles in your research area that contain possible inaccuracies or bias (and the research to prove it) and present both the original and their proposed changes to the class before putting them online. What a critical thinking challenge!Be sure to follow your district's acceptable use policy if you are allowing students to contribute to this site. Make sure you have written parent permission to post student work online.
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Wolf Quest - Minnesota Zoo
Grades
4 to 12
2 Favorites
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This fabulous website about wolves and habitats in Yellowstone allows participants to "live" as a wolf, raise their young, explore the wilderness, go hunting, and survive. Students...more
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This fabulous website about wolves and habitats in Yellowstone allows participants to "live" as a wolf, raise their young, explore the wilderness, go hunting, and survive. Students can work alone or with partners, as they learn about wolves in the wild. Students can consult biologists, write original stories, create drawings, and more. This is the first episode; future installments are expected in late 2008. Students and/or teachers must register (free)to use the program. We recommend using a single class/teacher registration or parent/student written agreements for student registrations in order to prevent inappropriate postings "clever" students might make on the community discussion boards. There are also detailed lesson plans (click on Wolf Info > classroom activities). The lesson plans include national science standards.
tag(s): animal homes (56), animals (280), zoology (7)
In the Classroom
Introduce this free resource on interactive whiteboard or projector. The lesson plans and interactive activity are both perfect tools to drum up enthusiasm in biology class. The Game Info provides excellent descriptors and instructions for using this program. Be sure to check back for updated episodes. Include this website on your teacher web site (and the activities) as one of a set of activities on animals and their habitats to be done in class or outside. Then challenge your students to work together in documenting local animals and habitats in a class wiki or group science fair project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PBS Arthur - PBS
Grades
K to 3
3 Favorites
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If Arthur and his friends sit on your bookshelf, bookmark this interactive and safe PBS website. The site offers numerous activities, polls, information about your favorite Arthur characters,...more
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If Arthur and his friends sit on your bookshelf, bookmark this interactive and safe PBS website. The site offers numerous activities, polls, information about your favorite Arthur characters, and many other educational activities. Some examples include Moonlight Mazes, Arthur's Park, and numerous others.
tag(s): letter writing (18), nutrition (134), writing (315)
In the Classroom
Make sure you click the 'Parents and Teachers' link at the bottom left column of the homepage to find lesson plans, activities, book lists, and more. Nearly all of these activities are ideal for an interactive whiteboard or projector. When reading Arthur books in your classroom, extend the learning through these activities. From healthy eating tips to Arthur Trivia, the possibilities at this website are endless.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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The Online Picasso Project - Prof. Dr. Enrique Mallen
Grades
2 to 12
2 Favorites
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Explore everything you ever wanted to see and read about Picasso using this fabulous online collection. See a biographical timeline with images of the artworks intermingled, explore...more
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Explore everything you ever wanted to see and read about Picasso using this fabulous online collection. See a biographical timeline with images of the artworks intermingled, explore the works up close using an "explore" tool, and compare works side by side by using the checkboxes and "compare" button. Whether you are trying to inspire an art project with some visuals before turning students loose with their own materials or are teaching a lesson in art criticism, this site is a treasury. A few of the resources open a little slowly simply because of the large volume of information that is loading. The tool seems to work best when you go in through "biography."
tag(s): picasso (4)
In the Classroom
Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or large screen in your art class. Use the whiteboard tools to draw and highlight aspects of the works. If you assign students to do research on featured artists, this site is a MUST. Literature teachers approaching works of the early 20th century may also want to compare Picasso's revolutionary approaches to some of the changes in poetry at the same time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Picture Books - Dandi Palmer
Grades
K to 4
1 Favorites
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This site contains a nice collection of online picture books, some for very young children but also some for older children. Those with high-speed connections should click on the ...more
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This site contains a nice collection of online picture books, some for very young children but also some for older children. Those with high-speed connections should click on the teapot to access the best view of the books. Ms. Palmer wrote and illustrated this variety of offerings. The gallery also shares illustrations from a variety of older texts. You can also view books in progress and enjoy coloring sheets. Share this site with your aspiring readers and artists to help them appreciate the role illustration has in creating attractive texts.
In the Classroom
Children will enjoy reading online as a class on a projector or interactive whiteboard or reading at a center on your classroom computer. Share the site with parents via your web page. Art teachers can feature these illustrations as an inspiration for a picture book project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Colour Lovers - Color Lovers
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
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Art teachers and graphic design instructors trying to provide many examples of analogous and complementary color schemes will love this site. Your young artists will be fascinated that...more
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Art teachers and graphic design instructors trying to provide many examples of analogous and complementary color schemes will love this site. Your young artists will be fascinated that people are actually PAID to create and forecast new color palettes for all kinds of design and other applications. This site is a sharing space for professional color designers to post new color schemes they have created for architecture, web design, print, advertising, and any other use. It is the real world equivalent of a on line color "jam session." The home page often features a color scheme on a current topic, such as color inspirations from a seasonal picture.
tag(s): design (83), graphic design (50)
In the Classroom
Assign your secondary art or fibers students to select a color scheme from this site and describe it both technically (the hues, tones, etc.) and emotionally (what feelings do these colors evoke?). Color schemes can be copied and pasted from the site (under Fair Use) for students to place on PowerPoint slides with commentary, then project as part of a class critique. If you teach digital imaging, have students create their own digital color palettes and share them on a wiki with their descriptions and descriptions from classmates. Younger students can respond to palettes you bring up on a projector of interactive whiteboard before a painting or color mixing lesson.Be aware that this site has comments and favorites, so you will want to preview for comments not appropriate in a classroom. There is also a discussion board area you may want to avoid. Spell out the limitations before you put students on to navigate the site in your secondary classroom. If you are too concerned, do it as a whole-class activity on an interactive whiteboard.
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