Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Nova Education provides STEM activities and lessons based on the popular PBS series Nova. Information on the site includes articles, videos, and links to external websites. Scroll down to find filters to sort the content by media types, categories, and newer or older additions. The media types category allows users to find lesson plans, collections, teacher guides, and more. Each lesson plan includes detailed instructions, student handouts, and correlation to Next Generation Science Standards.

tag(s): archeology (28), engineering (129), environment (252), forensics (12), paleontology (28), space (222)

Upschool provides many free learning opportunities aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The core of Upschool's content includes a selection of 10-week and short courses with topics such as The Solar System and Beyond and The Importance of Mountains. Additional learning opportunities include Social Scenarios, Comprehension Corner, SDG Challenges, and Teacher Training. Upschool also has a library of over one hundred books submitted by authors with a special message to share. Read the books online or download them as a PDF for free. Many of the books also include teaching resources such as task cards.

tag(s): animals (295), antarctica (30), careers (156), climate (84), earth (184), explorers (64), food chains (19), gifted (66), glaciers (17), journalism (74), mountains (10), oceans (149), Online Learning (36), photography (130), planets (113), plants (146), rainforests (18), social and emotional learning (102), solar system (110), sustainability (50), weather (160), writing (325)

Plix (Play, Learn, Interact, and eXplore) shares over 1,000 interactives, providing practice and exploring math and science concepts. Math topics range from adding whole numbers to calculus concepts; science content includes biology, physics, earth, and life science, among others. Follow the directions found in each interactive to move the slider to show changes in each story problem or question. Plix integrates with several learning management systems, including Google Classroom, Schoology, and Canvas. Share Plix activities by creating a new class on the Plix site or assigning it to your learning management system.

tag(s): angles (52), area (53), atoms (44), charts and graphs (171), data (151), decimals (85), earth (184), earthquakes (46), equations (119), fractions (160), geometric shapes (135), integers (21), latitude (10), magnetism (36), molecules (44), oceans (149), planets (113), plate tectonics (22), prime numbers (26), probability (99), rock cycle (12), rocks (35), scientific method (48), seasons (37), simulations (19), solar system (110), statistics (121), STEM (297), Teacher Utilities (198), volume (34), water (102)

Saturday Morning Astrophysics (SMAP) is a monthly program offered to middle and high school students to delve into current topics in astro research, historical background and discovery, and fundamental principles related to physics and astronomy. Sign up to receive updated information and links to Zoom sessions. During each session, participants have the opportunity to participate in activities. Some require using commonly found objects such as Play-Doh; this is indicated in the activity description. Upcoming topics include Life Cycles of Stars and Searching for Exoplanets; the SMAP program lists upcoming topics at the beginning of each school year. Visit the SMAP YouTube Channel link to find recordings of previous sessions. Sign up as an educator to receive notification of upcoming activities, access lessons and materials, and learn about upcoming professional development activities.

tag(s): light (56), planets (113), solar system (110), space (222), stars (71), sun (71)

Discover the wonders of science from the experts at Purdue University by tuning in to their podcasts and watching their educational video lessons on YouTube. Visit the podcast channel for episodes covering various science topics, including agriculture, space, weather, and more. Superheroes of Science's YouTube Channel includes close to eight hundred videos (with new episodes added weekly) available in several different categories. Visit the channel for science demos and information about the Kids STEM degree program reviewed here, STEM careers, science for kids, and many other topics. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): agriculture (49), engineering (129), friction (9), gravity (43), oceans (149), podcasts (108), rivers (16), solar system (110), sound (72), STEM (297), sun (71), water (102)

Find an abundance of games and learning activities for kids and teens at this engaging site from the experts that The Smithsonian Institution provides. Scroll through the homepage to find activities divided into several categories, including Art, History, and Culture activities and collections, Science and Nature, Art, History activities and collections, and an Art Meets Science collection. Activities include webcams, interactive ebooks, and simulations. Many of the included materials are in Spanish; some activities require downloading from the AppStore from Google Play.

tag(s): alphabet (53), animals (295), colors (64), countries (73), egypt (56), folktales (34), habitats (92), insects (69), inventors and inventions (80), light (56), makerspace (40), museums (52), musical instruments (52), nutrition (140), oceans (149), plants (146), puzzles (149), seasonal (16), space (222), stars (71), STEM (297), summer (28), water (102), weather (160), webcams (19), women (151)

Built to support the next generation of science leaders, The Wonder of Science shares many excellent free resources for science teachers of all grades. Information includes linked lessons offered by grade level, standards, and type of activity. Select the resources link to find printable activities, mini-lessons, assessments, planning, implementation, etc. From the home page, select videos to find videos linked by Next Generation Science Standards. A helpful video walkthrough of the site is available on the home page, and it provides a quick look at what is included and how to find resources. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): biodiversity (36), chemicals (41), climate (84), earth (184), ecology (103), ecosystems (83), energy (133), environment (252), forces (37), genetics (80), life cycles (21), light (56), matter (46), molecules (44), motion (47), oceans (149), planets (113), sound (72), space (222), stars (71), weather (160)

The Achievery is a free digital learning platform created by AT&T in collaboration with Warner Brothers that pairs video clips with lessons to engage students in learning across seven subject areas. Create an account to access activities such as a poetry scavenger hunt with Amanda Gorman or learn reading and writing skills from Wonder Woman video clips. Begin at the "All Units" link to find content by grade level, standards, subject, and additional filters. Most lessons are part of a larger learning unit; however, they are ready to use as individual teaching activities. Each lesson includes correlations to teaching and CASEL standards (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning), highlights relevant vocabulary, activity directions, and links to the featured video, and is available in PDF format. The Achievery lessons and activities are available in English and Spanish. This site would be a good one to leave for your substitute to use; it's high interest, no sign-in, and has lesson plans & video clips.

tag(s): blended learning (37), coding (85), digital citizenship (85), engineering (129), environment (252), equations (119), geometric shapes (135), graphic design (49), internet safety (114), literature (221), map skills (63), measurement (122), media literacy (109), narrative (16), numbers (120), operations (72), order of operations (29), problem solving (233), remote learning (54), Research (87), social and emotional learning (102), spanish (109), STEM (297), substitutes (25), writing (325)

Science Games shares several interesting science games that cover many topics. For example, discover the scale of the universe, interact with a skeleton simulator, or scope out the solar system, among other activities. Hover over the thumbnails to view the titles of the games, then click on your choice to access the activity. Game-play is different for each activity; some are interactive, while others are more typical games that earn points for the players.
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tag(s): body systems (40), earth (184), game based learning (205), human body (93), mitosis (9), planets (113), solar system (110), space (222)

Teachers can take a trip around the world without leaving their classrooms! Geo-fs.com is a free online flight simulator with an open-source platform to render the global landscape you can fly over. This free site will work on any modern web browser, including Chromebooks! You can choose to control your plane with keyboard controls, a mouse, or a joystick. A large ad on the center of the home screen looks like it will run the game. Read the screen carefully to ensure you are not clicking on an ad. A chat feature on the site may cause the site to be blocked at your school. Always test resources before using them in the classroom to be sure they function and are appropriate for your students.
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tag(s): aviation (40), virtual field trips (128)

Georgia Virtual Learning is the online education headquarters for the Georgia Department of Education and offers over 100 virtual courses for middle and high school students. Choose from studies in all core content areas and the fine arts and world languages. An additional option features courses in CTAE/Electives. These offerings include classes in finance, computer science, fitness, and more. After selecting a course to view, use the module to proceed through the contents. Each module includes an introduction featuring essential questions and interactive content and concludes with final assessments and a module test.

tag(s): art history (103), body systems (40), business (52), chinese (45), drawing (61), environment (252), financial literacy (93), french (75), geology (62), japanese (47), latin (23), literature (221), music theory (46), myths and legends (37), narrative (16), novels (34), nutrition (140), oceans (149), OER (43), photography (130), plagiarism (34), poetry (193), psychology (65), robotics (24), romeo & juliet (7), short stories (18), sociology (23), space (222), spanish (109), STEM (297), writers workshop (31)

Stay up to date and learn about the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission as it explores the surface of Mars. Follow links to learn about the four science objectives of the mission, view the timeline, and learn about the spacecraft. In addition, view raw images taken from Mars, observe a weather report, and listen to sounds from Mars' surface. Be sure to visit the site often throughout the mission as content is updated with the latest videos and observations.

tag(s): mars (26), space (222), STEM (297)

NSTA provides Daily Do Playlists to support educators in guiding students toward understanding scientific ideas through instructional sequences of two or more lessons. Although lessons are also supported as stand-alone topics, the goal is to build a "We culture" where students and teachers work together to understand and develop ideas. Lessons include opportunities to engage by making predictions and conducting in-class and at-home experiments. After Daily Do lessons, students are encouraged to make connections to previous activities and explain their thinking. A free account is required to access lessons. If you receive a message that you have exceeded the amount of free content for the month, use the link to download the PDF to view and use any activities. Some of the lessons include a video. If your school blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): animals (295), biomes (110), climate change (99), colors (64), diseases (67), earthquakes (46), planets (113), plants (146), seasons (37), stars (71), STEM (297), temperature (35), water (102)

Observation of the universe has changed over time with the development of new technologies. This collection hosted on the Smithsonian Learning Network shares imagery from telescopes and spacecraft that tell a story of how observers view the sky and its objects. The collection contains fifty-five items, including newspaper articles, photographs, and videos. Choose any thumbnail to view, share, and download each resource. It isn't necessary to create a Smithsonian Learning Institute account to access and share the materials; however, creating a free account allows you to save and favorite items and personalize collections.

tag(s): scientists (67), space (222), stars (71), STEM (297), telescopes (11)

Learn about Annie Jump Cannon, an American astronomer whose work was crucial in developing our categorizing system of stars at this collection hosted by the Smithsonian Learning Institute. The collection consists of thirty-five resources that include photographs and articles. Select any thumbnail to view the full content. Use the links to download or share items. Creating an account at the Smithsonian Learning Center isn't necessary; however, it allows you to save items and personalize collections.

tag(s): biographies (94), scientists (67), stars (71), STEM (297), women (151)

Learn about the woman whose thesis was declared to be "the most brilliant Ph.D. thesis ever written in astronomy" by exploring this interesting collection of articles and images. Browse the site to view thumbnails of forty items and open to view the resources. Download items or share using the provided links. Open a free Smithsonian Learning Institute account to save favorites for further use or create your collections from materials available on the Smithsonian Learning Institute's site.

tag(s): biographies (94), elements (34), scientists (67), stars (71), STEM (297), women (151)