Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Dive into Documentary Storm to discover 100% free documentary films. The goal of the website is to share knowledge spread ideas, and have fun. Search the different channels to find exactly what you are seeking. Topics included are art, biography, conspiracy, culture, drugs, environment, health, indie films, lifestyle, mockumentaries, money, nature, politics, psychology, religion, science, society, sports, technology, war, and many more. Search in the top 100 documentaries, or click use"surprise me." Connect with Facebook, RSS, X (formerly Twitter), or email.

tag(s): video (266)

Choose from almost 300 courses to take for free at Saylor. Topics range from general education to computer science and professional development. There is a K-12 area that includes Common Core information (for teachers or parents), test prep, and English lessons. Explore a specific area of study to find courses or choose the course list to view all offerings. Some courses include a full textbook and/or a full set of video lectures and are listed on the content matrix. Each course lists learning outcomes, course requirements, and a course overview. Create your own eportfolio to enroll in courses, track progress, download transcripts, and engage with the online community. Pass the final exam of each course to receive a certificate of completion.

tag(s): professional development (385)

K-5 GeoSource is a one-stop website for Earth science. Sections include content, activities, assessment, professional resources, and careers. Explore content to view animations and earth science images. Download slides or PDF presentations on rocks, seasons, fossils, and other topics. View benchmarks for Science Literacy while investigating many suggestions for activities.

tag(s): careers (156), climate (84), erosion (15), fossils (41), moon (73), rocks (35), seasons (37), soil (16), water (102), weather (160)

The National Forensic League bills itself as the "National Honor Society for secondary and middle school speech and debate." Certainly this site will be familiar if you are a member already, but is useful even if you are not fielding a formal competition team. The site is organized by level and contains information about upcoming competitions. Most useful to non-members, however, are the resources. There are downloads offering insight and instruction on a wide variety of speech and debate topics: how to organize a team, how to link speech and debate to the Common Core State Standards, and how to develop character in an interpretive speech. Access to some of the resources is limited to members; others require you to login to access.
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tag(s): debate (42), forensics (12), speech (69)

Cappex is a well established commercial college and scholarship search site. Simply create an account, enter information about yourself, and the Cappex site uses that information to suggest potential colleges and scholarships to consider. Establishing an account is free, and you can do that with either your email address or Facebook account. If Facebook is blocked at your school, it is probably best to log-in using an email address instead. It is possible to look at individual college profiles without an account, but the whole purpose of the site is to match colleges and scholarships to an individual student based on demographic information. There are better sites out there for doing simple research on individual colleges. Cappex has a utility that is designed to let you know what your "chances" are for admission to a particular college based upon the demographic information entered, although students should recognize that this is only a rough estimate.

Because this is a commercial site, Cappex reserves the right to send you marketing information from their own site and from their "partners." The privacy statement indicates they will not sell student information, except in the aggregate, but joining the Cappex site is likely to increase the amount of advertising email received. Finally, with respect to the scholarship search portion of the website, the single most effective way to receive financial aid for college expenses is through applying for Federal assistance using the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Assistance). This site may provide leads to private and other scholarships, but should not be seen as a substitute for using the established FAFSA system.
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tag(s): college (45), financial aid (13)

Quandary is an online simulation in ethical decision-making while building a new colony on the planet Braxos. Face decisions without right or wrong answers but that have implications on you and others in the colony. This activity was created for students ages 8-14. Login is optional to save scores or track and assess student performance or you can play as a guest. The game includes four different episodes with each containing different scenarios for decision-making. View information on the game, extension questions and more within the teachers and parents portions of the site. Find lesson plans, standards mapping (matched to Common Core ELA standards), and printable materials within the teachers section for classroom use. Don't miss the introduction video, under Families, explaining the site!

tag(s): creativity (86), critical thinking (127), ethics (21), game based learning (205), social and emotional learning (102)

Enter the engaging virtual world of Whyville filled with math, science, art, and literature activities. Create an avatar and join in constructive educational activities that promote socially responsible behavior. There are many activities to explore, and you can chat with other users. The Zero Gravity Chamber features angles and the principle of Newton's 3rd Law. In the Rocket Design Lab simulate rockets to test parameters such as nozzle size and pay load. The Engine Lab has 3 games that teach about electric charges and ion engines. Citizens must be aware of infectious illnesses and plagues that infect the citizens of Whyville. Join in the hot air balloon race to analyze vector fields to navigate hot air balloons. Go on an art treasure hunt around the world. At the dance studio design and choreograph your own dances. Visit the beach, the climate center, take a swim, or meet your friends at the playground or waterfall. Simulations change every time you enter Whyville. Earn clams, a salary, manage a bank account, get a pet, and read the daily news. Log-in (with email) is required to fully participate in this site. However, most of the site is accessible without registration. Don't miss this award winning website!

tag(s): aircraft (16), animals (295), dance (31), diseases (67), logic (161), money (113), motion (47), puzzles (149), recycling (46), social skills (22), vectors (16)

Find many useful grammar lessons with practice exercises for ESL/ELL students at this site created and maintained by English teachers. The lessons are well organized and illustrated, with some in video format. The video lessons include grammar and comprehension questions (and answers). A newly added search feature allows you to look for exactly the lesson and subject you need. At the bottom of the page, there are links to related lessons. You also can print out entire lessons in PDF form. The opening page shares a "New Lesson" feature and links to other practical lessons. Some of the lesson topics include grammar mistakes, future tense, revision & comprehension, stative verbs, prepositions, plurals, party conversation, job interview information, and many more. Also featured on the "Ask Us" page are questions other teachers might have. If your district blocks YouTube, some of the video clips may not be viewable. Caution: at least one of the YouTube videos on the homepage was blocked due to copyright issues at the time of this review. Note that spellings are British, but this would only affect the usefulness of a few lessons for U.S. teachers and students.

tag(s): grammar (137), idioms (30), reading comprehension (149), verbs (26)

Sometimes, it's best to go straight to the source. The US Department of Education offers advice, information, and links for those searching for financial aid to attend post-secondary education. Not a fancy site, but all the relevant information is there: defining the kinds of financial aid, applying for financial aid, comparing financial aid offers from colleges, and understanding the repayment process. There is also a link to the new "College Scorecard" site that provides more guidance in comparing the potential financial costs of different colleges. In addition, there are several infographics and videos (which link to YouTube) that provide important overviews in each of the broad categories covered on the site. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): careers (156), college (45), financial aid (13), financial literacy (93)

This website is for girls to learn about STEM careers and the various research and educational opportunities that exist for them. Famous women in STEM careers and other prominent women are a focus of this site. Learn about great STEM careers and how STEM impacts much of our world. Watch and learn from others, view video clips, take challenges, learn about careers, and more. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): engineering (129), STEM (297), women (151)

Enter the world of canine love. Find information on dogs, training, choosing a name, breed information, and more about raising a puppy/dog. Much of the information includes short video clips. You will also find poetry, book lists, and lesson plans to accompany books about dogs. Some of the books included: Because of Winn Dixie, Call of the Wild, Old Yellar, The Incredible Journey, Where the Red Fern Grows, Shiloh, Love that Dog, Sounder, and White Fang . Some of the videos require the QuickTime plug-in.
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tag(s): animals (295)

The Literacy Design Collaborative supports the development of literacy through a series of templates for use with text when writing. There are also templates for other subjects. Most templates address secondary levels; however, other offerings contain some elementary templates. Template tasks allow you to fill in the blank with learning skills addressed. When completed, you create and produce a high-quality assignment. Three collections are available by choosing the tasks link: the template task collection II, Common Core template tasks, and K-2 template tasks. Use links provided to view instructions and download templates in PDF format. Choose the modules link to view and download complete modules for instruction for English, Science, and Social Studies. Also available at the Literacy Design Collaborative is a series of videos demonstrating changing teacher practice and literacy. Most of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): american revolution (82), animals (295), biodiversity (36), canada (24), careers (156), china (81), civil rights (209), cold war (30), ecosystems (83), energy (133), evolution (89), gettysburg (15), gettysburg address (12), india (32), industrial revolution (22), lincoln (66), literacy (122), marine biology (31), photosynthesis (21), poetry (193), pollution (52), professional development (385), shakespeare (99)

Living Wage Calculator provides information to estimate the cost of living in any community or region. Enter a location in the search box or choose from the state list to begin. Results are provided for an entire state, county, or specific city. The "calculator" provides typical expenses for the location along with living wage, poverty wage, and minimum wage. View typical wages for different occupations in that location. The wages at poverty level are indicated in red.

tag(s): careers (156), financial literacy (93)

Teaching Tree is a free resource for learning about computer science. View videos organized into five categories with dozens of topics inside each category. Main categories include Algorithms and Data Structures, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Databases, Graphics and Animation, and Programming Languages. Most topics have 10+ specific lessons. University professors provide most videos that are a mix of short and long tutorials. Find tags within the longer videos to key concepts that they contain. Clicking on a tag jumps you to the spot in the lecture that addresses the concept you want to learn about.

tag(s): computers (109), data (151)

Use sources to investigate the past at this website offered by the National Archives of the United Kingdom. View videos explaining how to think about historic artifacts and try studying items on your own. Take notes to save and use along the way. Topics include Queen Victoria, childhood, women, the Great Exhibition, the British Empire, and Local History. The site contains an extensive group of resources for teachers embedded in each section. Teacher resources include lesson notes, how to use resources, and historical source captions and notes. In addition, each unit has a downloadable pack of assets for use with an interactive whiteboard.

tag(s): britain (26), careers (156), england (50), great britain (16), victorian (16), women (151)

Visit Peek and "Create Your Perfect Day." Register using email and a password. Pick a city or area to visit. Start planning your day using the prompts provided for morning, afternoon, evening, and night activities. Choose from pictures provided based on your input or upload your own. When finished, publish to share your "perfect day" via it's unique URL or through social media sharing links. This site is part of a travel website. The main page includes many activities (with prices). Avoid the homepage and go directly to "Create Your Perfect Day."
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tag(s): creative writing (124), local history (14), virtual field trips (128)

Sky Diary offers facts for students about hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, and storm chasing. Choose the link to each of the topics to find quick facts such as how tornadoes or hurricanes form, measuring intensity of hurricanes and tornadoes, or safety precautions. The storm chasing portion of the site offers insight into a typical storm chase, reality vs T.V., and how to become a storm chaser. This simple site contains a great deal of useful weather information for classroom use.
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tag(s): careers (156), hurricanes (32), tornadoes (14), weather (160)

Take the world's best courses online for free! Choose courses from 33 universities in 20 different topics ranging from science, business, music and film, and the social sciences. Course information displays start date, length of class, and the source offering the course. View a description/biography of the course instructor, a video explanation of each course, and information on the course format at the homepage for each class. Most courses offer a certificate of completion for successful completion of course requirements.

tag(s): china (81), climate change (99), computers (109), data (151), energy (133), engineering (129), financial literacy (93), gamification (83), greeks (46), immigrants (34), immigration (68), nutrition (140), professional development (385), psychology (65), scientific method (48), sociology (23), solar energy (34), space (222), sports (82)

Learn about the dirtiest, most dangerous, and tiring jobs during the Medieval times, Early Modern times, and Modern times. This site has a more dated appearance, but the content is interesting. Most of the information is provided in text form. Read short descriptions of jobs and rank them according to how dirty, dangerous, or tiring you think that they are. After ranking the jobs, take a short online quiz about information read. There is also the option to download a worksheet to use with the activities. At the beginning of the activity, the site asks for your full name. (A fictitious name could always be used.)

tag(s): 1600s (20), 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), careers (156), industrial revolution (22), medieval (32)

This site features the latest discoveries by the scientists of top research universities throughout the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. There is a huge selection of topics to explore. Find current findings and research in the topics of Earth and Environment, Health and Medicine, Science and Technology, and Society and Culture. This free site is funded by the universities partnered in the project solely to share research news directly with the public.
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tag(s): earth (184), environment (252), medicine (57), nutrition (140), scientific method (48)