Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Above the Clouds is an interactive experience celebrating the Earth. Follow the adventure set to text written by Carl Sagan in his book Pale Blue Dot. While watching this interactive, move your mouse to explore different views. Use icons at the bottom of the screen to toggle sound and captions on or off.

tag(s): conservation (102), earth (183), earth day (61), environment (252), planets (113)

Browse through over 9,000 resources at the National STEM Centre's eLibrary for ages five and up. Search by keyword or use filters to sort by age range, subject, or type of resource. Resources include videos, presentations, activity sheets, and much more. Optional account creation allows you to save resources and add activities to favorites. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): engineering (137), STEM (306)

Crash Course Kids features countless videos all about science. Read the description for each video and the Next Generation Science Standards. Go to the preview video to view the standards addressed in the first 95 videos. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animals (293), gravity (43), matter (45), moon (72), planets (113), plants (147), seasons (37), sun (69), video (267)

Journey to the farthest regions of space with this infographic from BBC. Scroll down to see the rocket from Earth's closest cloud layer and continue to the outer edges of our solar system 46 billion light- years away. Notes at the bottom of the page change to tell the distance in kilometers, travel time at warp 1 speed, and miles represented per pixel.

tag(s): planets (113), rockets (11), solar system (107), space (220)

Lead up to this annual event in September with resources that teach about the features of the Moon! Find events around the World, create your own event, and find classroom and home activities. Be sure to click on the Resources tab at the top to find Activities and information about Moon phases, Spotting Craters, Ideas for viewing, and more.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): moon (72)

Learn about the life and accomplishments of Alexander Kartveli, one of the most important aircraft designers of the world. This site provides information about Kartveli's design accomplishments, including seed ideas for the space shuttle. Learn about the different aircraft he worked on throughout the years. Be sure to check out the Resources link that includes images, documents, video, lesson plans, and more. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): aircraft (17), aviation (41), design (79), engineering (137)

SciShow Kids is one of YouTube's premier educational channels featuring answers to many science related questions. SciShow Kids encourages and celebrates audience participation through answering questions in new videos and annotations. Choose from popular videos with diverse topics such as lunar eclipses and weird animal teeth. Be sure to subscribe to receive notifications as new videos are added. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animals (293), moon (72), space (220), sun (69), video (267)

Khan Academy, reviewed here, offers an extensive playlist of math and science videos and tutorials on this YouTube channel. Scroll through to view available topics such as calculus, biology, SAT preparation, and much more. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): computers (109), equations (119), financial literacy (95), probability (99), STEM (306), test prep (69), video (267)

This site provides a small, but worthwhile, selection of interactives and simulations related to the weather and climate. Choose from interesting activities such as launching a virtual balloon to examining layers of the earth's atmosphere, or "building" a tree using different climate options. Each activity includes a full explanation and many include additional links or extension activities.

tag(s): arctic (40), atmosphere (22), carbon dioxide (9), climate (85), climate change (100), hurricanes (33), solar energy (35), sun (69), trees (18)

This YouTube Channel is the place to find answers about science and stories about our awesome planet. Browse through the video list to learn why we just see one side of the moon, discover the secret social life of plants, and understand why rivers curve. Subscribe to MinuteEarth to receive a notification when new videos become available. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): atmosphere (22), earth (183), moon (72), oceans (149), planets (113), plants (147), video (267), weather (161)

Find an answer to your question or great question starters for any conversation here with this free tool! Featured under the Resource tab, you can access articles, books, case studies, lesson plans, Kahoot, videos, downloads, and events. The site caters to students in preschool through grade 12. When signing up for free, you gain access to more content on the site.

tag(s): animals (293), climate change (100), immigration (79), musical instruments (54), racism (81), timelines (57)

The twelve videos on this site explore the science, technology, engineering, and math found in current events. These videos look behind the news at topics such as tornadoes, opinion polls, allergies, and drug-resistant bacteria. Each video includes a transcript that opens or closes for use while watching videos.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): bacteria (21), computers (109), foreign policy (13), news (226), planets (113), plants (147), politics (118), STEM (306), tornadoes (14), video (267)

What is a .kmz file and how do you make one? A .kmz file, when opened, launches Google Earth and the files needed to view specific portions of the globe, map overlays, and other information. There are several ways to create a .kmz file to share with others for specific content to be learned. Thematic Mapping Engine provides you with a very simple way to create Google Earth .kmz files. This tool uses data from the United Nations to create maps of all types of development and environmental data. Follow the instructions in the yellow box along the right side of this tool. Select a statistical indicator category from the dropdown (for example, Life expectancy or population). Then, select a year or range of years, and the manner in which they would like the data displayed in Google Earth. Preview and download the .kmz file. Share this file on your blog, wiki, or web page. Click on and then download the file. Once the file is opened, Google Earth then opens and the data is seen within Google Earth. Note: Google Earth must be installed on student computers. Check with your technology department about the availability of Google Earth in your schools. See more information about Google Earth, reviewed here.

tag(s): climate change (100), diseases (66), earth (183), landmarks (22), news (226), population (51)

Looking for views of orbiting satellites with actual data about the Earth? Find it here with the Eyes on the Earth tool. Note: This tool requires a one-time download. After installing, launch from the web page (the install button turns into a start button). Be sure to view in full-screen mode for the best effect. Change your perspective of the Earth by changing the tilt (hold down the mouse and rotate). Zoom in and out with the tool along the right (much like the tool in Google Earth or Maps). Choose from among the tools along the top. As you click on a tool, read information in the window to the left. Be sure to click Turn Audio On to hear the narrative. Use the additional links there for more information. Visible Earth shows the movement of two satellites and the images from both. Choose the speed of the motion of the satellites with the slider along the bottom. Other tools include Temperature, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Sea Level, Antarctic Zone, and Water and Ice. Click on the last two tools to view the actual datasets and missions. Some of the tools have relief maps, showing a 3D representation of the data. Click Show relief to really capture student attention. The tools in the lower right corner control the brightness of the image and full or partial screen.

tag(s): antarctica (30), arctic (40), carbon dioxide (9), climate (85), climate change (100), earth (183), glaciers (17), temperature (34), water (105)

ABC Splash is a large educational website from Australia containing videos, games, and audio clips. Special sections for parents include informational articles, teaching resources, and education news. Choose from primary or secondary level to view offerings sorted into categories or go to games and sort by topic or grade level to find resources. Register on the site to store and save favorite activities for later use. The site was created in the Australia, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): addition (128), animals (293), antarctica (30), atmosphere (22), australia (29), cells (82), climate change (100), continents (33), counting (61), decimals (85), division (97), earth (183), earthquakes (47), ecosystems (83), egypt (59), energy (133), environment (252), food chains (19), forces (37), forensics (12), fossil fuels (10), game based learning (207), gold rush (16), human body (91), immigration (79), insects (67), light (56), maps (224), molecules (43), money (114), multiplication (121), nuclear energy (20), nutrition (139), oceans (149), parts of speech (39), percent (59), perimeter (20), place value (34), plants (147), probability (99), rhymes (22), rocks (35), songs (46), sound (72), subtraction (109), time (91), vietnam (38), volcanoes (55), weather (161), whole numbers (9), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (162)

Ask Smithsonian answers fascinating questions via videos that are less than two minutes long. There is a new video each week. Find out if your interesting science question has an answer here. Sometimes you may think your question is not scientific, such as "Will Chicken Soup Cure a Cold?" or "How Do People Get Phobias?" Well, the answer to those questions is at Ask Smithsonian. Give it a try and see if your question has an answer.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animals (293), bacteria (21), human body (91), insects (67), plants (147), space (220), time (91), video (267)

National Geographic offers a rich and extensive site for educators through its Education homepage. Scroll down the page to find resources, reference materials, maps, media, collections, and much more. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find Explorer Classroom. For specific content searches use the search bar to find and filter results by grades, subjects, resource type, and audience.This site is frequently updated. Check back often!

tag(s): animals (293), climate change (100), commoncore (73), earth day (61), ecology (103), energy (133), food chains (19), map skills (64), maps (224), migration (45), multimedia (55), oceans (149), STEM (306), weather (161)

Ducksters is a safe, extensive, educational portal for kids. Find a wide choice of content such as interactives, sports, movies, and music. Begin by choosing a category to explore choices. The study category includes extensive information such as world history, many biographies, science explanations, and information on all continents and many countries. Interactive subjects include math times tables, checkers, and guess the country. There is a TON here to explore.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): addition (128), african american (119), american revolution (83), animal homes (57), animals (293), artists (88), biographies (95), china (81), civil rights (217), civil war (140), cold war (31), continents (33), countries (73), data (150), division (97), egypt (59), elements (33), energy (133), environment (252), explorers (64), fractions (160), friction (9), geometric shapes (134), greece (47), habitats (92), human body (91), inventors and inventions (82), keyboarding (28), mean (19), median (16), mode (13), multiplication (121), planets (113), presidents (136), puzzles (149), recycling (46), renaissance (38), rome (37), solar system (107), sound (72), sports (84), subtraction (109), sun (69), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (162)

View science careers galore! Although this site is rather "plain vanilla," it is filled with sprinkles of knowledge! If you need ideas for science careers in Earth and Physical Science, this is a great resource. Research careers, find out what employees actually do in these careers, learn the requirements to obtain a job. Along with the salary and degree requirements, view the future job outlook in the career. View video interviews of real scientists and profiles of those currently on the job.

tag(s): careers (178), scientists (71)

Retronaut is an archive of historical photos, though not your typical photos. These images are sometimes quirky, and generally unexpected. Many have explanations about the period. View images of 1970's rock stars with their parents (Elton John, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton to name a few). See Selma's Children, What Parisian Fancy Ladies wore in 1906, history's first women aviators, and much more. Explore the site by Most Popular, Featured, or The Latest. Click on an image to view a "capsule" with other related images. Some of the images have links under them for attribution, and you can see and read even more about that topic. Under latest, this reviewer found topics that were just added five days before, so you may want to check back if you do not find what you're looking for. Warning: At the time of this review there were two topics that may be inappropriate for the classroom. Use the URL of the topic you wish to share in a new window or tab of your web browser.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), advertising (26), cultures (211), images (263), maps (224), medicine (57), politics (118), transportation (30)