Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

IndyKids is an online newspaper for kids. This online version is the same as the printable version that produces 10,000 copies of each issue, reaching kids in 36 states of the US. Articles are written by both kids and adults, featuring topics related to current events and topics of interest to kids. Articles written by kids are noted as such and include the writer's age. At the time of this review, some of the "kid written articles" included Growing Poverty: Hard to Ignore At Home, Wasps: Do I Know You, and several others. Be sure to check out the category search on the lower right-hand portion of the site with topics such as: Kids Around the World, Culture and Activism, Education, and much more. Newspapers are archived in PDF format for easy printing and dated back several years.

tag(s): creative writing (124), expository writing (31), journalism (74), persuasive writing (58), writing (324)

FORA.tv's claim to fame is as the Web's largest collection of conference and event videos. These videos come from sources such as universities, think tanks, and other intelligent discourses. Videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

Please preview anything before you share it with your students. At the time of this review there was a subcategory "Sex" which may not be appropriate for most classrooms. But always preview! Teachers may want to share ONLY specific video links.
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tag(s): business (52), cultures (180), elections (82), energy (133), environment (252), evolution (89), genetics (80), investing (8), news (228), politics (118), psychology (65), religions (95), sexuality (15), stock market (11), sustainability (50), video (266)

Looking for some FREE, animated storybooks about science? Here you will find storybooks on electricity, the life cycle, the solar system, technology, weather (such as earthquakes and volcanoes), the rock cycle, the water cycle, and more! The lessons even have a recommended grade level (K-6). Depending on your curriculum, you may find useful materials at other grade levels. Some have audio; others have video; and a few are just simple animations. This is a MUST-SEE site for any elementary (and early middle school) science class.

tag(s): animals (294), audio books (26), ecology (103), electricity (61), environment (252), human body (93), life cycles (21), light (56), plants (146), plate tectonics (22), rocks (35), space (222), stars (71), water cycle (22)

QUARKED! Adventures in the Subatomic Universe has a wide range of engaging multimedia and hands-on materials to introduce the exciting world of particle physics to students ages 7 and up (and their families). This highly interactive site offers videos, games, and a club with downloads based on three themes. Themes include "How Small is Small", "Quarks: Ups, Downs, and the Universe", and "How Do You Find Out About Something You Can't See?" Topics vary from electricity to matter to shapes and much more. Lesson plans, organized by theme, can be done in any order. Some of the featured "games" include Matter Mechanics, Photon Invaders, and Height Chart. Videos even explain connections between subatomic particles and healthy eating! Many other interactives are also available. Though the games require Flash, there is so much more to learn from the videos and other features that this site is worth a visit.

tag(s): atoms (43), electricity (61), geometric shapes (134), matter (45), measurement (122), molecules (43), nutrition (140), solar energy (34)

FIT by WebMD is a great website to promote health and healthy opportunities for students of all ages. Explore five different areas of health: Food, Move, Recharge, Healthy Weight, and Mood. The site offers a far healthier approach to fitness than simply weight. Highlights include an age appropriate body mass index calculator, video clips, recipes, age-appropriate articles, and more. There is an entire Parents area so everyone can be involved together.

A free registration gives the member free tools like a Food and Fitness Planner, Vaccine Tracker, Symptom Checker, and many more. The registration information required is minimal and is legally appropriate for the age level.

tag(s): cooking (32), fitness (39), heart (27), myplate (18), obesity (8)

The Body Browser (brought to you by Google) is an amazing resource for teaching anatomy and body systems to middle and high school students. The site only requires an up-to-date browser. It allows you to view a human (male or female) body as either a whole or a system (or even body part/organ) at a time. The navigation is EASY! On the left side of the screen there is a toolbar that you simply click to reveal or unveil a particular body system. There are also labels for all parts of the body. The label function can be turned on and off. This is a truly remarkable tool. No accounts or sign up required. Check out specific organ systems or use the search tab in the upper right corner of the site to find specific muscles, nerves, bones, and more!

tag(s): body systems (40), human body (93)

News and information from top thinkers and doers around the world, screened so that it is condensed to that which is significant, relevant, and applicable, that is Big Think. This website is a phenomenal source for information and news. The philosophy of Big Think is that as we "move to the knowledge era" that you will be able to better function if you know more and understand what you know. This website was awarded one of TIME magazine's best websites of 2011 for news and information. Please screen any articles that you wish to share BEFORE sharing with your students. Some content is NOT appropriate for the classroom. This is not a site you want to send students off to explore on their own.
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tag(s): brain (56), business (52), cross cultural understanding (173), environment (252), news (228), politics (118), psychology (65)

Register for free and use this exceptional tool to look inside the human body in a detailed 3D view. Definitions, descriptions, and common conditions of that structure show in the pop up text. View male or female anatomical structures down to the most incredible detail. Use the slider along the bottom to rotate the image 360 degrees. View the videos, health tips, injury or disease causes or symptoms, and other structures. Choose which system to view: urinary, digestive, reproductive, muscular, nervous, or many others. Of course, this site is "anatomically correct."

tag(s): body systems (40), human body (93), medicine (57), reproduction (7)

Use Calculator.com to access a variety of calculators to use in a classroom or as a reference tool. Choose from standard, fraction, scientific, percent, mortgage, area, units converter, as well as other calculators. Note: This site has many ads as calculators are chosen.
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tag(s): calculators (36)

Nobelprize.org is the official website of the Nobel Prize. Here you find information about Alfred Nobel, the prizewinners, interviews, and photos. Videos of interviews of Nobel peace prizewinners, speeches, ceremonies, interviews, banquets, lectures, announcements, award ceremonies, and documentaries fill the gamut of all of the prizewinners. The Nobel prizes awards are in literature, chemistry, medicine, peace, economics, and physics. Under the Education tab at the top find arieties of educational games/activities and lesson plans help explain many of the Nobel Award winners' work. This site clearly explains and illustrates the purpose of the awards, the award winners, and their ideas. Videos give an insider look at each of the winners.

tag(s): creativity (86), literature (221), medicine (57)

Geniventure engages students in learning about genetics and heredity through game-play. Players advance through a series of digital investigations to save dragons from extinction. Use the Quick-Start Guide to register for an educator account and create a class. Geniventure offers many teacher resources, including a guide to the challenges, lists of hints by challenge, and teaching strategies for level 3. Another feature for educators is the Teacher Dashboard Guide, which assists in understanding the tools available for managing assignments and understanding students' progress within the game. Students participate by creating accounts using your class word or accessing accounts you make in advance.

tag(s): dna (43), genetics (80)

Space.com is your one stop extraterrestrial resource! Featuring current information and articles about all things out of this world, Space.com is a resource full of images, videos, and interactives. Images here are brilliant and beautiful. Articles are professional and meaningful.
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tag(s): moon (73), nasa (30), space (222), stars (71), sun (71)

Use this site to engage and excite students about the field of life science and biotechnology. Students can use the student resources to learn about biotechnology, prepare for exciting careers, or view a variety of resources. Teachers can find biotechnology facts and great resources for engaging students in inquiry and topics that have applications for their lives.

tag(s): biodiversity (36), genetics (80)

This site provides several collaborative science and engineering projects with various start dates. Projects are available for a full range of grade levels. The target grade level is listed with the project. Some projects at the time of this review included: The Global Sun (grades 5-8), Bucket Buddies (grades 1-5), Human Genetics (grades 6-12), Home Lighting in Developing Countries (grades 9-12), and several others.

tag(s): animals (294), engineering (129), genetics (80), light (56), plants (146), scientists (67), sun (71), water (102)

This PBS site is a reorganized collection of over 16,000+ public media offerings (including radio and photographs), arranged specifically for preK-12 teachers. You can search by subject (the landing page subject is physical education) and grade level across many subjects. After viewing three offerings, you must join (for free) to continue. Membership includes the option of saving favorites. Use the search box at the top to find correlations to state standards. The site is still in development, so material is being added frequently.

tag(s): alphabet (53), careers (156), dance (31), data (151), decimals (85), diseases (66), fitness (39), human body (93), mark twain (8), multimedia (53), music theory (46), percent (59), probability (99), problem solving (233), psychology (65)

Mind 42 is an easy to use mind mapping (or concept mapping) tool. You create the format and easily add links, notes, to do lists, images, or even a Wikipedia article. Import the result into documents or perhaps a Skype conversation. Bring mind maps/concept maps to a new level!

tag(s): concept mapping (15), mind map (27)

The JASON Project home page is a portal to a huge number of scientifically significant activities, video clips, curricula packages, lesson plans, and more! While you could create an account to use one of the current curriculum pieces individually, it is a far more valuable resource if you register and join the website for FREE! Once registered, you can easily access all of the interactive content and archived activities. In fact, to fully access all archived curriculum you MUST register for a free account. Once inside the "member only" Jason site, simply click on the Curricula tab on the left side to see all current and past missions still available on the site. This could turn into your next "go-to" resource for online interactive science in the classroom. This is a MUST-SEE site with a ton of high interest topics for students. It is definitely worth the 1-2 minute FREE registration. Looking for some examples of topics? There are lessons/activities about Mysteries of Earth & Mars, Humpback whales, Monster Storms, Rainforests, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Great Lakes, Measurement, Forces, Velocity, and many, many more. It appears that they update this site frequently, so check back often.

tag(s): ecology (103), energy (133), geology (62), video (266), weather (160)

Curriki is a nonprofit organization that encourages teachers and learners' to collaborate in developing quality educational materials in a global community. Click What We Do from the top menu and slide to CurikiStudio, and click Creators to create a free account and find resources like questions, photos/images, multimedia, and more for interactive lesson creation. Next under Solutions is CurrikiGo, where you will publish your lessons, etc. Last on the dropdown list is the CurrikiLibrary, where you can search by subject area, grade level, or resource type (interactive, video, or podcast). For a thorough summary of Curriki click the Explore a CurrikiStudio Activity. Join different groups for a more involved way to explore new areas in online learning, subject area interests, or focus questions. Create collections of your resources to keep private or share with others. This site focuses on providing free access to teachers, schools, students, or parents to many new creative ideas for in-class learning, digital learning, and hybrid or blended learning in a global community. Free membership includes monthly newsletters. Follow Curriki on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or blogs.
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tag(s): graphic organizers (48), literacy (121), OER (43), operations (72), resources (83), rubrics (37), Teacher Utilities (197)

This site offers a complete lesson plan to use with students prior to beginning a first research project. The lesson takes students through the process of analyzing book titles to determine ones that would be helpful in their research. It then builds on class discussion to enable students to make informed decisions on appropriate research material. One especially useful part of the lesson is the Hints About Print interactive link included in the lesson plan. This would be a wonderful site to use on your interactive whiteboard to lead the class through basics of choosing materials for research. Other useful items on the site are the nonfiction book reviews and nonfiction book evaluation forms that are available in pdf form for easy classroom use. Find all resources and print material by choosing the Resources and Preparation tab near the top of the page.

tag(s): book reports (28), interactive stories (22), Research (87)